Stora Delsjön

I went on a little excursion the other day to try and find Stora Delsjön, which is a very big lake just East of where I live. I tried to walk there taking the shortest route, but I couldn't cross the highways that were in the way, so I took a tram to an area called Bö and just decided I would wander my way down to find Stora Delsjön. Here's a map:
It was sunny all morning and I was getting excited because I thought the weather would be nice when I got to the lake, but it was actually quite cloudy and windy when I got there. Still, it was pretty fun. The lake was frozen over, so I walked around on it a little bit. That was my first time walking on a frozen lake! :)

I heard it was a fifteen minute walk from Bö to Stora Delsjön, but it felt more like a half hour because I didn't know if I was going the right way, or if I'd ever get there. I actually almost gave up because it was so cold and because I was alone, but I finally made it, and it was definitely worth going! I think it would be even more awesome in the summer. Yeah, it would be a great place to go joggging! Here are some pictures:

a happy feeling.

I don't know what it is exactly, but there's this weird sensation I associate with being happy that has suddenly returned to me. It's sort of like a certain smell, mixed with a taste in my mouth. I feel like it has something to do with the little the wooden spatulas and guitar i just bought... and maybe the spaghetti I had this morning has something to do with it too. Whatever it is... I hope it doesn't go away.

Vrångö!!

I took a ferry out to Vrångö the other day with my friend Elin and I think it was one of the best things I've done so far. Vrångö is another island off the coast of Göteborg. Maybe a bit bigger than Brännö. It was snowing when I went there, but it was nice... because it was a light friendly snow. I'd say if you're ever in Gothenburg or anywhere near it, visiting Vrångö is a must. Especially in the summer!! Here are some pictures I/Elin took while we were there.




























































































I think this island would be so much fun in the summer because there are all these huge rocky areas everywhere overlooking water and there is also a nature trail that goes through a nature reserve, but everything really does seem natural. There are no fences or anything blocking you from accessing any part of anything. There are some really crazy sounding birds there too. When I was up on the rocks, I just wanted to run around from rock to rock, slowly climbing, with a great chance of finding another great view of something.



Like animal instinct, like freedom... This really is an amazing place.

Reflection I

Ok, so I think it's time for a bit of reflection. I have been here in Sweden for one month and two days now, but what have I learned about myself? What have I learned about the world?

I've learned that it's easy to get stuck in life. It's easy to get stuck in a routine that is unbreakable -- one that makes life seem like a chore, where the light at the end of the tunnel is ju a black light and just illuminates all of the dust particles on my clothes. Showing all of the grains, like imperfections. All I can do while walking down this tunnel is dust myself off and keep walking, very fast at times... either when I'm running from something or just trying to get another difficult day of walking over with. Then I trip -- there are many times where I trip -- and then I fall. When I finally get up, I've lost my sense of direction and don't know if I'm headed the same way I was going, or the exact opposite. Aimless, hopeful, discourages, tired, frustrated... bored.

This is where I was.

Not the most terrible picture in the world, but at this point... I can't paint one darker and scarier. That is how Sweden has affected me so far, I suppose. Things have been so great here, that I'm forgetting (at least temporarily) about some of the problems or troubles I had before. Don't get me wrong... my month here hasn't been completely cookies and candy all the time, but the hard times have been bearable. There are times when I miss people at home, or miss the comfort of mom's cooking or the crappy food and shitty service on the ave in Seattle. Having a warm bowl of pho and a free cream puff to go with it... having to drink crappy Tully's coffee because there's no other coffee on campus. Actually, no. I don't miss that. But, I do miss my guitar and my conga drums. I wish I had my guitar here, so I wouldn't have to buy one. I'm seriously considering buying one while I'm here, but we'll see. I also miss all of the people at my church i Kenmore. I miss the songs we sung every sunday, the sermons, the time we spent together at church and outside of church (even if there weren't that many occasions). I miss going to Cafe Koinonia for yogurt, or Swedish Club meeting there... and yogurt. I miss getting a ride to church on sunday mornings by Choi 집사님 and him always asking if the Huskies lost again. I always had to say yes. I almost miss walking to the Husky Stadium for rehearsals too, but not quite. I'd rather not have to walk. But yeah, not being able to be home for my brother's 10th birthday was a little bit painful, but it felt sooo good to hear his voice so excited when I called him on the morning of his birthday. He had some friends over and my sister, Yeon Sue, cooked them dinner. A dish that I taught my family called Akoko sy Voanio which is coconut chicken stew from Madagascar. I felt a little better then because I felt like I at least had a little something to do with my little bro's birthday. I remember my 10th birthday and I just hope that he had as good a time as I remember having.

Yes, there have been a few times where I've felt a little down and shed a few tears, but tears are just tears and they just help me to realize that I am human... not a rock or a machine like some people think I am. Sometimes I do function like a rock or a machine though. You know, like... you can build a house on me, or I'll punch your timecards for you, or print essays out of my butt. Jag skämtar bara. But really...

Right. So what have I learned? I've learned that Asians like to use this emoticon: ^^
I've never used this, but I think I should try sometime. Or I could get fancy and make my own version like: |#^o^#|

Ha. Okay. Next.

I've also learned how to make kimchi, and today... I learned how to bake bread from scratch. (Swiss bread, called Zopf.) It was awesome, my friend Bernardo came over and helped me whip it together before Swedish class. Now that I think about it, it was an Italian and a Korean-American baking Swiss bread in Sweden while listening to African influences jazz music. That's pretty international, I think.

I've learned that I really do like music. I like playing the drums (but not rock music). I like singing, but I get light headed when I sing too much. I like red peppers and carrots. I like to cook food that is easy to prepare and eat, but I will spend a lot of time cooking if I have time or if I'm not wildly hungry when I start cooking.

I've learned that I've forgotten a lot of Swedish grammar, which is frustrating because I have Swedish class now... but I'll be fine once I refresh a bit. I've also learned that I like simplicity. For example, it was very refreshing coming here with only two bags of stuff. Also, I don't have a microwave. Well, I guess the not having a microwave thing is anti-simplicity, but it makes me feel more organic. Yes, it makes me feel like I'm made of carbon. Precis.

I've learned many people's names swapped lots of contact information. I've learned about many different cultures in meeting people and learned bits and pieces of other languages. I've found people here that have the same interests as me. Other Asians that study Swedish!! They really do exist!!

I've learned that I sort of expect a lot from people. Not in terms of recieving material gifts, but in terms of keeping promises and appointments, letting me know if plans change before they happen, being honest, being consistent in a relationship with me... meaning, if you have a long conversation with me one night, I sort of expect you to remember me (my name, maybe?) and act like you've met me before. (I've had some problems with this with some Finnish people I met, but maybe I'm just misinterpreting their actions or their. Yeah, I think that's it. I didn't take "Ways of Meaning" for nothing.) I also like when people are loyal, (not like a dog) but I also like them to challenge me and ask "why" because it makes me have to think about why I said something. I actually don't like this, but I know it's good for me so I can learn to articulate myself better aloud. So, is this too much to ask/expect of/from people? I don't know.

Let's see... what else have I learned about myself? I like dressing up relatively nice everyday. You know, like nice jeans or slacks, boots or nice tennis shoes, a nice t-shirt or collared shirt or sweater with a scarf and a peacoat over it. And, gloves and a hat are essentials here. Wearing something like this is normal for everyday around here. This, or even fancier. Seeing as I like to wear cute blazers sometimes, I feel like I fit in here -- sort of. I still like lounging around in PJs though.

Oh, another thing. I don't like taking pictures if it makes me look like a tourist, or if it makes people feel uncomfortable, or if I have to stop people from doing something so I can take a picture. I just feel like living too much through a camera will take me out of the moment. Thoughts like these stem from a reading I did senior year of highschool. (Loss of the Creature, by Walker Percy) If you know me, you know that I hate reading, but this is an excellent read. Also, I feel like I have enough friends that like to take pictures that share them on Facebook anyway. I guess the only thing is that I have to trust that they can take high quality pictures. Oh, I've also learned that it's true that well... it's true that all the Japanese people I have met and befriended like to take pictures. Not kidding. ^^

Yes, so now the world. What have I learned about the world? I've learned that there are so many different ways of thinking. So many different ways to organize things. So many different kinds of messes and problems, so many different kinds of bread, so many different things to see, and the obligatory line som följer: so many different things do.

I've been out doing all of the things that people should do in their lives, like learning other languages, learning about other people's lives and beliefs, learning how much my own heritage means to me, going on adventures to places i've never been, doing people favors, and sharing the knowledge that I have... among other things that I've mentioned here in this blog. Shopping and hanging out with friends is also fun. :)

Yes, so I hope I've articulated myself in a way that has painted a pretty little word picture in your mind. Or, maybe I can just give you one or two pictures to congratulate you for reading my post. Okej. Until next time.

Layout change

Yes, so you might have noticed that I have changed the layout of my blog. It's a little narrower... and I'm sorry about that. I'll see what I can do with the template's HTML to make the text area a little wider, but the code is pretty messy with CSS mixed all in. Yeah, so I may be changing up the layout from time to time to see what works best. Hopefully you won't get disoriented. Thanks for your cooperation. Or, supposed cooperation...

Kimchi making!

Kimchi is an important part of Korean culture and I've always told myself that I would learn how to make it, but seeing as my mom would always make mass quantities anyway -- I just never got around to it. Most Koreans are pretty serious about kimchi and my mom even has a special fridge for it at home... and this is no ordinary fridge. It's a top loading fridge, sort of like a deep freezer... but it is equipped with eight large specially-sealing plastic containers. I guess it is supposed to simulate the old days, when people would bury jars of kimchi in the ground. I hate it when she keeps apples in the same fridge with the kimchi because I can taste the flavor on the apples. That's how potent it is. My church even got kicked out of a building that we were renting for services once because of the lingering smell. (I know, I know...)

Anyways... I always find myself craving a little kimchi when I've been away from home too long, but being so far away has amplified my need for it and seeing as I have lots of free time, I felt it was finally time to make kimchi on my own. My first kimchi making endeavor was here in Sweden. And, I took pictures so I could document this historic event and share it with you!!

Here's the cabbage cut in large leaves.














Here, I've slices the cabbage into bite size pieces.














Now, what you see here, is the cabbage in a few layers with salt on and in between.














After letting the cabbage soak in salt for a few hours, it was time to finally mix in the chili pepper flakes, fish sauce, garlic, and green onion. Yes, I knew I bought pepparkakor in a big tub for a reason.














Here is my kimchi all bottled up and ready for fermentation in applesauce jars that Elin graciously gave to me! :)














Here's a close up of my kimchi.














When I first started in to mix the pepper flakes and other veggies in, I was using my bare hand, but I soon learned that my skin did not like spicy pepper flakes. My hand got splotchy and burned a little bit. I will never do that again.

Now I have the two jars sitting at room temperature and I plan to let them sit out for about 3-4 days so they can ferment before I put them in the fridge. It's kind of fun... like having two little jars of spicy vegetables for pets. This might be comparable to having a cactus. It's a slightly dangerous pet that ages slowly.

thoughts and things... (cont.)

So, today is Monday and I have a jam-packed week of fun in front of me, so I'll have to try extra hard not to think about what I have planned, but instead finish writing about things I've already done. I guess we left off with lots of pictures of food and a sunrise.

Alright, so I guess I'll start by telling you a little about the course that I've been taking. This first course I took was called: "The Development of Scandinavia in a European context". Today (surprisingly) ended up being the last day of lectures for the first part of my four part course in Scandinavian Studies. It was supposed to be an extra lecture day because the professor forgot to come to class one of the days on the schedule. Instead, he just handed out the three exam questions and told us they are due in a week. I felt a little cheated in terms of hours of learning in lecture because we only have four hours a week, but the lectures weren't all that engaging anyway... which is too bad, but I trust that it will get better. My biggest beef with the class was that it progressed way too quickly, skipping a lot of the important points in Swedish history... like reasons Sweden broke away from the Kalmar Union. I guess for me, I've already taken a Scandinavian Language History class so I have a huge advantage and background already, but I feel bad for the other people in class who wanted to learn about the early foundations of Sweden, but only really received information about the ice age and the 19th and 20th centuries. Honestly, most of what is between the Bronze Age ("1800-400BC") and the 1800s (AD) was completely glossed over. A few things were touched on in between these eras, but the professor couldn't even describe the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520 for the class when I asked about it. That was an indication to me that maybe I should just sit and learn what the professor had to offer without embarrassing him.

The thing that I did get out of this course, was a general idea about the Swedish welfare state. I learned a few names like Raoul Wallenberg... and well, oh yeah -- Joe Hill! But, I think Raoul Wallenberg actually stuck in my head because of the connection his name had to something I saw on a history tour. Joe Hill stuck in my head because of a play I saw at Stadsteatern called Hunger! that talked about him... and the bread riots of 1917. Yup. So, other things that I've been doing...

I've been to a few fun little dinner parties and watched a few more movies lately. One movie I saw was Slum Dog Millionaire. This was an excellent movie about a totally normal guy that wins 'Who wants to be a millionaire' but has a great explanation for how he knew each answer. (This is important because he is tortured and interrogated for supposedly cheating). I'd give this movie a 9.4/10.

Another movie I saw recently is called Belle Epoque. It was an okay movie. Not great, but I'd give it maybe a 6.0/10. It was really interesting for me though because the audio track of the movie was in Spanish and the subtitles were in Swedish. It was making my brain work it a way it never has before. It was quite amazing.

I guess I also watched Offside, which is a Swedish comedy about a soccer team in Stenfors. It was funny at times, but was lacking in some way... I can't exactly figure out what it was lacking though. Score = 6.2/10.

Hmmm, I also watched Den Tredje Vågen, which is the sequel to Noll Tolerans. I didn't like it as much as Noll Tolerans. 7.0/10.

Okay, so enough with movie rating. Here's some dinner party pictures.




































































Okay, so right. What else have I done lately?... Have I told you yet that I played innebandy? Yeah, I went to Fysiken the other day and met up with Akane and played innebandy with a bunch of Swedish guys. For those of you that don't know, innebandy is like floor hockey with a wiffle-ball. It was a lot of fun and wore me out more than I thought it would. My whole body is sore and that's a good thing, I think.

Oh yeah, and I have I said anything about my Swedish massage yet? I don't know that I have! Well, I went to get a Swedish massage a few weeks ago, but I couldn't find the place for a while. I was running around these two blocks in Vasastan searching for Erik Dahlbergsgatan 19 for a while when I got a call from my masseur asking why I wasn't there on time. I told him I couldn't find the place. I was standing right between number 18 and 20 wondering why there was no number 19. Then I turned to the other side of the street and it was just a parking lot, so I walked up and down the street and the streetr on the other side of the parking lot for a while. Then it was like a Swedish exam because my masseur didn't speak very much English and we were trying to figure out where I was and where he was and how I was supposed to get to where his massage parlor is. By the time I got there it was 15 minutes past, but I was able to get nearly a full hour and also got a student discount (one that he says he doesn't give). I told him it looked like he had student discounts on the website.

I guess it's kinda cool. I can say I had a real Swedish massage from a real Swedish boy. But, I don't think I would go again. It was pretty expensive.

Okay, well I can't think of anything else right now. I should be working on an essay for Swedish class.

thoughts and things...

So, I know it has only been like four or five days since my last entry, but I am already so behind in reporting my latest escapades. Things have been busy as usual, which is great. I guess we can start with the weekend Kelly and Kirsten came to town. It was pretty fun showing them around and we did some fun things like going to an exchange student party at the student house on Fridhemsgatan. We met lots of people there and had a good opportunity to practice Swedish too. Then we also took a ferry to Brännö off the coast that weekend, which you've already heard about. One Sunday, we went to the city museum, which was quite interesting. I couldn't take any pictures there, but they had some interesting things there... like a huge collection of chairs from over the ages, a reconstructed viking ship, some swords, and other old artifacts. Oh yeah, on Friday, we stopped in at a cafe in the Haga district for some coffee and played Swedish Scrabble. It was a lot of fun and we talked for a bit with the couple that owned the cafe before we left. They were from Iran and were actually quite anti-Swedish. They were really pro-American, but I remember insisting that Seattle is pretty similar to Gothenburg. I've been involved in the debate on whether people are more friendly here or in the US more than a few times, but I haven't yet decided. I usually say people are more friendly here, but it really depends on the day, I think... and the weather. It also depends on one's own mood and demeanor.

On another note, I passed the test for entrance into the intermediate Swedish course and now I am one of 14-15 students in the course. (I feel lucky because I've heard there's over 100 students in the beginner course right now). I'm the only one from the States and the only Asian, but don't worry--- I'm representing you well. Apparently I scored the second highest on the entrance exam. woot.

I had my first rehearsal with my new funk band on wednesday (11/2) right after Swedish. It was a lot of fun playing drums again and I feel like we have a lot of talent in the group. A lot of the members of the band are from France, so I feel like I'll be learning some French while I'm here (along with Swedish, Russian, and Spanish... among others). After rehearsal one of our vocalists asked me if I was interested in playing in another band as well. I said "maybe... it depends on the type of music." He said they play rock, so I said that rock is not really my type of music, but I filled in for them the other day as a favor to dear Gautier. It hurt my soul a little bit to have to play My Sharona and play punk versions of beautiful ballads like What a Wonderful World. I'm sort of a music purist and again, I don't really like rock music too much... so this was a rough 3 hours. Still it was a good experience to have and I'm glad to have done their band a favor.

I've been getting a lot of good practice with the Swedish language, but sometimes too much. I didn't think it was possible for me to get sick of Swedish, but it happened the other day when I was hanging out with my Russian friend Olga, who is quite good at Swedish over lunch, and then doing Swedish homework in the library, listening to Swedish radio, then attending a welcome party for Humanisten department and participating in a Swedish quiz competition. I've been trying to recover since that day and I think I'm almost back to normal. But, all of the language input I've been getting has been scrambling my brain a bit, I think. (French, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish, Korean).

Being Korean and American in Gothenburg has put me in a place where I am quite unique and I'm learning a lot about myself as I reflect upon the choices I make when everything is completely up to me. Things are quite different here in Sweden because of the Socialistic government and ideas, but I've liked being here so far. Everything seems to be more organized, the government seems to take much better care of its people, and I think Sweden is one of the only places in the world where it's cool to follow the rules and be as upstanding as you can be. The question is... at what cost? Well, first off... the tax rate is very very high. Also, one has to put up with government monopolies on alcohol, gambling, and I can't remember what else. Still the way of life seems to be much simpler here, and much more equal, and safe... leaving more time for taking it easy or involving oneself in hobbies and other activities. Others might argue there's just more time to get bored and depressed and people need to feel like there's too much to do. Personally, I like having less red tape and more free because I am naturally a productive productive person that doesn't like to sit around getting bored. Sometimes though, I need to take a day to just lounge around. I think that's mostly because I have this habit of doing a lot of things in one day... just jamming it pack full, and sleeping for most of the next day. It may seem a little extreme, but I know I'll even out pretty soon.

I've really been craving kimchi and spicy Korean food lately. So, I asked a few of my Japanese friends where they get their Asian food. I was so glad to hear is an Asian food store right next to Nordstan! I'm just sad they're not open on sundays, or else I would've gone there today. Instead I had rice with salmon filet and sambal oelek, which was still awesome. (I had a carrot too, since like I've said before, I bought so many I need to eat them before they go bad.) Here's a quick pic:














And here's a picture of the spaghetti dinner I had the other day with pajeon and a carrot on the side:














Yeah, I really go to town when it comes to noodles.

Oh, and here's a picture of what pajeon looks like before it's destroyed. It was my first time making it and I think it turned out pretty well. If you're wondering what it is, I'd say it's like a Korean pancake.














It looks like I was so hungry I had to take a bite before I managed to snap a picture.

Wow, I'm realizing now that I talk about food a lot. I'm glad I'm not morbidly overweight or something, or else this could be super embarassing.

Well, before I leave you for now, I wanted to share this beautiful sunrise I saw out my window this morning.















There's much more to say, but I've run out of energy on this post. (To be continued...)

food intake

So, I've already been sharing pictures with you showing what my food intake is like, but I'd just like to make a little note. First of all, it's nice to have my own kitchen... and, having class only seven hours a week allows me a little extra time to cook what I want. Mind you, I am a simple girl and I like food that is quick and easy. So, it is for that reason that I have been eating a lot of Pasta Carbonara and Spaghetti. Mmmm, with a little bit of "CHILI EXPLOSION" on top (of the spaghetti), we're talking about a delicious meal here! Yeah, I know... it's just like me to buy a spice called "CHILI EXPLOSION" (and you can see in the picture that this is really in all caps.)

But wow, I went to this Indian restaurant called Maharani this past weekend when Kelly and Kirsten were in town and I ordered a dish that was four stars and I basically burned my face off. It was sooo spicy I was sweating. That's pretty serious if we're talking about me and spice tolerance.

Anyway, the pasta carbonara... I always eat it with a side of fresh sliced red peppers. There was this other pasta I bought that was like Kyckling Panna or something, but I didn't like it as much because of the Sweet & Sour like sauce that comes with it. I usually just throw out most of the sauce cubes and just add Piri Piri sauce and olive oil (and again with red peppers on the side).

But no, I don't eat pasta for every meal of the day. I also bought some insta-Swedish pancakes which are great with a little lingon and cream. It's also very easy to get my hands on semlor around here, so I've had one or two of those (well, more like three or four). Then you've got coffee around every corner and cookies, muffins, cheesecake galore. Oh, I had this raspberry cheesecake from Fröken Olsson's Cafe last week that was amazing!! It's not like cheesecake in the states that will weigh you down. It's light and fluffy and I don't feel like falling over after I'm done. Sadly, I don't think I have a picture... I must have been really hungry. But here's another picture: These are some carrots I bought from WiLLY:s. And, now since I have a whole kilogram of them, I've naturally been eating a lot of carrots. Hopefully I don't turn orange, red, or some other strange color since I've been eating so many carrots and red bell peppers.

Well, I would have posted a picture of my delicious spaghetti I just had for dinner, but I was so hungry I ate it already.

I was out all day today... a group meeting for class, then went to a cafe with two of my friends from the group (had some nice coffee, had a good discussion, worked on my Russian a bit), then went to the student union building to fill out a scholarship application (but I forgot my letter of registration for class), then bought some notebooks for school at Akademibokhandeln, then went to a music store near Järntorget called Jam (it was supposed to be big, but they didn't have much there), then went to my first Swedish language lecture at Humanisten for 3 hours before going to rehearse at Chalmers with my awesome funk band (called: Nowhere Orchestra), then hanging out a bit at Cafe Olof with my new band-mates before waddling home and immediately throwing on a pot of water to cook some noodles in... since I didn't have much time to eat today. Here's a picture of the coffee and quite stale cookie I ate at the cafe with my friends from class:

Yup yup yup... so that's me and food lately. Plus a some pepparkakor, lots of orange juice (to rid sickness), other juices (because juice is yummy), a little milk, eggs, a few bags of chips, some McDonald's fries... but, I've been taking Calcium + D3 tablets since there's not so much sun around here. Gotta keep my bones strong, right?

Ja, så... that's it for now, I think. I'm very tired after a long day and I have class in nine hours and I want to be sleeping for maybe 6-7 of those hours, so... more will come later, but yes -- school has started, my swedish courses just started today, I'm playing drumset again, and all is going pretty well here in Göteborg... aside from almost getting hit by a car, tram, or bike a few times every day.

Hopefully my English hasn't gone to crap and I'm still coherent. It seems I used a lot of lists in this post. Haha.. maybe because I have lots to say in a compact space. Leave me some comments people!! That way I know who I'm talking to, more or less. (Those of you that like to Jones around are okay too... i guess. Just know, I know you're there.)












:p

culture shock

So, I didn't think I was going through a lot of culture shock being here in Sweden, but then I realized that every time I thought to myself, "wow, that's weird," I was probably experiencing some form of culture shock. Here are a few things that took me by surprise:

• You have to pay 5 SEK in most public places to use the bathroom.
• You have to pay 20 SEK and check your coat at most bars, clubs and other fancy places.
• You have to pay 1-3 SEK for a shopping bag.
• You have to pay a deposit of 5 SEK to use a shopping cart at some grocery stores (I heard you get the money back when you return the cart).

Welcome to Brännö!

On Saturday, Kelly, Kirsten, and I met up with Kelly's host brother Patrick and his two friends, Thomas, and Ida. We took a ferry from Saltholmen to Brännö (an island off the coast of Göteborg). Here are some pictures I took while I was there.