A Great End to A Not-So-Great Week

So, remember me saying Swedish won't be so bad? Let's all just forget that was ever said (or, in this case, typed). It's bad. I'm talking worse than OMS with Enno last semester (that's for you Taylor and Caitlin). Everything is spoken in Swedish, so naturally I sit there with that "deer staring into the headlights" expression on my face whenever the instructor speaks. Of course, as I stare around, everyone else is laughing at her jokes and understands what she's saying. Oh, did I mention a very, very large percentage of the class is German? Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's incredibly easy for them to understand the language, due to the intense similarity between the two languages. Why they're in Intermediate Swedish is beyond me; they make me feel incredibly stupid. The lecturer told me to give it a chance; I'd be bored in Basic Swedish 3. Uh... I'd rather be bored and get an easy A than actually having to work for it. Being lazy sucks. One or two people came up to me at the end of the first lecture and told me I'm not alone. I don't know whether to be happy that I'm not alone in the class, or be upset that my lack of Swedish skills is that transparent. Some guy told me that my Swedish accent was perfect at the pub the other night; I just laughed. And I'm laughing right now just thinking about it.

Got an email from my academic advisor back in the states, who told me that although I have to take classes here using the ECTS grading scale (wikipedia it.. because I'm way too lazy to describe it), on the actual U of M transcript, the classes will appear as S/N classes. Meaning they won't affect my GPA. Meaning I only have to attain a 60% or higher in the classes in order to secure that S that has absolutely no affect at all on my GPA. Meaning it's going to be a somewhat lazy semester (although, it should be stated that getting a 60% in Swedish will be hard work... yeah, I'm that dumb). That little fact made my entire semester, let me tell you.

The weekend was great, but went way too fast. Friday I spent some time in the library, and then went out with some friends to Stallarna. A good time. Saturday, I spent the day with Tommy and Madison in the town center, and had some great, cheap pizza. Came back, took a nap, and went to a BBQ at my buddy Linda's place. Had a great time! She's awesome, and so is her place (and her tv...). Then I headed over to Rachel's with Tommy and two of her friends from Canada/the States, and we hit the town center to experience a cafe in town... which we didn't actually enter. We decided it was a bit expensive, so we went back to the bus station--turned out the next bus wouldn't come for another hour, so we all got in a taxi and rode back to the university (my first taxi ride.. not that exciting).

Today I went to fika with the gang at the castle, which was great. I learned the castle was finished in 1934, so it naturally lost its medieval appeal. Who wants a castle that was built in the 1900's?! Came back, and have been studying International Marketing since three. I know, I know: so much for laziness. I'm working on getting better at it, I swear. 60%, baby!

Have to start my second ten-page, single-spaced paper tonight. The goal is to finish it by Wednesday, due to the fact that I have to start another class on Wednesday. That one revolves around the author of Pippi Longstocking. Should be interesting.

Oh yeah, a shout-out to Lyndie. You happy now?!