So, I guess tonight I'll be telling you stuff that happened this past month. Some of it actually happened before my first post but I feel like writing about it anyway, so I'll do it, okay? Good.
First of all, two weekends ago we had the AFS Mid-stay camp. I was kinda excited about it, because it meant I would go in another part of Sweden and meet other exchange students, until they told me it would be in Karlstad. Like, wow. But still, I guess the positive still outweighed the negative, since I got to meet about 20 other exchange students. Specifically, I got to speak Italian again, which was really nice. The guys who live in northern Sweden (like Lavinia, the Italian girl who likes Marvel :D) were there, so that was really cool; also, I'm really envious of their -20 degrees (yes, I know it's not normal). It has been pretty warm, here (not for your standard, ma', don't worry) and the snow has a tendency of melting away much too quickly, becoming slask (that disgusting, wet thing left on the ground after the thermometer goes over 0° C. I love that they have a word for that). I'm considering convincing one of them to host me for a couple of days so I can soak up the real cold :P.
Back on the track, Midstay was nice, even if I could have done without a couple (or all) of the activities. And I guess it wasn't completely useless, because it made me think about how school here really wasn't working for me, though I think I had mostly just hit a rough patch; anyway, I spoke with my "mentorer" (teachers in charge of the class in general, like coordinatore di classe in Italy) and now I get to study the stuff I get from my Italian school during some classes. Another good thing of the camp was that I spoke to Isana, the Japanese girl who lives in Örebro (a city in my region), more and that Marie and I started speaking Swedish with each other, which is fun (even though she complains that I sound like Åsa, our teacher, when I tell her to speak Swedish). The boring thing was that I caught a cold, so I was pretty out of it on Saturday and I got to sleep at home instead of staying at the youth hostel with the others as planned (but seriously, the place is beside my school, 10 minutes from home. It would have been kind of ridiculous).
All the Italians at the camp! From left to right: moi, Massimo, Giulia, Grazia, Lavinia, Giacomo
The week after that was nothing special, if not for the fact that I took a pause and didn't train once. I had been tired since the beginning of the school, and with classes letting out at 16.00 I always felt stressed about having to hurry to my 16.30 training. I still love it, though, so I'm only gonna stop going on Mondays, when I finish at 16.10 - 20 minutes feels too tight.
Oh, right, and on Wednesday Ulrike and I got to loan a pair of cross-country skis from Sundsta (public high school in Karlstad).
Apart from that, it was a regular, albeit really nice, week. I chatted a lot with Elin, Freja, Hanna and Felicia (probably too much. I feel like I talk too much, I should shut up every once in a while) in school, decided that I really like the new Swedish teacher and occasionally deplored this country's educational system (no offense, Sweden, I love you anyway).
On Friday we - Jakob, Ellen and I - went to Stockholm (on the way I ate at Max, a swedish fast food, for the first time). Karin was already there and had checked in at the hotel, so we met there. Saturday was super nice! We were supposed to chill in the hotel's SPA, but the age limit for that was 16 years, and my host sister Ellen is 12, so we got to do something else. We ate a lot for breakfast (I did, at least), and then we went around shopping as per Ellen's request.
We got coffee at the newly-opened Starbucks and I managed to get nostalgic over my brother through a mocha with a lot of cinnamon on top.
After that, we separated; Ellen and Karin kept on shopping for Ellen, while Jakob and I were supposed to go to the Museum of Photography - and we did, after a few detours, the first of which was the highest point of the day: we went in a shop selling hair products and Jakob spent at least ten minutes comparing different kinds of shampoos and conditioners (facendosi un sacco di pare mentali) and asking the poor guy manning the desk for advice. That was fun. The other detour was to a shop store, were I bought a pair of really cool boots - and they're swedish! That makes me excited for some reason.
I dare you to tell me that they're not badass
Anyway, we reached the museum in the end, and oh my gods was it worth it. There were four exhibitions, and two of them were just breathtaking. Herb Ritts with In full light and Adi Nes with Narratives. I swear, I got emotional over some of those pictures.
This was one of my favorite pics by Adi Nes
Then we walked to Lena's, Karin's sister, house (and we got lost in the process) and I, Ellen, Lena and her son ate an early (yes, even earlier than usual) dinner at an Italian restaurant (best way to find good Italian restaurants abroad: look for Italian reviews). The pizza was actually pretty good! Karin and Jakob met a pair of friends out for dinner (at 20.30... I miss dinner time in Italy, sometimes), and Ellen and I spent the evening watching TV and eating lördagsgodis (Saturday candy).
On Sunday we ate breakfast at the hotel with Lena, her son and two friends of Karin and Jakob's, then we drove home. We got there around 16.00, and then we went cross-country skiing in the wood two minutes form home, because it had snowed a lot over the weekend. It was so much fun! And the woods were so beautiful. I'm kind of not terrible at it (even though I did fall a couple of times, but hey, it was the first time!), much to my surprise.
I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. Also, there was full moon yesterday!
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