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Tag archives for Easter

Far Away from Home

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Being an international student can be hard sometimes. Whether your gone for six months, 1 year or two years, being away from your family and friends can more difficult than you imagined.

The feeling of homesickness is something most international students get. At some point everyone craves the more familiar like friends, food, pets or family. Sometimes it just feels like it all is so far away.

The holiday’s can make it even more difficult as you remember certain traditions you used to have, family gatherings and home cooked meals. It can also be hard to miss all of those traditions going on at home that you have grown up with for so many years.

The best way to deal with homesickness when you’re an international student in another country is to get out and meet some people. You can even do something that reminds you of home.

Carving the turkey! Photo:Andreas Bergman

This past Easter I took a trip to Sjövde to visit my Swedish family. Being around family, even if they are not your own, is a great way to kick that holiday homesickness. We may not totally speak each others languages, but we all enjoy it nonetheless. Just hanging out and relaxing with my second family makes me feel like I’m back at home.

This visit was especially nice because we tried out some Canadian holiday traditions. In our family, it is very typical for most holidays (Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving) to get together and spend most of the day preparing a turkey and a big holiday feast. The get-together usually involves everyone in and around the kitchen enjoying food and wine, making jokes and having fun.

This year my Swedish family surprised me with a turkey and together we spent the afternoon in the kitchen preparing the turkey and all of the fixings!

A Swedish-Canadian inspired Easter feast! Photo:Andreas Bergman

If you are new to Sweden and don’t yet have any close family, friends, or family of friends there are always lots of chances to meet new people. Most universities have a buddy matching program for exchange students where they match you up with a Swede. Some schools also match you up with families in the region to enhance your ‘Swedish’ experience.

So if your feeling a little homesick, don’t worry, it happens to everyone. Try to take your mind off of it and hang out with some close friends, get our of your apartment and do something. The feeling doesn’t last forever and soon you will be back to normal!

Kristin Follis — Student

April 27, 2011

Holiday hooey

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Hey, kids! What’s your favorite bizarro moment from Easter – better known in Sweden as Påsk – in Växjö?

The preposterousness that is Påsk in Växjö.

Was it when local teens decided it would be a great idea to set off fireworks in the middle of a midnight church service at the cathedral, the green and red flashes from which turned the whitewashed walls of the cathedral’s insides into a canvas for one of the largest light shows in Swedish history?

Or was it when, in the early evening Friday, someone decided to run across Linnaeus University’s campus dressed as a rabbit? Honestly, it didn’t make a lot of sense, but that’s the beauty of college. There’s college antics, and then there’s John Belushi in Animal House-crazy.

Maybe you’d select the moment when several dozen Swedes proceeded to the cathedral bearing torches and wearing – as God is my witness – white robes.  Back where I come from, such a scene would cause a national uproar. It just screams “Y’all ready for some controversy?” But the Swedes seemed to think nothing of it. And they say unintentional hysteria is dead.

Maybe it was the aisles upon aisles of Påskmust, a strange drink that looks and tastes almost exactly like Kool-Aid mixed with Pepsi? Considering I never saw anyone buying any, it must have been either a down year or Swedes prefer to do their shopping during the 167 ½ hours of the week I’m not at the grocery store.

With the arrival of Spring, Växjö becomes much more lively.

Perhaps you thought the most bizarre thing was the three-hour long church service taking place Thursday, Friday (twice), Saturday, and Sunday (thrice). You needed a bladder the size of a pony keg to get through it. What do the choir members use, a catheter? It couldn’t have been easy on anybody.

Coloring eggs is an Easter tradition in many countries, including Sweden.

What’s amazing is that somehow in all the fair-weathered frivolities is the fact that Jenny Berggren, former lead singer for Ace of Base – the most famous Swedish band not named ABBA – led a free public workshop on Linnaeus’ campus. Oh, and there was also an appearance by a Saudi Arabian ambassador, who happens to be a prince and happens to be worth close to $1 billion.

Maybe the university had consulted Fairly Honest Don’s Fairly Honest P.R. Firm, or former Iraqi Minister of Information Saeed al-Sahhaf. Events on campus? There aren’t any!

Too bad. They also missed a visit by Crown Princess Victoria, who just happens to be next in line to the Swedish throne. Despite the fact that the royalty is about as divisive among Swedes as the Civil War in Alabama, there surprisingly wasn’t a single protester or guy wearing a T-shirt that read IS MADELEINE STILL SINGLE.

To gain experience in journalism, it’s helpful to interview people from an array of nations, people with every kind of personality and enough people to span the breadth of emotion from abject sorrow to riotous humor. But sometimes it’s best just to observe what’s happening.

And so, kids, the lesson is this: when you’re in Sweden, know that there’s never a dull moment, even when you’re in a “small” city with only about 55,000 people and more than three hours by train from the nearest metropolis (Copenhagen).

How do I know this? Because I’ve lived it. So much for catching up on sleep.

The aftermath of a torchlit processional into Växjö Domkyrka (Cathedral) on Påskafton (Easter Eve).

Ben Mack — Student

April 24, 2011

Time for a Break!

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The life of a student is a tough one. A full-time education can be stressful; going to school everyday, constantly reading, and always studying can be exhausting. Your brain is usually going all the time.

The Uppsala University library where many students spend their time. Photo:Mirko Junge/Flickr

Being a full-time student doesn’t always allow you free time to do the things you should while your young.

As a student you are always stuck dreaming about traveling to far off places with some sort of non-stop adventures. However, there are usually a few things in your way. First of all, a student budget does not always allow for far-off adventures. Also, intense course schedules do not allow for time to get away.

Easter break proves to be the perfect opportunity. While it varies for every class and every program, students usually get to enjoy anywhere from 3 school days to 1 week off from their studies.

Luckily enough, Sweden also has numerous cheap airlines and student discounts on train tickets. The combination of cheap travel options and a long easter break combine to make the perfect travel experience.

So it is time to forget about school, relax and do some traveling.

Sweden provides the perfect location for laid back touring around, lots of access to nature, and of course many chances for biking and hiking. Some popular locations include the bigger cities of Stockholm and Göteborg, but also the beautiful island of Gotland.

This Easter I will be traveling to Skövde to spend some time experiencing the more Southern region of Sweden. The warm temperatures, great food and friendly company will make for a perfect, relaxing Easter.

Wherever it is, I am sure that this Easter break students all over Sweden will be relaxing and enjoying a well deserved rest. So whether it’s sitting by the coast, camping in the forest or just hanging out with some family it’s the perfect time to clear your head and take a break from the monotonous life of a student.

Hjo, a small city in the south of Sweden near Skövde. Photo: digicanon/Flickr

Kristin Follis — Student

April 22, 2011