stjärna

this will be an extremely short post because it's almost time for the Hall F and E Ground Floor International Dinner Farewell Feast. Everyone is cooking a dish and as you may imagine, it's quite the multicultural fiesta. I'm contributing my famous corn fritters with sweet chilli sauce (inspired by mum) but there's also fritatta, pizza, sweetsoup with sago, crepes, chilli pasta, something mexican and a lot of meatballs. The Swedes had to be represented somewhere! Jen from Scotland was the first to leave our corridor today - she's packed up her room, removed her Swedish flag and caught the train up to Gothenburg to fly out to Edinborough. Quite a sad event, really, everyone leaving and going their seperate ways. I'm here at least till after Christmas. Not only do i have my final assignment, but i'm having a "chrismukkah" with Nikki and Penny. For those not up with the lingo or refuse to watch the OC, a Chrismukkah is a hybrid between YOU GUESSED IT Hanukkah and Christmas. According to the invite: "Our parentals will be proud of us embracing the traditions and customs of många cultures" and i am to cook the animal (not pig).

This week has been crazy. Everything is speeding up again like it did in those last few weeks before I started exchange. Lund continues to look exceedingly christmassy, but manages to do it in a classy, oldschool european way. Quite unlike the decorations that pass for festive in Albury or Wodonga (most notably the one and a half metre tall cartoon kangaroo with a santa hat stuck on top of Sweethearts)

I had the Luciakonsert on Wednesday 13th. This was my most cultural event to date. You can check out the pix on my flickr, but in short it was very fun and very cool. Having to learn 13 songs in Swedish was not very cool, but I did pick up a few words which I can use to my heart's delight for the next two weeks until the merry season ends (light, angels, heaven, shepard, lord, etc) . We had three performances in one night, and had to dress up in those virginial white garbs with a big wreath on our heads and candles to light the way. They completely blacked out the hall and we walked in singing "Santa Lucia". A few of the songs I had to lipsync through since I didn't know all of the words. Some ingenious people wrote the lyrics out on their candle holders in antsized font. There was a bucket out on stage left should any hair catch on fire. I met some really awesome swedish people and got to keep the wreath, which I will be taking out tonight for some fun times before it starts to wilt.

The festive season continues with the Secret Santa/Kris Kringle party on Sunday. I've organised a gift draw and we've a heap of international students buying presents for each other. Sunday evening we're taking over Penny's extra large deuluxe room at Ulrikedal, heating the glogg on the stove, putting up the lights and perhaps getting a little visit from Santa. Tomorrow I need to source some mistletoe and tinsel downtown.

Food is on the table! write soon.