21 August 2008
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I have decided to skip all the orientation parties and tours and off to Saffle to visit the Henningssons, practically my Swedish family. Saffle looks so different then it was in winter ...duh. As usual, Mr & Mrs Henningsson with their warm welcome and warm hugs, melted my nervousness away. I will call them Stefsmor & Stefsfar. We headed straight for lunch.
My first Swedish lunch-->Pickled Herrings with boiled Potatoes. Its scary at first but strangely, pickled herrings taste so much better here than back home. I actually enjoyed my meal very much. We had our lunch at the patio(never get that chance when i was here during winter).
We went out to the lake for a walk and then rested for a bit before I joined the guys to fish by the lake but no lucklah.

We had Salmon for dinner...
At night before sleep, we played a really fun card game, Quiddler. I would reckon that if anyone of my friends in Sg are gong to the Settlers Cafe. I think I saw that game there too.


22 August 2008
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I was up quite late on Friday, as in got out of the bedroom late cos was busy trying to start the blog ha ha. We had bread and cheese for breakfast and then headed to town to open my bank account. The turnip bank refused to let me open my account although I should be able to according to the University. But the branch in Saffle asked me to open it in Vasteras ...sigh and of course I start to compare thins back home.... I have to remind myself not to compare or I'll go nuts. If i have patience for mails in a neighboring country back home, I should have patience here too.


We went groceries shopping after that and cooked Hainanese Chicken Rice. hey realised the recipe in the pre departure notepad is nuts. Its not a complete recipe. Nonetheless the chicken rice happen and my chili sauce turns out well...and that's a new recipe on its own ha ha.
Stefsmor baked a wonderful apple pie which I had 2 slices of. Eaten with custard cream yummmmm...

We played quidder at night and had our own mini Crayfish Party with cheese pie (it was a yummy experience and I was surprised no itching around my mouth...did i lost my shellfish allergy here?) and a 2nd round of Quiddler



Sweden at 8pm. Crayfish!!!!!
So I've been eating and eating and eating...

23 Aug 2008
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After breakfast, we went out for a stroll around the town area in Saffle. We went home for a wonderful lunch of salmon like fishes with eggplant/tomatoes curry.



We then headed to Aunt Karin's Summer House by lake Vanern. Gosh the lake was beautiful and surrounding the area was lots and lot of lingonberries and blueberries. I met Snoddas, the dog. I was terrified as usual but got over it. Its not jumping around like psycho cats so its ok. Aunt Karin fed us with more godis(goodies). Everyone spoke swedish but strangely I could capture some of the words and pretty much figure out what they were talking about.


Aunt Karin's Summer House
On way home Stefsfar, stopped by several places around lake vanern. It was really beautiful!


Back home, I tried to watch last episode of Cinta Fitri from SCTV but in vain. It got stuck always. I gave up watching. A family friend came as a family of four plus another dog, Buster for dinner. They are such wonderful people. Buster was very much friendly too and I was very much "shy" of Buster but again I managed to get over it.
Jan, Ulla and their son Richard with wife, Kamilla were wonderful. so we had more food and more apple crumble pie. I had herrings with potatoes and then salmon with more potatoes and then apple crumble pie with sauce. Plenty of food and drinks( gingeer ale and plain water for me thou) and everyone was jolly and chatty... I was again lost in language recognition but I really do not mind that, in fact I hope I could pick up the language faster that way.

I guess my loss of 4 kg has been pointless after being in Saffle for a few days...

24 August 2008
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We had Goulash Soup for lunch and pancakes with homemade jam with cream. We then head off back to Orebro. I cooked my mom's styled sardines again for dinner. I hope to be able to shed some fats and extra food off the coming weeks. Ramadan's coming any ways...

I shall start his with how I was well at least I remembered I was months before today. I was ill with fever when I found out that I got admitted to the Uni and ever since then, it had been a count down. It was April and remembered a weekend while spending time with my princess Nia that I realised I had 16 more weekends to spend with her. There wasn't any panic attack yet then. The weeks ahead went on with lots of emotional roller coaster. Part of me was full of excitement..yes! I'm living my dreams ...another part was really worried about my parents and siblings esp my baby bro and my baby niece. Ok to shorten the sappyness... i went through all that anyhow....
Fast forward---->>> Its 2 weeks before departure and I fell ill again. Again I got through it. I postponed my flight from 11 August to 14th August 2008.
So on 15th August 2008..... Here I am in Stockholm...still pretty gloomy but relaxed somewhat... not welcoming any hugs or anything thou.....tired was the right word.
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15th August 2008

7am: Arrived in Stockholm
9am plus plus... arrived in Orebro, went to Willy's, unpacked, watched Duyung and ate(gosh ni forgot hat i had thou).
The we went to Ikea to get some storage stuff for me.
4pm: Chat with Dania and family and video conferencing with Dania...not bad after all...
8.30pm: Can't beleive its still not Dusk yet.....How to fast during Ramadhan.... haha


16th August 2008

Had Knackerbrod (Crisp bread -u can find i Ikea in sg) with the halal salami and cheese yum.... for breakfast... somewha I missed my Gardenia bread...

I cooked Tom Yum Soup for lunch its really not bad at all knorr's Tom Yum Cubes rocks!

Went to my school for the first time. i was all nervous for some reason....kinda weird. The school is so much better in real than in the photos. pretty impressive architecture I would say. I was welcomed by a group of blonde, friendly students with blue t-shirts with big letters spelt "fadders" on them. I am not xenophobic but I was a bit taken aback... haha ok i wont talk much and I dunno why... Anyhow... Got my Welcome envelope and head back to orebro. Did not manage to met my classmate Inta as she's busy shopping with her mom at Ikea in Halla.

17 August 2008

I woke up early as usual. Did nothing much really... but i managed to clean up the apartment abit and make more "space" I took the old armchair to the balcony.

After lunch, we went to watch Mamma Mia the movie. It as really a kickstart for me. That movie made me all smiles and jumpy and in great mood. If only the movie ticket here is not 100kr (about sgd25), I would have watched it over and over again.

Walked to the Centrum to watch movie but then...it rained after the movie, so no choice had to take a cab. it cost about 125kr to take a cab for about 5 to 7 mins ride. but then again movie tickets are 100kr so...

Oh yeah, I cooked Sardines and it tastes very much like my mom's yeayyyyyy.... I knew it that I have that cooking genes! : P

18 August 2008

Its Orientation Day. Nervous but then its alright. its just so weirdlah. Its like i was a staff and now Im among the student. Its like dejavu in twilight zone.
So i met my new classmates and made friends with an Argentian, a Russian and of course the Indonesian gal I have known a couple of mths ago.
There's coffee break during the orientation. I did not expect a spread of food to welcome us the students, but at least theres bananas, apples and nice bottled drinks.
We received our orientation week programme alo today. I just wished they would have emailed us or something cos it disrupt some plans I had. Whatever it is I managed to go around it.
Lunch in school canteen, the Rosenhill. Thanks to Stefan for sticking around the whole day and sitting in the orientation too. Cos he helped my friends and me on how to buy food here cos everything is in swedish. Well the minimum cost for a decent meal is about 47kr herefore...tapau will be a good idea.

with Inta & Vicky In the Lecture Theatre Rosenhill "Canteen"

The international masters course i think consists of a group of students from thailand, another group from China, a few pakistanis a couple more turks , one russian, one ukrainian, 1 american, 1 argentinian , 1 indonesian and 1 singaporean...and many other one ers...
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19 August 2008

Its Fayum's Birthday. I have to go to school again...this time by train. Too early in school so grab a coffee and a half price sandwich from yesterday's in the canteen.At noon, we waited to get photo taken for Uni card. I was the first person from the whole batch to get the uni card hahaha followed by my ne found buddies, Vicky from Argentina, Inta from Indonesia and Jane from Russia.









left: dragonboat race right: My fav castle liked building Orebro newspaper office





left: the real Orebro Castle
right: some sharks loitering in the park








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20th August 2008

Went to school by train alone... I did it! Well a middle eastern aunty took my seat and i ws apologising after asking her to sit elsewhere... kinda beign very Yuni...felt bad chasin pple away.
The lecture i attended was about morals and critism and i was sleeping halfway through. Its BORING. nothing new...well at least i know that theres lots of Thais and some Chinese in the course. After the introducing of selves section and Im kinda proud to be Singaporean ...dun ask me why... maybe cos not many singaporeans i guess.... hmmph...

I went home in the afternoon...after a visit to dean's office.and discovered the Idea Lab and very very excited about it especailly after seeing hand made jewelries a part of display :p

I was hungry at the train station. it was 12.55pm. The next train was at 2.08pm. So there seated on a bench was a grumpy , hungry yuni who had to have her lunch almost at pm... cos she went picking up her parcel from post office on way back. But lnch was waiting... Nice black pepper beef with rice...yum......
In the evening, due to tummy cramps nd tiredness, I skipped the Welcoming Dinner in School. Instead, I cooked my favorite rice porridge with friend preserved turnips I mailed to myself a week earlier....Yummmmmzzzzzzzz........
Its no big deal missing the dinner i guessed, since the "OSA" equivalent guy said those who put No eat beef or no eat pork will just be getting vegetarian food.... chey...
Both me and Inta kinda gundu... looking at the others wrote no eat beef all over he place, we decided to write no eat pork while we shd have written, moslem meal or halal... Writing "No eat something" itself is so annoyingly wrong english! Haiz....