2009-11-10Monday
The week officially starts by attending our Atmospheric Science Monday meeting at 9 o’clock till 10 o’clock. The discussion on the issues and news about the group is a nice way to keep the group members updated about the happenings in our academic and social lives in Sweden. As usual, the next thing after the meeting is to check for any new information from my email. By the time I sort myself out, after the meeting, it is already 12 o’clock and time for lunch. In Kenya, lunch time is usually from 1 pm till 2 pm. At first, my mental clock and the stomach were puzzled. After lunch, I hop off to an exciting philosophy of science class where we discuss issues in science such as gender, religion, race, politics and others. With the class composed of students from all over the world, it is normally interesting to hear diverse opinions from different perspectives. After the class around 5 o’clock, I am off to supermarket to do the weekly shopping to replenish my stock. The weekend hangovers are catching up on me by now, so I make myself some nice meal and call it a day.
Tuesday
At 7 am I get to the office ready to start the day. There is a new X-ray machine (TXRF) that we (my supervisor Johan and me) are using for sample analysis. Nice thing about it is that its state-of-the-art machine that requires precision in following analytical procedure. After my lunch of sandwich from a nearby kiosk, my friend Kong from China and I leave for our Swedish 101 class at Järntorget. The teacher is a good lady who is always ready to explain the Swedish mystical and melodious language and its intonation. I can’t help but I just love the Swedish intonation. After the class session, I try to be more attentive as people converse in the streets and in the tram to see if I can grasp some Swedish words or phrases.
When the evening comes I am off to watch the UEFA Champions league game. The joint where I usually go for pizza and watch the soccer game is packed full. Famous Swedish footballer Zlatan’s Barcelona team is up against the Russian opposition. During the commentary of the game I am keenly listening to the Swedish words and phrases.
Wednesday
At 7 am I am off for my date with the TXRF machine. In between the sessions I am going through the philosophy course material and analyzing the concepts. During the coffee break, I have made it a habit to struggle with the sudoku puzzle on the local dailies. The good thing with numbers is that they are independent of the language content of the newspaper, a 5 is still a 5 in Swedish or English as a number. Around 5 pm, my Swedish friend Maria and I, go for a fika (coffee) at some nice place in the city. I am amazed by the display of delicious cakes and snacks. I try some new stuff (lasagne) and it is tasty. We chat till 8 pm and part, I settle for walking to my apartment as a good way of exercising and touring the city’s streets. I head straight to watch the second round of UEFA soccer game featuring the English team Arsenal. As usual Arsenal team does not disappoint. They play a flamboyant game which is fun to watch.
Thursday
At 8 am I am off for the usual lab routine with the TXRF machine till lunch time. Afternoon, I head for the philosophy class and enjoy the discussion, arguments and counter-arguments on gender and science. After the class I head back to the office and check on some of the outcome of the analysis of algae samples. Technology is a wonderful concept. It makes the analysis so easy such that researchers have more time to think about the experimental results. Around 5 o’clock I stroll to my room. My neighbour from Uganda shows up and we ‘prata’ (talk) about the different lifestyle, culture, weather etc in Sweden compared to our East African way of life till midnight. We also make plans for the weekend of mapping the city of Göteborg in and out.
Friday
Finally, the happy days are here (the weekend). I get busy on writing the report for the philosophy course as the deadline is by Sunday midnight. My course-mates show up and as we discuss, it becomes easier to comprehend and understand the report questions. Talk of team work working. By 7 pm I am done with my report. I am off to my apartment and join my pal Kong and his buddies for an exciting game of ping pong (table tennis) till 10 pm at the recreational facility centre in the students’ compound. I saunter off to my room after the game and ready myself to invade the city’s nightlife.
At 11 pm, I hop off to the city of lovers (Göteborg’s second name) to explore the dance clubs with Kenyan and Russian pals. The streets are full of happy revelers. We get to one with several dance halls and get busy dancing from one dance hall to the next. At 3 am we have had enough dancing and disperse.
Saturday
I wake up at 9 am and bath off the hangovers of the glorious Friday night. At 11 am, the Ugandan buddy and I are off to the open market to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables. We get a real bargain at this market and at times bump into my Kenyans friends who introduce me to other East Africans. Seems like the market place is the nerve centre where the social network is expanded. In the afternoon I briefly stop over at the office to add more ideas to the philosophy report until 6 pm. Around 8 pm we are in the city dance clubs again having fun and dancing to the music till 3 am. The city streets are full of fun-loving earthlings, can’t imagine it is the same streets during the day time.
Sunday
I get to the laundry business and after am done with it I prepare to go to the church at 2 pm. After the Sunday service we meet with friends in the cafeteria to catch up on the happenings of the previous week. Around 7 pm I trek to my apartment and make myself a light meal. My parents call from home and they update me on the happenings and I fill them in on my educational progress. I feel relaxed and my homesickness fades away after the phone call. Finally the weekend is over and I get busy preparing for another week in my student life.