The nights are getting longer than usual. A peek at whats coming soon to Uppsala- fall. A time when nature prepares us for darkness and cold round the corner. Trying to make the best of what they have are the Lindy hop dancers I discovered recently.
One thing that brings people together is this spontaneous art called dancing, a mash up of music and good mood thrown in with energy. Lindy hop dancing is a dance for couples that originated in the USA. A time when jazz music was an indulgence in New York city. Described in colloquial lingo as Jazz dance or Swing dance is this art where couples portray a number of aerial moves to a fast tempo song. A delight to watch in its own. Me, being a man of classical taste was invited by a new friend of mine that I met at a house party. He had taken up Lindy hop dance lessons in Uppsala, sometime last term. He and a bunch of fellow learners decided to put it to use or practise amongst themselves at a particular venue every tuesday of this summer, atleast, till the weather remained inviting.
The venue is a wooden plank platform by the river that runs through the heart of town. Members had decided on an area that is suitable for dancing, while not disturbing the mood. Alongside the city park was the common favourite of the lot. The friend and myself took all the equipment that went with the arrangement. A stereobox with decent decibel output and a collection of American classic jazz music. And off they went. It was a fusion of tap dancing with the usual swirls and twirls.
I am a person who is so scared of dancing that I wouldn't even dance in private. The reason? I ve been told that a brick is more likely to be better looking at it than me. While I was there, I did not attempt to dance but I was enjoying the evening by the river. Dished up some new friends when they took a break from it. Later on when most of them had left and the pavement crowd thinned, I learnt a few steps from a member of the group.
I am going to enjoy it while I still can, cos only Penguins danced in the cold (the movie Happy Feet). Now on, tuesdays are going to as dancing nights.
August 03, 2011
July 03, 2011
Remainder
Idle mind is the devils workshop. The Swedes realize this and they expect everyone to be busy in summer. Most college dorms and accommodations are rent free in summer. Found it odd to begin with. Maybe they expect everyone to be free and utilise their finances for more energising activity than staying at home- travelling, visit your native or a time to save. Not all, though, only so many companies keep it rent free for two months- July and August.
It can be hard to find internships or summer jobs if you arent prepared. A lesson learnt by experience. Companies that oblige students during the summer break want the applications sent to them by deadlines usually ending by mid May at the latest. Otherwise you are mostly on your own.
There are sites like jobrapido, academicwork and adecco that might come in handy afterwards as well. However, most jobs might require basic to intermediate Swedish to apply.
For people who plan to indulge in efficient travelling to rest of EU, hitchiking is a cheaper option. A friend of mine planned it to perfection. After the end of term, the Belgian stayed in Uppsala for a while to bask in the sun with the remainder of the friends lot. Took a train to Gothenber and to Copenhagen from there. Then took a flight to Holland and hitch hiked his way to Belgium, his house. An experience in its own, he said.
Fellow students from my country have done the same, headed home. Airline like Turkish Air had an offer on twin tickets being sold for the price of one. That offer lasted only a day and many managed to get tickets for two for as low as 4000sek, return.
Those who have stayed back worked in the 'Nations' bars till they remained open. Norrlandica was open till 23rd of last month. The last and most popular resort it was during weekends for many. Since then, weekends have lost flavour. The student hub has become a middle aged hub. It is safe to say that the real Uppsalites are in majority here, now. Other popular jobs include helping out in farms, of stawberries, mostly. The luscious juicy, itty bitty berries glow in these farms, waiting to be plucked fresh and then to be sold on streetside counters. The closest thing to 'street food' apart from hot dog vendors.
Summer is fun, no doubt. Has to be planned well with backups in place.
It can be hard to find internships or summer jobs if you arent prepared. A lesson learnt by experience. Companies that oblige students during the summer break want the applications sent to them by deadlines usually ending by mid May at the latest. Otherwise you are mostly on your own.
There are sites like jobrapido, academicwork and adecco that might come in handy afterwards as well. However, most jobs might require basic to intermediate Swedish to apply.
For people who plan to indulge in efficient travelling to rest of EU, hitchiking is a cheaper option. A friend of mine planned it to perfection. After the end of term, the Belgian stayed in Uppsala for a while to bask in the sun with the remainder of the friends lot. Took a train to Gothenber and to Copenhagen from there. Then took a flight to Holland and hitch hiked his way to Belgium, his house. An experience in its own, he said.
Fellow students from my country have done the same, headed home. Airline like Turkish Air had an offer on twin tickets being sold for the price of one. That offer lasted only a day and many managed to get tickets for two for as low as 4000sek, return.
Those who have stayed back worked in the 'Nations' bars till they remained open. Norrlandica was open till 23rd of last month. The last and most popular resort it was during weekends for many. Since then, weekends have lost flavour. The student hub has become a middle aged hub. It is safe to say that the real Uppsalites are in majority here, now. Other popular jobs include helping out in farms, of stawberries, mostly. The luscious juicy, itty bitty berries glow in these farms, waiting to be plucked fresh and then to be sold on streetside counters. The closest thing to 'street food' apart from hot dog vendors.
Summer is fun, no doubt. Has to be planned well with backups in place.
June 28, 2011
Galapagos
Summer blues do kick in also, so I ve realized. Many have moved back home to avoid the Ghost town it can be- Uppsala. Everything dies, I mean, student nations where many hung out to kill time, meet people and chill out. Not to mention, the jobs are gone- serving, cooking and attending the drunks by the drinks.
For those left back in Uppsala there may not be much to do apart from reading and cycling out on sunny days. They do. It gets boring after a while. Theres only so many places and activities you can do without your friends, that have flown to their original nests for summer. People indulge in Facebooking, if at all there is a word like it. Movies and music become their best friends. The bicycle becomes their getaway vehicle. One such trips led me to a new indulgence- a public library. Its very easy to forget, if there was ever such a beauty. A place where you have a collage of covers, an organised scramble of ideas, articulate works or even a galore of graphic documentation, movies included.
Situated in the city centre is this new discovered sanctuary of mine, the city library or Stadsbibliotek. Got there just before quarter to closing time. Monday to thurdsdays holding it open till 7PM. At the desk a lovely receptionist asked me if I wanted to get a membership card done. Not knowing what documents I would need to pass this test, I said, " Yes, Ma'm!". I got it done in a minute after I leaked my personal details on a piece of paper- Contact number, address and email address. All this done with after a glance on my drivers license. A barcoded plastic card was handed to me with a pin code to borrow out my interests. I saw another helper sort out some music discs. They lent out dvds of rare concerts by some of my favourite artistes. Considering the seriousness of my reading interests or the lack of time I had to check out the array, I thought I d have barely enough to select a few multimedia disks to check out. And boy, did I find a collection that impressed the Bejesus out of me! From movies to Woodstock concerts, from Natgeo documentaries to 'Teach yourself _____' kind.
One could check out a maximum of 5 dvds at a time for a loan period of a week. Late fee being 2SEK a day past the due date. Termination of membership if the late fee accumulated to 100 SEK. There is no charge otherwise. I quickly was able to check out a David Gilmore performance captured from the Royal Concert Hall from 2002, a Woodstock recording from 50s and a foreign movie from the Oscars selected section.
Next time though, I would love to see if they had a 'Rosetta Stone: Svenska' for my summer assignment. I want to sound like a Nordic god, or a hiccup-ing light haired native. Also, check out the entire catalogue of the multimedia section and see if they had DC comic books in English. That might be a too much to ask. I was like Charles Darwin when he researched in the isle of Galapagos, probably. A library like this is a must use for everyone who is tired of downloading pirated movies/ music or reading on their (max)Ipads. Much love to all readers or it too much of a pun. Intended.
For those left back in Uppsala there may not be much to do apart from reading and cycling out on sunny days. They do. It gets boring after a while. Theres only so many places and activities you can do without your friends, that have flown to their original nests for summer. People indulge in Facebooking, if at all there is a word like it. Movies and music become their best friends. The bicycle becomes their getaway vehicle. One such trips led me to a new indulgence- a public library. Its very easy to forget, if there was ever such a beauty. A place where you have a collage of covers, an organised scramble of ideas, articulate works or even a galore of graphic documentation, movies included.
Situated in the city centre is this new discovered sanctuary of mine, the city library or Stadsbibliotek. Got there just before quarter to closing time. Monday to thurdsdays holding it open till 7PM. At the desk a lovely receptionist asked me if I wanted to get a membership card done. Not knowing what documents I would need to pass this test, I said, " Yes, Ma'm!". I got it done in a minute after I leaked my personal details on a piece of paper- Contact number, address and email address. All this done with after a glance on my drivers license. A barcoded plastic card was handed to me with a pin code to borrow out my interests. I saw another helper sort out some music discs. They lent out dvds of rare concerts by some of my favourite artistes. Considering the seriousness of my reading interests or the lack of time I had to check out the array, I thought I d have barely enough to select a few multimedia disks to check out. And boy, did I find a collection that impressed the Bejesus out of me! From movies to Woodstock concerts, from Natgeo documentaries to 'Teach yourself _____' kind.
One could check out a maximum of 5 dvds at a time for a loan period of a week. Late fee being 2SEK a day past the due date. Termination of membership if the late fee accumulated to 100 SEK. There is no charge otherwise. I quickly was able to check out a David Gilmore performance captured from the Royal Concert Hall from 2002, a Woodstock recording from 50s and a foreign movie from the Oscars selected section.
Next time though, I would love to see if they had a 'Rosetta Stone: Svenska' for my summer assignment. I want to sound like a Nordic god, or a hiccup-ing light haired native. Also, check out the entire catalogue of the multimedia section and see if they had DC comic books in English. That might be a too much to ask. I was like Charles Darwin when he researched in the isle of Galapagos, probably. A library like this is a must use for everyone who is tired of downloading pirated movies/ music or reading on their (max)Ipads. Much love to all readers or it too much of a pun. Intended.
June 19, 2011
Au revoir
End of term and the end of Uppsala for all the Erasmus students. Wonder why I write so many blogs about Erasmus students? For one, there were many in my class the last few courses of the term. Two, they were most outspoken and active.
Swedish population in my class was still the majority. Never really got to know many of them except a couple. They are reserved, which was my initial observation. They keep to themselves but are great students, ask questions, proactive in finding something to keep their time productive. Anyway, the last few weeks we had great weather averaging a high of 30Celcius and low in teens. The favourite choice of hanging out was this place near Sunnersta, a retreat for sailboat owners by the lake Malaren. Located 25 minutes away from where I dwell if you cycle there. A beach is what the people call it- grassy or a gravel patch by the water body where people spend time either sunbathing or barbequing. A very popular spot was what we chose. The spot is perfect for a swim also if you found the water cold enough for a dip.
A quick view of where we were. Cloudy day, with a cool lake. Half the people couldnt find it to begin with, cost most were living not very far from the city. We got there finally, after a few calls to the friendlies.
Many were in the mood for a dip and off they ran in thier bikinis and swimsuits.
We started a fire by the place. There were a good few logs at our disposal to make a coal bed for a barbeque.
While many only a selection of wine and beer to make it an evening before leaving to their homes. We had some marinated chicken fillet, marinated Hungarian style, with mustard and spice blend.
Thats when a friend, Manuel Bazan joined us from nowhere. He was camping in the forest nearby for a week. He had his lease ended at the place where he stayed and decided to avoid an entire months rent by camping up in the forest. A very resourceful guy, Manuel. Charged his phone at his friends corridor, checked and replied to his emails during the day when he had to. Showered at the same corridor. In turn, saved some cash and an experience before leaving Sweden, for Spain.
Manuel was more than happy to pose with his multipurpose knife. Dressed in cargos and fleece with walking boots, he told us his story of how he camped with some Swedes who taught him more about landscape and camping skill.
Then it was mosquitoes that were out for their juice, our juice. Everyone got closer to the fireplace to repel the nasty pests.
It was then music time and scrap book exchange. Some had a novel idea of marking this experience- a Swedish flag and marker for friends to write some parting words. Also, make sure that we stayed knit on Facebook.
Many felt that they could ve had more moments of hanging out like that day. But as we all now it, only when you know you are going away will you realise how hard it is to say 'Au revoir' to your friends, your love- Uppsala.
Swedish population in my class was still the majority. Never really got to know many of them except a couple. They are reserved, which was my initial observation. They keep to themselves but are great students, ask questions, proactive in finding something to keep their time productive. Anyway, the last few weeks we had great weather averaging a high of 30Celcius and low in teens. The favourite choice of hanging out was this place near Sunnersta, a retreat for sailboat owners by the lake Malaren. Located 25 minutes away from where I dwell if you cycle there. A beach is what the people call it- grassy or a gravel patch by the water body where people spend time either sunbathing or barbequing. A very popular spot was what we chose. The spot is perfect for a swim also if you found the water cold enough for a dip.
Many were in the mood for a dip and off they ran in thier bikinis and swimsuits.
We started a fire by the place. There were a good few logs at our disposal to make a coal bed for a barbeque.
While many only a selection of wine and beer to make it an evening before leaving to their homes. We had some marinated chicken fillet, marinated Hungarian style, with mustard and spice blend.
Thats when a friend, Manuel Bazan joined us from nowhere. He was camping in the forest nearby for a week. He had his lease ended at the place where he stayed and decided to avoid an entire months rent by camping up in the forest. A very resourceful guy, Manuel. Charged his phone at his friends corridor, checked and replied to his emails during the day when he had to. Showered at the same corridor. In turn, saved some cash and an experience before leaving Sweden, for Spain.
Manuel was more than happy to pose with his multipurpose knife. Dressed in cargos and fleece with walking boots, he told us his story of how he camped with some Swedes who taught him more about landscape and camping skill.
Many felt that they could ve had more moments of hanging out like that day. But as we all now it, only when you know you are going away will you realise how hard it is to say 'Au revoir' to your friends, your love- Uppsala.
May 22, 2011
The Devil chef
I love food. I am in the food science for a reason. I want food to be in my career, my drive, my inspiration and my end. I dedicate this blog to yet another Swedish property-MAX burgers, that I think is worth writing a blog about.
The fast food culture in Sweden is slow, for the lack of a more descriptive word. Its slow not because its cheap, its because the legislative bodies concerning food safety and welfare take it to a level like no other. While studying food science in SLU, we had more than many chances to attend classes by people at high level in commercial food and food law governors. Heres and interesting fact, there is a great deal of interest in avoiding Salmonella (species of bacteria that cause severe food poisoning) that the imports are regulated based on the suppliers frequency with Salmonella cases. This is in regard with Egg, meat and processed food ingredients also.
However, the main reason why I was intrigued was when I saw no KFC in Sweden or that I havent seen one yet. KFC has the reputation of creating havoc with animal welfare and safety. They have been known once to treat chicken farms like it was an abuse factory. One might recall the case about chicken nuggets, that if one could trace back the meat to its source farm (a concept used in the food industry called traceability).
MacDonalds and Burger King have ruled the fast food franchise all over the globe. They might even have one set up in Antarctica someday in search of more land to setup a drive-in-takeaway. This burger joint franchise called MAX is something else.
This is one such joint with that emblem. Not very attractive to be honest but wait till you read what it did to me.
Coming from a country (India) that was earlier not used to eating meaty burgers as a part of their daily diet, I was quite fond of burgers. Burger king was my previous no.1. As much as I loved that name, I could only think of having like a flame grilled Aberdeen Angus like once or twice a month. MAX seems like a strange unappealing name for a burger joint. No mascot, no grinning idiot with the make up at the front, no old bearded man with glasses, no gimmicks. Didnt know what to order when I got to the counter once. Took a chance and ordered the cheapes meal they had- Maxmal original. The student card fetches a 10SEK discount on sale over 50SEK. The burger is larger than what the competitors offer in the same range. When I sank my teeth into the sandwich, it was a stampede of flavours on my palate. I could feel the freshness of the tomato, the crunchiness of the lettuce and the sweet sting of red onions. What makes this stand out is that the buns are toasted to perfect caramelisation and the sauce! The sauce is the recipe to die/kill for. Perfect combination of fat and flavour that compliments the succulence of the perfectly seasoned beef pattice.
The prices are very competitive, but not as low as MacDonalds. I guess there is a reason behind that. One could always question the fact that the franchise communicates to its customers the exact carbon footprint that each of its product has.
http://www.max.se/download/Press%20release%20Max%20080506.pdf
Or if it could be another tactic to lure people inside.
They have a menu called Delifresh lunch menu with baked meat options and salads. Also a range of items for the diabetic customers.
All I am saying is, one could turn to the most ignorant person regarding food safety and welfare once he gets to taste a MAX burger. Its the Devil chef that makes it too good to be true. You forget all else. Nothing matters.
;)
The fast food culture in Sweden is slow, for the lack of a more descriptive word. Its slow not because its cheap, its because the legislative bodies concerning food safety and welfare take it to a level like no other. While studying food science in SLU, we had more than many chances to attend classes by people at high level in commercial food and food law governors. Heres and interesting fact, there is a great deal of interest in avoiding Salmonella (species of bacteria that cause severe food poisoning) that the imports are regulated based on the suppliers frequency with Salmonella cases. This is in regard with Egg, meat and processed food ingredients also.
However, the main reason why I was intrigued was when I saw no KFC in Sweden or that I havent seen one yet. KFC has the reputation of creating havoc with animal welfare and safety. They have been known once to treat chicken farms like it was an abuse factory. One might recall the case about chicken nuggets, that if one could trace back the meat to its source farm (a concept used in the food industry called traceability).
MacDonalds and Burger King have ruled the fast food franchise all over the globe. They might even have one set up in Antarctica someday in search of more land to setup a drive-in-takeaway. This burger joint franchise called MAX is something else.
This is one such joint with that emblem. Not very attractive to be honest but wait till you read what it did to me.
Coming from a country (India) that was earlier not used to eating meaty burgers as a part of their daily diet, I was quite fond of burgers. Burger king was my previous no.1. As much as I loved that name, I could only think of having like a flame grilled Aberdeen Angus like once or twice a month. MAX seems like a strange unappealing name for a burger joint. No mascot, no grinning idiot with the make up at the front, no old bearded man with glasses, no gimmicks. Didnt know what to order when I got to the counter once. Took a chance and ordered the cheapes meal they had- Maxmal original. The student card fetches a 10SEK discount on sale over 50SEK. The burger is larger than what the competitors offer in the same range. When I sank my teeth into the sandwich, it was a stampede of flavours on my palate. I could feel the freshness of the tomato, the crunchiness of the lettuce and the sweet sting of red onions. What makes this stand out is that the buns are toasted to perfect caramelisation and the sauce! The sauce is the recipe to die/kill for. Perfect combination of fat and flavour that compliments the succulence of the perfectly seasoned beef pattice.
The prices are very competitive, but not as low as MacDonalds. I guess there is a reason behind that. One could always question the fact that the franchise communicates to its customers the exact carbon footprint that each of its product has.
http://www.max.se/download/Press%20release%20Max%20080506.pdf
Or if it could be another tactic to lure people inside.
They have a menu called Delifresh lunch menu with baked meat options and salads. Also a range of items for the diabetic customers.
All I am saying is, one could turn to the most ignorant person regarding food safety and welfare once he gets to taste a MAX burger. Its the Devil chef that makes it too good to be true. You forget all else. Nothing matters.
;)
May 21, 2011
Get together one more time
Its time the term comes to an end. The flock of Erasmus students who came to Uppsala to experience a Swedish lifestyle and education have almost packed their bags to return home or to new avenues. International committee of SLU organised an event using BBQ as a bait to lure all at student housing in Lilla Sunnersta. A public event where everyone got their favourite BBQ meat and drinks to chillax together.
Coal was all set in a cement bin with a metal mesh to rest the muscles. A pretty large congregation of students showed up. Weather was pleasant but slightly windy with overcast weather afterwards.
To some it was like a weekday BBq event. The bunch by the table were local students living in tha area who had generously set up a small table with music from a laptop and wicked small speakers.
Thanks to Francesco Poggi we had a nice couch at our disposal. Ilona and Mithun enjoy their drinks.
Lasma, Marine, Francesco and Julian take time to pose for the camera when I mention the words, " A picture for our college blog".
The mesh with chunks of meat getting ready. The place was filled with appetising aromas as one could imagine. The highlight was also exchanging cuts of their exotic sausages and home marinaded bits. There were Chinese recipes, Latvian dash, French preferences and baking in aluminium foil. I had a bunch of bratwursts that seemed so pale that everyone asked me what meat it was. I assure you, it was scrumptious.
To the bunch I came along with, it was having a "craick" with friends soon flyin' home. It was also the day where students asked others staying back if they wanted to buy their bicycles. I snagged one of a mate for a great price.
Huaxing, Mithun and Harsha gladly pose. Harshas look either reflected the sadness he bears while saying goodbye to his friends or was on his way to get mashed. ;)
The general feeling I got from my Erasmus friends that enjoyed every bit of what living in Uppsala could offer. Needless to say, some are planning to come back to Uppsala in the future if they ever got the chance. Most fly away in the first two weeks in June.
Sad really, saying bye but thats part of the package. Hopefully, Facebook will keep the borders short if one really wanted to stay in touch or had to get together one more time.
To some it was like a weekday BBq event. The bunch by the table were local students living in tha area who had generously set up a small table with music from a laptop and wicked small speakers.
Thanks to Francesco Poggi we had a nice couch at our disposal. Ilona and Mithun enjoy their drinks.
Lasma, Marine, Francesco and Julian take time to pose for the camera when I mention the words, " A picture for our college blog".
The mesh with chunks of meat getting ready. The place was filled with appetising aromas as one could imagine. The highlight was also exchanging cuts of their exotic sausages and home marinaded bits. There were Chinese recipes, Latvian dash, French preferences and baking in aluminium foil. I had a bunch of bratwursts that seemed so pale that everyone asked me what meat it was. I assure you, it was scrumptious.
To the bunch I came along with, it was having a "craick" with friends soon flyin' home. It was also the day where students asked others staying back if they wanted to buy their bicycles. I snagged one of a mate for a great price.
Huaxing, Mithun and Harsha gladly pose. Harshas look either reflected the sadness he bears while saying goodbye to his friends or was on his way to get mashed. ;)
The general feeling I got from my Erasmus friends that enjoyed every bit of what living in Uppsala could offer. Needless to say, some are planning to come back to Uppsala in the future if they ever got the chance. Most fly away in the first two weeks in June.
Sad really, saying bye but thats part of the package. Hopefully, Facebook will keep the borders short if one really wanted to stay in touch or had to get together one more time.
May 14, 2011
Questionable constitution
This blog is for all out there who have jumped at a sight of an insect or a rodent, all who have flown to egypt and not walked through the pyramid tunnels, all out there who went numb when a micrphone was put in front of you on stage. Phobia-a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding despite the fear, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational.
A trip was planned by the international students association last week to bring together the Erasmus students from parts of Europe other than Sweden, for one bash. The place was Grona Lund, an amusement park set by the bay on the outskirts of Stokholm. 28 signed up as soon as they saw the event posted on Facebook. Truly a place to be on a day like on the 7th, bright and warm with not a cloud to veil the sun for an instant. The crowd showed up on time and the bus galloped with its horsepower to Stockholm at 12 noon sharp. The damage was 250 sek a head including bus ride (privately organised), entrance fee to the park and an all day valid pass for the rides. Large groups of student command a very decent rebate on the entry fee, I was later told.
Excited about the rides and jacked up on surplus Vitamin D every one scattered in groups. A kid comes to me and hands me these coupons- one for a free ice cream serving, coupon for the carnival like games and a popcorn/cotton candy ticket. The family was on the way out and he thought he will donate away his unused coupons valid only on that day. Too good to be true? Well, thats what I told myself.
I am Acrophobic, atleast, I was. Thought I ll describe all the good things and bad things that you experience when you are on crazy rides. We warmed up with carousel swings behind us in the picture above. That was just to get a tingle down us to face the bigger and bad ones after.
The first ride was a rollercoaster called Jetline. I love speed but scared shitless at heights. This was so fast and furious that I didn't have my chance to react to fear. Thats when I had this epiphany- all that fear was irrational and it was powerful based on my subconscious suggestions that its impossible for me. Thats when I began to like the feeling of fear.
My favourite one was this one called 'Extreme'. This one looks harmless as the seats dont reach a great height. Its a Ferris wheel with more degrees of freedom than one can imagine. Bravely standing in line I could hear the screams of people on it. I thought to myself, it is called Extreme for a reason. With three star rating on the brochure, this ride seemed inviting till we sat on it.
Imagine you are in a washing machine ten folds greater than the greatest one you have seen. Minus the water and imagine what clothes go through during the wash cycle, and thats close to what your body feels. You literally dont know which side is up. The torque on your body is stupendous. Sometimes the blood rushes to the back of your body and sometime to every other extremities.
This one was called 'Tilt'. Three sets of seats go to a great height like a building lift. The red sets of seats stay parallel to the ground. The purple set of seats tilt once you are at the summit, right before you drop at terminal velocity to a gradual standstill. I was on the purple one. Yes. I wanted to face it in style.
The cocktail of emotions that one might expect an Acrophobe to have are of a very wide spectrum. Personally, I tried not to think at all. That was hard. When I was strapped to the seat, I began to question the safety of the seat. A quick check on the faces of the fellow passengers would either make me confident or scared as shit.
The rides didnt break and for some reason I cant help but admit that I have now developed a taste for heights. I questioned my constitution, my instincts and fear to realise fears are irrational mostly.
Face yours.
A trip was planned by the international students association last week to bring together the Erasmus students from parts of Europe other than Sweden, for one bash. The place was Grona Lund, an amusement park set by the bay on the outskirts of Stokholm. 28 signed up as soon as they saw the event posted on Facebook. Truly a place to be on a day like on the 7th, bright and warm with not a cloud to veil the sun for an instant. The crowd showed up on time and the bus galloped with its horsepower to Stockholm at 12 noon sharp. The damage was 250 sek a head including bus ride (privately organised), entrance fee to the park and an all day valid pass for the rides. Large groups of student command a very decent rebate on the entry fee, I was later told.
Excited about the rides and jacked up on surplus Vitamin D every one scattered in groups. A kid comes to me and hands me these coupons- one for a free ice cream serving, coupon for the carnival like games and a popcorn/cotton candy ticket. The family was on the way out and he thought he will donate away his unused coupons valid only on that day. Too good to be true? Well, thats what I told myself.
I am Acrophobic, atleast, I was. Thought I ll describe all the good things and bad things that you experience when you are on crazy rides. We warmed up with carousel swings behind us in the picture above. That was just to get a tingle down us to face the bigger and bad ones after.
The first ride was a rollercoaster called Jetline. I love speed but scared shitless at heights. This was so fast and furious that I didn't have my chance to react to fear. Thats when I had this epiphany- all that fear was irrational and it was powerful based on my subconscious suggestions that its impossible for me. Thats when I began to like the feeling of fear.
Imagine you are in a washing machine ten folds greater than the greatest one you have seen. Minus the water and imagine what clothes go through during the wash cycle, and thats close to what your body feels. You literally dont know which side is up. The torque on your body is stupendous. Sometimes the blood rushes to the back of your body and sometime to every other extremities.
This one was called 'Tilt'. Three sets of seats go to a great height like a building lift. The red sets of seats stay parallel to the ground. The purple set of seats tilt once you are at the summit, right before you drop at terminal velocity to a gradual standstill. I was on the purple one. Yes. I wanted to face it in style.
The cocktail of emotions that one might expect an Acrophobe to have are of a very wide spectrum. Personally, I tried not to think at all. That was hard. When I was strapped to the seat, I began to question the safety of the seat. A quick check on the faces of the fellow passengers would either make me confident or scared as shit.
The rides didnt break and for some reason I cant help but admit that I have now developed a taste for heights. I questioned my constitution, my instincts and fear to realise fears are irrational mostly.
Face yours.
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