Field trip to Agroethanol

Another field trip blog from last weeks visit to a bioethanol plant near Linkoping. This is the first time the course Biofuel technology was introduced for selection in SLU. The science where new modes of fuels are being developed in place of non renewable sources of energy. The modern techniques include extraction fuel of combustible values like methane, ethanol and hydrogen from waste- lignocellulose (wood), household waste and the likes. This plant involved in extracting pure commercial grade fuel ethanol from food grade grains.

A class of 13 showed up on time on the day of the trip at 9 AM. There were two incharge of two VW vans to take us to the site. The day was glum in the beginning but cleared up to a sunny start.

Happy start with pleasant weather and comfy seating.

Upon reaching the site at 1 PM, the site engineer was there to welcome us as present us with the factfile and trivia about the site. The modus operandi, the concepts, the challenges and the science.

Some views from while walking around the site.

 Grain loading bay

Gargantuan silos

The grains that make the ethanol

Meit turned to a "Silo hugger". He says, " If trees need a hug, why not these?"

Amongst us we had some who were "Dressed to kill". 

 Everyone on our carriage realized that they were a fan of MAX. On the way back, we had a quick pit stop at there.

Everyone as happy as they could be.....

Dawn of Nordic games in Uppsala

Its Swedens turn to host the Nordic games, this year. Uppsala became ground for participants from all over Scandinavia. The SLU student pub had planned an evening bash to welcome all athletes and stir them up with some new friends. Little did I know that it turned out to be one of a kind evening.

Wednesday evenings are usually laid back, with mostly mature lot occupying their favourite seats in various Nations. I was catching up with some friends over dinner at V'Dalas. The club sandwich I had ordered was much too impressive. Cycled back to Ultuna campus (where I live) to hear loud noises reverberating from the pub. It was the busiest and most colorful, with teams from respective countries in their chosen colours- the Finnish were in purple, Danish in red and white and Norwegians in green. Not that it made a big difference in mingling about. The pub usually operates with a manageably drunk customers, on ordinary days, but not then. Teams were drunk beyond belief and dancing over the tables. As much as I'd like to say its a rare and lovely, sight, it wasnt. Atleast, not to the poor maitre d'pub who had to politely ask each and every Calisthenics artist to step down, after which in their drunken boorish minds, they climbed right back. Me and only a handful of friends I was with were sober enough to laugh and notice these things. A bunch figured out a way to keep the maitre d happy by choosing to dance on chairs rather than the table- a loophole they tactfully used, I thought.

The outside of the pub were smokers, some making out and some rambling about their conquests. Met a Norwegian guy who was speaking english better than an Englishman. He was switching between regional accents- Jordie, Cockney, Scouse and Irish. I wondered if it had anything to do with him being piss drunk at that time. He had a Mohican hairdo of which he had no recollection of why it was so. That, added to a tickle in my funny bone.

The dancefloor- typical. What caught my eye was that people actually united, they didnt want to be recognised by the color of the tee shirt they were wearing, so, many lost it. I dont know if it was too stuffy and warm in there because of the large number. Witnessed a Danish member doing things that could only be a reminiscence of the most controversial/funny/iconic excerpt with Sacha Baron Cohen and Ken Davitian from the movie 'Borat'. It became one of those nights where one could say, "what happens here, stays here".

I guess every normal person has had his share of drunk experiences. One would understand why its easier to lose sanity when you are away from home, amongst complete strangers, losing any inhibitions you have, simply cutting loose. I hope all athletes were nice and rosy when they woke up today and took part in the events that start this morning.

There are no pictures from this night as an act of self preservation. Good luck, crazy athletes!

Culture night

The dawn of winter starts with a culture night in Uppsala, probably because people realize that the weather, from now on will only get more unpredictable. Culture night or as the Swedes correctly spell it with a 'K', is a day entirely dedicated to celebration of wordly cultures. Great food, musical gigs and roadblocks are set all around Stora Torget ( the absolute city centre of Uppsala).

An aerial view of Uppsala on that day might only shock some as the not so crowded town seems to be filled with a horde of human populus, only dressed in their vibrant clothing and attires. One like myself, wondered then, how dynamic is Uppsala actually with the play in numbers. Summer, its almost a ghost town, and come fall, its not just students, but, people of varying age groups. All I am saying is one could easily get claustrophobic on that day.

A little trivia on Culture night-  its celebrated on the second saturday of every september since 1989, managed by culltural workers, institutions, amateurs and other organisations. A way of showing how important cultures are, in our lives. Many show of their artistic work handled by the organisation- brass orchestras marching, knights on horses, fire juggling/knights tournament. Its also a chance for Uppsala to flaunt its traditional landmarks to the visitors from all over- the largest cathedral in Scandinavia, oldest botanical garden ( the garden of Linnaeus, founded by Carl von Linne). The university library of Carolina Rediviva with the Silver Bible, Uppsala castle dating right back from the 1500s and the anatomical theatre at Museum Gustavianum from the 1600s. Pretty rich in culture.

For me, it was more like a day to take great pictures, walk with swarm of friends I made recently and just enjoy the lively-ness of my favourite town. A tour of my pictures will show you how versatile the culture shows were.

Right by the lamp post in the dead centre that makes Stora torget was a ring with a "Uncle Sam wants you" like poster only advertising the school of Muay Thai.

A digital timetable for those who hate carrying a printed sheet of the iternarary of the evening.

Some roads were blocked by stages and the supporitng crowd. This one in particular were playing Brazilian music with the drums and tunes from the Brazilian carnival.

Yes, some dancers were in unbelivably revealing two-pieces.

Picture on top is that of a stall selling ice cream and donuts while the one on the left is that of a stall with colourful exotic  cakes.

 Candle stall with perfumed wax.

Capoeira, the Brazilian form of dancing/martial arts. For some reason, it felt like the Uppsalites were really fond of Brazil. Could it be the revealing attire, they stand for/with ;). Makes you wonder many things.

Picture from Knights tournament and fire juggling. Most acts were impressive except when the experts took a break and two amateurs showed on stage with sheils and a fire mace hitting each other. That can only be described as a act of retardation, by many.

There were mini concerts that were set up all over town, waiting for the dark to set in to show off with their beaming conglomerate of lightwork.

Their music however, attracted dedicated crowds. This one on the right was real popular with a crowd of no more than 14 year olds. A music I would call Pop rock. Still better than a stage that was death metal or 'rant-for-song' bands that can only invoke severe headaches. 

There were also a band in the city centre whose music was ok but made better pictures.

In all, a very fantastic saturday that only concluded with a beer binge at Flogsta with mates I met after a long time. All thanks to culture night, I got in touch with my beer drinking culture after a rather long interlude.

Do comment.

Springing back in Fall

The 'Ghost town' sticker is officially off the Uppsala map. Students from all over the globe are back in town. Last week of August was orientation for the newbies. SLU was back on the map as a happening joint. The empty dorms are filling in and life has sprung back in fall.

Funny as it sounds, I was asked by our lovely international students administrator, Stina-Lena Hellgren to offer my insight on my first year experience while in SLU. The presentation was set to be after newspaper reading for the fresh lot. As insipid as it may sound, the students were there, luckily for my presentation. My presentation was about observations that I had covered in my earliest blogs- funny incidents, the Swedish lot and their general temperament, things to do and look out for, the mystery of Systembolaget and messages from ex-SLU exchange students. The title was 'Warm up to Uppsala'.

While many friends moved on, many new have moved in. The nations are booming out with crowds that could induce claustrophobia in some. Pub-crawling is in, again. The new Biocentrum building is all set where you can smell the tantalising smell of new furniture and plastering. Parties in Flogsta are getting louder and louder while the pub in the SLU student union is keeping the local students indulged. For those who like smaller crowds, BBQ just outside the dwellings in Galbovagen is common. Most are making the best of what they can with their bicycles and moody sunlight. The Swedish have some dedicated Schnapps songs which they hum, rather loudly just before downing their shots. The General of the SLU union is dressed up a someone who I will describe as a man when a sailor is fused with a caped crusader. Its all good. Everyone are getting used to what suits them best- be it chilling out with the new friends they made or searching for what will keep them busy in their free time away from books.

Reggae-tastic

Every year the city hosts a Reggae festival right in the city park. The festival starts a day before weekend commences. This year I had planned well in advance to be a volunteer for the same.

The bands were mostly from Jamaica and Sweden, with the odd ones from Croatia  and UK. The event is of a huge magnitude that drew crowd from Stockholm and Norway mostly. There were others from Sweden who treated it like  the great gig that happens at 'T in the park' or Glastonbury festival. There was a  designated campsite for those who had their dwelling in a backpack. That site was located at a 15minute walking distance from the stage and 15 minutes walk from the nearest supermarket. The site was supplied with fresh water, bathing booth and dry portable toilets.

The jobs of us volunteers was broken to shifts for two split teams. Starting early in the morning, one batch would be given grabber sticks to pick trash and litter en route to the stage deposited by legless participants. Recyclable cans/pets were collected in seperate bags, later to be exchanged for cash. Oh yeah, volunteers werent paid but were given a non transferable wrist band that allowed access to the concert for all 3 days.  The best band I thought, was 'The Heptones' with live music. The rest seemed to have a singer speaking with a Rastafarian accent but was backed up by music from a DJs box.

There was zero tolerance policy when it came to the use of narcotics or marijuana. Some artistes pointed out that a reggae festival is incomplete without a 'spliff's justice' but Swedes are known to abide by the legislation, except for the two members in the campsite who were chucked out by the cops after a warning for use of Marijuana.
Some pictures from the gig-

 Mini restaurants that were set inside.

Happy feet

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.

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.