2010.06.02 - Laura

Birthday, reunions and first day of summer

Second day of June and first day of summer !! That is just not right .... We have been waiting so long for a bit of sun and heat, so imagine the joy of eating lunch outside in the sun. And then coming back home to Malmö to view - with an ice cream in my hand - the students roam the town in celebration of their last day in "prison".

In fact spring came just before we went on vacation, some three weeks ago, so it has been a short one this year.... So instead of outdoor activities we turned to social activities, meeting up with my old classmate Robert for a superb Indian meal and a beer of unknown origin at the Green Lion - one of the few bars in town with a decent beer selection. We also had Tom, Noelia, Heini, Sean, Sean's mother and Spencer over for brunch one day. And played weekly badminton games with Noelian and Tom - all things we will miss when we are in Korea (departure has been set for June 16th).

On May 13th it was time to go on vacation. Although we were both looking forward to the trip to Greenland, fate had it that it was to take place at the only time in history when Denmark showed it's teeth in the world of ice hockey!!! At the world championships we beat Finland, USA and Slovakia (lost a few matches too) before losing the quarter final to Sweden 4-2. Denmark is no traditional hockey nation, so they were big wins for us. But a trip to Greenland was even bigger than hockey, so off we went. Check out the Travels section to read about the trip - I will upload the photos soon.

We got back from Greenland Monday May 24th to more gray weather - just a continuation from when we left. At least we had great weather in Greenland.

That same Monday I sold my bike. I didn't feel for leaving it in a garage another year. It was sad to see it go but at least the day of my last ride was windy and cold ... otherwise it would have been even harder to let go!

Friday evening we were invited to TGI Friday's for Laura's birthday, so we ganged up at Sven and Shirley's house for pre-dinner drinks and conversation. Wise move, as TGI's was too loud to talk! This is the first time I have been to a TGI that served as a disco as well !! It felt like dancing at MacDonald's (although I did none of the dancing!).

Saturday we went on a shopping spree for Paula. She needed a dress-up dress and after a few dead ends we ended up at the Benetton outlet. What we couldn't find in other shops we found there - 3 nice cheap dresses - perfect for a few name-giving parties in Korea! There were a lot of things going on in town. Demonstration for Iran, Gaza, access for handicapped and a medieval parade .... It wasn't quite summer but there were short bursts of sunshine, which was a huge improvement from previous days.

Sunday morning we took the train over to Copenhagen with bread and cheese under the arm (!). We were going to have breakfast with my cousin Ingerlise and her family. They were a little worn from the previous nights Eurovision song contest party! But they were soon on they feet again and after a nice breakfast Ingerlise, Lisa, Paula and I went up to the playground while Matthias had to go to work - poor bugger. After noon we moved over to a cafe at Frederiksberg to meet our friend Britt. We hadn't seen her for years (she's a bit of a traveller!), so it was good to catch up. The cafe staff was getting a bit itchy after three and a half hours and two cups of tea (we are cheap but this time it was because we were still full from breakfast!). In the evening we met up with Jesper and Marie Louise and managed to squeeze down a huge (and good) burger at Halifax; a burger restaurant but not a junk food restaurant.

Monday we went to Pickwick's to catch up with Tue and Jackie. Hadn't seen them for ages as well, so we carried on till past 11pm - ending up at our place for coffee. There wasn't a dull moment! Tuesday I met up with my friend Jens (also been ages) at his place for a chat and a go at his electric guitar (I am crap but with the volume on full, whop notices !?!?)

Today Paula came out to meet me on my way home from the station and we went for an ice cream at the local square. While we were sitting there in the warm sun (finally !!!!!!), the students came down from their school. They were celebrating their last day, waving their native flags around (which I think is odd seeing that Sweden paid for their education - not their native countries), drove around in open top cars, played loud music and in the end left the square in 4 big lorries. I gues that the party season has started !!