Today I will have finally decided on a nation to join. The nations are student run groups affiliated with Uppsala University which were created back in the 17th century. The nations represent the different provinces of Sweden and were created so that people attending the University could be with their countrymen. Nowadays they function in a similar manner to fraternities, minus the whole stupidity part. I've narrowed it down to Ostgota (OG) or Vastmanlands-Dala (V-Dala). I post links but they're in Swedish so you wouldnt really get much more out of them aside from the name.
The food here is...different. Aside from the aforementioned coaster bread (which is really quite filling) there's lots of diary products. This morning one of the girls in my hall took out a plate and spread what looked like yogurt onto it, then topped it with cereal. She had a dificult time explaining what it was; it smelled like sour cream and I think it was plain yogurt. I'll have to try this concoction sometime. Speaking of breakfast foods, in Sweden honey nut Cheerios are the most delicious food ever. I think it's because they use real honey or something. Whatever the reason it sure beats the US variety.
Sadly the milk situation is not as wonderful, you can only buy it in 1 liter non resealable cartons. It pours badly, expires quickly and you run out really fast. Apparantly this is also true in Australia, I have regaled them with tales of gallon jugs of milk which they cannot fathom. They asked me how much of that we throw away, figuring that if a liter expires in 6 days a gallon (about 3 1/2 times bigger) couldn't make it to the end before going sour. Mind you that if you can close the container the milk lasts a lot longer. I wonder if the gallon vs. liter usage is a result of measurment mentality or convenience. In Sweden everyone is within walking or biking distance of the grocery store so you can always get more if you run out, in the US people have to drive to the grocery store so a larger amount would save them time and gas. On the other hand, what if it's just as simple as providing products in the largest single unit of measurement available?
3 comments:
What's the difference between OG and V-Dala? Why are those two the finalists? And do you have to get paddled in order to join?
well, it came down to activities, really. V-Dala is about twice the size of OG so there's more people to meet and hang out with (not that 2000 people is exactly tiny either). They have a big international program which organizes trips around Sweden and neighboring countries. OG has a cool old tymey building which made it a good option, plus they claimed to have a filipino stick martial art. In the end though, since being in a nation doen't exclude you from the other nations completely, I chose the one closer to my dorm and with a cooler name. Sounded better than "Oh, gee..."
And no I didn't get paddled, but the pub crawl last week was an endurance test.
any filipino martial art would be way better than that aikikai place, in my opinion; especially if it's Kali or Silat (so you can then teach me, because they rule), but even with Escrima or Arnis
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