Happy New Year

Time to fulfill eliza regular blogging requests and distract myself from gender and development exam study!
Yesterday was the arrival day for the new exchange students. It's kinda weird, i am in the same place but a lot is different. Victor (he was my swedish international mentor, but now since i am a mentor with him, i guess we have risen to the ranks of friends) and I stod at the train station for 6hrs welcoming the new exchange students and getting them on a bus to the student union building. 500 new exchange students, many potential friends. But also lots of old friends no longer here. Still despite good friends no longer here and the rainy darkness that has prevailed since my return to Lund, I think this semester looks bright. My remaining lund friends and I have vowed explore the non-alcaholic activities Lund has to offer more, and also get fit. Innebandy (Swedish version of indoor hockey), gerdehallen (the gym) and lunds indoor rock climbing gym are going to be regular events on my calender. Also im gloing to work at Nations, not only does bartendering look fun, it has benefits such as free drinks all night (Resposible service alcohol is a bit different here!), free entry into that nation on other nights and maybe a free meal. Also am hoping to see some more live bands....there is loads of great music in sweden. For a taste of it go to Triple J's website and listen to the Swedish Mixtape, or go watch Peter, Bjorn and John play when they come to melbourne in Feb! ANyways enough of new years resolutions!

I just got back a few days ago from Val Thorens in the French Alps. I think it was one of if not the best week ive had in Europe. European mountians kick but over aussie ones! When we first arrived, there was not a lot of snow, and the thought of having travelled 26hrs on a bus to go skiing in snow that is similar to Mt hotham in a bad year was kinda depressing.....but on our second day, we got the best new years eve gift you could ask for, 2 days of non-stop snow! I will never forget the feeling of skiing in real powder, its like how you would imagine floating on clouds would be!



This is how deep the powder snow was! Victor is proving that in this much snow, you can take a descrete piss in a very public area!













We went to "after ski" in a swedish bar (yes a bar full of swedes in France! perhaps the only time knowing how to order a beer in Swedish will be useful outside Scandenavia) each day, and drank beer and boogied in our ski gear to a Swedish cover band. Then in our not so sober state Sez squezed into my ski boots and i got into her snowbarding ones and we merily skied/snowboarded home in the darkness, respectively on snow devices we had very little practices on! Luckily (definately not skillfully!) no accidents!

Other highlights included getting sez bogged in waist deep snow in a closed run after ensuring her that it would be fine to go down there, and seeing her genuine concern that she may be stuck there until the snow melts in spring, Alex constant "you guys are crazy!" to mine and victors mostly stupid and slightly dangerous ski plans and general snow filled sillyness, and lastly the fact that our sillyness never ended in injury. Also loosing my ski in deep powder and victor taking off his board to help dig in a meter of snow to help try to find it, only to watch his board fly off into the distance down the hill, luckily avoiding all alive obsticles in its path, was fun!



















Me, Victor and Sez in Val Thorens (Alex is taking the photo)







Regarding the last post, christmas day was a great success. We all enjoyed the activities of our first christmukkah! The pepperkaka domkyrkan (ginger bread model of Lunds Cathedral), and eliza's brilliant turkey were amazing! And our Justin Timberlake candels burning in the background certainly added a certain type of ambiance! Ok time to actually get some work done. Hope you are all enjoying the silly season, wherever you are!






Lunds Cathedral 1:100 000








Eliza, I hope this was long enough for you! Perhaps my last new years resolution is to update this weekly.....