Bumbibears

In order to increase our survival rate during this very dark and long semester, Saskia and I have developed two rules.

• Rule #1: We are not allowed to say the words "work" or "study" Instead, we say "gummibears" to associate our studies with something cute and funny. Over time, gummibears have developed into "bumbibears" and most recently only "bumbi". 

Sometimes I forget that far from everyone is familiar with our special rule. I almost told my supervising professor the other day that I was going to spend my weekend doing bumbibears (could be interpreted in many ways). That could have been the end to my academic career before it even started. 

 

 

• Rule #2: It is easy to get a tiny, little itsy bisty bit depressed here. Perhaps it's our European nerves that cannot stand the American academic climate, but the German and the Swede have been insanely angry at the world lately. Hence came the development of rule number two. After complaining and raging about the bumbibear-load and how we never get to experience sunlight, we have to say 5-10 things that makes us happy. Examples include nice coffee, crispy air, colorful trees, wine and cheese, hiking, skiing and friendly people. 

Other things that makes us happy includes Public Health (high-school) Prom-night!

Enough about bumbi. Since my last (ancient) blog update, much have happened. A few words to describe the passed months:

Football careers

We have celebrated out very first yberamerikanska Thanksgiving playing American football and eating tons of food together with the family of a professor that I work with. I feel a strong future career in football as I started to grap the game just as it was finished.

Swedish fish

Just as the darkness started to approach, we threw a combined midsommar-jul-kräftskiva with Swedish decorations and food á la IKEA in our apartment. Treats included tipsprommenad (quiz walk) featuring Swedish know-hows, sill (pickled herring), pepparkakshus (ginger bread house), knäckebröd (cracker bread) and snapps (that will have to speak for it self). What a night. It was like a huge behavioral experiment where at one point, we got the whole room of 40+ guests to sing Helan Går. Små grodorna (the little frog dance) came out during the after party for which only the coolest people stayed.

 

 

Please pay attention to the IKEA-bought cray-fish hats

George

For a few weeks, we escaped our apartment and moved down to house sit in Fells Point - an area of Baltimore where you can actually see the harbor and WALK long walks along the waterfront. The house we guarded came with a roommate - George. George is yellow, full of feathers and bites off fingers if you approach him to closely. Gustav says that he reminds him of me - stuck in a cage and eating only seeds and water. I am sure I must have more things in life than that?

 I stole a picture of George from Gus blog

Holidays are approaching and Gus and I are preparing to leave Baltimore for snowy adventures elsewhere. The city is getting into Christmas spirit and we have our very own (concrete) tree in the backyard: Baltimore monument. 1st of December is the lightening of the monument and I was able to gaze it for 3 minutes before returning to bumbibears. 

*Four more days to a long and well-deserved break* 

In the meantime, glad Lucia! (this may be from 2010, but hey, same same)