When coming to Sweden I was aware of the potential lack of vitamin D my body would experience due to the negligible amounts of sun I’d have access to. So I started taking multivitamin pills every morning. This was the case for a long time, and if you have been reading my blog you would see the way I felt. The point is, one time I forgot to take them, two days in a row. I felt great! I went online and saw some other people complaining about how vitamin supplements made them tired and apathetic. Now, I have no idea why this would be; I don’t think anyone has sponsored a research project about this, but then again, I haven’t been looking very hard. What I know is that for the last two or three weeks I have not been taking any vitamins, and I feel alive, I’m back.

So, my course has finished (except for the January exam, that is). I didn’t go to the last lecture, though, because it coincided with a lecture by the Nobel laureate of Medicine that had come to Uppsala to tell us a little about his life research. I think it was more than half of the us that sneaked out of class to see this. A piece of advice: if you’re planning to see a Nobel laureate speak, have some sleep the night before. I had slept for 4-5 hours (a second night in a row), and I could barely keep my eyes open. I had no access to the coffee I had in my flask, since they told me I couldn’t bring it in the lecture hall for security reasons. I was trying very hard to look proffessional, though. It’s hard, falling asleep with your head upright.

Anyway, I’ve been having a lot of fun. I was introduced to the game Risk. I don’t know why it’s not popular in Bulgaria, no Bulgarian I asked had ever heard of it, yet Australian, German, Dutch, Italian, Americal, Czech, English and Scottish people seem to have played it a lot. I fell in love with it and I’ll try to find it once I get back home for Christmas to play it with my family (I have the excuse of a little sister to play childish games).

I realise that at some points during my stay I felt lost, not completely at my place. I was nostalgic for Edinburgh and I wanted time to pass more quickly so that I could get back sooner. This is no longer the case. I love Edinburgh, but I’m really happy I’m not in the place of all those Germans who wanted to extend their stay but couldn’t. In the past couple of weeks I have started to feel this place like home. I feel like I’ve just got here; I want to stay to see the days get longer and the trees bloom. Here I have found some amazing people that I can spend ages with, just talking over things, discussing and arguing. Not playing drinking games, but playing games while drinking. I guess that’s the difference between being a fresher and an adult.

I’m flying home in less than a week. It will be awesome: getting some nice food, going to a pub without thinking how ripped off you’d get this time, seeing the family and some friends, and just being home. And after that, I kind of anticipate the moment when I’ll get back here in January, see everyone for a fika, and feel that nothing’s changed. Life is good; I’m looking forward to everything.