the undergraduate. : a bad case of Stockholm syndrome...well an obsessed one, actually.

Hej alla!

Hoppas att allt är bra?

For those of you who don't speak Swedish (I don't either, all is good!) that means hey guys, how's it going?...Well I at least hope it does, I asked a Swede to translate that for me, so if it means something else then all you swedes out there - I apologise! So anyway, how is it going? Just because i'm asking the question in Swedish doesn't mean I don't want to know! I hope you've had a productive, energetic and positively wonderful Wednesday! Now before I start I would just like to say that i'm well aware of my obsessive posting over the past few days, however I feel that in order to get the blog-vibe up and running, it's necessary for me to give a good first impression - at least before I begin some periods of cyber silence! (which I will try to limit, by the way)

So the title of this post probably gives away a fair bit about what it's gonna be about, yeah guys, you guessed it, STOCKHOLM! The city i've come to be truly obsessed with in just two short months. Two months you may be saying to yourself, that's a long time to holiday in one place, right? Well think again ladies and gents, i'm not holidaying here, in fact, far from it - as part of my degree, i'm spending second year abroad studying at Stockholm University as well as living here in beautiful Scandinavia through the exchange programme, Erasmus.

Another question many of you may be asking is why Stockholm? Why Sweden even? Well if i'm being truly honest with you guys that's a question I don't really know the answer to myself. A year abroad for me was something I always wanted to do, but I continually found myself to be overwhelmed with the insane amount of destinations my university had to offer! When the time came that I had to quickly narrow down my options, I decided to go with a European exchange as apposed to an International one. I thought to myself that after having spent a summer in the US, it would be nice to come back closer to home, to the multitude of culture, cosmopolitanism, fashion, class and sheer uniqueness European cities have to offer. I had never been to Sweden, in fact, I had never been to Scandinavia and, well, the rest as they say is history! Before I knew it I was back from America, on another plane and saying HELLO STOCKHOLM!

So here I am rocking it up and loving life in the Swedish capital! As y'all can see, it's pretty darn nice, not too shabby, right?! It's safe to say there are still times where I don't believe i'm here - I don't think those times will ever completely go away if i'm honest, or will they? I dunno...let's wait and see, shall we? Its now been two months since I touched down on Swedish turf to begin my adventure and it has been a whirlwind of emotions, hilarity, ups, downs, highs and lows - none of which I would change for the world - at least not now anyway! In just two months i've made friendships I know are going to last a lifetime, picked up some of the local lingo, mastered the Swedish subway system and have become obsessed with Avicii more and more than what I thought was possible (yes, the man himself is from Stockholm - they're all very proud of this fact!) Even mummy and daddy McAdam have managed to squeeze in a weekend in the capital, despite my hectic schedule - which I must say, has been one of my favourite weekends so far! On the topic of parents by the way, always make time for your parents guys, they're the ones that are in your heart, every step of the way.

There's no denying that moving abroad for a year is terrifyingly scary, nerve-wracking and emotionally draining to say the least - but as I sit here now, with the initial first few months under my belt, I can honestly say it has been one of the best decisions i've ever made, or should I say, going to have made - not finished with this place quite yet folks! Time abroad has opened my eyes to a multitude of things I just didn't think was possible, it has made me more mature, appreciative of my life back in the UK, emotionally more able to cope and much more.
So, what are some of my favourite things about living in Stockholm? Good question, too many things are my favourite thing about living in Stockholm! I've found that it's more the little, almost insignificant details of Stockholm, or Sweden in general actually that i've come to love.

One of these is the "fika" concept. Swear down, this gem of a phrase is being brought back to my UK life and becoming an integrated part of my everyday vocabulary. I've grown to love the concept too much to let go of it. A "fika" (pronounced "fee-ka") is basically a social situation in Sweden, meaning to go for a coffee usually accompanied by something sweet - which is where part two of my obsession comes in to play...the good old kanelbullar! You could almost call this the 'signature' of what makes a fika, a fika - it's basically like a cinnamon whirl, but only better, so much better - if you look below you'll see a cute little pic of a recent "fika" experience of my own, I know what you guys are thinking, i'm just the most cultured male specimen in existence, and i'm not going to disagree! I quickly learned that Swedes consider grabbing coffee an important part of their culture. It's a chance to take a break from work, it's a chance to sit down and catch up with friends, it's a chance to chat away endlessly for hours un-watchful of the clock and in general, it's just an excuse for a good old time! I for one, think it's simply fabulous.

What else can I say about Stockholm? Did I mention how amazing it is? No but seriously, it's amazing, beyond amazing! Oh, and did I mention that I just love how clean everything is? - even the subway, even the corners of alleyways you would expect to see graffitti in, even the floors in frequently used buildings where you would expect to see dirt and what not, no sir, it does not exist! Sweden is truly an immaculate country, and I have fallen deeply in love with every last inch of it! I thoroughly recommend all of you to visit and take in the many delights that not just Stockholm, but the rest of Sweden and undoubtedly Scandinavia has to offer! (I'll get round to seeing more of Sweden, there's no doubt about that, but for now, i'm still far too excited about being in the capital!) I've lost count of the no doubt many hours i've wasted walking around the city exploring it's nooks and crannies, museums, streets, shops (Zara, so much Zara), parks, monuments and much more. This place has it all - after all, the country that gave us Ikea, meatballs, Loreen, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Abba, Pippi Longstocking, Absolut Vodka and 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' can't be that bad, right?

So there you have it guys, my take on Stockholm so far. It's safe to say i'm very happy I chose this place as my Erasmus destination - it's rapidly becoming one of my favourite cities…but will it take the number one spot? Ooooh who knows!

Continue to enjoy your life guys, live it to the full and make the most of any opportunities that come your way. Just say YES!

Until next time, speak soon.