September 2
[Note, I just realized that some previous posts are out of order and don't have the right titles. I will fix this shortly. Sorry)
I took the morning slow today; no classes and I didn't really sleep well last night. Not sure why. I met with an advisor in the EE department here and we had a really nice chat about courses, the department here, and even we talked about the catastrophe in New Orleans. It was the first real discussion I've had with people other than a few of my corridor mates. NCSU's EE department is now working through which courses I'd like to take over here will transfer batch as credit. I'm hoping I can take the photonics course because I've never done anything in that field and it sounds interesting.
I walked through central Lund again today. It is really getting filled up with all the normal university students here. I took out 5,000 kronors from an ATM and deposited it into my Nordea bank account. I was about to withdraw another 5,000 but then thought it might raise flags with Wachovia here. As I sat on a bench eating a falafel (falafel is really popular here) by the Stortorget (the main square) I watched this ice cream store. I've noticed since day one actually. It's just a hole in the wall but it must be tremendously popular. All around the Stortorget you can see people enjoying their ice cream cones and it is all from this one store. It's like an institution here.
Random observation about Sweden: There are no drinking water fountains. Not in buildings, not near bathrooms, not in public places.
I took the morning slow today; no classes and I didn't really sleep well last night. Not sure why. I met with an advisor in the EE department here and we had a really nice chat about courses, the department here, and even we talked about the catastrophe in New Orleans. It was the first real discussion I've had with people other than a few of my corridor mates. NCSU's EE department is now working through which courses I'd like to take over here will transfer batch as credit. I'm hoping I can take the photonics course because I've never done anything in that field and it sounds interesting.
I walked through central Lund again today. It is really getting filled up with all the normal university students here. I took out 5,000 kronors from an ATM and deposited it into my Nordea bank account. I was about to withdraw another 5,000 but then thought it might raise flags with Wachovia here. As I sat on a bench eating a falafel (falafel is really popular here) by the Stortorget (the main square) I watched this ice cream store. I've noticed since day one actually. It's just a hole in the wall but it must be tremendously popular. All around the Stortorget you can see people enjoying their ice cream cones and it is all from this one store. It's like an institution here.
Upon returning to the dorm, I worked a bit more on my computer. It's besieged by stubborn adware and malware. I'm writing here now from inside the Knoppix OS, which is a version of Linux that can be run off a CD (no install necessary). Alas, its default interface looks like something Fisher-Price would make, but at least there are no pop-ups.
I made some dinner (spaghetti with stirfryed vegetables) and then went to Frieder's room to play some NHL 99 on his computer. He has two game controllers, and it was tremendous fun. We also looked at the FIFA '06 and the NHL '06 demos. In between this I did the laundry and spoke with the family back home. Before we knew it, it was already 1:30am. We were in the kitchen/lounge having something to drink, when Christian and Laure and Marion came back one at a time from the party that Frieder and I were going to go to. After seeing their subdued reactions, I'm glad I didn't. Christian was compelled to get drunk just to see if the horrible music would get better, and Laure was falling asleep on the stairs. It was 'free' though.
I had best get to sleep. Tomorrow we leave at 8:30am on a day trip to the island of Ven, which lies between Sweden and Denmark. It is supposed to be quite beautiful. It was cloudy today but did not rain, and I hope the sun is shining tomorrow. I will post pictures when I return. I'm tentatively planning a day trip to Copenhagen on Sunday, but more on that tomorrow.
My thoughts are still with those suffering in New Orleans and Mississippi.
Upon returning to the dorm, I worked a bit more on my computer. It's besieged by stubborn adware and malware. I'm writing here now from inside the Knoppix OS, which is a version of Linux that can be run off a CD (no install necessary). Alas, its default interface looks like something Fisher-Price would make, but at least there are no pop-ups.
I made some dinner (spaghetti with stirfryed vegetables) and then went to Frieder's room to play some NHL 99 on his computer. He has two game controllers, and it was tremendous fun. We also looked at the FIFA '06 and the NHL '06 demos. In between this I did the laundry and spoke with the family back home. Before we knew it, it was already 1:30am. We were in the kitchen/lounge having something to drink, when Christian and Laure and Marion came back one at a time from the party that Frieder and I were going to go to. After seeing their subdued reactions, I'm glad I didn't. Christian was compelled to get drunk just to see if the horrible music would get better, and Laure was falling asleep on the stairs. It was 'free' though.
I had best get to sleep. Tomorrow we leave at 8:30am on a day trip to the island of Ven, which lies between Sweden and Denmark. It is supposed to be quite beautiful. It was cloudy today but did not rain, and I hope the sun is shining tomorrow. I will post pictures when I return. I'm tentatively planning a day trip to Copenhagen on Sunday, but more on that tomorrow.
My thoughts are still with those suffering in New Orleans and Mississippi.