the [Tortoise] and the hare @tortoiseinsweden - Tumblr Blog

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What a surreal journey back. Had a layover in Iceland - got bumped to first class with @tea_clo (thank you!) - nearly brought a poster home in one piece - had to pay to check a second bag - cut my hand open on a can right when I planned to leave (Thank you so much @beneilinda and @jill_maguire for helping me out! My roomie and her bf, both with ER experience said you did a great job wrapping because they don’t think I need stitches) - flew over the Hudson Bay - caught a good view of Minneapolis downtown - was picked up by Jen and her SugarMuffin (what a fantastic couple of first faces to see!) who drove me to my car where @annabanana0313’s wonderful parents stored Felicity - drove back to my house and it was a little rough getting used to driving again but mostly I was freaked out by suburbia and urban sprawl (I think I’m a city woman at heart) - walked in to a super clean house, some cupcakes, caught up a little with my roomies before passing out - and have now decided my bed is too soft. #DoesAnyOneWantAFoamTopper#ThreeInchesThick #QueenSized #HadForAYear #Home? #DejaVuToWhenIGotRoadRaashOnMyFaceAndABlackEyeTheDayBeforeLeavingNZ #HowAmISoFarAwayFromStockholm #FeelingALittleOverwhelmed#TimeForAShower #GettingBackToAllThingsUS #MissedMyFriendsAndFam#MakeNewFriendsButKeepTheOld #OneIsSilverAndTheOthersGold#ACircleIsRoundItHasNoEnd #ThatsHowLongIWantToBeYourFriend#AllMyFriendsAreGoldActually #EightySixDaysOfBeingInternational

Last day in Stockholm- so many mixed feelings...yet a full day nevertheless. First and foremost I went to the fotografiska museum again (my fav seriously). The first exhibit featured the work of Ellen Von Unwerth, champion of photographing women in “sensual, humorous, and nonchalant” ways, “showing strength without subordination”. Very liberating in a way yet provocative as well. The second featured the work of Christian Tagliavini, inspired by the Italian Renaissance, Swiss craftsmanship, and the works of Jules Verne. The first photo is part of his Carte series. Playing cards became popular in Italy before spreading to the rest of Europe in the 14th century. “Around the same time, Johannes von Rheinfeld, a monk at the Dominican monastery in Basel, recorded detailed rules of play for the decks of cards, which were richly decorated. Christian Tagliavini turns to these cards with centuries of iconic tradition behind them... and gives them his own life-size interpretation. To do this, he puts people pulled off the street into costumes made of vegetable paper, that he painstakingly designs and crafts himself, and piece by piece, he transforms his models into the familiar face cards, from the Jack of Hearts to the Queen of Spades.” The third exhibition showcases the self portraits of Zanele Muholi, a visual activist in Johannesburg, South Africa. While I enjoyed her self portraits “posing critical questions about social justice, human rights and contested representations of the black body [her] self-reflective, and psychologically charged portraits [which] are unapologetic in their artistry”, I enjoyed most watching her films and listening to the voices presented talking about the LGBT community in South Africa. Her compositions are beautiful - the extreme contrast played between the whites of her eyes and lips with the ebony of her skin, are astounding but listening to her media compositions were more telling in that I felt more present in another place. Afterwards I met up with @elinhunger and @rlly_sarah for a last fika and some great convo - will really miss the women I’ve had the opportunity to work with in Stockholm! #NotGoodbyeButRatherSeeYouLater #ÖstermalmstorgStationArt

Arrived in Helsinki 2 hours before scheduled and was able to fit in a walking tour before heading to the airport - lucky me! So fun facts: Sweden and Finland are not part of NATO (first photo is of the Ministry of Defense and a memorial in honor of the Red Army soldiers who died of the cold during 1939-1940). Finland was occupied by the Swedish before Russia before finally getting to be their own country. The second photo shows a statue of the man who created the old Finnish currency - the Finnmark, and if you look closely, you can see damage from when Russia attacked Helsinki when Finland did not want to be a part of their union in 1939. The Finnish language is most similar to Estonian yet while they have some of the exact same words, they each give them different meaning so apparently there is a lot of Lost-In-Translation stuff happening. And they have licorice ice cream. #MyGmaWasAdamantThatITryIt #GenerallyNotAFanOfLicoriceButThisWasNice #ALittleSaltyPlusSweet #MoreSubtleFlavorThanTheCandy #AlvarAaltoBuildings #NeoClassicalBuildings #YoungCity #WhenArrivedInStockholmFinallyHadAShower #MetSaltisFriendsForBeersAtHirschenkeller #TurnedIntoWhiskeyAndGinDrinksLater #UpTillFive #Oops #ThatYOLOLife

Spent the last day in Saariselkä cleaning the cabin and enjoying the sunshine before hopping on a bus to head back to Helsinki. Sad to leave but excited to be back stateside in T minus 4 days. #TimeToGraduate #FindAJob #ReindeerAndBeefBurger #EuroCoinsHaveDifferentImagesForEachCountry #SpainGermanyFinlandFrance #HadNoIdea #LikeTheUSStateQuarters #MindBlown #SunnySunnySunny #NightRide #TimeToCatchSomeZzzzzzs #JustFlossedAndBrushedMyTeethAtAGasStationOutsideOfNowhere #YetEverywhere #IfYouWantToFeelALittleExistential

Snowshoeing was SO MUCH FUN -I want to do it again and again next winter. It is both easier and harder than it looks - going downhill and on packed snow is easy but walking on 3ft+ fluff and trying to get up steep hills, especially if 50+ people have already gone up, is realllllly difficult. A cabinmate lost his snowshoe after jumping in fluff (could not find it - the guide said they will have to wait until June...) and although I tried really hard to get up the last hill, I basically had to be pulled up. I was worked out and it felt great. Plus the air is so fresh up here (moss grows on the trees)! After a traditional meal of reindeer with puréed potatoes and lingonberries (very similar to traditional Swedish meatballs minus the meatballs), we went hunting for the NORTHERN LIGHTS. Shortly after 23:00 we started to see lights outside our cabins and then started the 30 minute walk up to the top of the mountain. On the way up, the lights were amazing - they were like piano keys, or a wheat field with the wind rippling through gently. I need to own a tripod but at the top I was able to get an expansive view from a tower, of Auroras that were like loose hair under water fanning out. After about an hour, we headed back on sleds. You can imagine after walking uphill for 30 minutes and sledding down...best sledding ever! It helped that it was about 1:00 and there weren’t so many people so you really could just go and go FAST. #CheckOffTheBucketList #ClearSkiesLastNight #NotSureWhenTheNextTimeWillBeButHopingForGeomagneticStorms #NumberThreeOnTheKpScale #BurnBabyBurn #ShineBrightLikeADiamond #FlyLikeRockyTheSquirrel #MasterSledder #LotsOfTurns #FrozenFaceDontCare #WetGlovesDontCare #NorthernLights #FinnishLapland

Crossed the Finnish-Norwegian border in order to head to Bugoynes village and the ARCTIC OCEAN...Can I just say WOW! 😍😍 In love with the scenery, the fresh air, (salty) water and sun. After some v. fresh fish soup we completed three rounds of Finnish Sauna, minus the birthday suit. First photo shows the village; second photo shows the sauna (black box on bottom), the changing rooms (red boxes); and of course, the Arctic Ocean which you must run to, run in (“Don’t stop, that is stupid” said the sauna operator), run out and alllll the way back to warmth. Also I successfully (after a while) MADE A FIRE! #ProudGirlScoutMoment #FeltLikeTheHundredYardDash #FrozenFeet #DuckedMyFaceToo #ThreeTimesInTotal #ColorOnWhite #TheOcean #ILoveWater #Picturesque #WatchedFlightOnTheWayBack

Layers on layers on layers! It’s not THAT cold but if you’re outside long enough you will freeze. Spent the morning dog sledding (AND I got to “drive”!), including meeting three pups and petting everyone else (the dogs, to be clear). They really love to run and get impatient whenever groups changed or drivers changed, and started jumping up and down and yipping when they were made to wait. Then we went to the a reindeer farm. I learned that reindeer eat snow and lichen and... that’s it. They are really efficient I guess. And it’s true, Santa’s reindeer are all female (otherwise they are castrated males). The females lose their antlers later because they are pregnant and more likely to be respected (i.e. let have first dibs at food, especially hard to find under snow). Males typically lose them after mating season, which ends in October. This evening we went on a snowmobile safari hoping to see the Northern Lights. Unfortunately the skies were cloudy but we are expecting a clear night tomorrow so fingers crossed! #ItWasCold #WarmBerryJuice #FullSpeedAhead #NotFastEnough #TechnicallyNotAllowedToDrivePerUMNPolicy #ButIAddedTravelInsuranceForThisTripSoIWasCovered #ReindeersAreReallySmart #TheyComeBackToGiveSledRidesDuringTheWinterBecauseTheyAreFed #AndGetSummerOff #IDidntReallyLikeTheRideThough #ItFeltNotRightForSomeReason #EvenIfTheyAreWildAndThereByChoice #SoManyHuskies #LegitSiberian #AndAlaskanHuskies #EvenReceivedAHuskyKiss!#AlsoSalmonFishSoup #NotAsWeirdAsItSounded

SO. MUCH. SNOW. After waking up around Oulu, which is where we left the sea, we headed north to the Kemi Snow Castle, which has a bar, chapel, and hotel - all carved out of snow with ice reserved for signs or sculptures. I *think* we witnessed a wedding in the chapel but it was hard to tell because there were a total of five people and a video camera so it could have been a promo? Each hotel room had a carving and I can only imagine how long it took to make them! The general theme was shadow puppets and the bigger rooms had different images like this one of King Kong. We also visited the Santa Claus Village but it was very touristy and what you would expect. #ApparentlySantaClausIsFromFinland #AccordingToMyFinnishFriend #TheSantaClausExhibit #IfYouWantToCallItThat #ToldOfHowDifferentTraditionsComeFromDifferentPartsOfTheWorld #ForExampleCardsFromBritainAndTreeDecoratingFromFrance #WasSurprisedByTheTreeOne #BlindedBySun #ThankfulIGrabbedMySunniesLastMinute #TREES #AndFrozenLakes #TriedReindeerJerky #TastedLikeRegularSmokedJerkey #OnTheWayToSaariselkä #OfficiallyInTheArcticCircle

After taking a Case Exam today, I BARELY made it to my overnight bus in downtown Helsinki after landing at the airport (and taking a bus to get to the main station). I hope my shoulders don’t hurt tomorrow so badly as that was an hour of pure stress. #NotFeelingSoWellAboutTheCaseExam #ShouldHaveTakenTwoHoursToWriteInsteadOfOne #GaveAwayALotOfThingsFromTheApartment #AndSomeNewFriendsLOL #CleaningOutMovingOutBegins #AboutAllPackedForTheUS #PrettySureIMissedTheVeryFamousArchitectureOfTheCentralRailwayStation #ByElielSaarinen #RanThroughItButCouldntStopToAdmire #WillHaveTimeOnTheWayBack #RecoveringFromAHeartAttack #EightMinutesToSpare #ForATwelveHourNightBusRide #WishMeSomeSleep #WakingUpInFinnishLapland #CrossingMyFingersForTheNorthernLightsThisWeek

Yesterday I found snow pants for my Lapland trip, ate my (last??) slice of Princess Cake with Billie and Joe, then went with a couple of v cool Saltis residents to meet a couple of my v cool CSOM students at the Invisible Exhibition, where we learned to type our names in Braille and took a tour in the pitch-black dark by a blind guide. It was so ear-touch opening: Braille was hard to type because there are six keys for each of the six dots but they aren’t 1-2-3-space bar-4-5-6; they are 3-2-1-space bar-4-5-6 and I totally missed that because it took me three tries to get it right. I would tell you more about the tour but you will have to experience it for yourself. I will say that when someone asks who you are (like on the phone) realize how often you say “me” rather than your actual name. I’m not sure how long it takes to recognize voices but it’s sure easier for me to recognize a face rather than remember a voice or name. Afterwards, @annedrewjensen, @lizkrusemark and I went to Meatballs for the People in Södermalm and they were the best I’ve had in Stockholm by far. I ordered wild boar with puréed potatoes, lingonberries, bacon, and pickled onions in a red wine sauce. I also tried a Swedish lemonade and it honestly tasted like cotton candy - could not discern the citrus flavor at all. Then it was the last night @thegirlbill and I were roommates. :’( #YoullAlwaysBeMyRoomie #RoommationshipRising #WhoKnewMeatballsCouldBeSoSmooth #AlsoNotSureIveHadAnythingOtherThanBeefMeatballsBefore #BlindDoesNotMeanTheWorldIsInvisible #HeightenedSenses #BlindAlsoComesInAllShapesAndSizes #WeAllHuman

On Tuesday, we watched three teams present to Telia and then presented with two others to Rädda Barnen. Back in MSP we do not get to see other Enterprise teams present and I think we miss out actually (but I understand because we have to sign NDAs). Even though this is for a class (and not an enterprise), we still get to work with real companies and I learned a lot from watching every team and listening to each company’s feedback. It’s a more hands-on experience which, in my opinion, is much more exciting. I enjoyed working with my team members and hope to see them all again (next week)! #SarahIsAQuestionAnsweringAndPresentationDeliveringMaster #AnniThinksOfEverythingAndIsAnAllAroundTaskExecuter #ElinIsAProjectManagentAllStarKeepingUsOnTrack #CallMeTheGoldenEarringSaver. Talk about balanced team skills! (Shout out to @enthusiashley for taking our photo) #SaveTheChildren #MemberBased #HowToBalanceAutonomyAndInformationSharing #WhileKeepingItSimple #GrabbedABeerOrThreeWithSaltisFriends #AtGoodOlHirschenkeller

Monday Funday (for reals) because I got to sleep in, watch the first set of presentations for BSH, finish the ppt (finally!) and go to Wine Night Encore - perhaps one of my all time favorite wine nights with @azechmann01, @gosenius, @dthurfjell, @stina.hanssons, @arotes, and Dustin. Small group = more relaxed atmosphere I think. Will def miss you all! On the way to Wine Night Encore I realized I had never walked through Mariatorget where Thor is “fishing” which apparently means slaying the sea serpent called Jörmungandr. #INeverConsideredAligatorsToBeSeaSerpents #WhyIsItHubbyAndNotHusby #BothTeamsDidGreat #InnovationLiveProject #GrandmasSecretStainRemover #BookTalk #WhereDOYouFindWeedInStockholm #ApparentlyDavidDoesntKnow #BabyChameleonsFromMorocco #GoldDigger #DanceParty

Ice Ice Baby! Made it to the Archipelago with @schneids1744, @raffi2770, @annedrewjensen, and @lizkrusemark and learned a couple of cool things: the Baltic Sea has neither salt nor fresh water - it’s brackish (like in between), and it takes 25 years for the water to become new since the flow is restricted (even though the average depth is about 60 meters compared to the Mediterranean’s more than 1000 meter depth). This means that the Baltic is really sensitive and Baltic countries are very careful about what goes in it. Stockholm doesn’t ice its walkways and they are even testing with UV rays to treat out medical compounds that move through our bodies and wind up in fish. Additionally it’s common for houses to be painted red because the paint was cheap, a byproduct of copper mining, and resembles brick, which is more luxurious. They are mostly used as summer houses and those who live full time in the archipelago are fishermen. #HearThatCrackling #FloatingSheetsOfIce #WellArentYouBrackishToday #SwedishBuffet #Tour #FleeceBlanketsOnDeck #LaterTheIceBar #WithIceGlasses #NearCentralStation #FunConversations #WhatWasYourFirstKiss #ExJailBirdsIsATheme

Laundry dayyyyy and the last one too - even finished the laundry detergent and I was worried at first but I forgot I brought enough clothes for two weeks so I’m golden. Afterwards I met @thegirlbill, @annedrewjensen, @tea_clo and friends in Södermalm. We kind of just hopped around from place to place until we landed in a tiki bar and later a dance club without a dance floor (don’t worry we improvised). While I am still exhausted it was fun! #Roomationship #LivingThatYOLOLife #DanceAndSpin #YayForSobaNoodles #AndVitaminTablets #AndLazyishSundays

Went back to the berwaldhallen to see another concert, this time Labyrinths of Time by Borisova-Ollas, a violin concert by Dvorák, and an orchestra concert by Bartók. The maestro wore black shoes with blue ribbon laces (I think that’s what they were at least) and they were very distracting haha. #MadeNewFriends #LionBar #WordlessMusic #DayDreaming

It’s starting to get warmer, enough so that birds are taking baths in melted snow puddles. I had to take a video because I was just so tickled that even birds want it to be Spring already! Then I ended the day with the last Wine Night and new friends. #Bittersweet #BottleOfGrenache #SoManySmiles#GoingMissThemAll

Sadly Tuesday was the last day of class. I’ve really enjoyed Innovation and Business Renewal with Mattia Bianchi. The class was a lot of work but well curated and as it turned out being my only class, it ended up being a good balance of tying to live that YOLO life and also reality. (If I’m being honest, have probably slightly lived the YOLO life a little more.) #LaNetaTacos#WithoutSalsaItIsNotATaco #QuiteAuthenticActually#YummyANDLessThanTwentyUSD #ThatYOLOLife#LastFullWeekInStockholm #NotQuiteReadyToGoBack#ButNeedToTakeEthicsToGraduate #AndThenWhoKnowsWhere#HopefullySomethingInnovationRelated

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