Prelude No. 8 (in A-minor) OR yes, but do they dance like THIS where you're from?

01/09/09 OR first day of school, first day of school

For me, the most difficult thing about living in Sweden is opening and closing doors. In Australia, doors are fairly homogenous. That is, when you see a door, it is very difficult to differentiate it from others doors you have seen. And they are always easily opened, even when they are locked (or especially when they are locked).

But in Sweden, each door is a new door; no two doors are the same. In fact, no one door is the same. What looks like a door is actually a window, and what looks like a window is actually a door. And what looks like a door with a window in it is actually neither. On my first day I made the error of pushing a door when I should have pulled. The next day I made the error of pulling when I shoud have pushed. The next day I made the error of pushing and pulling a door that opens automatically. To be sure, I have given up opening doors. Instead, I wait outside them until they are used by someone else, and sneak through them a'la Indiana Jones (I've even had a hat tailored). There is a possibility that I will be left waiting outside a door for hours. There's also a possibility that I might one day choke on a butter menthol. Such is life.

Swedish lecturers are fond of their coffee breaks. So are Swedish students, especially Gabriela, even though she is from Romania. A typical university lecture will last for three hours. A not-so-typical university lecture will last for several days, and is conducted in complete silence, but attendence is usually very low. The least typical lecture of all time was given by Jorgen Nilsson in 1934. Entitled Uranium-235! Why not?, it was presented in total darkness in an abandoned mineshaft near Lomma. As far as I am aware, it is still going.

Steph, if you read this, there are too many Australians in Lund (even if you don't, there are still too many). And that's not even including UK Ben, who really does the worst impression imaginable.