And so, my first Swedish adventure ends...

Pity about it, too. I must say, as the days inched (centimetered?) closer to my departure date, I found myself getting more and more sad. Moving to Sweden has been a profound experience, and honestly, looking back on it, it was completely worth leaving my job, selling everything I owned, and saying goodbye to my beloved Pacific Northwest for 9 months.

It's funny thing, dealing with the unknown. While there are types of uncertainty that are easier to deal with, there are some that really demand you sit down with them and have a dialogue. Having faced some situations this year that would have originally sent me panicking, I come back to the States empowered. I think I've reconciled with some of my external stressors, and that's opened up everything.

If you asked me what living in Sweden was like, I'd say it was a lesson in vowels and street names; fika and glögg; museums and minimalism. I met individuals who exemplified the Swedish stereotype, and those who certainly didn't. The place is undeniably beautiful and astoundingly accommodating. I'd say the rumors are true: Swedes are a reserved bunch---quietly brilliant and typically open-minded, but horrible at walking through crowds. If you ever find yourself going to Scandinavia, I'd say bring lots of whiskey, a flask of maple syrup, and a honest heart.
Who knows, you may visit a bunker or two...

Well, anyway, I am ecstatic about returning. It definitely doesn't feel like goodbye. But until then, I've got a job at the Pacific Science Center that will restock my bank account, a family who's excited about my little brother's high school graduation, my first trip to Hawaii, and many glorious reunions over beers waiting for me. And, of course, Ireland.

Off to the next adventure.

Yay! Cultural juxtapositions!

With the exhibition in full swing, I thought I'd take a little time to have a well-deserved break. Months ago, Katarina and Magnus told me that they'd be going to their summer cottage with the kids in Gränna. So, this weekend, I jumped a train and headed for Swedish countryside to say my goodbyes for a little while...

...and it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. There's no wonder why Swedish politics are so concerned about 'keeping Sweden Swedish'---the quaintness and untouched beauty of the rural countryside really is breathtakingly special. 

And then, once jumping the train back to Gothenburg, I went to this:

Andralånggatan Fest: a massive open-air street festival with electronica DJs, secondhand couches, plastic bags of beer and just the smallest hint of weed. The place was filled with hipsters, but I managed to hang out with the cool kids. ;)

What a weekend of contrast.

Gender Matters has opened!

(Phew).

Here are some picture highlights from the exhibition. I...I have to go sit down. 

Bright and Early: giving the museum staff an overview of the  exhibit
and what we had planned for the 6 days it was open to the public.

One of the highlights of the exhibition, a giant Bull elephant (the prized possession of
the natural history museum) gendered into female. This caused much controversy within
this old museum; I thought it was an awesome display of how easy it is for man
to put our values on animals. Way to go Sondra and Anna; they sewed that tutu in a single day! 

An installation theme that permeated all three museums.
Objects were highlighted for the gender roles they did or did not discuss.

The origami paper boat making station. Practice writing letters and crafts like male
sailors on board ships and hang them on a collaborate collage wall!
Beautiful concept designed my friend Stacey and her hard-working design team.

Another installation in the City Museum: a corset, made to symbolize all the unvoiced efforts
of female factory workers in an exhibition that highlights the feats of men.
This was amazing to see come together in the work rooms we had in the school.

One serious highlight: having Gabby be the first person in the city to
see Gender Matters its entirety. Here we are in the "Human Case" in the Natural History Museum,
an attempt to bring humans back to natural history museums.

In addition to the exhibition, the Steering Group was also responsible for throwing
the Gender Matters opening party, of which we had over 150 people!
All the food, decorations, and entertainment were student sourced and basically free. :)

My Swedish friend Daniel and I dressed up at the opening party as
cross-dressing sailors. Daniel will be coming to my home turf for his internship
at the Nordic Museum in Seattle.

This is another installation like the boat, but the picture behind it has a larger story.
This installation highlights the 'nuclear family' architecture of this 100-year-old exhibit;
to highlight the bias in this, 40 girls from the class and 1 male posed as 'seals' off the shore of
Gothenburg---illustrating what a true seal family would look like!
(Yes I'm in there)

The bilingual self-tour pamphlets my friend Linna and I produced for the Natural History Museum,
highlighting the "sex lives" and roles of both the marine and bird world.

My project: A cumulative installation of butterfly drawings at the Natural History Museum,
in which children drew butterflies and then gendered them, the results of which were
hung for the public for display and personal analysis.

The point was that what you think of gendered colors may not be to others;
it was also designed to maximize children's voice in an exhibition very
much focused on individuality and self-expression.

Rotary, meet Megaloppis!

Preparations for the IMS student exhibition are in full swing. Between writing tours, proofing activities, translating texts, and practicing improv, my team is officially in the thick of it. By tomorrow, the exhibition Gender Matters opens at three museums and must be staffed with daily tours, take-home activities, and weekend workshops. Good thing my sister's coming: she can be my personal assistant!

Gabby arrived last Friday, jumping off the bus in Centralstationen dusty and tan. She had just finished a five-month expedition to Jordan and so life in Sweden brought her a taste of first-world luxuries she hadn't had in a while. Unfortunately, Annika has been gone on a trip to Spain while Gabby's been here, but we've been having fun anyway (really would have liked them to meet). In between classes, I've attempted to bring her to all the places I love going---while also taking the chance to relive some of them before I, too, am going to leave. My departure date for Seattle is June 9, and Lord knows I have much to do...

One of the things I had Gabby help me with was get rid of all my excess furniture before exhibition opening day: selling my bed (gonna miss that one), delivering furniture I had pulled out of dumpsters back in December, and abandoning IKEA rugs at one of the biggest open-air flea markets in Gothenburg---Megaloppis!  

Annikas Te Fest!

Yesterday was Annika's big birthday celebration. All Friday and Saturday morning, we baked and baked and baked until the apartment was a tea party the White Rabbit himself would have even come to. We even stocked the tub with beer and had tea-themed playlists playing all night. :)

I asked Annika what she wished for for her birthday and the reply was wonderfully simple: American cupcakes. So, I followed through. Here are some pictures of the Green Tea cupcakes I made for her that day. To say they were a hit might be an understatement; they were gone within the hour!

At the end of the night, I think she was happy. :)