Sail Away With Klaura

Finally, a weekend off...and what better way to experience the archipelago then by ship! I spent this past weekend on a 2 day voyage with the Captain and 10 crew, also known as my classmates (check out the youtube video). We set sail from Karlskrona on Saturday with no luck, meaning no wind. So, we spent several hours rowing the four giant oars through the Baltic Sea. My arms are still sore several days later, but the calm waters and beautiful sunset at sea were very peaceful - unlike the next day to follow. We sailed to Skarva that evening and stayed at a lovely cabin on an Eco-Farm that we had previously visited. After a nice meal and a campfire by the sea we all huddled up in our sleeping bags on the floor of the heatless cabin (it gets down into the 40's overnight here with high's only around 50 this time of year).

Sunday morning we woke and worked off our stay by weeding some non-native plants (more like bushes) around the cabin. The wind picked up as we set sail and we enjoyed several hours of smooth sailing. But when it was time to head back the wind shifted and that was the start of a very long, chilly journey home. Klaura, the sailboat, is very old and sprouted a small leak along the way (check out the youtube video) so not only were we freezing but we also had wet feet! Needless to say the maiden voyage was successful and we will undoubtedly take Klaura out again...though maybe not til spring.

One of the crew took a few videos while on board and posted them to youtube, here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_77B-fsQeIA
My crew name was Skywalker, I am assuming because the Captian knows of my skydiving experiences but I never asked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxymzY5L9n4
Klaura drank up a wee bit of the sea, and we had fun bailing it out!

Until next time mates!!

Open Space

Where to start...there is so much happening so fast!!!

When you were all likely taking time off for labor day I was starting my first day of class, and what a first day it was. We jumped right into an 'open space' session where we were charged with a 10 page report due the following day relating to our collective goals as a class for the year. As you can imagine, this was quite overhwhelming and chaotic at first but somehow we struggled though it, and learned alot about eachother in the process. I came to realize that I am the only architect in the program, but there are several people who are interested or experienced in the building industry (urban planner, civil engineer, industrial designer) who may be potential thesis partners -it's too soon to tell.

Later in the week Dr Karl Henrik Robert - founder of The Natural Step and the program at BTH/ adjunt professor- made his first appearance. After listening to him for just an hour and witnessing his passion for sustainability I have left behind any doubts that I had about this progam and my decision to leave my life in the US for a year of study. I am inspired, motivated, intimidated, anxious, excited and relieved to be here (I just wish Joe was here to share this experience with me).

As for housing, I traded in the hostel for a couch at my friends place until the 15th when I can move into my apartment. I found an amazing place in the center of town and am very much looking forward to settling in and unpacking my suitcase. I will be living with Sara, a classmate from Vancouver, who reminds me of my undergrad roomate Stacy. If this is any indication of the year to come I know we are going to have a good time.

More later, hope all is well back home.

First Impression

Well I made it to Karlskrona without too much hassle. Carrying my huge backpack and dragging my over-sized suitcase along with my school backpack through the Copenhagen airport, then onto the commuter train...and finally through town to the hostel was certainly a workout, but I came to realize that I packed lite compared to some of the other girls!!

I am looking forward to exploring Copenhagen as I did not make it past the airport...but what a nice airport it was. The quality of design and the attention to architectural details was unsurpassed - even the benches at the train station were a beautiful expression of modern design.

The 3-1/2 hour train route to Karlskrona meandered along the coast of the Baltic Sea. Numerous wind turbines spotted the sea and put a smile on my face.

And then there is Karlskrona, my hometown for the next 9 months. The town is very small (60,000) but so quaint and cute. Historical buildings line the cobblestone brick streets along the waters edge. The streets are clean and the air is crisp. I am temporarilly living out of a suitcase in a hostel but am hoping that will change any day now. It's not so bad as many of my colleagues landed here as well. The apartment search has turned out to be more difficult than past years but I am keeping a positive attitude. We are hoping to live downtown which is a 25 minute walk to campus - soon to be a 10 minute bike ride.

Orinetation week started on Monday at which time I was introduced to about 30/60 of my colleagues...more and more people are arriving everyday. It seems that Americans and Canadians are in the majority but there are also people from numerous countires around the world - China, Tawain, Bangaldesh, Hungary, Greece, France, Brazil, Australia, England, Mexico, Pakistan, Iraq and of course Sweden.

That's all for now, back to apartment hunting as I hope to have a place before classes start in 5 days.
Miss everyone and hope all is well in the US!

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic

With only 3 days left in Madison I have to admit that I am feeling a bit nostalgic...after all, this has been my home for the past 7 years. My time here is limited and I wanted to touch base before I leave for a year. I depart for Sweden on Saturday 23 August. I am happy to have a week off to pack, organize and pull myself together because things are getting crazy busy.

Here is a quick update on my end....I fly into Copenhagen (it's closer than Stockholm) then take a 4 hour train to Karlskrona. I arrive late Sunday evening just in time for orientation week which begins Monday. I have reserved a hostel for a few nights because I do not have housing arranged - I am not interested in student housing (too old for that) and the rental sites are all in Swedish! I have been chatting with some classmates on Facebook and have found 2 roomates so at least I will not be flying solo! One of the girls is from San Francisco and the other from Vancouver - 2 of my favorite cities in N America. So, first on the agenda is to find a home!

There is so much to do when I arrive - which is why I suppose they have orientation week...finding a bike is priority because I will be riding to class everyday, getting my cell phone set up, getting a student id and most importantly getting to know my classmates and my new town.

Once school begins I expect to be very busy - the curriculum is as diversified as the students (there are students from 6 continents) and I expect alot of writing/ presentation type work. In January we start our thesis projects in which we work in teams of 3. I have some ideas for this but my experience will likely evolve my thoughts and I am open to that.

As for Joe, he is working on an incredible clean energy research project in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and will be traveling there every 5 weeks for a weeks stay each time. I am hoping the project lasts through next summer so I can tag along on a trip! I am going to miss him with all my heart and being but we have web cam's/ Skype set up so at least we can communicate live. It is our 1 year anniversary in October so he plans on visiting me then for the first time. I will see him next in Rome for Christmas where one of his good friends lives. Hopefully he will fit in another trip in spring...then when I graduate in June he will take some time off from work (at least a month) and we will explore Scandinavia together.

So, there you have it. Hope you all have a great year to come, I will miss you all. I will let you know when I post pictures as I'm sure there will be many.