Scandinavian

Landing in Germany after a short hop with the “Mad Dog”, the legendary MD-82 that has become a symbol of Scandinavian Airlines. Though well past its retirement age, it is a plane I love flying with. Like the rest of its near-defunct airline, it brings forth a strange sense of stubborn loyalty telling me that I will keep flying SAS with the faint hope that one day its managers will come to their senses.

Enough aviation. As previously announced I am here for the IHDP conference in Bonn where I will try to learn as much as possible in two days before heading back to Gothenburg just in time for the annual “Valborg”-festivities.

Czechpoint

Trailing Stockholm and even tiny Norrköping, the time has come for Malmö to open its own Czech restaurant. Located at Lilla Torg in a pastel-coloured building that would be well suited for the squares of Malá Strana, the restaurant is cleverly named “Czechpoint” and apparently heavily sponsored by the Pilsner Urquell brewery.

Despite the “Kalte Platte” and the quintessentially Bohemian garden, the overall experience was a bit of a disappointment. Not only did I miss the proper pronunciation of “Pill-zz-ner OOR-kwell” but the food was both pricey and handed out in scant portions. That being said, I am happy to now have a bit of the Czech Republic within commuter train distance.

Laborare omnia vincit

In a surprisingly generous gesture, the evening sky turned blue and the rain dried up. No longer confined to the university library, I took the tram home, went out for five kilometres of running, poured up a glass of Proviva juice, and then found myself back with the dissertation.

Ever since I first enrolled in the PhD programme I knew this time would eventually come. The strange mixture of definite closure, frustrating inability and paralyzing anxiety. But as the days get brighter I feel that I am slowly winning over the spell, falling back into that productive mood that my memory has come to forever associate with American college grounds.

As for the near future I am also looking forward to going to Bonn for an IHDP-conference in late April and a week later to London for an educational excursion with our Lund department. I will try my best to take Rawls & Me along for both.