Happy with a secret

It’s been a week since my last day in Canada. I’m completely unpacked now as I went to Ikea over the weekend to buy some hangers and other stuff of the sort.  Remember how I said the homesickness hasn’t hit me yet? Well, alas, here it is. I have an unpleasant cold that has kept me constantly doing either of the three: sneezing, coughing, or blowing my nose. It’s quite gross and I look like death, with swollen eyes. On top of that, I had my orientation last night – one where I made absolutely no friends. Now, a part of me believes that that is a reflection of what the rest of this trip will be like. I know it’s wrong to think negatively, but when you have a nasty cold and miss people back home, it’s difficult to think otherwise. Also, I should be getting my monthly visitor any day now, which is probably making me more emotional than usual.

Despite being a loner for the majority of my orientation, I was able to talk to a few people for a bit - three people from Scotland, one person from Hong Kong, and two from China. All very nice people. When I shook hands with the person from Hong Kong, a photographer came running to us to capture the candid moment. It was pretty funny because after that, she took about 4-5 more “candid” photos of us.  I think the worst part of the orientation was not being able to eat anything.  There was food during the break of course, but none left by the time I’d got to it. So for the rest of the orientation, my stomach wasn’t too happy as it loudly growled about 3 consecutive times during a presentation.  How embarrassing.

         
Also, last night was the first time I traveled on my own, using Stockholm’s public transportation.  Since it was already dark out (it gets dark by 3:30pm) it was a bit scary since I don’t know the area at all.  But overall, it went well.  I didn’t get lost and I made it home safely.  It was the first time I actually felt a difference in the atmosphere – an atmosphere that made it clear to me that I was definitely no longer at home.  Maybe that’s why I feel homesick all of a sudden?  During the commute, the only really concerning part was when a man on the train kept playing with his lighter.  Different thoughts of ways the train could set on fire during the whole ride weren’t too pleasant for me.

         
There’s an information session tonight at six, which I won’t be able to attend due to my feeling and looking like death.  There goes a missed opportunity to meet friends.  Oh well, there will be more opportunities, I’m sure.  Also, I think my cold climaxed last night because it was the worst I’ve felt in a very long time.  It kept me up until five in the morning.  But then again, that’s the time I usually sleep anyway.  I can’t tell if the sleepless nights are caused by the cold, the jet lag, or the troublesome thoughts.  Though, I do feel a tad better today in regards to the cold.  So hopefully this sickness slowly diminishes from here on in. 

         
On another note, I read the Hunger Games over the weekend.  I enjoyed it very much, especially its element of irony.  I highly recommend it.  Maybe it will open up people’s eyes to learn the harsh reality of how our global economy truly works.  Maybe it will make people appreciate what they have.

            
Anyway, I need to catch up on the show New Girl. 


Ps. How distressing it is, to have to deal with nostalgia that creates the bitter taste of salt in the middle of the night.