Classes at DIS have started and are in full swing. I actually already had an assignment in my Understanding Terrorism: Causes, Solutions, and Dilemmas course! I gave a presentation to my class earlier this week on a terrorist group called the Front de Libération Nationale, a socialist political party that was prominent during the Algerian war. I studied the ideology and methodology behind their actions, as well as looked into their influence on other terrorist groups.
The topics we’ve been covering this week have been extremely heavy, but the Stockholm summer is the complete opposite. It’s almost impossible to stay fixed on the overarching gloominess that comes with the discussion of terrorism when it is so bright and sunny outside!
Stockholm is a whole new world in the summer. I know I’ve said it before, but I really still can’t get over it. I feel as if I’m in a different city, and now I’m exploring everything I didn’t see before in the winter.
One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to get ice cream, and you can bet Stockholm has its fair share. So far, I’ve tried a couple different kinds of ice cream here. The first is a place called Stikki Nikkis, located in Gamla Stan. They have a sign outside the door saying “Nice people get big scoops,” and they’re not kidding. Check out these massive ice cream cones I got with my friend the other day!
And because we love ice cream just that much, we couldn’t stop there. A few days later, I came across an Instagram post by Oatly, a Swedish company that makes Oat milk (a product that’s becoming increasingly more popular for vegans and non-vegans alike, not to mention those who are lactose intolerant!). The company just launched two new flavors of their ice cream and set up a truck to give out complimentary tastings. But they didn’t say where the truck was going to be, so I went on a hunt to find it. I finally found it somewhere in Östermalm and it did not disappoint!
Don’t worry – I’m not just spending all of my time here eating ice cream… I’ve also been taking advantage of this beautiful weather to explore the city around me and see things that I simply didn’t notice in the winter. One day after class, I decided to walk home a different way and ended up at högalidskyrkan, a church close to where I live. During the cold winter months, I would be so focused on getting to my destination that I didn’t even notice how beautiful it was. But with the weather so nice, I took a little detour to check it out. There’s also some benches and grassy areas around, so people like to hang out there as well. A good spot to bring a good book and enjoy the sun!
I also explored a town called Bromma with my friend who lives there with her Homestay from the semester. It’s just outside of Stockholm’s city center, and the entire neighborhood smells of lilacs since the flowers are quite literally over the place. We went for a walk through a nearby forest and found a lake where locals like to go swimming. Definitely a place I’ll be returning to!
If you couldn’t tell already, I am loving spending summertime in Stockholm. Looking forward to seeing what else is in store for my remaining weeks here!