Week 17 - Fika, Farewell and Family

Week 17 was one of those weeks that somehow managed to be emotional, full, slightly chaotic, and 100% memorable. There were goodbyes, surprise family visits, work tasks that kept running quietly in the background, and one very unexpected tattoo situation that definitely deserves its own paragraph.

Monday, 25th of May. The week started a little slower, which was honestly a relief. I spent the day getting a few things ready for the farewell fika and keeping an eye on the international emails — forwarding, answering, making sure everything still moved. I also called a colleague in Austria about one of their students who had applied here, which made Monday feel very much like the “quiet but useful” kind of day. Basically: emails, calls, and gentle prep for the week ahead.

Tuesday was all about the farewell fika for the international students leaving KMH in June and July. It was really nice to check in with them, hear about how their studies went, and collect some information for Malin. We also had a lot of coffee and cake! After work, I met up with Karolina to give her my keys for her flat and exchange some boba tea. We’ll definitely still hang out even though I don’t live there anymore, but it still felt a little bit like a small, boba-tea-flavored goodbye.

Wednesday turned into a full-on family day very quickly, because Mama and Granny came to visit! I was only at work in the morning, doing my daily email checks, before I had to rush to the airport, pick them up, and show them the KMH campus. We went to a free concert in Nathan Milsteinsalen and then had dinner at a French fry place, which was somehow much better than it sounds. Like, 100% unexpected but 100% amazing. A very good first taste of Stockholm with them. Also the first time they have met my boyfriend - nerve-racking!

On Thursday, I got the whole day off since I had accumulated some overtime the week before, which meant I could spend the day with Mama and Granny properly. We started with a morning fika at Sebbe’s place, then went to Skansen to explore the old Swedish ways of living, nature and animals. After that, we had another fika and a small lunch before heading to Kungsträdgården and a few more touristy spots around the city.

We said goodbye to them at T-Centralen at the end of the day, and I had to hold back one or two tears — but I know I’ll see them again soon.

Friday was back to work mode, and I spent the day booking classes in TimeEdit for upcoming jazz and classical music courses, checking emails, and continuing to work on videos. I’m now playing around with subtitles and a bit of “fancy” editing, so YouTube tutorials very quickly became my best friend. Later that day, I went to my tattoo artist — originally as emotional support for my friend Benji from Västerås… but guess who overslept? Benji. And guess who ended up getting a tattoo instead? Yep, me. Hehe. It’s the last one, mom… I promise. Truly a I-planned-nothing-but-now-I-have-a-tattoo Friday.

After such an eventful week, the weekend was all about recharging. I enjoyed the sunshine in the community garden, around the lake and from the sofa while playing some videogames, which was exactly the kind of calm ending the week needed.

Basically: plants, water, sky, and no drama.