Snow?

Maybe. Tomorrow's forecast calls for some of the white stuff across all of Sweden... except Skåne, of course. See that southern tip of Sweden? Yep. Rain.


Not that I would be prepared for the snow if it did come. I have flip-flops, rain boots, and some grubby tennis shoes for footwear, and I'd have to scrounge up change for the bus -- I don't think I am brave enough to ride my bike to class in the snow!

Still, I can't wait for the excitement of our first snowy day, though it's difficult to anticipate given the wonderful weather we've had over the last few weeks. Swedes have warned me that this is not typical. Between the wet and rainy summer and the warmer-than-average fall, the weather has been very unusual. So I will just wait and see.

This, by the way, is what my the area near my dorm looks like when it does snow (so pretty!):


Snow or no snow, the Swedes are already combatting the cold and the darkness. Since late October, stores have had Christmas ornaments, dishes, decorations, and Santa (tomten?) hats up in their window displays. Same goes for the groceries stores -- I spotted Christmas items in the checkout lane over a week ago. And my Swedish friend told me that her mom has already baked her first batch of gingerbread cookies. Lights... candles... Christmas is coming. I love it.

In the meantime, I am snuggling up in my blankets inside my cozy little room. I turned on the overhead light in my room today and *POP* -- there went the bulb. So, at around 4:50PM, I plugged in the lights on my Golden Gate bridge... homemade decorations left over from a korridor party we had in September.


I've been thinking about how wonderful and warm the weather in California must be right now. And imagine... Americans still have Thanksgiving to think about before they dive into boxes and start untangling strands of lights.

I've got a wintry playlist going on iTunes, and now if I can just motivate myself to get some reading done, it will be a pretty good evening.

Much love,
Linnea