Since the reason I am here this year is to attend a Swedish school, it seems like a good idea to tell a little bit about the place. The high school I attend is called Karolinska Skolan (pronounced Cah-ro-leens-ka Scool-an) or Karro (Cahr-ro) for short. It is a beautiful school that was founded sometime in the past (they told us at the beginning of the year -I just can’t remember), and it is not confined to one building. Each building has a name and certain subjects that take place in that take place there.
The buildings are five all together. Huvudbyggnaden (huuu-vud-big-nad-en) has four floors, is where the auditorium is located – where most of my classes take place – and where the principals and teachers all hang out. Their teachers’ room is not off limits to students, and teachers often sit with certain students in that room to chat. The room is as large as a classroom (possibly bigger), and they have a piano. I was amazed. All the teachers at EL have is a small room and (instead of a piano) a telephone booth that belongs outside. I think they have the phone booth because it looks funny, or maybe it is some kind of teacher joke that I am just not up on.
Science and technology are in the same building and is, I think, about four or five floors. This building is called Sibirien (pronounced just like it is spelled) and I have science and computer there. On the first floor of Sibirien is a museum that the school put together a little while ago. It is amazing! There are many different kinds of animals (they’re dead and stuffed but still very interesting) and we could just walk around checking them out. You’re not supposed to touch them, just like any other museum, but I had to pet the ostriches.
My class has Idrott or gym in the Idrott building. I am not sure what the building is called. It has the same amount of floors as the other buildings and a nice living-room-like room with couches to just sit on and relax.
My favorite building is the brand new cafeteria. It is a building saved just for the kitchen and has five rooms to eat in. There are tables with place mats, flowers, as well as windows in every room. This is so different from EL where there are no windows in the cafeteria and it feels like a dungeon. Talk about creating a pleasant atmosphere… Here it is so different. You have your lunch card with you, and you don’t need to pay for food. The cafeteria has not yet been named since it is so new. There will be a naming session soon; the whole school will gather to celebrate its new name.
I think my favorite part about Karro is my schedule. My breaks in between classes can range from ten minutes to three hours. Yes, a three- hour break in the middle of the day. The earliest I have to be in school is 8.05 a.m., and the latest I leave is 15.55 (3:55 p.m.). I love Thursdays when I can sleep in; my classes do not begin until 9.30. On Wednesdays I leave school and go home at 11.40 or 12.40 depending on which week it is. My classes are not usually long, and I have most subjects only a few times a week. If the teacher is sick and does not show up we don’t have class. During certain periods, some of us do not have any class because we are not learning that particular subject. If that is the case, we have time to walk around the city, sit in cafés and talk – during a school day. What a change it is to go from EL to Karro! My schedule is very flexible. I love the feeling of freedom that flexibility gives.
Lastly, I feel I should talk about my English class – my hilariously entertaining English class. I have to give the students credit: first, they are very impressive! They are all practically fluent and can express themselves well enough. I love their accents, too. My favorite accent is my teacher Agneta’s accent. (Her name is Agneta. Here we call our teachers by their first names.) She spent time in England so she has a British/ Swedish accent and it is beautiful! I love just listening to the people in class talk. The most important rule in class is that we cannot speak any Swedish. I was told (jokingly, of course) that if I had any problems with that there was always body language. Our assignments are not hard. I am truly enjoying the class.
I am enjoying my time here! I am still getting used to everything being in Swedish, but it’s almost natural to me now!
Hlsningar frn Sverige!
Angelika
Contact: [email protected]
Adress: Angelika Guy
Huginvgen 12
SE-715 31 Odensbacken
Sweden
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