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 All packed and ready to head home

A Swede in Stockholm

“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
From The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

As the plane landed in Stockholm,  the weather couldn't have been more different than what I'd left in Amsterdam.  The sun almost blinded me and the blue sky went on as far as I could see. I could only see the trip sailing smoothly.  I couldn't have been more wrong.

In a Year

“There is a kind of magicness about going far away and then coming back all changed.”
From New Chronicles of Rebecca by Kate Douglas Wiggin

You don't realize how much happens in a year until you starting examining it. As I wrap up my time in the UK I look back and am amazed at everything that has happened both here and back home.

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Clean house - check

Bags packed - check (well, sort of, but that's a tale for another time)

House key turned in - check

Good cry - do to

Completely moved out

Where has the year gone? 

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Great time at Shadya's going away party - I'm going to miss this girl!

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Long lunch with my WMG peeps before we all disperse to our own countries

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Final Roomie Dinner

The three kitchen buddies 

(aka Harold & Kumar - apparently I get to be Neil Patrick Harris, I don't get it, but this is Zain and Ting's metaphor, not mine, so I went with it)

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 For the first time in my life I get to celebrate my birthday at the end of the school year, instead of the beginning! 

I had a great time with my friends on a day trip and then some cake at Anni's, the weather even cooperated!

Oh, and since it's my birthday I'm doing what I want and am having more than one pic - so there.

With the girls at the Broadway Tower

Course I had to get my pic next to this!

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Having dinner with friends for my birthday

A Beach Holiday

'"What do you like doing best in the world, Pooh?'
'Well,' said Pooh, 'what I like best-' and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. And then he thought that being with Christopher Robin was a very good thing to do, and having Piglet near was a very friendly thing to have; and so, when he had thought it all out, he said, 'What I like best in the whole world is Me and Piglet going to see You, and You saying "What about a little something?" and Me saying, "Well, I shouldn't mind a little something, should you, Piglet," and it being a hummy sort of day outside, and birds singing.'
'I like that too,' said Christopher Robin, 'but what I like doing best is Nothing.'
'How do you do Nothing,' asked Pooh after he had wondered for a long time.
'Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it, "What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?" and you say, "Oh, Nothing," and then you go and do it. It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.'
'Oh!' said Pooh."
From The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

So after months of stress, cold weather and clouds in England we'd finally had enough. Over a month ago we decided to go to Portugal once our dissertations were submitted.

The original plan included a group of about eight.  Not shocking, as the day got closer people dropped like flies.  By the middle of August, Anni and I were the last ones standing.  But we were going to take this vacation even if it was just the two of us.

After some recruiting we convinced Sandra,  Kanar, and Shapol to join.  But as August rush by and our deadlines snuck towards us,  we put off and put off booking.  The week before, calamity struck - Kanar and Shapol, who are Kurdish, weren't going to be able to acquire visas in time.

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Celebratory dinner with the girls at the "fancy" restaurant on campus before partying it up at the Copper Rooms (the campus "club") until the wee hours of the morning

And yes, the air quotes were necessary

Saying Goodbye

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
From Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Just about everyone has turned in their final essays and dissertations.

The Library is almost empty.

People are starting to pack up and head home or wherever they got a job (if they were lucky enough to get one already).

It hit me that this was the end when my first housemate moved out today.

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After staying up all night printing, then standing in line for 3 hours to get them bound, the proud WMG students show off their beautiful Dissertations!

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I have accomplished my final task . . .

The dissertation has been submitted! 

Enjoy this stop action film of the event

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Our prison

AKA the Library

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The deadline is creeping frighteningly close

To make matter oh so much better, today is a Bank Holiday and the university felt it was acceptable to close the library, and the PG Hub, so we had to work in the Learning Grid - with everyone else who has dissertations due. In other words it was packed and loud, not a good working environment. 

Surprisingly there was only one meltdown all day and it didn't happen until after 10pm, so that's something.

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For the past two weeks we've been ordering "Indian" food

(it's in quotes because it's really Pakistani but other than Dolly none of us know the difference, don't judge) 

Panic and Stress

"'I like the cover,' he said. 'DON'T PANIC.' It's the first helpful or intelligible thing anybody's said to me all day.'"
From The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

It's setting in. The panic. All assignments have it, of course, but there's something about the word "dissertation" that makes everyone's lungs seize and hyperventilation set in.

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Dinner and drinks with the girls during a dissertation writing break

One week more and we're free (their deadline, but I'm adopting it!)

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At least when I get to go outside the weather is nice so I can enjoy scenes like this!