Thanksgiving

For the first time in my life I received an invitation (a singing invitation card!) to thanksgiving dinner with my American and American-minded friends. I promised to bake a turkey, and even if in the end Malmö was able to provide only with chicken instead of turkey, it still was a success under the kind guidance of well-experienced turkey bakers. Other amazing dishes were 3 different types of pumpkin pies, Thai noodles and Swedish meatballs. I learned so much about American history and spent a lovely evening hearing thanksgiving stories in order to heal the lack of thanksgivings in my earlier life. We could have continued eating, chatting and playing games the whole night!

Museum of sketches

How inspirational place The Museum of Sketches is! On the guided tour of International Desk, it was so interesting to see the sizeable collection of public art representing works from all over the world. The fact that the art pieces were only sketches and drafts which are drawing the first ideas, turning abstract to visual, enabled to experience the creative process, proceeding work of art “behind the scenes”. Around the walls in huge rooms, the creative process around the conception of public art was present. The preliminary works and models to the art are possible to meet in our surroundings, in our environment. Each process is unique. There were numerous different scales and the materials varied; from a hasty sketch on a paper napkin to a large original model to be cast in bronze. The idea behind the museum is to illustrate the birth of a work of art and also how art in public places has developed from the early 1900´s to our own time. Museum consists mainly of three main collections; the Swedish, the Nordic and the International collections. Every year the Museum receives donations and gifts, and added to this also attains new acquisitions in order to actively guarantee that the collection has both representative and current examples of public art. Each piece of art had such an interesting story. Even Marimekko design was hanged on one of the walls!

International Ball

While in Lund University a Ball is a must! Each of the numerous Nations and many Unions in Lund hosts their own annual Ball consisting of a formal 3-course-dinner, entertainment, ballroom dancing and an amazing afterparty. Studentlund, Kurators Kollegiet and the International Committee arranged traditional International Ball this year again and hundreds of students joined this happy event. This was the night when everyone could change from Cinderella into a princess and from a frog to a prince! Dark suits, coctail dresses and long ballroom costumes filled first the dinner table spiced with lots of singing and speeches in ÖstGöta Nation and afterwards the ballroom with other Swedish Ball traditions.

the feeling of going

Heart never sleeps. It is shouting to live fearless, to be awake, to breathe in all constant stimulations, to jump to unknown, to think modern. Listen. Listen to your heart.  Each hit of a drum cries ‘’wake up’’. In the middle of darkness comes the light. The dream has no beginning and no end. In the world of ballet dream turns into movements, to visual beauty, to instincts. Break the walls of your mind. Don’t let them stop you. Behind them can be found something worth experiencing, something surprising, risks and awards, mistakes and successes.  In the wooden house on the scene of Malmö Opera, the new shoes teach new way of dancing, behind the knocked down wall a birch forest is revealed, where wind blows autumn leaves and bizarre characters through trees. Let imagination open its wings. Keep your mind curious. In the powerful, dramatic and melodic beat of Jónsis' music the dancers are resisting the gravity, floating, spinning, sliding, rolling... Put things in perspective, think optimistic, don’t let drawbacks to stop you. Dancers continue dancing even when the trees would fall. Fight for justice. After some boxing, human and beast have measured their strengths, the enemy gives up, new sceneries are revealed and extraordinary territories are reached. Dancers and singers become memories, aspirations and shadows. Let go, forget the time, backwards, forwards, somewhere, anywhere, everywhere, beyond...

Spex

Spex season has started in the country of student theaters. The first spex dates back as early as in the 16th century in Uppsala, where local university students were practising Latin by making Latin plays which were called spexes. The word is derived from abbreviated student slang for spektakel. Prominent features of spexes are the musical-like mix of spoken text and songs, sometimes rhymed dialogue, with good amount of parody and satire, and the tradition of having the audience shout ''Omstart'' if they consider the current scene especially hilarous. Ideally, the actor should then improvise the scene or punchline in a new way or command actor to perform the scene in question backwards, in slow-motion, in another language or in another fashion. Today in Hallands Nation spex humans were promoted to Gods, love arrows of Cupido were flying here and there, the icy heart of Hermes melted, Paradise of Troya opened its gates and the olympic fire reached Athena.

Movember

No November without Movember. Since last year, Movember has been ranked one of the top 100 NGOs in the world and Swedes seem to be very supportive for this initiative, since Movember mustaches can be seen around the city. That being said, today Mustache steps leaded to Mustache door, behind where Movember party fulfilled a small room near Folkets Park with people either with grown or bought mustaches, enjoying the first Christmasy glögs and mustache cinnamon cookies, relaxing on furahiday. The good cause and goal to ''change the face of men's health'' raised awareness this time among MPH students and Spångatan habitants, and gathered a bunch of wonderful people together. Evening continued (finally after 3 months of waiting for a proper occasion) to our backyard, Moriska in the Folkets Park where 3 parties and nightclubs with themes of Rainbow, Reggae and Salsa welcomed us and whole Malmö to club all night long (or actually until 3am, since Swedes consider it is a correct time to close doors in a bar). Next day after drawing mustache off and adding some colour to alien-look, seemed it smooth to continue celebrating the best alien of the universe and our dear studymate birthday hero. After Alien Mafia conquering the village, 4-eye monster cake nearly finished and some new truths learned from each other, epidemiology tastes good again.

Region Skåne

Region Skåne on Ruotsin eteläisin maakunta, jota johtaa 149 jäsenestä koostuva nelivuosittain valittava Aluehallinto, jonka tehtävänä on nimetä jäseniä komiteoihin, tehdä päätöksiä strategisista vastuualueeseen kuuluvista asioista ja päättää hallinnon järjestelystä, lähes samaan tyyliin kuin itsenäiset kunnat toimivat Suomessa. Region Skåne koostuu terveyspalvelu-, kasvu- ja kehitys-, julkisen liikenteen, kulttuurin ja kuntien ja rajojen ylittävästä yhteistyöelimistä. Kaikki julkiset terveyspalvelut alueella ovat koordinoitu, ostettu tai accreditoitu Region Skånesta käsin ja lisäksi yksityisiä palveluita ja kansalaisjärjestöjä tuetaan runsaskätisesti. Alle 19-vuotiaille hammashuolto sekä liikuntarajoitteisille kuntoutus ja tekniset apuvälineet ovat ilmaisia. Region Skåne on verrattain uusi kunta, sillä aikaisemmin alue oli Malmön lääni, ja tuoreus ylläpitää edelleen yllä dynaamista ilmapiiriä, jossa yhteistyötä rakennetaan esimerkiksi yliopiston kanssa vahvasti, ja organisaatiokartta on eläväinen ja siten muutosmyönteinen. Ideoihin, kuten seksuaali- ja lisääntymispalveluiden koordinointiin uudesta yhteistyöelimestä, Seksuaali- ja Lisääntymisterveyskeskuksesta, käsin tartutaan innotuneesti ja kokeilunhaluisesti. Kansanterveys vahvistaa asemaansa kunnan johdossa vuosi vuodelta ja toivottaa uudet näkökulmat, kuten opiskelijaharjoittelijoiden mukanaan tuomat modernit ajatukset, tervetulleiksi.

Nijera Kori

It was indeed mind-opening to listen a charismatic Bangladeshi woman, Khushi Kabir, who is a strong advocate for women's rights in Bangladesh and an important voice for feminist movements around the world, to give a speech about the situation of human rights in her country. Bangladesh is currently facing political turmoil, both with the coming elections and islamist fundamentalism on the rise. Kushi Kabir is the coordinator of the civil society organization Nijera Kori that has worked with women and marginalised people since 1974. Nijera Kori is bengali and means "we do it ourselves".

According to Mrs Kabir, laws are for people and values are presented in law. Every citizen should have the same rights and ability to use their voice regardless of their gender, age, religion, ethnicity or any other personal character. Government should protect the capabilities of citizens to ensure their rights and position, and support their opportunities to be involved in decision-making.

Currently Bangladesh is very patriarchal in many ways determining the position of women being under custody of the male. The salaries of women are also less, companies try to maximize the profit by limiting workers’ rights.  Change is needed in the mind-set of both women and men in order for women to acquire better implementation of their rights. Capabilities happen only when collective capabilities exist. Women are ready for change when they feel supported and safe without being victimized. Community has to provide supportive environment for change.

The opposite of patriarchal is not matriarchal, but equality. Transparency and accountability is required in order for duty bearers to do the work that their position requires and improve equality in the country. Loyalty and commitment is urgently needed in women’s policies and programs. Women have to have access to positions, where decisions are taken and they must be given liberty of taking forward issues of equality.

Kaksi kurssia, kaksi kuukautta

Neljän viikon syventyminen kvalitatiivisiin tutkimusmenetelmiin, terveyssosiologiaan ja laadullisiin analysointikeinoihin päättyi tänä viikonloppuna lopputenttiin, Halloween partyihin ja Viking Grace risteilyyn Saxin tahdittamana. Kurinalaisten, erittäin motivoituneitten ja opintoihin sitoutuneitten opiskelutovereiden kanssa on ehdottomasti erittäin miellyttävää tehdä ryhmätöitä niin ohjeistetut määrät kuin epävirallisestikin ylimääräistä omatoimisesti, mutta välillä irrotteluakin tarvitaan jottei elämä muuttuisi liian vakavaksi. Eli tukka pystyyn ja meikkiväreillä vähän radikaalimmat koristelut kuin tavallisesti syyssateeta huolimatta ja kunnon opiskelijatalokäytäväbileisiin tutustumaan paikallisiin opiskelijatanssiliikkeisiin, terveysaiheiden ulkopuolisiin ajankohtaisiin puheenaiheisiin ja kääntämään vähän vuorokausirytmiä eteenpäin kaamoksesta piittaamatta. Ja todelliset juhlathan ne vasta on universumin parhaimman saxofonibändin soittaessa perheen ja suvun kanssa syödä monen ruoka- ja viinilajin illallista, ja tanssia melkein aamuun asti kolmen ikäpolven voimin uudessa tyylikkäässä valtamerilaivassa, joka hädin tuskin keinui edes keskellä Itämerta. Kotimatkalle saattoivat pöydän ympärillä skypen ansiosta koko perhe Ranskaa myöten, poronkäristys ja suklaakakku. Tervetuloa takaisin toivottaa epidemiologia, ruotsin kieliopin adjektiivitaivutukset ja lähettämistä odottavat harjoittelupaikkahakemukset.