February update!

Sorry it has been so long since I've written! School has been very busy recently, I started my newest class about two weeks ago and before that had finals for the last class. I figured out that the academic calendar at Umeå University is split up into quarters instead of two semesters. So when I applied for only one class for spring I was a bit worried when I found out I needed two! But it worked out :). So my class I'm taking now will end in March and then my next class will go from March until June! This class is analysis of ecological data which is mostly like an advanced statistics class and learning how to use a computer program called R. Anyways. On to more exciting things!

First, Christmas! We spent Christmas at Alex's dads house in central Sweden and it was nice and relaxing and I ate lots of candy, meatballs, and drank lots of swedish Christmas soda (Julmust) which tastes like a better version of rootbeer. They celebrate Christmas and open presents on December 24 in Sweden which was a bit weird for me because I felt like I was cheating opening presents before Christmas!

This was a picture a few days before Christmas. This day for a few hours was beautiful, but every other day was rainy and cold with no snow! 

Now onto New Years! Alex and I were back in Umeå for New Years and celebrated at home with some homemade spanakopita and saganaki (and yes, we lit it on fire, on the balcony, and it was AMAZING) and some wine and ciders. It was a great night watching movies and eating and relaxing. Then when it turned midnight the fireworks were insane. We live on the top floor so everywhere we looked people were shooting off fireworks and it was beautiful.

This spanakopita was so yummy and easy! Since its my birthday tomorrow I may actually make some more tomorrow! And Alex made a wonderful tzaziki sauce.

Our dinner setup! Notice our fancy wine glasses haha. We found some for just a couple dollars a week later so we now have real wine glasses which feels a bit more classy. :)

We dressed up for dinner too, just for fun!

This is the day after New Years, started snowing and hasn't stopped!

Then this past weekend was Umeå's "opening ceremony" for 2014 because Umeå is the European Capital of Culture 2014. There was a big show called burning snow with a concert on the frozen river in town where they set snow on fire and had fireworks. They also had lots of cool things around town like a snow castle and ice sculptures and reindeer!

The snow castle in town day and night with and ice slide that we of course had to try.

This was in the center of town, they had bonfires where the Sami (indigenous Swedish) were cooking reindeer stew. Suspiciously the reindeer from earlier were nowhere to be found...

This is when we were watching the show. It was sooo crowded and cold.

In other news, I got a sled. And sledding is the best! As well as very useful for carrying home groceries.

 The end!