Yesterday I downloaded, answered, and turned in my examinationsuppgift, or examination task, directly translated. It was the final test for the Swedish B class I've been taking all summer. This morning I had a meeting with a teacher and gave a little 5 minute speech, and we also discussed my overall grade. She was a substitute, as my real teacher is on vacation, so this is the third teacher I've had in my little 10 week course. In any case, she was super nice, around my age, and had even studied in Wisconsin and visited Iowa, so she was familiar with the Midwest and knew where Ohio was. It was nice meeting her! What's better is that overall in the course she gave me a VG - väl godkänt, or "well passed," you could call it.
The grading system goes like this: IG (icke godkänt, or fail), G (godkänt, pass), VG (val godkänt, well passed), and MVG (mycket väl godkänt, very well passed). I always joke to J that Sweden has a Harry Potter system of grading since it seems like they just put some random letters to grade you. But once you learn what they mean it makes more sense. So I'd say in the American system I probably got a "B" for an overall course grade, so I'll take it. Also, if I'm not mistaken I think they're introducing a new grading system next year or so. Perhaps I'll report back on that matter.
I'm just glad to be done with school! The course seemed like an annoying buzzing fly all summer since it is indeed summer and the entire country just about shuts down for the season. Every other week I had assignments due so there was just enough lull time to almost forget I was actually partaking in a Swedish class. But I did give it substantial effort, and it paid off. Luckily nothing was too difficult for me at all, which I take as a good sign. The teacher earlier today was extremely impressed (not that I picked up on it, but she actually told me) with the fact that I've lived here not even two years, have really only been studying Swedish for 1.5 years, and yet I've mastered the language so quickly. I always tell people who are impressed that when you move to a new country and have nothing else to do (as you're not really job-worthy) and you have the will, you can learn the language pretty quickly. Plus, I like languages, so that's really helped me, too.
I have now until Monday as a mini-vacation. On Monday I start my new job. How time flies! I can't believe today is August 1st already. In just two weeks or so J and I will have lived in Gothenburg for 6 months - half a year! Sometimes it seems much longer that we've been here, and sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday we moved in with killer ice on the sloping hill of our street.
I've been really wanting to go chanterelle mushroom picking lately. Maybe I'll just venture into a nearby wooded area by myself today and see if there are any to pluck up. Last year my friend M and I went on an adventure near Skövde and it was a blast. I wonder if as much fun can be had mushroom hunting by yourself?
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