Scandinavian Nights

Summer has official begun, yet according to the "Swedish calendar", the season had reached its peak. A three day weekend commemorated by family gatherings and celebrations of summer, has left the city of Motala desolate. Motala is experiencing a complete shutdown with an exception of few locales owned mainly by foreigners who have a hard time grasping this phenomena. Close to the north pole and geographically detached from the rest of the Europe, not counting other Scandinavian countries, Sweden breathes according to its climate. An average daily temperature scales in the 20s measured in Celsius, while in the shadow, one needs to wear an extra layer of clothing. The weather changes abruptly without a warning.
Absurdly, the daylight is observed until the late hours and already by 3 am sun rises in its fullest force. Such are Scandinavian nights; very short and never fully dark. However, the scale is never completely balanced when it comes to the meteorological sphere. Winters produce quite the opposite effect, when the daylight is almost absent except for a few hours. Life is very organized and controlled excusing the anomalies through the ardent alcohol use. That is the only time when Swedes become open, vurnable and communicative in the serene form. Otherwise, difficult to penetrate to the core of their existence, they tend to cling onto their conservative nature.

Such is a country I currently find myself in. Gloomy and filled with melancholy are the days spent here. Maybe, it is the state of mind I find myself in or it may be the characteristic mood of this part of the world, that leaves such a footprint on my wellbeing. Strangely, I find myself balanced and at peace. These contradicting causes and effects, resonate throughout my stay here. In one hand, I am filled with worries about my grandma, while in the other I am experiencing strange calmness and sense of balance that I have never felt before. Perhaps, it is this bizarre natural imbalance that caters to my extreme core, helping me reach the unusual coherence within. Whatever it is, it is fresh and new. The whole point of this trip was to discover something groundbreaking that will help me in a further development as an individual and so far it has done so. Although, everything that has occurred so far has not been a part of the grand scheme, still I am absorbing every single experience that comes along with an absolute preparedness.

The plan is to stay here for the next two weeks and then link up with Amber to embark on the next journey. Partially, I feel a guilt for leaving and continuing my adventures but I think it is the right thing to do. By then, I will help my grandma to the best of my abilities to recuperate as much as she can. Sometimes I think that watching her suffer is not something she would want me to see. I know I would not. Until then, I will try to sleep through a few more Scandinavian nights.

P.S.  This post was written on June, 21st.  Sorry for delay.