In the quiet

So I'm glad I've finally gotten the Paris photographs up, I know it sounds rather crazy but I cannot stand the thought of hoarding them for too long because I feel like I can't move on and talk about other things until I've settled that. In any case, Uppsala is absolutely beautiful. I don't have too many photographs over here though because it's been insanely cold so I've only brought the dslr out once. Also, it's simply too magical for the camera to capture its true beauty (or maybe it's my lack of prowess, hahhaa). The snow sparkles in the sunlight so brilliantly that it's almost blinding at times; on the way home at night, they also sparkle by the light of the street lamps. I don't quite know how to express how tranquil it feels to be walking through the streets surrounded by such ethereal beauty, it almost feels unreal.

The first 2 days of school and orientation have passed by pretty quickly, we've been making friends here and there and trying to gain our bearings. I've been rather torn between socialising as much as I can and just taking a chill pill. I feel like there's some sort of pressure to explore and be excited and enthusiastic about everything, but it doesn't feel right all the time. In my scholarship application, I wrote that I wanted to take the opportunity during exchange to recollect my thoughts and absorb the new environment to further my writing. I really think that Uppsala is a perfect place to do so. Despite the crazy student activities with the student nations and all the different clubs and societies to join, there's so much room for reading, writing, and quiet contemplation.

In Singapore, there's always so much on my plate and on my mind - school, tuition, work, softball, friends, family etc. The list is always endless, the calendar never has any free dates. I guess I could say that it's fulfilling and that I love the hustle bustle, but it's also exhausting and some days, you sort of lose track of what you're gunning for. Being in a town where things move at a much slower pace has actually been quite a pleasant change, though I haven't slowed down much myself. There's still a lot of things on my mind at any given time, but at least there's a lot less pressure than back home because things like work/grades (it doesn't matter all that much here, though I fret about it a little)/meet ups are secondary here.

I don't think that it's a waste to not be out every night. I think I want to take this time and spend it the way I want, and not the way people expect me to.