Teaching - a pursuit of the head and the heart

I like teaching. One had occasionally taught bachelor and master students before, but they were mostly one-day or short-course assignments so far. For the first time, this year, I was responsible for teaching a two-month course to a batch of master students. And the experience has been most surreal.

From Stockholm

Stockholm Syndrome

I am generally very fond of summers, but this year has been exceptionally good, thanks to the number of windows in my apartment. The attic is my bedroom and it has two slant roof windows, one facing east and the other west. And I never draw the curtains. So, I was filled with childlike enthusiasm on the eve of the summer solstice this year. I had had a rather long day at work, but could not sleep – I was very curious to see when the last ray of the Sun disappears. It was at about 00:40. My curiosity about how long it would be before sunrise got the better of my sleep. The first sunrays appeared at about 03:15. I could finally get some sleep, but only for about two hours. The adrenalin kept me in good spirits the next day nonetheless.

The trouble however is that adrenalin takes you only so far. I sleep so little during the summers that by August, I tend to get cranky. Last year, I suffered a minor burnout and slept over 120 hours in the first week of my holidays! Somehow, I still do not draw the curtains, and Joline actually wears a sleeping mask when she sleeps over.

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Finally at Maria’s

My friend Maria had invited me to visit her since 2010, when I first arrived in Europe, but I did not have enough money to make the trip. Four year since, I finally have enough time and some money to travel. So here I am in Stockholm.