cultural day

Let's talk about this weekend.
Fortunately, I wasn't sick and dying so I could actually go out and not feel miserable.
Luckily, it was Cultural Night in Uppsala.
What is cultural night?
Basically, it's a full day where people from different cultures come out in the downtown area and have food stands, concerts, perform dances, and clothes stands and just celebrate being cultural.
Except it's throughout the whole day, so I guess you can call it Cultural Day/Night?
But anyways, it was awesome.
Here is how my day started.
First, I ventured out to downtown at around 11ish to find a hair straightener because this whole three weeks without a hair straightener is not the biz. Poofy hair and messy buns were not coordinating with my outfits and my hair just looks better when it's straightened and pretty.
After that, I met up with a friend and her Swedish buddy and walked around Uppsala and looked at all the events.
Let me just tell you something first, Uppsala is a small city, kind of the feel of Walnut Creek, where there are people everywhere, in the downtown area but not too much where you can still walk around and have at least 5 feet of space between you and a stranger.
This was not like Walnut Creek, it was like San Francisco. There were people everywhere. I felt so claustrophobic.
But then my friend stated the most beautiful words that I was so glad to here....
"Look, there's donuts!"
Donuts. Real, legit American looking donuts.
This was the best 5 minutes of my life.
Strangely enough two days before cultural night, I was craving a donut, and thought "Sweden needs some donuts. It's got Pop Tarts, American candy, chocolate milk and Oreos...donuts, man, I need a donut."
Side note: I rarely have a donut and so when I crave one it's like a monumentous moment. It's a special moment, with that sugary, glazed, extremely diabetic, unhealthy, heart-burn-waiting to happen special moment. It's like those moments when it's just you and the donut together, happy and care-free.
My moment was there.

Disgustingly sugary, but yet so mouthwatering.

Ice Cream on a Donut?
Too far for me bro, too far.

I know what that says!
Banana Donut! 

Apple Donut!
(I'm getting really good at this Swedish thing, Ja?)

But these weren't the donuts that I got.

I got a special that brought me some nostalgia from my Portland days.

The M & M donut.

Even more sugary and glazed, it's been months since I had one of these. I had to go all out.

And it was delicious.

See how happy I am? 

Pure, child joy right there. 

But let's continue with the rest of the day ja?

After chowing down on the delicious donut and feeling content, we walked to the big cathedral that resides in Uppsala.

Outside of Cathedral.

Free drinks and snacks in a cathedral?
Yes, please

After the cathedral, we then ventured off to the castle where we found Indian Bazaars and a breathtaking view of the small city.

 I wasn't kidding about the gorgeous view.

Ok, let's get educational now.

In the middle of the castle quad area and in the middle of the Indian bazaars was a old white Volkswagen mini bus with the Swedish flag painted on both sides. 

This isn't some regular old random white Volkswagen mini-bus though.

This bus traveled all around Europe during World War II and was meant to pick up Swedes in different countries, but actually picked up Jews and brought them to Sweden

Pretty cool right?

I never really heard about Sweden during World War II as it was just a country that was just chillaxin' ( I learned this word from my new Swedish friend who coined it...yes she coined it).

Side note/story: "Sverige" means Sweden in Swedish. My sister's boyfriend read it as "Ceviches" and thought I stood next to a sign that read "Ceviches". My response, "Yes, it is ceviche and the people inside are the local ceviches."

Rest of the day was more laid back, walking around Uppsala listening to Bollywood music and pushing through the crowds, and eating a fresh Falafel wrap straight out of the food stand and then ended it with a view of a dress rehearsal of an apocalyptic Hamlet play.

Yes Apocalyptic Hamlet and yes it was entirely in Swedish.

I understood three words:

-Valkomnen: meaning, "Welcome" in Swedish

-Hamlet

-William Shakespeare

The rest of the play I stood there with a blank confused stare for the full 30 minutes.

I thought I knew Hamlet from the book/movie in high school and from watching The Lion King multiple times in my childhood, but this questioned my knowledge of the play.

With four glass walls on the stage, and the main character drawing hearts and equations, then connecting the four glass walls together and having two zombie maids come out and rotate the glass walls, then Hamlet shooting a guy, who I believe was a metaphor for Jesus because the guy was wearing all white, and then a beat up car appeared with demons and more zombies, Swedish cider and Hamlet getting choked with thunder and lightening and a dead angel twitching on the ground.

My face was still a blank and confused stare.....

And then concludes my entire Culture Day/Night, satisfying, confusing, entertaining and refreshing all in one, similar to a regular day in Sweden.