Thing is, it's times like these that really strike home how isolated one is on exchange. There is nobody to save you when you screw up, nobody who'll haul ass and come pick you up when it's too late to catch a bus or train back; hell, there's not even a bus you can take back home, never mind the time. I've never appreciated Singapore more-- Singapore, where running alone at one plus am felt reasonably safe and was par for the course for me. Here, walking back at 11pm, I was scared enough that I could have cried.
I know it's damn unsafe to hitch-hike and even when I was stranded out in Flog.sta at 2am last week I didn't for a moment consider accepting some guy's proffered ride (I think he was drunk anyway; and yes, Tracy/Ni, if you're reading this, that was the "sexy mama" night). But tonight, if someone had stopped to offer a lift, I think I might have accepted-- I was that freaked out. It's just extremely dark and cold and there is NOBODY on the roads at ALL and oh my gosh Sweden can't you install a few more street lights you certainly tax your citizens enough for that. Having to walk through the cemetery to get back to my place did NOT help-- what is peaceful by the light of day is horribly sinister in pitch darkness. I was pathetically grateful everytime I even saw some random person cycling past, for some reason.
I don't even know why I'm typing this. I'm just super super super glad to be back in my room without having been murdered or encountering a ghost or being mauled by spoons. Stupid spoon murderer video :@
Oh and I didn't see any shooting stars. So much for Draconids in the northern hemisphere. Also, I walked so much today after getting lost not once but three times that I somehow managed to cut my toe on my own toenail. fail. fail. fail. bloody hurts (literally). (Michelle-- you can tell mummy and daddy that I walked far enough that I caught sight of Ikea. like 200m away. FAIL.)
as evidence also that Sweden is ruining me (quite apart from the fact that I now think a 6sgd cinnamon roll is a bargain), this is where we had our seminar group meeting on Tuesday:
Starbucks just isn't going to cut it for me anymore. :|