By Zhu Qinzhe

       来自中国传媒大学的朱沁哲同学有幸成为瑞典乌普萨拉大学交换项目的一名成员，到瑞典首都斯德哥尔摩学习一年。

       本周起，本刊将陆续刊登她的文章，与读者分享她的北欧游学经历。这次朱沁哲将带大家走进她在瑞典的寄宿家庭，一起感受瑞典的城市以及农村文化。

    It was half past seven at night when I arrived in Stockholm. I loaded my luggage into the welcoming car, fastened my seatbelt and leaned back while gazing out the window. I was surprised to find that the towering trees standing on both sides of the road were the beginning of an endless forest through which people drove rapidly but stably along the highways that pierced the forest. 

    The sky was a pure blue against which scattered clouds twinkled in the stinging sunshine. As I stepped out of the vehicle, I viscerally felt that I was in Sweden again after a break of five months.

    My host family owns a residence in the city but in July and August they usually live in their summer house far away from the madding crowd. Shortly after I settled down in the capital, they suggested three nights in the country. The farther we were from the city, the quieter it became. 

    While I was worried initially about travelling through the narrow paths with no other folk in sight, as soon as we came to the front of the house I could feel the freshness of the grass embrace me. Surrounding the two-story villa was a borderless and tidy greenness and some plants that were already packed with various fruits.

    I was invited indoors for a cup of tea but instead I offered to help mow the lawn. This feat turned out to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Unable to drive a tractor, I failed to go in a straight line and always became stuck when trying to make turns. In the end, there were still numerous unmowed patches of grass. 

    I restarted the engine and made another pass at flattening the pointed little hills but worsened the situation by crisscrossing my original tracks. I eventually gave up the task and was about to rest when my host mother asked me to assist with harvesting some potatoes.

    The family planted ten potato plants several months ago and it happened to be time to dig up the tubers. I used a large shovel to dig out the potatoes and then I rubbed off the thick soil and moved our bounty into the kitchen. I made about ten trips before collapsing right in the middle of the field. I was exhausted, having spent my entire life in the urban jungle buying finished goods and eating mother’s food.

    I plan to study in Sweden for a year through an exchange program. In a couple of weeks, the country’s weather will cool and soon a snow-white blanket will spread itself on the ground. By that time, we will have harvested the crop and transformed the bounty into various, tasty dishes enjoyed along with a cup of strawberry juice by the warm fireplace.