Stockholm through teenage eyes
[Editor’s note] – THINK Global School (TGS) is a path-breaking high school that offers teenagers a once-in-a-lifetime international experience. TGS students do not simply “study abroad.” They immerse themselves in nine countries over three years, undertaking a challenging curriculum that culminates in their official International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations at the end of year four.
So while recently studying in and exploring Stockholm, we invited TGS students to share some of their personal projects with us here and take us around Stockholm through teenage eyes.
A Day in Nacka through a traveler’s eyes – Utkarsha Vyas, 15 (India)
Photo credit: Utkarsha Vyas, 15 (India)
Being a traveler is a crazy experience. Not knowing which people you’ll be meeting, which wrong turn on the road will take you to another undiscovered, unique place and what foods will become your next favorite. You can always decide which place you’ll be going to, where you’ll be staying and even what activities you would do in your time there. However, your memories will never consist of those planned activities.
Photo credit: Utkarsha Vyas, 15 (India)
Photo credit: Utkarsha Vyas, 15 (India)
Your memories will always consist of something unplanned that came out of nowhere, surprised you and gave you that ‘weird’ happy feeling. My memory collection is full of such unexpected surprises.
Experience Swedish culture in the grocery store – Erica Miner, 15 (USA/Japan)
Photo credit: Erica Miner, 15 (USA/Japan)
I always find it interesting how you can see different aspects of a culture just from a grocery store. The first thing that caught my attention were the two aisles at the front of the store stacked with loads of candy. The photo of the wall above especially interested me because I’ve never seen containers of candy in the grocery store like this.
In Sweden, there is actually a tradition of Lördagsgodis (Saturday Candy). The idea to eat candy on Saturday came in the 1950s, inspired by the findings of the Vipeholm Experiments. From the Vipeholm Experiments, they discovered that there was indeed a connection between sugar and dental health. Thus, the Swedish Medical Board recommended that children were limited to eating sweets only one day a week.
That day became Saturday.
Finding color in grey-scaled Stockholm – Ayesha Kazim, 16 (USA/South Africa)
Photo credit: Ayesha Kazim, 16 (USA/South Africa)
When you think of the cold weather that describes Stockholm, chronicled by the wet, dreary days that end at 5:00 pm; the first thing that comes to mind may not be joy or excitement. In fact, you may be disheartened by the idea of overcast skies looming above every time of day, every day of the week, to the point where your mind weeps for the sun that you may not even lack.
Nonetheless, speaking on behalf of my one month-and-counting experience, after living in this opaque island/city/country, I have learned to appreciate the sweat that never forms on your back in 40* Celsius weather, the feeling of heat as it engulfs you whenever you enter a building, and the torturous game of “How Many Layers Can I Get Away With Not Wearing Before I Shiver Away To The Point Of No Return.”
Photo credit: Ayesha Kazim, 16 (USA/South Africa)
As Mayoya and I wandered through the streets of Södermalm in our distinctly drab coats, scarves, sweaters, and boots; the vibrant colors that wrapped around the various Stockholmers began to seem more appealing and exceptionally flamboyant beneath the gloomy weather.
Though their faces said otherwise, the saturated fabrics seemed to bring life to them in a way that brought sunshine to the windy, cloud-blanketed day and spoke effervescently for the owners of the apparel.
Soundtrack to Stockholm – Samaya Prakke, 16 (Netherlands/Bhutan)
Cities with unfamiliar sounds and smells can often be mind-boggling, yet music that flows seamlessly through my ears makes it feel as though it might be alright. Because of this, I decided to create a soundtrack to Stockholm. Different settings are illustrated through photographs and are paired with accompanying tracks. For all those times of awkward insecurity in Stockholm, tune in.
Soundtrack – PENDELTÅG – After tonight by Justin Nozuka & Atlantis by Seafret
Photo credit: Samaya Prakke, 16 (Netherlands/Bhutan)
Photo credit: Samaya Prakke, 16 (Netherlands/Bhutan)
Oh Stockholm, Oh Beautiful Stockholm! – Victor Antony, 16 (India)
Photo credit: Victor Antony, 16 (India)
Photo credit: Victor Antony, 16 (India)
Oh Stockholm, Oh Beautiful Stockholm,
In thy stockpile of memories,
filled through centuries,
In thy stockpile of sceneries,
blissfully witnessed daily,
In thy stockpile of swedes,
who love you dearly.
Only if I could find refuge,
how lucky would I be.
“In a place which gets darker everyday, who would expect to find such vibrant colors”
More about THINK Global School
Throughout their studies, THINK Global School (TGS) students visit significant historical, cultural and scientific sites, while building new skills and relationships with those around them. TGS is a co-educational boarding school and the language of instruction is English.
Here’s a list of main activities in Stockholm:
While in the host country of Sweden, TGS students have explored and experienced many amazing facets of Swedish culture, including:
- visits to the Nordic museum, Nobel museum, Vasa museum, and many other educational institutions in Stockholm
- a Viking experience where they learned about ship building and metalworking
- a week-long exploration of Kiruna with dog sledding, visits with a Sami community, and viewing the Aurora Borealis
- a private lecture on statistics and “factfulness” by Professor Hans Rosling
- visit to the Egalia gender neutral pre-school
- subway art tours along the blue line
- ice skating in Kungsträdgården
- a private lecture on environmental issues with Johan Rockström
Special thanks to Lindsay Clarke, New Media Specialist at THINK Global School for the background information.
