Ebba has been focused on two big milestones of her final year of high school; the mock exams , for predicted grades, and the visual arts exhibition, a huge component of her program assessment.
The mock exams are very intensive and we are proud of how hard she’s been working. One highlight is that she achieved the only score of “7” among students in the English Programme over the last two years. The exams are scored by multiple teachers to ensure a high level of accuracy and consistency across the IB world, so she can be extra proud and confident in that score!
Another source of parental pride for us recently has been watching our eldest navigate her return to Visby with such independence. She enjoys her new accommodations and course work and finds lots of ways to adapt to the challenges of island life, which can be quite isolating and restrictive.
In addition to her studies, she serves on the board of a student run non-profit called Konsultvik, the first Junior Enterprise in Sweden. She just returned from the Junior Enterprises Europe (JEE) Winter Conference in Brussels, having planned and managed the entire trip and complicated logistics involving the ferry, trains, overnight in Stockholm twice due to the crazy schedules, airport transfers and somehow meeting up with a friend, found a lovely outfit for the JE Gala…all without assistance (except some extra funds added to her account.) It seems such an adult thing to do! She reports that she learned a lot, had a good time, and even squeezed in two excellent museum visits to make the most of being in a new city. The event offered a lot of nice educational and social opportunities. She sent some photos so I could add them to this post.
Back in Visby she has been enjoying a season of spectacular Aurora Borealis visible to the naked eye, especially from the shoreline which is a 20 minute walk from her apartment (in front of the bunker near the university is usually the best view) Here are some recent photos taken by a friend who she meets up with whenever they see reports of the Northern Lights over Visby.
Bryant has been traveling a lot and is extra busy with work. The promise of things slowing down never seems to materialize, but he tries to enjoy the small adventures along the way. Amsterdam included a nice boat tour this time, for example!
A smörgåsbord of health challenges has been dominating most of my time lately. I have some measurable improvements in mobility and will soon add water exercises to my physical therapy. Eosinophilic Fasciitis makes the fascia very hard and tight, trapping muscles and tendons, so it continues to be difficult to stretch, move or exercise naturally.
Myofascial massage has been mixed as it seems to result in muscle spasms and cramping but might also be a good thing for circulation. The medications are helping, though much more slowly than I’d hoped, and with oh so many side-effects to manage, one of which was increased eye pressure. This development led the Cataract Team in Malmö to recommend my second lens replacement be done as soon as we could get the pressure under control. After 2 poor reactions to the pressure medications, we found one that has worked without side effects and the surgery is scheduled for April 13.
This is very welcome news because the steroid treatments seem to have made the cataract grow very quickly so I’m really looking forward to better vision!
Luckily I am still finding the energy to spend time with friends, meeting for lunch, fika, crafting and book club events, and volunteer a bit at the two “Hubs” in Lund. How great for me that I have these social opportunities in my life! They remind me to keep a positive outlook and stay engaged when it would be very tempting to stay in bed.
Here’s my best photo of the young Kattuggla (tawny owl juvenile) whose family has been entertaining the bird watchers and botanical garden visitors in Lund!
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