1) Hi Nada, can you tell us what you've been up to since graduating from THINK Global School in 2022? Since graduating in 2022, I've been pursuing a passion I found while at TGS, sustainability, and I am currently majoring in engineering in renewable energy systems at Al Akhawayn University, in Ifrane, Morocco. But there is way more than that! I've had a chance also to explore the world of...
Read MoreThe 10th grade trip up to Frösåkers, Sweden, was a mashup of culture, fun, and friendships. We started our day with a tour of the large collection of viking ship replicas. Next we donned our life jackets and hopped in a viking rowboat. As I sat down and grabbed my oar we went over the basic rowing movements. After rowing for maybe 20 minutes (and not getting very far) we were all exhausted, but happy to say we had successfully paddled a viking ship.
We next headed up the hill to our accommodations and began to prepare for dinner, as it would take a while to cook. Chopping onions caused a few tears to be shed but we dried our eyes and forged ahead like true vikings.
After the making of dinner we headed back down the path to do some viking-esque activities. A battle of the archers ensued as two separate teams let their first arrows fly. After our battle concluded we moved on to viking runes. We discussed the difference in letters and how some were missing, but how you could make a similar sound by combining two. We then attempted to carve runes into a stone, but it was tiring work!
For our last activity we used a nail and forged what we wanted from there. Some chose to make pendants, hooks, and even rings. By then it was dinner time so we made our way back up to eat. There was some music playing overhead, and as a class we got slightly side-tracked and ended up singing Bohemian Rhapsody in its entirety. The staff who helped us prepare the meal seemed amused as we began to take our seats.
Eating like real vikings we had beef stew, bread, and homemade almond cookies. We ended our meal with little games around the table that got us all laughing. As we retired to bed, everyone wished we were staying longer, but we had made the most of our day.
As early morning light streamed through the windows, we slowly got ready for the day and filtered down to breakfast. After a very Swedish breakfast we split up into a hiking group and forging group. I chose hiking because I adored what I had seen of the scenery so far. The walk was beautiful and I wish we had been able to stay longer but our bus had arrived. We reluctantly grabbed our bags and climbed onto the bus, saying our thank you’s to the wonderful staff involved. The bus ride back, for me at least, was spent dwelling on and laughing about our trip up to Frösåkers.