Today started quite early for Shreyas and me, as we headed out in the morning to the Rotary Club to deliver our speech after an early breakfast. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak in front of experienced entrepreneurs, veteran soldiers, and people holding senior positions in their respective fields. Around 50 members of the club take time out of their busy schedules every Friday to meet over breakfast and work towards the welfare of refugees, children who cannot afford education, spreading awareness about polio and its vaccines, and organising educational programmes for children in general.
Nada and Matilda spoke about their experience of travelling to India before we shared our experiences in Sweden. Everyone present really appreciated the way all four of us shared our experiences and observations, although we couldn’t understand Nada and Matilda’s presentation as it was in Swedish.
We soon headed back, wrapped up our things, and made our way to school for the last time. It was difficult to leave the calm surroundings of the lake and forests and say goodbye to a place we had come to consider home, even though we had spent only two weeks there.
At school, we presented the projects we had been working on for the past two weeks. Seeing everyone’s work come together was genuinely impressive, especially after witnessing the different approaches each group had taken to reach the same destination. After another wonderful lunch, the winners were announced (congratulations to Shreeja and her group!), and our certificates were distributed. We packed them, along with all our memories, into our bags.
The goodbyes were, as expected, bittersweet. We took lots of photos, and plenty of promises to “stay in touch” were made. It’s amazing and a little strange how quickly people can go from being strangers to becoming friends you know you will always remember.
Later, we reached Stockholm, settled in, and stepped out to explore the area. The city had a completely different vibe – livelier and more fast-paced, yet still carrying the calm Swedish charm we had grown accustomed to.
We wrapped up the day by planning the next few days in Stockholm, trying to fit in as much as possible without making the schedule too hectic. Looking forward to sightseeing and, of course, shopping, we eventually retired to our rooms to end the day – not to the sounds of water gently flowing from the lake and the fading calls of birds, but with the excitement of exploring Stockholm ahead of us.
