THE IEGS NEWSPAPER ISSUE NO. 2
UP 2 DATE
LUCIA 101
Feel a little out of place during the annual lucia tradition? Become a pro on page 4!
JINGLE BELLS, DEADLINE STRESS
Feeling like stress is coming in the way of your holiday cheer? Turn to page 16!
CHRISTMAS TIPS FOR THE ZODIAC SIGNS
CONTENTS 2
EDITOR'S NOTE
4
LUCIA 101 FOR BEGINNERS
7
MEET THE (LUCIA) TEAM
9
HOROSCOPES DECEMBER 13TH SURVIVAL GUIDE
13 DEBATE IHC
Not really sure what goes on during the Swede s favorite pyromania holiday? Worry not! Turn to page 4 to become a lucia pro! '
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15 POEM 16 ARTICLE: JINGLE BELLS, DEADLINE STRESS
P.S. Contact details are on the last page!
IHC DEBATE: PAGE 13
EDITOR'S NOTE
Moira Conde & Niki Giarimi
EDITORS-INCHIEF Welcome! We hope you enjoy reading our second edition of Up 2 Date whether you are on the train home or all snuggled up in bed, every opportunity is a good one. We would also like to take this time to wish you all a happy holiday and that you get well rested for the upcoming year! Don’t forget that it is never too late to join with a picture, artwork, article (and more) and that feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.
i k i N & a r i Mo
Lucia 101
FOR BEGINNERS art 1 of 2 p
Once upon a time, I was a Lucia noob. That means that the first 8 years of my life were spent without lussebullar, tinsel covered hair and “natten går tunga fjät” (I will admit, it took me even longer to learn what that means). Nonetheless, amidst the confusion, curiosity and fire hazard, I learned a thing or two, and it is for this purpose that I have constructed a Lucia 101 for beginners. I call it the December 13th Survival Guide for the Inexperienced.
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Elisabeth Morell
IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THE LYRICS, DON’T WORRY, THE REST OF US DON’T EITHER
Christmas is a great occasion to dust of your “Old Swedish” vocabulary by diving into Lucia songs. The theme song is known to be Natten Går Tunga Fjätt (The Night Walks With Heavy Feet), but the most important one to know is gingerbread men song Vi Komma, Vi Komma, Från Pepparkaka Land. Everybody loves the gingerbread men. However, many of the songs don’t even originate from Sweden, but have been adopted and translated from the Italian tradition of celebrating St. Lucia. But stay calm, you won’t need to learn Italian today.
SWEDE’S ARE ALLOWED TWO DAYS OF PYROMANIA A YEAR, ONE FOR LUCIA AND THE OTHER FOR MAY 1ST, DON’T QUESTION IT, JUST INDULGE.
In other words, don’t be alarmed when a train of boys and girls with their heads on fire or holding live flames in their hands march to the stage. Swede’s find it endearing and beautiful, besides, what’s christmas without a little risk involved? The candles symbolize light shining through the darkness, a universal sign of hope. We just hope that the fire alarm doesn’t go off. YES, THE ROUND DARK CIRCLES ON THE YELLOW BUNS ARE RAISINS, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO TRUST ME ON THIS.
After the singing and festivities comes the true meaning of Lucia: Lussebullar! These gold mines of saffron infused breads make everyone excited to fight the winter cold with a little extra body insulation. Traditionally, they’re crafted in an ’S’ shaped form, but Swedish baked-goods is at its best when this golden rolls of deliciousness morph into any imaginable shape. The Raisins on on each side are the finishing touch. Topped off with glögg, I guarantee you that they won’t disappoint. YOU MIGHT THINK YOU KNOW WHO LUCIA IS, BUT YOU DON’T, AND NEITHER DOES ANYONE ELSE.
To start, Lucia isn’t actually Swedish. As a matter of a fact, no one really knows who she is. As mentioned earlier, the entirety of Sweden’s Lucia festivity derives from Italy, where Lucia is a saint in the Catholic church. Although her body is displayed in Venice for everyone to see,
the story of her life and death exists mostly through legend. Her mysterious death is represented through the red sash around her waist, which symbolises her martyrdom and the lights crowning her head is an image of the hope she spread during her life. But, then again, who knows? LUCIA MARKS THE LONGEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR.
Traditionally, this is true, but the world has spun a few times since then. Now, Winter Solstice(the longest night of the year) is on December 21st. This is the day of the year when the hours of sunlight is shortest and the night is longest. Imagine the opposite of midsummer. If anything, this should explain why we need all those candles! The bright side? The hours of sunlight only goes up from here!
Now that you’re a Lucia pro, spread your knowledge and enjoy the festivities!
Do you have any pictures from this year's Lucia or from any other school event? The yearbook club would love to have them! Email emilia.ganslandt.student.sodermalm@engelska. se if interested!
Meet the team
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I met with part of the Luciatåg individually and was able ask them what Lucia meant for them. Here’s some short bio’s to get to know some of the people behind the show!
ALVA, SPA3D, TÄRNA Lucia is one of Alva’s favorite holidays since she gets to combine three fantastic things: celebration, music and choir! Although it’s hard to choose, her favourite Lucia song is “Så mörk är natten”. According to Alva, the only thing that could make this Lucia celebration better is a christmas tree!
SIRI, SPA2D, STJÄRNGOSSE Lucia is a holiday that this stjärngosse believes everyone should part-take in! Everything, from the beautiful songs to the delicious fika, makes Lucia the perfect opportunity for fun, and that’s exactly why we’re so glad to have Siri on the team!
ALICE, NS3A, TÄRNA Alice’s Christmas would be incomplete without Lucia which is why she’s onboard! Her favorite part about Lucia is watching the Luciatåg fill the darkness with light as they come singing and bearing candles. She says the next character to make the team should be a wandering lussebulle. We’re counting on seeing that next year!
EMILIA, NS3A, TÄRNA Emilia is seizing the day by embracing her last opportunity to be apart of the luciatåg! With years of experience built up from preschool to present-day, she’s a Lucia-pro, but has yet to experience a wax filled hair-do from all the candles. Let’s hope she’s spared this year too! Emilia’s best advice to anyone considering the Luciatåg life would be to just have FUN and embrace the tradition!
HOROSCOPES Christmas edition! By Anna Linder
Aries (March 21-April 19) Christmas shopping takes a lot of time. Try to not to stress it until the last second to head out and buy all the gifts at once. These last weeks before the holidays might be very busy for you, but if you sit down and make a timeplan for all your work, everything will be ok!
Taurus (April 20-May 20) Your head might hurt from all the christmas songs you hear everywhere, but don’t forget that christmas is all about giving and forgiving. Focus on looking past all the glittery decorations and gingerbread scented candles, to see what christmas is actually all about. Keeping your friends and family close.
Gemini (May 21-June 20) The best thing to do at this time of year is to keep your feuds at bay. Even though some people tend to always get on your nerves. You don’t want your enemies to keep you from having a relaxed break, don’t you? Sit down with a good book and make time for yourself for once.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) Christmas is your holiday and you know it. Ugly christmas sweaters, holiday specials and fairy lights everywhere. You’re in your element! But remember to keep yourself grounded. There are still lots of things that has to be done before the big day. Don’t forget about your workload, because if you leave it be now, it’s just going to pile up and stress you out later.
Leo (July 23-August 22) Instead of fighting your family and siblings over who gets to put the star on top of the christmas tree, you should try to focus more on what’s going on around you. Like your friends, don’t forget them during the holiday. They’ll want to hang out with you, but you need to calm down and pay more attention to them.
Virgo (August 23-September 22) You could be mistaken for one of Santa's little helpers at this time of year. You’re running around like crazy, trying to catch up on your workload and social life as well as all that comes with christmas. If you’re going to keep this speed up, you’ll collapse of exhaustion! Slow down and enjoy the cozy atmosphere.
Libra (September 23-October 22) This is a good excuse for you to catch up with friends that you haven’t spoken with for a while. Friends that you’ve wanted to talk to but haven’t really got the time and guts to do it. Ask them about their christmas plans. Don’t be afraid to ask them to come out with you for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate! They’re probably feeling the same way as you do.
Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Hiya there Mr. Grinch! No need to be sour. Christmas isn’t just about cozy-ness and gift-wrapping. You can still go out and have fun with your friends the way that you want to do it. Just staying home and being grumpy, and giving the sparkling reindeer in your neighbor's yard the evil eye isn’t going to make anyone happier.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Sometimes your plans doesn’t always come out the way you wanted them to. But it’s ok! If you keep an open mind instead of being fixated on only one outcome, things will be alright. Sure, it’s dark outside and life is hectic right now. But take some deep breaths and ask for advice instead of closing in on yourself.
Capricorn (December 22-January 19) There’s nothing wrong with catching up on some work during the break. But you might want to focus on your close ones as well. They only want you good. Be nice and spend time with your friends and family. Try to keep your mind off distracting things like work, drama and meaningless problems.
Aquarius (January 20-February 18) New friends and exciting adventures are ahead of you! But don’t stress anything exactly right away. Things will come naturally towards you in their own time. Remember to keep all your doors open. Don’t miss a good opportunity when you see one. It’s time to make some risky decisions.
Pisces (February 19-March 20) This is a good time of year to learn new things. You could learn a new recipe for a baked good, learn a new instrument or maybe teach yourself how to do some origami! The creativity in you is at its best right now and you better take advantage of it.
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UP 2 DATE DECEMBER
INTER HOUSE COMPETITION: DEBATE An article on the how ' s , when ' s and who ' s of this year ' s Debate IHC . by Elisabeth Morell
Each team delivered their positions with a high quality of argument" "
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Photo by Emilia Ganslandt, NS3A
n a fight for the 2015 IHC Debate title, King and Curie competed against one another in the finals this November. As one of the most intense IHC’s, it’s unfeasible to even understand the nerves and stress building up in each of the debaters as they take their first steps towards the podium. The silent audience awaits their argument to be presented and they’ve got one shot. With Curie on the proposition and King on the opposition, Curie opened with the argument “This house believes that autocracy is doomed in the age of Facebook”.
Considering this IHC’s past, debating topics such as pornography and the meat industry, even the existence of God, this motion, at first glance, was unexpectedly uncontroversial. The school visibly took a step back from major current news, such as ISIS’s increasing global presence or the obvious racial tensions building up in America. Instead, the school settled with discussing social media, a more cliche topic. However, each team delivered their positions with a high quality of argument, working through and assessing the defining points of the motion. The result? Terms such as autocracy and doomed became Curie’s
debasement as King fiercely objected to the propositions motion, questioning the assumption of if autocracy has ever existed. Additionally, King reminded the audience of the apocalyptic-like comparison of Facebook’s reign dooming human autocracy, a term included in Curies motion by no fault of their own. Although the debate was certainly not focused around eschatology, the rhetoric of King house certainly had me believing that Curie was diving down that path. After each speaker closed, the judges assessed the debate and the trophy went to King.
UP 2 DATE
Although the debate initially revolved around the topic of social media, at its closing it 1 became evident that pseudo individuality was a core issue of autocracy, revealing the true complexity of the motion. While the proposition suggested that tools of mass communication, such as Facebook, would enhance your individuality, the opposition responded,
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How genuine is my individuality?
Psst... follow the houses on instagram! @iegskinghouse @thecuriehouse @pavlovhouse @russell_iegs
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in essence, according the Marxist theory: that individuality based on such is misleadingly false. Unfortunately, this theory of pseudo individuality was never explicitly touched on during the debate, a topic which would have added a nuanced enhancement on King House’s argument. Nevertheless, the topic of autocracy is without a doubt extraordinarily relevant, not only in the age of Facebook, but of Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr. While it’s easy to point fingers at social media figures like Essena O’neill, how often do you stop yourself and wonder: “how genuine is my individuality?”.
BOOKISH MAGAZINE
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arerraC ylrebmiK yb noitartsullI
POEM:"MEMORIES" By Maja Erdenius
It’s been so long since I saw you last Lives have past, fast and fleeting leaving no survivors, but us. Your face is the same, only covered with time, age, experience and sagged skin. It won’t be long until both our shadows fade, two less on the earth. The world was warmer before, now it’s faded black and white like you and me So much has been built onto the foundation of your person. I suppose it’s the same with me
UP 2 DATE / DECEMBER ISSUE
UP 2 DATE
PAGE 16
DECEMBER ISSUE
JINGLE BELLS, DEADLINE STRESS BY AMINA ALI ABDULCADIR
Although cozy blankets, finally some quality time with mum and an annual replay of The Grinch should come to mind at this time of the year, all that seems to occupy our thoughts are exams chemistry, maths and history all within the same week! -, presentations - Heaven forbid we don’t have a minimum of two the same day - and 11:59pm deadlines. To say the least, it’s stressful. As is we already struggle to balance our days. We bite our nails thinking about assignments after school, pull all-nighters to finish work and fall asleep in maths class while trying to complete our English homework. Our health and time with loved ones are compromised. We sacrifice two for one… when we really don’t have to. You’re probably wondering how on Earth you’re going to make time for the gym, hold a long enough conversation with your little brother to know how his school day went, yet have time to meet the assignment deadlines and be in bed by 11pm. The answer is simpler than we think. Instead of allowing our energy to be absorbed by mundane things throughout the day, we have to deliberately direct that energy where we want, when we want it. Our energy flows to where our focus is, no matter if it’s on something big or small. The smaller things throughout our days that might annoy us or demand our attention, which whether we choose to accept it or not, are, really, insignificant, are the reasons for why we feel completely drained when we get home.
You know the good feeling of your day turning completely around after a long, exhausting one, because someone you missed called or you got good news on a thing you’ve been fretting all month about. That feeling is there because the good that happens after such a long crappy day outweighs all the negative little things that you’ve experienced. Those miniscule events which we don’t see much significance in, whether they are good or bad, are what really matter in determining our general mood. And with a sour mood, we are generally less productive. So an assignment that would’ve normally took us an hour now takes us two and a half, postponing our dinner date with Bestie. I’m sure we’ve all heard that perception equals reality. What you think is what you project and what you get back, so our thoughts and our mood are what essentially decide how our day is going to look. Instead of allowing tiresome trivial things to determine our days, how about we decide to let what really matters carve the way. It’s simple. All we have to do is be aware of what things eat away at our good energy and deliberately chose to direct our attention away from them. Once we do that, we can finally enjoy the things we really want to enjoy. We’ll manage to finish our schoolwork quicker and find more than enough time to annoy our siblings, get in a good workout and spend dinner time mentally present, not worrying about the presentation we haven’t prepared for tomorrow.
~~~~~~♡~~~~~~ Do you agree with Amina? Why/why not? We would love to hear your thoughts!
WE WISH YOU A LL A H A PPY HOLID A Y A ND A GRE A T NEW YE A R !
Advertise your club in Up 2 Date! Send an email to moira.conde.student.sodermalm@engelska.se or niki.giarimi.student.sodermalm@engelska.se
Contact details
club!
If you wish to join Up 2 Date (the IEGS Newspaper Club), or simply want to send in a piece of writing or a picture, send an email to us!
The IEGS Yearbook Club has been restarted and we would love for you to join! Send an email to: emilia.ganslandt.student.sodermalm or anna.lindemalm.student.sodermalm if you are interested!
moira.conde.student.sodermalm
PS. Even if you don't want to be part of the club we would love to see any pictures you have from this school year!
Contributors
niki.giarimi.student.sodermalm
Elisabeth Morell Amina Ali Abdulcadir Anna Linder Maja Erdenius Moira Conde Niki Giarimi