How high tolerance for weird, annoying and odd behaviour do Lund students have?
After all the carnivals, farces, initiations, masquerades and LTH people perhaps the norm for what is “normal” has been blurred? Lundagård’s reporters decided to spend a day in the student life, with some studying in a quiet reading-room, student lunch and a finish at a classic nation ball in order to test the social tolerance.
Cooking noodles on a Trangia stove
On the large set of stone stairs outside Universitetsbiblioteket the water is boiling in the portable stove’s pan. So far not very many have reacted to it except for the guy who spared us some change thinking we were homeless.
“This is enough for a coffee”, he says and drops seven Kronor in the empty pan next to the storm kitchen.
Pleased to be seven Kronor richer we happily pour the curry flavoured noodles onto a metal plate and dig in. A girl climbing the stairs stops in admiration and exclaims “that’s so cool!” and laughs a little before entering the library.
Out of those passing us on the stairs some give us weird looks, but some seem to not notice us at all. The portable stove lunch is a really pleasant idea. Hoping it can become a trend this spring. The picnic feeling adds something nice to everyday life and even makes something as simple as noodles taste a lot better. /Lovisa Waldeck
Nice informal dancing
In an attempt to test the limits of the Lund students’ tolerance for oddities we treat them to one “fuldans” each in the middle of the dance floor of Sydskånska nation’s ball. Dennis enters the dance floor during an ongoing couple dance to a big band performance and with spastic motions he lets loose to the music without any sense of rhythm. He is given a few angry looks but some choose to see it as upping the mood. Enjoy Sydskånska!
A while later Lovisa attempts the classic robot dance hoping to provoke reactions. But at that time it seems that the stage during which behaviour is questioned has passed, confirmed by the trombone playing tiger we encounter on our way out from the ball. /Lovisa Waldeck
Friday relaxation in Juridicum’s quiet reading-room
Jean-Paul Sartre claimed “mankind is doomed to be free”. The words echo inside of me as I settle in Juridicum’s quiet reading-room to plough through ”Kommentarer till bil- och traktoravtalet 82”.
Where is my freedom? Today it is actually there. Today I will have my best studying session ever, because I intend to eat crisps in the quiet reading-room.
After thumbing through the pages for a few minutes I take out my Sour Cream & Onion crisps from the ICA Malmborgs shopping bag. Simply moving the crisps from the bag to the table makes quite a bit of noise, but no one seems to have noticed so I pop the bag and at the same time put four crisps in my mouth.
Heads are starting to turn towards me. I’m starting to feel a little bit nervous, I am well aware of how stupid I must look. A guy in a golf cap stares at me, I look at him and he looks away. Instead he gives his friend a nudge and points at me. He also takes a good look at me before he goes back to flipping the pages of his law book, seemingly without purpose. I feel like an overgrown high school hellraiser.
I continue eating crisps and give a pleasure filled sigh. Wow! These crisps taste more than just sour cream! Surely I feel the taste of onion! The morning at Juridicum is starting to get really nice. I lean back, tip my chair a little, put another crisp in my mouth and continue reading.
A girl walks by. She gives my chair a push.
“That smells terrible”, she hisses at me before quickly leaving the reading-room with a stiff look on her face. /Dennis Jörnmark Callstam.
An underserved medal
I enter the ball at Sydskånska’s wearing my five year old Broder Daniel sweater and a medal that looks like it was made by the wood shop teacher’s worst student. It names me “Knävling of the fourth degree”.
Lovisa follows the code of what to wear, dressed in an evening gown but also wearing a Panorden medal which may only be worn by men. No one comments on the medal or even seems to recognize it. Our attempt at challenging Panorden’s discrimination between the sexes seems to yield no results.
My medal however attracts many envious looks and also a somewhat curious treatment. A bearded guy wonders what I have done in order to earn my medal.
“Attending very many balls and being very good at being a member of Sydskånska” I reply to him.
“After all I am living at Sydskånska, shouldn’t I also have one?”, he says.
I sense a certain frustration on his voice and want to inspire some hope.
“All you have to do is attend some more balls and you’ll see that it works itself out” I tell him with a smile.
Afterwards I head to the bathroom.
There I run into a guy whose suit reminds me of Scrooge McDuck’s vault and blurt out:
“Nice money, where did you get that?”
He stares at me angrily and asks me “where in the hell” I got my medal from.
“I’ve earned it” I happily reply and slide back out again. /Dennis Jörnmark Callstam.
text: Dennis Jörnmark Callstam and Lovisa Waldeck
translation: Rasmus Edlund
photo: Lukas Norrsell
