In 2025, a group of ACN classmates and I decided to take a group trip to Gothenburg to check out the local shopping scene and to make some new memories. It was our first trip as a group of friends, and my time hanging out with classmates outside of school, so I was hoping that this trip would give us the opportunity to warm up to each other properly, since things were still a bit awkward.

I was supposed to meet the rest of the group at around 8 am before walking together to the Moss train station. It normally takes me around an hour to get ready but I was so excited to participate in a group activity that I woke up at 5 am and waited an extra 2 hours before we finally left. The train to Gothenburg was expected to take around 3 hours, so we made sure to bring something to eat and drink as well as a pack of cards to help the time pass a little faster. I was still new to talking to some of the students who attended ACN, let alone hanging out with them outside of class, so I was nervous about how I would be perceived. One thing that helped me ease into socializing with the others was card games; an icebreaker that had become a tradition amongst us, with everyone bringing their customized deck. The train ride to Gothenburg alone was enjoyable.

When we arrived, the girls had already planned out an entire day's worth of activities. Our main goal was to find the small market street of Haga, but first, we needed something to eat. 

We found a small cafe with a gorgeous dark academic aesthetic, it felt like a scene you could only find written in a book, it felt like I walked into someone's pinterest board. Comfortable cushioned chairs and couches stood beside tall dark bookshelves, each filled with various genres to choose from. Between these cases was a roaring fireplace, decorated with stone cherubs , giving the cafe a regal feel. We made our way to the register to order, the staff were all wearing tuxedos and other formal attire. The man serving us spoke in an elegant manner, He was extremely polite, serving us coffee and the pastries that we ordered with them. I have to admit, it made things much more fun. It felt so warm and inviting, we were surprised there weren’t more people in the cafe overall. The cakes were so rich that no one could handle eating all of them and so they shared with each other and I finished off anything that didn’t get eaten. It was an absolutely endearing experience and I would love to go again if given the chance.

After enjoying what the cafe had to offer we set off to Haga, a small street known for its market and variety of shops, particularly thrift and antique stores. I don’t even know where to begin when describing this area, other than it was so cute! There were so many little shops of all categories, and so many cafes. Good lord there were so many cafes. We didn’t even know where to start. We made our way through the narrow streets, street performers were showing off their musical talent, the scent of various baked goods floating through the air, the chill of winter air biting at our faces. I remember feeling a rush of adrenaline when I realized the situation we were in, and how I finally managed to make some really nice friends. 

We looked into all sorts of small antique shops, each filled with different goods, from aged books of various genres, to records, to china sets and children's toys. There were also shops that offered extremely specific products such as an american candy store (which smelled so sweet I couldn’t bring myself to step inside.), a japanese goods store (Consisting of mostly Sanrio and other cartoon merchandise, I got myself a cute little pin for my backpack.), and a holistic/spiritual goods store (Crystals of all kinds, I got some sage sticks for my mom.) and many more. We stopped like every 10 minutes to take pictures, honestly I felt like my friends were kind of mom-ing me around, although I did like it, because I always forget to take pictures and my mom keeps asking me to. I was glad to have some pictures to remember everything by, and to look back on.                     

After exploring for another 6 hours and making our desired purchases, we ended the day by hitting up KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken, an American food chain.) and gorged ourselves on chicken during the train ride back. We got home at around 10 PM, we rushed back to the dorms, high on our own exhaustion and the excitement of today. To the rest of the group it may have been standard hangout time, but I was really happy that I was invited to such a fun day out.

I will never forget this day.

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- Finn, ACN student 24/25