10 Day Mark

Hej everyone! Sorry I haven't written sooner, the past few days have been pretty busy! I can't believe I have been here over a week now! It seems like forever since I left home, but my first week here went by so fast. Here is a little recap of the last 5 days! This past weekend was supposed to be a weekend of fun, but it didnt turn out so great. On friday, everyone went to Blue Moon. It cost 20 SEK ($2.50) to get in. There was a free snack buffet with the most random food on it. Before we went, we were told it was taco night. So my friend Sarah and I were expecting tacos. Apparently "taco night" has different meanings though! There was chips and salsa, which is what I ate. There was also some kind of meat, bread that tasted like black licerice, different kinds of salads like fruit salad and pasta salad (i think??). There was a band that played as well. They played all kinds of music from bon jovi to bob marley to pink floyd. They were funny! Blue Moon was a fun place to hang out and it was cheap entertainment! We will probably go back there again. On Saturday, all the internationals in Rosenborg got together for a lunch. There were maybe 15 of us. We had a pitch in and everyone brought something. I made cinnamon rice btw! We had soo much food! During the lunch, though, I started not feeling very well. So I came back when we were done eating and realized I looked pretty scary! My eyes were swollen and my bottom lip looked like someone hit me and I had a wicked headache. I took some benadryl, layed down for a nap, and hoped that I would feel better later. All of the exchange students had free tickets to get into Arena later that night, which is like a dance club place. After a few hours of sleeping I got up and tried to get ready, thinking if I moved around a little I would feel better. But when I was straightening my hair, my adaptor for my straightner started smoking!! It smelled so bad and I thought it was going to catch on fire! I freaked out and left the bathroom, but realized I had to go back in and unplug everything. All the while I started feeling worse. So it turned out that I had to miss a fun night and I slept instead!

On Monday we were interviewed for a newspaper. There were three American students and also three Americans who have now lived in Sweden for more than 20 and 30 years. We were asked about how we felt about Obama, what changes he will bring, and so on. It was actually a lot of fun! Here is a link to the article: http://nwt.se/karlstad/article452952.ece. Its obviously in Swedish, and I have really no idea what it says! But I am quoted in the last section of the article saying that our healthcare system needs fixed because it is crap! Other than that, I am not sure what it says! And speaking of Obama...yesturday I was able to watch the inauguration! There are three North Americans in my building (Sarah from Canada, Joel from Kansas, and me) So we all watched it together along with a girl from Germany. The station we were watching, actually sent reporters to cover the event, so when people werent giving speaches, we listened to the Swedish reporters talk about who knows what! I was really surprised that they sent people over. I thought that they may buy like CNNs coverage and play it, but it was pretty neat they covered it themselves.

Class started yesturday! Right now I just have one class (Swedish 1) and it meets on tuesdays and thursdays from 830-10. The class seems like it will be a fun class. Yesturday we learned some simple questions and phrases. The pronounciation will be the hardest part of the class I think! At the beginning of February I will be starting another class called Intercultural Communications. That class also meets on tuesdays and thursdays. It looks like I will be having a four day weekend every week! Ahh thats a lot of free time, maybe I will pick up a new hobby while I am here?

I finally have a clean kitchen!!! Last night a Swedish and a German girl and I cleaned the disgusting kitchen. It looks so nice now, but it was so gross cleaning out the refridgerators and dirty dishes. There was milk that has been expired since October and other food that expired in 2007! Now, you can probably imagine how our kitchen smelled :-(

Before And After

Before And After

Everyone who lives in Rosenborg seems to have a lot of spare time. It always seems that you can go into a kitchen and there will always be someone to talk to. The past two nights, we have met in the second floor kitchen and just talked for hours. Last night I didnt get to bed until after 230. One of my spanish friends was here last semester and he was trying to tell us new students about the experience we are going to have. He says that the life we live here, isnt real. Never again will we get to experience something like this. We are surrounded by the people we live with 24/7 and the people start to become your family. We are here for such a short period of time, but the bonds we make are so strong. And when we try to go back home and tell everyone about what we have experienced, no on will understand like we want them to. Just the people who we experienced it with will understand. So, in six months, when it is time for all of us to go home, I will let you know if this is how it really is!

It has been snowing here! yay! we probably got about 4 inches of snow, but now most of it is melting. There is a little day care place right beside Rosenborg and for the past three days all of the kids have been sledding on this hill just outside of my window. One day they were all wearing helmets! Everytime I came in and out of my building they would say Hej! (which sounds like hey in english). They are so cute!

Oh I almost forgot the "something I have noticed" part. I think I will have this section in all of my posts. A section dedicated to things that I notice in Sweden, that are different that back home. People in Sweden always take off their shoes when they go in someone's house. Yeah, some people do that in the States, but not nearly as often as they do here. I almost think everyone does this! One day Ida, my host student, came into my room. I just walked right in with my shoes on. She looked at me kind of confused.

Ida: Are you not taking your shoes off?!

Me: Um no.

Ida: oo ok, well i wont either!

A few days passed and I seen Ida again. Ida: I have been wondering this a lot! So do you just have all of your shoes lined by your bed? When you wake up in the morning you put your shoes on and are ready for the day.

Me: haha no! I leave my shoes at the door. It just makes more sense. (and it really does. my floors wont get as dirty fast haha)

Ida: o thats good. im glad you realize this and it only took you 20 years to learn! haha

FYI: Here is my address in Sweden.

Brittanie Middleton

Oldevigsgatan 1/67

652 30 Karlstad

Sweden