Snart Slut

Almost Over!

So my exchange year is almost over!! I only have about 3 weeks left in which I will be spending traveling around Europe! Berlin, Germany- Cracow, Poland- Prague, Czech Republic- Salzburg & Zell Am See, in Austria- Lido Di Jesolo & Venice in Italy- Chambéry & Paris, France- Brussels, Belgium- and then once last stop through Germany! I am actually leaving today, in a few hours, and I thought before I leave might as well update you on my busy week!!

So this picture above is from Midsommar, and holiday in Sweden when we celebrate the midnight sun, (which is really cool.. but makes you tired after a while, because then the sun rises also very EARLY in the morning!) But it makes up for the very DARK winter season!

So we all make crowns of flowers, and danced around a midsommar pole! It was really cool to experience such a celebration over the sun! We spent the week at my family's summer cottage, which is right on the beach! So that was nice!

This was someone's midsommar pole, it was actually the most traditional midsommar pole that we found!
Also, my friend Maud came down to visit me, she is from France! This is a picture outside out summer cottage, my host sister Mikaela found a jelly fish!
It seems so crazy for me, so just be living abroad... there is so many things that I will treasure from this year! Surprisingly, still after almost 1 year living in Sweden I find things that BLOW MY MIND! Like the fact that I can just go outside walk around the beach, and find a jelly fish from the Ocean!

Lately people have been asking me things like

1. Will I miss sweden? And if so what will I miss most?

2. Am I excited to go home?

&

3. What are my plans for the future?

So here are your answers..

1. DUH! I will miss Sweden... so so so much! I feel totally like this is my home now... Mostly I will miss my host family, who have been so great to me this year, I am so glad that my rotary club put me where I am... which brings me to my rotary club.. who have also been a family to me this year, they have been so welcoming even from the very beginning! And my sponsor person Peter, is probably the nicest man I have ever met! I will never forget him! With out him, I don't think this year would have been as fabulous as it really was! So Tack så mycket Peter!

Also I think I will miss the ocean, and the 15 minute ferry ride to Helsingør Denmark... with always and AMAZING VIEW!

2. I am not super excited to go home.. only because I love it so much here... but I do miss my family a lot, so I am excited to be able to see them again!

3. I am so glad I got to go on this exchange, one of the reasons I wanted to do it, was because I had no idea what my future plans where, but now I am absolutely sure, that I want to work with languages, and I want a job that will allow me to travel A LOT!

When I get home, I think I will start learning other languages, but also keep studying Swedish!

I think everyone should get the opportunity to live overseas, and if you ever decide yes, and exchange is for me, I HIGHLY recommend do go with Rotary, it is such a great program! It was honestly an experience I would never trade anything for!

Grattis på Födelsedag!!!

So this week has been my 'birthday week' and my friend Kristen (from Canada who is living as an exchange student in the upper part of Sweden) has shlepped all the way down to skåne to see me!!! :) So these pictures show a little bit of what we have been doing this week!! The one above was when we visited Copenhagen Denmark, it was really nice to be able to just walk all around the city taking pictures of the nice buildings!

This picture is right outside of a town in Denmark which was suggested to use that we see before we leave Europe... and it defiantly was something that I won't forget, no matter how hard I try. Christiania is a 'free' town, where you have no cost of living, or building rent... pretty much poverty central, it was actually kind of sad to see, but it made me very grateful for what I have back home.

It was mostly an artsy town, that had very much graffiti, and very 'hippie like.' Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures in this town, so this is right before entering.
Monday: I had yet another Rotary meeting, except this time I WAS THE SPEAKER... and I gave a speech about my life, and my year as an exchange student... oh did I mention that I gave this entire 35 minute speech all in Swedish!! ( A language that I have only been studying for about 11 months!!

And then my birthday!!!! :) My host parents surprised me by inviting my Rotary contact person, and his wife, whom are 2 of my favorite people that I have met in Sweden to far! Peter, and his wife Ana, are actually going to visit me in Paxton Nebraska in October! I am so excited that I have met them, and even more excited that they want to see my life in USA! I just want to say it was one birthday I will NEVER forget!
Yes... this is how my night ended! FULL MOON OH YEAH!! This full moon, and every other full moon, reminds me of my dad and our night bike rides, which I am looking forward to coming home too, in about 1 month... yes 1 month only I have left... I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! I think they time has really gone TOO fast, I would love to stay longer... but then YOU ALL WOULD JUST GET POSTS ABOUT EUROPE! I will be continuing to blog about all of my other adventures, starting with my European tour which begins in 1 WEEK!!!!! Germany- Poland- Czech Republic- Austria- Italy- France- and Belgium!!