KRABBA!

So I have been in school for two weeks now, and I'm completely worn out. I have to concentrate ridiculously hard to understand what we're talking about. So far math, swedish, and psychology are going good. Its just physics and chemistry thats hindering me, it's really tough.
Something funny happened actually, I was sitting in class and a girl started talking about how she had been an exchange student in chicago last year. She was talking about prom and graduation, and i just kept saying how much fun it sounded. Her comeback was,"It's never too late to be an exchange student.".......She didn't know i was an exchange student, and had done all of it already:) I think she was a little embaressed afterwards. And to add on to that story, I had my first cooking class friday, and no one knew, or could tell, that i'm an exchange student:/
This week has actually been kind of long. Alot of school, but then there was also nålning to. Wednesday night and Friday night. Wednesday it rained alot and i still had to ride my bike everywhere, so by the time i got home i was drenched. I got to ride my bike a 40 min. distance from where i live. Fun times:)
On Friday our group, for nålning, was so sad that it was our last day, that i think we're going to have it next week to:) Last night i got to go to my friends house to hang out and grill food. I miss those good days in Texas when i got to do that with some of my bestest friends ever. Tomorrow will be the beginning of a new week, we'll see if it's as fun as this week was....
Until next time,
Ann

Just Another Sunday

Today was a race against time almost. We got up early enough to go out to my family's beach house by 11 in the morning. We planned to go out there to meet my family's friends and play some tennis. I met a guy who's actually planning to go on a full ride scholarship to a university in washington. He was amazing, and I got to learn that my aunt is really good too.

By that time we it was 2:45 and we were supposed to be at my cousins school at 3:00. We were running late to make it to my cousins thing, to clean the school campus. Right after that we went to Nathalies play shes in, LasseMayas DetektivByrå, which was at 4:00. During this whole time my cousin was with a feber, and still wanted to see his aunts new dog, that was adorable. We ended up not coming home till around 7:30ish. Now school starts tomorrow at 10:40, I just hope I get enough time to re-energize:)

Until next time,

Ann

My 1st Day of Gymnasiet!

My new school^
and the inside of my new school^
and some of the people in my new class^
So I definitely went back to high school. It's pretty much the same idea as high school their just a little bit older. I've been riding my bike everyday back and forth to school and back. I had help the first day by my neighbor, Elin. My first day of school was on Tuesday, but it wasn't really school it was just at school. We ended up having an hour of just information of what we were getting ourselfs into. There are 4 exchange students at Katedralskolan so far including myself. Their from India, Spain, Austria, and me, from Texas:) My introduction was them asking my name and where i was from. So by the end of the day pretty much everyone new me and I knew no one. In Gymnasiet they have the years of school. It's a tradition in Sweden for the 3rd year students(my class) to make the first graders feel like zeros. So for about two or three weeks their considered as zeros, until they past the test to be a first grader. The tests are pretty intense. I got invited for the first night of the tests where they make them feel like their nobodies. It was actually pretty exciting. Yesterday was the big night of games, to try to embaress them. We ended up getting there at 7 at night and not coming home to around 2 in the morning.
So now it's the weekend, and I'm supposed to be out with some friends, but i'm pretty much exhausted and wanted to stay home to have a "family" night. My uncle made enchiladas that were amazing. I've never had homemade enchiladas, and to have them in Sweden, i thought was kind of funny.

Well until next time,
Ann

Star Wars

Today was my "brothers" friends 7 year old birthday party with a Star Wars theme, so I got to hang along. I was really impressed with how much work they were able to put into the party. While the adults were out on the patio eating a late lunch, babysitters and the older kids were taking care of all the other younger children. The food that we got to eat melted in my mouth. Right after we ate the kids got to fight Darth Vader for amazing presents. Pretty much legos:)

Last night we went to an annual reunion with my families good friends. We went to there friends house, which laid right next to the lake and ate dinner. The way the moon later that night hit the lake was priceless. It almost took my breath away. I was able to meet a bunch of new people my age, so it was a way for me to pretty much just socialize.

Oh and i bought some new clothes today, super exciting:)

Until next time,

Ann

NykvarnFestivalen

Yesterday me and Nathalie went and walked all the way into town, about 7 kilometers, to go see some bands play. Out of all the bands we got to see last night "Sam Elliot" was the best, plus the leader singer was pretty cute:)

Oh, and I just figured out that I don't get a bus pass, while i go to school. I get to ride a bike or walk everyday to school. Thats definitely a change from how I usually do things, but its going to be fun, i hope. We'll just have to see what happens when it gets cold.

Until next time,

Ann

Meatloaf

So I definitely went to the Meatloaf concert two nights ago. My family gave me two tickets, so i brought one of my oldest friends from Linköping, Natalie, to go with me. The lead singer was a tad bit different, I think he was trying to live in the 80's again. Even though it wasn't really my type of music, it was actually alot of fun:)

Some other things that have happened; the night before the concert I was up with Anders and Ulla, and randomly Ulla looks weird and just that your going to flip out. There was a little mouse inside the house. So for about an hour we worked on trying to get the mouse out of the house.

The same day as the concert I ended up going with Natalie to the golf course and practicing with the girls "elite" team. So now every Tuesday and Thursday at 5 P.M. I get to practice with the team. I'm suprisingly excited to be on the team.
Last night Natalie came over and we made a rasberry pie, all from scratch. We even made the vanilla sauce:) It was hard not to eat it all.

Until next time,

Ann

Kinda Kanal

Last night we went on a boat trip through Kinda Kanal. The kanal was tiny but cute, in a swedish type of way. During the boat ride we get to eat a super delicious buffet, and right when we got up to stand in the line the little kanal opened up into a gorgeous lake. I almost forgot about the food:)

Oh yah, and then there was the journalist on the boat asking people questions, and she ended up asking me! The exchange student from Texas was in the Linköpings daily newspaper. How awesome is that?

Now tommorow is going to be fun. I get to go to a concert, with guess who? You'll never be able to guess:) MeatLoaf! The huge band from like the 80's!

So until next time,

Ann

The Lake House

My host family and i went to their summer/lake house and spent the night the night after their friends party. During the party I went outside and screamed when i saw a huge spider on the wall. If swedish spiders aren't supposed to be poisonous then why do they have to be so big? Their so gross!
I learned to use the washing machine yesterday . I've alsways had help but now i can do it myself, sort of. I know, impressive:) So pretty much for the next few days i get to relax....until school starts.
Until next time,
Ann

The "OS" Has Begun

I'm still in shock of how beautiful the olympics were yesterday. It was ridiculous, almost surreal.

Yesterday was also the first day I moved in to my new home, and I've just started unpacking today. Going to Vimmerby was suprisingly, i think, exactly what i needed. I thought i was some what prepared. Now school starts on August 18th, and I'm a tad bit nervous. I've definitely been in a little bit of denial until i went to this camp. Sweden is a change from living in Texas, and I feel it already. It's 11 in the morning and I haven't started sweating yet. For a positive change:)

Pictures are being difficult to put on, but I'm working on it.

Until next time,

Ann

Rotary Camp in Vimmerby

So far it's my third night in Vimmerby for the Rotary Camp. It's for all the exchange students that are going to be in either Småland and Östergötland. Alot of the camp is for learning swedish, even i speak swedish kind of fluently, i've unexpectedly learned alot more than i thought. I've learned everything i knew verbally so learning grammer is definitely making me feel not as smart as i thought i was. The first night, on Monday, we didn't do very much, but it was my last official night with my mom, so was an extra special night for me. By the end of the day all 7 of us came back to the dorm rooms to finish our "homework".
Yesterday was definitely interesting in that some how everything became about music just randomly all by acident. It started with a tour around the small town of Vimmerby, where Astrid Lindgren grew up and helped inspire the ideas for all her books. Anders Axklo, the tour guide(the coolest guy ever), showed us one of the greatest sterio systems in the world in just a little shop. You haven't heard music, until youv'e heard it through these things. By the end of the coolest session ever, he showed us a sterio system that only 11 other people own in this world. And i thought i the last thing we heard was great sound. The guy who owned the system played Eva Cassidy and there wasn't a dry eye in the room. It sounded like she was right in front of me.
We began walking back up to the school and listened to another guy, named Björn, who played traditional swedish music. It was really good. And pretty much right after that there was a jazz concert in the church that night that we ended up going to. The way the music played through the church it gave me chills. It was really amazing. It was like a national band camp thing. They were all the BEST in the country, nationwide. All between the ages of the 14 and 25. And it was all by coincidence that all that music was in the same day.
Today was a little bit different. We got to go to Astrid Lindgrens World. It was soo cute. I think we had to be the only people between the ages of 9 and 30. Not even being sarcastic. Seeing Pippi, Ronja and Emil was so fun even for being 18. Nobody can be cooler than Pippi Långstrump. We got to eat dinner in the park there and it was as if the bees were in a war to get our food. It was really gross actually..... Now i just got back from a little mini concert where some of the actors from Astrid Lindgrens world came to sing. They seem to just have a lot of talent in Vimmerby:)
Until next time.
Love,
Ann

The Beginning of My Adventure

Welcome to a year with Ann, moi, spent in the city of Linköping, Sweden. I've so far I've been in Sweden since June 13th, so I thought now after almost 2 months of being in Sweden to start a blogg. I haven't actually been in Linköping, but I've been in the little town of Åhus, Skåne, in the southern part of Sweden. The weathers been a disaster until just about 2 weeks ago, i actually got a tan! But of course as i drive up to Linköping the rain feels like coming out, agian. It's way nicer than the home state of Texas though where its 40 degrees celcius.
I've been waiting for as long as i can remember for this journey to begin, and now that it's finally here it actually feels wierd to think that i won't see my family or friends("5GT") them for such a long time.
I just got to my 2nd rotary camp just yesterday in the city of Vimmerby where the population is only 12,000 or so people and is most known for Astrid Lindgrens World(the author of Pippi Longstocking). I'm here with 6 other exchange students from all over the world; 3 from USA(including myself), 1 from India, 1 from Brazil, and 2 from Japan. One other guy is supposed to come on Thursday from Mexico. I never would of expected it to be soo comforting to meet people who are doing the same thing as me. I still have till Friday to go "home"(the some day as the ceremony of the olymipcs!!), so i haven't been able to really settle in yet.
So until next time.
Love,
Ann