Lake House

I went with my family yesterday to there little summer house on an island! SO cute... I woke up and almost forgot where I was. We weren't there long though, I was there about 13 hours and then had to leave to go to balträning this morning at 11...soo intense!

I went to school today...took a while, but i made it:P I woke up and thought, No Chance, but then got some serious motivation to go after listening to Miley Cyrus-The Climb!! LOVE IT!!! Although I think I might of felt more sick when I got to school.....Kerstin(my school mentor) and Helen(my Rotary mentor) called me today in the same day. The quick way to Stress...not even kidding. It's nice that I got to talk to them, just sad when there both within 2 hours.

I went into town after school with two friends. Now when the suns out and its "warm" I start going through town recognizing almost every other person :) Its really awesome! In texas it would be crazy if you ran into someone outside of school. ...We of course had to buy Bosses Glass, The greatest ice cream in Linköping;)

Easter vs. Påsk

HAPPY EASTER!!

Påsk is swedish for easter. So theres really no competition;) I had a great dinner with the family. This past weekend I spend time with friends and family, the perfect balance. I woke up on monday though with everything wrong. My throat, nose, and pretty much every bone in my body hurt. Sick! The fourth time since October!!! And why now! To think on the positive side of things, I gotten enough experience to learn how to take care of myself:P Goal Accomplished... That doesn't mean directly that i can move to a new place and live on my own for a year, maybe a little while;)

Easter in Sweden isn't very different from Easter spent in Texas, maybe instead of a basket to put gifts in, the kids get gifts that the parents or the giver put into large eggs. Heres what I got from my lovelly family:D.......(^the picture above^)

Skärtorsdagen

I'm not quite sure what they call this day,Thursday, in english, but its seems to be a very celebrated day in Sweden. I went into town with Nina where I saw another version of a chrismas tree. A tree with NO leaves, and on almost every end of the branches would hang feathers. You can find it everywhere here in Linköping. It's fun with all these decorations. It makes the holiday more enjoyable:P I really want to show pictures, but the whole computer thing is working out right now:( Tonight my family that I'm living with is about to have everyone(in the family) come over to celbrate easter. FunFun:)
It's been a while since i last updated yet again. I should be getting my computer back again, pictures should be going up when I do.
This week I dont have school again! It's the last break before summer...soo many breaks. This might be my most active week too! I'm really starting to use all of my time wisely before I go home again. Just 3 more months left and I'm back in the state of Texas. It's really wierd to think about it.
Thursday: Easter Party
Friday: Berta from Spain had a party
Saturday: Movie Night with the girls
Sunday: Bal Träning & Movie-> Män Som Hatar Kvinnor...GREAT MOVIE!
Monday-Tuesday: Stockholm
Wednesday: Bal Träning & After Ski Party
Thursday: Celebrate Skärtorsdagen w/ family

So it’s almost been entire week since last update! Not so good… Since the last update I have been in Stockholm, I’ve been in school, I’ve been at a rotary lunch with my host mother, and been with some great friends. Oh and worked out twice! YAY! I went to Stockholm and its was most likely one of the longest days I’ve had in a long long time…At least since the day I flew to Sweden(that took a while)… The trip to Stockholm was amazing! We got a little taste of everything(well educationally).
· 8 a.m. leave from school
· 10 a.m. at science museum , where I learned about the evolution of man and homosexual animals? Interesting i must say…
· 11:30 Imax movie about the life under the water- The movie was supposed to have the voices of johnny dept and kate winslet, but for the childrens sake, they were two people from sweden talking over them…
· 2 p.m. went to the swedish government building, only pretty much awesome!
· 4ish had fika in the old town of Stockholm, definitely cute:P
· 6p.m. ran to find dinner before the theater was about to start.
· 6:30 p.m. ate before the play started
· 7 p.m. play started(Charlotte Löwensköld by Selma Lagerlöv)
· 11:00 headed back home(saw twillight with the 20 other trying to watch)
· 1:30 arrived back in Linköping
· 2: a.m. got to sleep 5 hours before school started again

Saturday night I was with some friends and supposedely at around 8ish there was something called earth hour. Kind of awesome. Everyone all over the world was supposed to turn out the lights for an hour. I'm not quite sure if everyone was actually a part of it, but at least we were;)

We had balträning yesterday, and we actually started with the lifts. So much fun!! We haven't gotten it perfect yet, but we will...

Happy 20,000 Days Day Johan!!!

Yesterday my host father turned his 20,000 day yesterday!! I personally thought it was pretty neat:)

I actually accomplished alot yesterday, I was pretty impressed...

• School 8-15
• Watered flowers:P
• Got an appointment to cut my hair! YAY!
• & played some golf with Linköpings' Golf Team...

Funfun..and that was just yesterday! Today I have had school from 11 till 17(intense). I get my bike today or later tonight after school and will go straight to working out with some friends.

And some new news...I'm getting to go with another exchange student to Stockholm tomorrow...It'll be with school so it'll be an educational experience of course;) I'm soo excited!!!

Göteborg=Gothenburg

So I’m thinking the best/worse thing has ever happened on Thursday…My computer lost its capability of being wireless! Haha…i know silly:P It’s rediculous what a big part the internet plays while i’m here in Sweden. It’s my connection to friends and family at home in Texas and helps with projects and my future even(applications)..It’s kind of sick:( Well it gives me an excuse to not do those things that i have to do, but dont really want to do… Back to reality-> Friday I had school(pure awesomeness), got to work out, and for some fun I went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic with Nina. Great movie!!
On the way home from the movie we ran into some of Nina’s friends (it was approximately 11ish) and sat and just talked for a while, when I noticed that it 11.30ish.. The plan was in just about 5 hours head to Göteborg, only like the second largest city in Sweden. We went to go pick up my host sister, Charlotte, from her internship, and stayed over night at a hotel. SO much fun just a relaxing on Saturday and this morning with the Gahm family:) Time was spent shopping, eating great food, and of course seeing Göteborg… On the drive home this morning(3 hours)it started snowing!...again… and 3½ hours later it is still snowing!!

My first time---> Yesterday was my first time to get a cup of Jasmine tea with a real flower inside!

New Swedish Word of the Day...

Muta

(means to bribe)

It's Spring Time!!!

This morning I woke up to sun shining through my window and new right away that I was late to photography, but I had no idea that i missed the entire class! soo sad(I forgot to set my alarm clock)...I had about an hour to get to class, after I got ready, so I used it by walking the long way to school along the river. It was so pretty!

I had a little mini breakdown att school in biology, while we were disecting Kidneys(cute I know). My brain just kind of exploded with stress..makes me a little nervous...and definitely embarassing:( Oh well...

Sunday

Today was a late practice for the ball training, so it was a relaxed tired morning spent on my final application to University of Arlington, Texas. Should be dont by tomorrow or I hope so;) At practice I was getting a little dizzy with all the spins and that was even before the last dance we practiced which was about 6 minutes long! & now before I go to bed, I'm going to see my second Beck movie..so far so good...

Saturday

Yesterday I met mormor before she left to go to the canary islands for two weeks to spend some time in the sun. I went into town to go some shopping and lunch with Lovisa and Nina, before we had movie night with some friends. Before we cooked watch the movie though, we had to see the finally of the Eurovision contest in Sweden! But announcing the winner of the contest wasn't as exciting...It was an opera song, I dont even think it was in swedish...At least we had the movie to cheer us up or at least we were hoping so:P We watched Kingdom of Heaven. Great movie, but hard to see with so many people. I had a hard time understanding what was happening.

Friday

On friday I got to see my first host family again at a family get together. I've grown ridiculously close to them, I saw my 7 year old "brother" and noticed that he lost his two front teeth! OMG..I seriously was on the verge of crying. I have no good reason why I would start crying, but he was just soo cute:) Other than that not soo much happened. Oh, well I had photography.fun.fun.

Drömtårta & Muffins!

I think I might really be going crazy, now I'm starting to actually forget things! a little scary... Today not to much has happened, I had school, where I recieved a new assignment for my religion class. I have to right a 1½ to 2 pg. on my pt. of view if i was a 70 yr. old woman living a Jewish life. Definitely an interesting assignment. For physics today, a friend forgot to bring fika, so i stood up("offered") to go into town and buy some goodies for the class:) There was no way we were going to miss fika:P I walked into town after school to find this sign-->, Hannah Montana the new season is finally coming to Sweden;) Just an example of how long it takes to air here...Tonight my host mom(Ann) and I saw the movie The Illusionist, AMAZING movie!!

Sad News: I dont know to much about it, but a shooting at a high school kind of similiar to the Columbine shooting happened yesterday in Germany where 16 people were killed, including the shooter himself(he was only 17 years old)...I just thought this is kind of important. It doesn't just happen in the U.S..

It's still snowing...

Today I have a no school day...probably the second one since school started in January..and its not exactly a bad thing. Last night i was supposed to go work out, but my foot still hurts from last friday, walking to school is even hard. Anyways...There's still snow outside, wierd to think that i went from being lucky for one day of snow in Texas, to it won't stop snowing in Sweden! It's not exactly a bad thing, but its definitely a weather change for me. I'm definitely enjoying being inside, where its warm, while snow is just falling outside my window;) It's Lovely. Last night to use a great weekday with no school we went to Fredricks house to watch a popular movie series called Beck. It's not bad. It's like CSI but in an entire movie.

<-Here are some of the test copies from Monday morning:) FUN!!!

I'm Exhausted!

So I'm thinking I'm about to really get nervous!! I'm only going to be here 4 more months and its scary. I just saw the episode of when Whitney leaves Lauren to go to the city and they say there farewells...I can't believe I have to do that again. Its going to be soo hard!!!

Wednesday- School and Dinner at Charlottes stable

Thursday- School and Dinner with the girls(Vickan's farewell dinner, she's leaving for Thailand for 3 weeks!)

Friday-Only photography class at school:) work out(where i actually fell and hurt my foot), and later went to friends house where we danced for 3 and a half hours straight(don't ask how, i don't actally know myself)

Saturday- *Shopping* Dinner with Camilla, Nina, and Lina

Sunday- After a fun night bal träning in the morning and afterwards for the rest of the day, relax and sleep:) busybusy

P.S. It was warm today, it was +2 degrees celcius!

If theres any questions about my year in Sweden, you can leave a comment and ask:P

I'm Back..again:P

I met a famous man from Sweden on Saturday at the great Chocolate Festival, where I've never seen soo much chocolate in my entire life! CRAZY!!!

Last night me and three other exchange students through Rotary had dinner with the womens Rotary group. We got to share our experiences with them over lasagna and Toscakaka:)

The Past Week~

In the past week alot has happened! ALOT! in my opinion:P

Here are just a few of the things that have happened--->

• Work out
• Golf practice
• Chocalate Festival
• Eaten macaroni and chocolate chip cookies
• ...and Most Important---Nina's BIRTHDAY( Grattis Nina!!!!!)

P.S. Princess Viktoria got Engaged!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

I Love You SOO Much!!!

<3>

Fun Times

Quick Update on what happened tonight, before I go to bed. I went to the gym tonight with Viktoria for an hour and went in the opposite direction afterwards to go get my bike, that I get to use while i'm with my new family. So we walked about 20 minutes until I finally got my bike, then noticed that the bikes wheels had only little air in them so we went to fill them up. And since I'm so genius, my friend cut his hair and we were pretty much right where he lived so we rode our bikes by fast by his house. After I was ready to ride my bike home and about 5 meters from his house, I got a flat tire! Awesome, I know;) So in - degrees celcius I got walk to where I got the bike, leave it and walk to where the nearest bus could come and get me and wait another 10 minutes in - degrees celcius! LOVELY!!! Needless to say I was happy to be home by the time I got home:P Good times.... I would like to thank Viktoria for being there the entire time:D

Pizza, Sune, and Bring It On...

Last night I walked in my boots 35 minutes to Nathalies apartment to have dinner and fun with some of the girls on the elite golf team. We all had a blast! I came a little earlier to watch Mamma Mia(great movie)! Definitely alot of swedish stuff I need to do before I leave. Something called Sune, a movie from the early 90's approximately an hour was spent repeating lines from the movies. It was fun just listening though ..hihi... We even tried mocking spirit fingers and the intro cheer to Bring It On. It's big here too! I think it might of been the 15th time someone asked me if teenagers in the U.S. are really like the ones in My Super Sweet 16... Shows how much Sweden is being influenced by TV from the U.S. It not really a bad thing, but its not a great thing either.

^Nathalie, Me, och Jonna^

The Changing of Seasons

before^It's the same place, I promise!^after

I walked last night to the gym, it takes about 20 minutets, and on the way I passed the lake I used to ride my bike by. I thought it would be fun to compare pictures:) Last night we did Aerobics, nina, vickan and i. So much fun! It was like going to dance classes when I was a kid:P