If I were to sum up how my life is right now with one word, I would say unreal. It's still unreal to me that I'm sitting in Sweden typing this. It's unreal that I've been here for over 9 months, and it's definitely unreal that I have only about a month left. Some days it feel like I'm just ready to go home and hug my cats again and see my family, and then the next day I can't even imagine leaving this place, that has become my home. I love Sweden so much, and it will always have a place in heart. It's a beautiful country that has taught me so much, and this experience has helped me learn so much about myself. I don't want it to end.
Since my last post, I went to Finland! It was definitely an experience, it was all the AFS Stockholm kids that went. In Finland we mainly just hung out in Helsinki and did a lot of walking around and a lot of shopping. The first day or two it was super rainy and cold and wet, but the last couple of days it seemed to brighten up and everyone was a lot more happy. We went to an island called Suomenlinna or in Swedish Sveaborg. I don't really remember the importance of the island, but it's very historical, and where I "layed on a dead guy". That was probably one of the highlights of the whole trip if you asked me. The dead guy was called Augustin Ehrensvärd, who was very important to the island and wanted to be buried on it because it meant so much to him. I'll post a picture! Also while we where there we saw some churches, and went took a tram all around town. The last day, we had to meet at the Central railway station at 5 in the morning, and take a train to Åbo and then take a twelve hour boat ride back to Stockholm. On the boat we played hide and seek and played "Godis Bingo" and sang some lovely karaoke!
In April was my 17th birthday, which was over spring break. My brother, the first Saturday of spring break got back from Spain, and was sick, so I got sick, so him and I spent the first couple of days of spring break being sick and lazy, and we probably watched over 20 movies. My dad stayed in town to work but the rest of the family was at Sandhamn. So on Thursday, my birthday, we went out there to meet them. On the boat ride out there I had a hamburger, and it turned out that it had red chilli in it so I got a rash, and all that fun stuff (I found out I'm super allergic just a couple of months ago). But other than that I had a very nice birthday. The rest of the weekend in Sandhamn I spent finding all of the houses in the movie Himlen är Oskyldigt Bla, or in English Behind blue skies. The movie is about the drug dealing at the hotel in Sandhamn in the 1970s and one of the biggest Swedish scandals. After that week I got even more sick, so a week later I went to the doctor, and it turned out I had bronchitis. It's crazy how many times I have been sick since I've been here.
The last couple of days I've been going out a lot and walking around the city and visiting museums. It has been so beautiful here the last couple of days. I have only three days of school left and then summer time and then it's back to the US for me. It's crazy how many emotions I've gone through while I've been here. It seems like everything that could possibly happen, has happened. But I am thankful for every second here, and I wouldn't change a thing. I can only do so much, and try my best, so I'm trying to make the most out of every day I have left. I seriously don't know what I am going to do without my brother Magnus when I get back. He's not only my brother, but my best friend. I can talk to him about anything, and he's helped me get through so much. I love him a lot, and I really wish I could take him home with me.
Speaking of taking someone home, On July 28th, our exchange student is coming! His name is Simon, and he is from Germany, I've talked to him a couple of times and he seems very nice, and I can't wait to have another brother. I'm really looking forward to him coming, and having someone to annoy me and hang out with me just like any other brother would.
I'm going to add the link to my facebook albums, so if you aren't my friend on facebook you and still look at my pictures!
here's the album from Finland: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150251361756774.362638.605781773&l=53c63fa62d
and here is the album from Sandhamn: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150238042796774.359466.605781773&l=3e8e0982d1
I hope the links work!
