less than a month to go.

Less than a month, and I will be in Sweden. Its crazy to think about, because I've never been so far away from home. I'm way more excited than nervous. I'm not going to lie, I think the most nervewracking thing about my trip, will be going through customs, when coming into Denmark, and when coming home to the United States. 

Plans have changed already, since my best friends have to be in school again the day that I leave, they will not be coming with me to the airport, nor will they be able to come to breakfast with me. I did however request that we get dinner the night before. That way I don't miss out on time with them completely. I really am hoping that in the week before I leave I will be able to spend time with all my friends, as well as family. I don't want to miss time with anyone before I leave. I will be gone for three whole months, and I want to make sure that I spend time with everyone, as well as get their addresses, so that I can send packages, and letters while I am there.

I also have already asked Anton if while I am out exploring during the day, if I can borrow his fancy camera.... My camera is not nearly as nice. It works for what I paid for it, but I do like his camera a lot more. I am so excited to be able to go out, and take pictures of all the things that are different. I am pretty sure that you will see some pictures of things that you won't expect to see. I already know that I am going to take a picture of his toilet. Swedish toilets are different than American ones. Anton says they aren't too different, but they are still different enough to warrant a picture. I plan on taking lots of pictures of food too! That is going to be something you should expect to see lots of pictures of.

This week, during my absence from blogging, I discovered a site, called drungli. (www.drungli.com) Now you might be wondering why that's worth mentioning.... Because this site is going to allow me to travel to places that I was not expecting to be able to travel to. This site finds you the cheapest one way flights to different places in Europe. Granted its a one way flight, but that means that you can either fly to somewhere else cheap too, or a flight home will be relatively cheap compared to a round trip. I found a flight to Gdansk Poland, for 9 SEK, Which, is the equivalent of $1.30 USD Thats crazy! Now, Anton says that Poland is not that interesting, but I want to see it for myself. So I think a trip to Poland is very possible. We found a trip to London, from Copenhagen (which would mean a train ride) for $25 USD, now granted once you add in the train cost its about $40 USD, but overall for a one way ticket that is not bad. So London is also a possibility. I'm pretty excited about that! I also am trying to convince him to go to Barcelona, because I found a relatively cheap ticket to there from Copenhagen. There is a ticket however from Malmo, to Budapest Hungary, for close to $20 USD, which would not require us to take a train to the airport... I really think that going to Hungary is a possibility for travel as well. Although Once you are in Europe you really have an open door to a lot of places.  Its going to be so nice to be able to see the world, I now know that I have the opportunity to go to a lot of places in the three months that I am there. Which is even more exciting. 

For now this is all that I really have to write about. I wish that I had more, but I don't want to bore anyone, and I need to get back to working on Swedish, as well as getting things in order in my room, so that I can figure out what is going with me, and what is not. I won't be on much this weekend either, because I will be spending time with family. I hope that Monday I should be able to blog another post about something interesting that I found out about Sweden, or my trip. I'm going to be reading a travel book this weekend, maybe I will find somewhere else that I want to write about. 

31 days.

There are only 31 days until I leave. I'm getting anxious. I'm brushing up on Swedish. As well as, going through my wardrobe to find what I am taking, and what I'm not. I'm constantly making sure that my passport in a safe place. I'm so excited, and nervous. I'm not nervous because I think the trip will be a disaster. Just nervous because I'm about to take a huge jump, from being a young woman in North-west Ohio, to being a young woman in Sweden.

Which, in reality isn't a HUGE jump, but for me it is! Its been my dream to travel for years, and now its finally happening. I've always worried that I am going to make a bad impression, like many other Americans, by not knowing how to speak the language, or offending someone without knowing it, by doing something, that is common here in America, that is not so common, or polite there. Although Anton says that its not going to happen, that I will be alright. I just am  a bit worried. I am more excited for the trip than worried though. I love the idea that I am going to finally be a world traveler, that I've finally got a start to my dream of seeing the world.

I am excited to be able to get there, and report to everyone what I find, what is different from home, whats the same as back home, just everything! I think it will be interesting for me to be there for three months, because its not like I will be there for just two weeks, (average vacation length) I'll be there for a lot longer! I think that is to my advantage though. I think it will help me get used to things, and learn more things about the culture, that if I was only there for two weeks I wouldn't have had the chance to!

I am excited to prove to everyone, here as well as there in Sweden, that I can make it living in another culture. I want to have a very good grasp of the language before I leave to come home, so I will be using Swedish as much as possible while there. My goal is to come back, nearly fluent...(Which I doubt will happen) but I can hope! I've been working on Swedish during the days here, I have a book that has basic words and phrases. I also have a few other books, that I reference from time to time, to attempt to learn about sentence structure because it might be useful to know. Knowing all the basic phrases is going to be a good start though!

I feel like it would be good for me to post on here some of the phrases that I will be using the most often. Even if only for myself, to see if I was right about what phrases would be important. As of right now the phrases that I think are important, are just based on what I think. I could be completely wrong. I think it will be interesting to see if the phrases that I think will be common for me, will really be that common, or if I will find that I use other phrases more.

So I suppose I should start with the basics and work my way to the tougher phrases.

Hej  - Hello/ Hi
Hej då  - Good bye
Hur mår du?   - How are you?


I guess those are the basic phrases, besides the responses to "How are you" But I know those, and can put those up here later if I feel like it. I guess for this post, I've bored everyone enough, maybe I'll get around to posting another thing tomorrow, maybe I wont, but for now you have this post to read... but not to fear, I've got ideas stirring for my next post already!

Interview

So after thinking for a bit about what this post should be about, I decided that questioning Anton about his experiences could turn out interesting. He has been here to the United States twice, and I think that he has gotten a pretty good grasp as to what life is like here, at least in North-west Ohio. Interviewing him, as to what he thinks are some of the main differences should be at least a bit eye-opening.


Katie: What was the biggest differences that you noticed in the way that we celebrate Christmas here in the U.S.?

Anton: My family has always had one single event where everyone gets together. Which is different from what I saw last  year where there was several different dinners on different days with different parts of the family. The food was also very different. There was lots of casseroles that I had a hard time dealing with, they were just so filling. In Sweden there is a lot more focus on meatballs, sausages, ham and potatoes. Of course there's also "julmust" to drink, a traditional swedish christmas beverage. I have also never gone to church during christmas, something that is much more common to do over in the U.S. than here. Sweden is a very secular country so going to church in general is less common.


Katie: What differences did you notice in the weather during your two weeks here last winter, from your weather during that time of year back home?

Anton: Sweden is normally a lot colder and a lot snowier. Especially if you live in the northern parts where most of my family lives. Just the other day they had about 20 inches of snow in 24 hours. So I'm definitely used to cold and snow, the weather in Ohio was fairly mild in comparison.


Katie: What was the most annoying thing about Christmas here?

Anton: I know a lot of the american readers will disagree with me on this, but I have to say the christmas decorations. Comparing it to what I'm used to it feels way overdone, people just put up so much more stuff on their houses over there. In my experience, if someone does that in Sweden they end up being the laughing stock of the neighborhood because it  is seen as tacky and tasteless.  The swedish word "lagom" comes to mind in this situation. It has no direct equivalent in English, but its meaning is basically "just right, not too much and not too little". It reflects the swedish stereotype of modesty and lack of desire to attract attention.


Katie: You came here for two months over the summer, what was the biggest difference that you noticed in the weather?

Anton: The humidity! Oh dear, the humidity. Compared to what I'm used to, it feels like walking around in a rain forest. Step outside for ten minutes and your feel like you just took a shower with your clothes on. At least in Sweden the heat is dry, so you can escape to the shadow if it gets too hot. Definitely prefer the weather back home.


Katie: You spent some days at home while I was at work, I assume that you watched some television, What are some of the differences that you noticed?

Anton: There are so many reruns and marathons! You do have a bigger selection of channels and programs than back in Sweden, but I was amazed to see so many channels showing a single show for an entire day. Back home, an episode of a show is usually shown twice, once when it's first aired and then a second time the same week as a rerun. After that you're forced to watch it online or wait until they show the whole season again which could take years, if it even gets shown again. This makes us value our TV time a bit more I think, if we care about a show we make sure to catch it or record it, and when it's done we can move on to doing other things. In the US it's so easy to just get stuck watching TV because there's always something on, always something you enjoy, even if you've seen it already. There's also a much higher number of reality shows over there. They do exist in Sweden too, but the number people who are willing to completely throw away their private life seem to be bigger in the U.S.


Katie: What are some of the biggest differences that you noticed, during your trip here over the summer?

Anton: Here's a short list of things that are different: Everything over there is either a) covered in cheese or syrup or b) deep fried. Everything is bigger. Through most my life I've been able to walk to most places I need to go in 20 minutes, even now when I live in the third biggest city in Sweden. In the US you'd be looking at a 20 minute drive instead, and that's just in relatively small city like Toledo. Your banking system is atrocious. For starters, you still use checks, something that we stopped with a long time ago. Sending money to others is a pain regardless of how far away the recipient is. In Sweden we can go online and send money to anyone's bank account and they will recieve it instantly (if they use the same bank as you) or within a few days.

That's all the questions both of our brains could handle for now, if I think of anymore later, I will post them. I also want to encourage you, as the readers, if you have any questions about his trips here, or once I get to Sweden, my trip, that you would like answered, to post them on here, I check for comments quite often, and will ask him if necessary, and be sure to post the answers for you!

Expectations.

Instead of  writing about each of the places that I'm hoping to visit during my first week in Sweden, (Don't worry, I'll write about that another day) I decided to take time to post about my expectations of Sweden, and this trip as a whole. From the trip from my house to the airport, to the trip from the airport back home, the following is what I expect to happen, encounter, and learn during my three month vacation.

I expect Sweden to be calmer than Toledo. I don't expect it to be as calm as a field of flowers, but I also don't expect to see customers jumping through a drive through window of a McDonalds because they can't get chicken nuggets in the morning. I don't expect to hear about people getting shot, or their houses burned down, or huge car accidents on a regular basis while I am there.  I'm not saying that these things won't happen, because I'm not ignorant. I'm sure that things like those mentioned above do happen (with the exception of the person in the drive through), but I've got a hunch, that things like those don't happen as often as they do here. I also have a feeling that theft is a lot less common, that people don't steal from others cars, (that may be due to the fact that there aren't as many cars in Sweden as there are here.) or home, or off their person. I feel that things in Sweden will be a lot more peaceful. It won't be as busy. People won't be in as much of a rush as Toledoans, as Americans in general, at least that is how I envision it.

I suppose I should mention that I envision Sweden as much prettier than Toledo. Although, I think just the fact that Sweden has so much more history has something to do with it being prettier. If Toledo was as old as Sweden, I could see it being prettier. It would be stupid of me to say that I think Sweden is more beautiful, without showing some pictures for comparison. Although I am going to take the best photos of both places, so I guess it will make Toledo look a bit nicer than it actually is to live here.
So here are some pictures of Sweden:

And now for some pictures of Toledo:

Granted all these pictures are not the only things in Toledo, nor are the pictures all there are in Sweden. I just tried to get a good mix. Although if you google Toledo Ohio, the majority of the pictures are of Downtown Toledo. Which is understandable. I wish I could have found some of the rest of the city. Maybe at some point I will post pictures of my favorite places in Toledo, and compare it to my favorite places in Sweden...(Once I've been there and had more experiences there) I always seem to post "Maybe... I'll post"  I'm sorry if that bores anyone, its just a way for me to remember my ideas for things to post, and think about later!  

I expect that when I get there, people will be friendlier, and more welcoming. Not to say that I believe that all people here are unfriendly, but I do think that Swedes will be friendlier to an American girl, than Americans to a Swede. I think this, due to the fact that in Sweden, children start learning English at a young age. It's required. After you get to high school, and pass your required English classes, which is the two first years, you are not required to take any more English. You also have the opportunity to take another foreign language in high school, which some people take advantage of. I think that, the fact that they are learning about other languages and other cultures when they are younger, makes them more open to other people, as they get older. Here in America, taking a foreign language is not necessarily required, (although advised). Although we are the melting pot of the world, I don't necessarily believe that we are all that open to other cultures. I think because we are not all necessarily exposed to them at a young age, when we are vulnerable to learning the most, that it is more difficult for us to be ok with differences, as we get older. I personally have seen experience with this when I took Spanish class, my freshman and sophomore years of high school. The majority of the kids could care less about learning about a different culture, as well as they didn't want to take the time to improve their skills in the language. I felt that many of the kids in my class, just took it, so they could get into college. Which I think is a sad fact. If we were to force another language at a young age (Which would never be allowed, because too many people would complain) I think we would be more open to other cultures. Anton is always saying that most Swedes don't expect me to speak Swedish, and like to speak English. In my experience here I've never felt that welcoming of another culture. Most of the attitudes that I've seen are those that say "Speak English, perfectly, or I don't want you here" Granted that is not everyone. But it is a chunk of people. I'm excited to see if Anton is correct, about the attitude difference.

I guess my last expectation would be just the atmosphere in general. I know that his hometown was once named Europe's greenest city. When Anton was here, he looked at me funny when I threw away dead batteries. He said that they recycle them over there. So I think that will be completely different for me, because back home its not something that I commonly do (although I should). I also think that it will be different having to walk places, and not depending on a car. I'm so dependent on my car to go everywhere. Getting anywhere without a car is inconvenient. Our public transportation system here is less than reliable, and everything is on such a large scale, that walking would almost be impossible unless you live close to your destination, or want to leave hours beforehand, and chance walking through a bad neighborhood or two.  

So as far as expectations go, these are about the only things that I can think of at the moment. Of course as I come up with more, in the weeks before my trip, I will try to remember and update them. I'm not sure what I am going to write about in my next blog, I hope it will be interesting, and I hope this blog post hasn't completely bored you! I'll post more later today maybe, since I have been absent for almost 5 days, I think I need to catch up some! 

First cities!

I figure I should dedicate this post to the cities that I will be visiting/spending the most time in, during my first week in Sweden. I guess that would be nice for (you all) to know. I mean I guess it makes sense that you might want to know something about the first cities that I will be visiting before I get there. So you can have an idea of what I'm going to be doing, in case I don't post right away. I'm going to try to get in the habit of posting at least every other day while I'm there, but if I get too busy, I'll cut back. But enough rambling on to the basic facts about the cities that I'll be staying in!


First places first: Växjö


I decided to get fancy, and post audio so you all can hear how its pronounced! Now that you know how to say it, I guess I should get to the facts. Växjö is the city where Anton's family lives. I will be hopping off the plane, and onto a train to there, once I land in Copenhagen. Heres some of the basic facts about Växjö:


1. Växjö houses about 64,200 people as of 2010.


2. Its total area is only 11.3 miles.


3. The average temperatures in Växjö during the months that I will be in Sweden are as follows:

• January:
• high: 0 °C or in the American system 32 °F
• low: -3 °C or 27 °F
• February: 
• high: 2 °C or 36 °F
• low: -4 °C or 25 °F
• March: 
• high: 5 °C or 41 °F
• low: -3 °C or  27 °F
• April:  
• high: 11 °C or 52 °F 
• low: 2 °C or  36 °F

4. The word Växjö is believed to come from the Swedish words väg (Which means road) and sjö (Which means lake) 


5. Several times during the Northern Wars, Scanian Wars and thereafter, the city has been plagued by fire (in 1277, 1516, 1570, 1612, 1658, 1690, 1749, 1753, 1799, 1838 and 1843). After the last fire in 1843, when 1140 citizens were rendered homeless, Växjö got its current street plan.


6. Växjö is situated in south-east Småland at the heart of southern Sweden and close to Copenhagen, Malmö and Gothenburg. 

7. The city is home to Linnaeus University, which has 15,000 students. 

8. The Swedish Emigrant Institute was established in 1965 and resides in the House of Emigrants near the Växjö lake in the heart of the city. It contains archives, library, museum, and a research center relating to the emigration period between 1846 and 1930, when 1.3 million (or 20%) of the Swedish population emigrated, mainly to the USA.

9. Immediately north of Växjö is Kronoberg Castle, a ruined fortress constructed in the 15th century. This castle was used as base by rebel Nils Dackeduring the Dacke War. The fortress has thick walls and an interesting array of artillery portals that face out onto the lake Helgasjön to the north. The city also holds another castle, Teleborg Castle built in 1900 and situated near the University.

10. One thing that I found interesting: My home town of Toledo, is known for their glass work, and so is Växjö. It houses Sweden's National Glass Museum


I plan on visiting Kronoberg Castle, as well as Teleborg Castle, before I leave Sweden for good, I want to visit them within my first weekend there, but I am not sure if I will have time. I do know for sure that I will try my best to visit the glass museum during the first weekend. 

Kronoberg Castle

Teleborg Castle 

Smålands Glass museum

And: Yes, Aunt Joyce, If you are reading this, I do plan on taking lots of pictures of the glass museum for you! (I also hope that one day I can take you to see it) 


Now on to the next city: Malmö   


Malmö is the city where Anton lives. Its the third largest city in Sweden. It has a lot of neat places that I hope to visit over the three months that I will be living there! At this moment I am particularly excited about visiting a contemporary art museum within the first week that I will be there! (Its free on Fridays. and free is ALWAYS better than paying) I also plan on going to at least one night club while I am there. Theres one in particular that I want to visit! (Dont worry mom and daddy, I wont get into trouble)
We are now reaching the point in my blog where i post more facts that you may or may not find interesting about the city of Malmö! 


1. The city itself has an area of 129.4 sq miles. The metro area though is 979.1 sq miles. The metro area covers the areas of  Burlöv, Eslöv, Höör, Kävlinge, Lomma, Lund, Skurup, Staffanstorp, Svedala, Trelleborg and Vellinge.


2. Malmö is thought to have been founded in 1275


3. Malmö's  location in southernmost Sweden makes it closer to the Italian city of Milan than to the northernmost Swedish town Kiruna.


4. The city itself has a population of 300,515 people, the metro area has a population of 658,704


5. Despite its northern location, the climate is relatively mild compared to other locations in similar latitudes, or even somewhat farther south, mainly because of the Gulf Stream. The average temperatures for the months that I am going to be living there are:

• January: 
• high: 2 °C or 36 °F
• low: -3 °C or 27 °F
• February: 
• high: 2 °C or 36 °F
• low: -3 °C or 27 °F
• March:
• high: 5 °C or 41 °F
• low: -1 °C or 30 °F
• April: 
• high: 10 °C or 50 °F
• low: 2 °C or 36 °F

6. Malmö has the country's eighth largest school of higher education with the university college 
Malmö Högskola. (When I move to Sweden, for good, this is where I hope to attend!)


7. Malmö's oldest building is St Peter's Church. It was built in the early 14th century.


8. The beach Ribersborg in the western harbour, is a man-made shallow beach, stretching along Malmö's coastline. (This is only a few minutes from Anton's apartment)


9. Malmö is literally across a bridge from Denmark! (See below: Oresund bridge)

10. One of the museums I plan on visiting: The modern museum, holds key pieces of, among others, Marcel Duchamp, Louise Bourgeois,Pablo Picasso, Niki de Saint Phalle, Salvador Dalí, Carolee Schneemann, Henri Matisse and Robert Rauschenberg. (I'm SUPER excited to get to this museum, I really want to go there within my first week! I love Picasso, Matisse, and Dalí! )

So I guess that is enough facts for one day. Maybe I'll post some more about the places in each city that I want to go to tomorrow, like specific facts about all the places, as opposed to just stating where they are! But for today that is all I have. I'm sure that I'll come up with more later! 

Another new post!

I got inspired, and now feel the need to post again! This time, I feel like giving a history lesson, of sorts. I guess I just felt like it would be kind of fun to do some research and post some interesting facts about both Växjö and Malmö. I also wanted to post some of the places that I am going to visit in the first week. Of course, this is all assuming I still feel like it once I get there, but most of these places I am actually really excited about visiting.


I feel like I should start with some facts about Sweden, and some of the things that attracted me there before I talk about specific cities. That seems to be the most logical place to start. That way I can make comparisons between the cities and the country as a whole. 

First things first, here are some of the very basic facts about Sweden. We'll get to some interesting facts in a moment. 


1. The national language is Swedish, although the majority of Swedes born after 1940 can understand and speak, some if not a good amount, of English. (Its estimated that about 89% of Swedes speak English)


2. The population of Sweden is small compared to the United States. The whole country houses around 9.4 million people. For comparison the population of Ohio (my home state) is over 11.5 million people, according to the 2010 census. The three largest cities in Sweden are Stockholm which has a metro population of 2,019,182 , Gothenburg which has a metro population of 926,654, and Malmö which has a metro population of 635,224. To put it in perspective the United States top three populated cities New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago have metro populations of: 18,897,109; 15,250,000; and 9,461,105 respectively.


3. Ohio is a little less than 1/4 of the size of Sweden. The total area of Sweden is 173,745 sq miles, compared with Ohio's area of 44,825 sq miles. 


4.The government there is a Unitary Parliamentary Democracy, as well as a Constitutional Monarchy. This could be compared to the government in England. Although the royal family of Sweden are just figureheads. Their primary duty is to attend important public engagements for the country.


5. Sweden is the 5th largest European country in terms of land area, although it is the third biggest country in the EU (European Union). It was not always a part of the union. It officially became part of the union in January of 1995. Unlike the majority of the countries in the EU Sweden still uses its own form of currency (Kronor) instead of the Euro.


6. Sweden's high tax rate pays for free education for all residents, as well as health care. 


7. Sweden has 25 provinces (landscapes), that are divided based on culture, geography and history. They serve no political or administrative purpose, but are very important in self identification. 


8.The actual age of the of Sweden is unknown. It really all depends on when you want to start counting from. You could start counting from the time that the Svar (sweonas) ruled what was then called Svealand,  or if you start counting its age from the time that the Svar, and the Götar of Götaland united under one ruler. 


9. Sweden allows gay marriage, or as they call it "gender neutral marriage" 


10. From the north to the south, the temperature can vary greatly, just like here in the United States. Southern and central parts of the country have warm summers and cold winters, with average high temperatures of 68 to 77 °F and lows of 54 to 59 °F summer, and average temperatures of 25 to 36 °F in the winter. This is important (at least to me), because I will mostly be spending time in the southern and central regions of the country. 


Now that I got all those basic facts out of the way; Here are some FUN facts about Sweden.


1. A popular souvenir is the road sign for moose-crossing. Every year a huge number of these signs are stolen from Swedish roads. In case a road sign was not enough to fill your fascination with moose, you can also buy various forms of moose poo, such as jarred poo, and poo keychains... In general according to Anton, Germans seem to be more interested in it than anyone else. 


2. Sweden is the second most technologically advanced country in Europe. This is reflected by the fact that Swedes have been known for a number of inventions, including an astronomical lens, the zipper, a marine propeller, the refrigerator, the computer mouse and a pace-maker. The proportion of personal computers, per capita, in Sweden is the highest in Europe, which also shows their love for technology and being technologically advanced.


3.This next fact is not actually a fact, but more-so an opinion, but Sweden has some pretty sweet hotels: Including the Ice Hotel, and TreeHotel. (see below)

4. Swedes have been driving on the right side of the road since 1965... when they switched from driving on the left hand side.  Although the design of the cars has always been the same with the steering wheel on the left side. 

5.Sweden has the highest number of McDonald restaurants, per capita, in Europe.

6. A popular christmas soft drink, Julmust (Jul = Christmas, Must = Juice), causes the sales of coca-cola to drop by as much as 50%. This drink is typically available only in the Christmas season, although its found during the Easter season under a different name. (påskmust).  45 million litres of julmust were consumed during December of 1999, compared with the 9 million residents of the country at that time, thats an average of 5 litres of julmust per person, in December alone! 


7. Sweden has the highest percentage of working mothers in the developed world. Sweden was also the first country to grant suffrage for (married) women in local elections. 


8. A traditional dish that many Swedes enjoy usually comprises of meatballs, with potatoes and lingonberry sauce.


9. Carolus Linnaeus – better known in the U.S. as Carl von Linné – was Swedish, most famous for inventing the system for classifying plants and animals into different species and families. He wrote the epoch-making book Systema Nature (The System of Nature) in 1735, which is still being used by botanists and zoologists today!


10. All the Tsars of Russia till the last one, Nicholas II, were of Swedish Viking descent. 


So I guess for this post this enough facts. I'll talk about the cities in the next one. I didn't realize there were SO many interesting things about Sweden. I have so many more things, that I wanted to include.... But I'm not out to bore anyone. I think that those things will come up eventually as I visit landmarks, and other places in Sweden.

FIRST POST!

If you couldn't tell by the title, this is my first blog post about my trip. Yes. I am posting one month and 11 days before my trip. But I just want to post my trip itinerary, as well as give a brief introduction of myself, and my blog. I will be leaving for the great land of Sweden on the 12th of January, and coming home on the 11th of April.

My flight leaves Detroit at 11:11 am and lands in New York at 12:55pm. I'll have a short layover in New York from then until 5:30 pm, when the big flight takes off, and I'm officially on my way to the land of Sweden. About 8 hours later, and six time zones ahead, I will officially be in Europe! My plane lands in Copenhagen at 7:10 am local time on the 13th of January. Which, in case you haven't already done the math, is 1:10 am back home.

I plan on posting here at each of my stops. Although, after my flight lands in Copenhagen, and I go through customs, I may not have time to post anything, seeing as I won't be able to post by mobile, and I have to hop right on a train to Växjö. I decided to take a train to visit Anton's family right off the plane, so that I get all my travelling done in one big chunk. That way I don't get settled in at his apartment, and then have to jump back up again the next morning. You might be asking why I want to go visit his family during my first few days, rather than just adjusting at his apartment.

There are actually a few reasons:
1. He has met my family more than once. Meeting his family is very important to me.

2. It will be easier for me to adjust to things in a smaller town first, rather than a bigger city. (He lives in Malmö, which is actually Sweden's third largest city) (Also very beautiful)

3. I've heard nothing but good things about his father's cooking, and his mother makes cinnamon buns that look delicious even through skype (I'm hoping to get some of those, as well as learn the recipe)
4. His home town is beautiful. (example below)

and last but not least 5. I think it will be better for me to get a few days practicing Swedish, around people who I can trust, and who won't judge me, before exploring a big city on my own.

Now that you have an idea of my itinerary for my first few days there, I guess I should do an introduction of myself, and why I'm going!

My name, is just as it says on the blog: Kathleen Richardson. I'm pretty simple. I'm 19 years old, and work at wal-mart to get by. I've always said that I would travel the world. I love to learn about new cultures. This vacation will just be my first adventure off many, and I hope that during each trip, I will learn something new about myself. (Hence the blog title)

I'm going on this vacation for many reasons. The main one being in the near future I am going to be applying for a residency permit to move to Sweden. I want to be able to say that I've been there,  and have a grasp of the culture and daily life when I submit the paperwork. Another reason is that, I also want to be sure that I will be able to stand living there, before I just up and move.

The last reason, but certainly not the least important by any means, is because I am going to visit a good friend! His name is Anton. Hes the whole reason that this trip is possible. He has come to visit me here in the states twice. Its his fault that I got the idea to move to Sweden.

So I guess this is my entry for tonight. Maybe tomorrow night I will post about my ideas for things to do during my trip.