Questions and More Questions

Recently, a lot of people have been asking me questions about Sweden and myself. I thought it would be nice to share them with everyone. You'd be surprised what I have been asked. But other questions you wouldn't be as surprised.

Q. How is Sweden?

A. It is amazing. It is almost like home, but the place where I live is bigger than the largest city in my state. But being here does have some faults with its upsides. Remember to wear very comfortable shoes before you decide to go out for a walk or go shopping. I went for a walk one day and ended up walking around the whole city, which was a total of a 16 mile walk. I was wearing new flip flops. I got a few blisters. But the scenery around my town is amazing. I am so glad that I came to Sweden.


Q. What do you miss the most?

A. I have to say that I really miss some of the foods, activties, and people. I mean I miss GoldFish crackers, Skittles, Doritos Chips, Venison (which they hunt deer here, but I am not allowed to hunt), my mothers homeade dill pickles, spaghetti sauce, and salsa, and I also miss my fathers homemade French Fries. It might seem like I miss a lot of fat food, but I ate a lot of homegrown vegetables from the garden a lot of the time instead of eating a meal.
I miss playing video games. I used to play with a very close friend of mine. I think we would play at least 50% of the week. And whenever he went to work or was sleeping, I would still play the same video game to get better and level up higher. I also have to say I miss laying on my floor with my dog and playing with him and his toys. Even though my host family has a dog, it isn't the same as my dog.
Its easy to say that I miss my family and friends. But I really miss my father, my mother, my best friends, my brothers, very close loved ones, and of course my grandparents. I mean I can say I miss a lot of people. And it's because I do. But there is some people that I miss a lot more than others.

Q. What do you think about when you are in a class where they speak only Swedish?

A. I sit there and think to myself, "What the hell is going on?!" I mean I understand some of the things that are being said. I am taking four Swedish lessons a week and practicing at home with my host parents. I can understand the basics. Which with any language, is good to know and understand. But the one good, yet bad thing about Sweden is most of the people have okay to great English. So if I couldn't remember something in Swedish, I could ask in English. But I didn't come here to show off my English skills, I came to learn another language, the culture, and the country.

Q. How do I talk to other people?

A. Well Swedes start taking English when they are about nine to ten years old. They can decide to take English, Spanish, French, German, or Italian as another language. After they leave Elementary school or Grundskola, and go to High school or gymnasiet, they can continue with taking the language they have been. Or they can take another language. Most Swedes take English because it is a language that a lot of countries are teaching students to learn. English is becoming a larger language everyday. With more people learning and understanding the language, it makes communication easier. So for me its easy to talk and understand what is going on.

Q. What are the students, classes, and the  teachers like at your school?

A. It is hard to answer, but it is also easy to answer. The other kids that I go to school with are really shy. Out of the 1,500 or so kids that I go to school with, maybe five people talk to me and go out to do things with me. I am glad that they do too. It makes being here a lot easier for me. Even when random people say hej to me, it makes my day better. I wish that a lot more people would say hej or talk to me.
My classes are hard only because of the language barrier. Wish is understandable, but hopefully it won't be as difficult as the year goes on and I learn more of the language. I have Swedish 4x, English 2x, Natural Science 3x, Chemistry 2x, Math 2x, and Gym 5x a week. Not all of my classes are with Sa3a, which is the class that I am in. Its almost like being in 10th or 12th grade, but in sections. Some of my classes are with Te1c, Sa3b, or with people that come together to learn Swedish together. Two of my Swedish classes have only me and one other kid. We have that one class without anyone else because we are both new to the Swedish language.
My teachers are really nice. They understand enough English to be able to talk to me about what is going on, how to do something, ask if I understand, and so on. It is enough to be able to have the simplest of comunication. They think that I am brave to be learning a new language and being in classes that I understand little to nothing of what the teacher is saying.

Q: Do I communicate a lot with my friends or family back in the States?

A. I do talk to my friends and family whenever they send me a message. I do Skype my parents maybe once or twice a week, if either of us have enough time to talk at all. Sometimes I Facetime my best friend, but usually I just message everyone. I do call some people also. I have an App on my I-Pad that allows me to do that. But it costs a little bit of money for me to do so. But usually the call time is limited by 15-30 minutes.

These are just some of the questions that I have been asked so far. Being how I have been here for only 2 months, I assume that people will be asking me more questions about how I am, what I have been doing, what am I going to do for vacations and so on. I am always happy to answer questions :)