I had just been talking with my host parents. And a topic about my blog came up. While we were talking about it, I decided that this would be best to do. Not for me, but for the people that I have offended. I am doing it now because I feel that it is important to talk about it instead of waiting. I would like to explain myself to allow you guys to see where I am coming from. I don't want to harm anyone.
I am not being forced to say this either. I decided that it would be best. I am sorry. I have not had the intentions of hurting anyone or making them feel bad. I just want to say that I didn't want to hurt anyone when I wrote any of my posts. I also want to say that if you feel offended or want to talk about it feel free to contact me about it. We can go for a Fika and talk about it. Or we can talk on FaceBook. I don't want to give off a bad impression.
I can understand where it might seem like I am seeming either mean or trying to make someone feel bad. But this is not the case. I am not trying to focus on any certain person or group of people. I love being here in Sweden and even in Jönköping. I wouldn't change being here for the world. I love the people that I go to school with.
I might have changed classes. But it wasn't originally my choice. The class advisor from Sa3b said that it might be better for me to be in Sa3a because students from that class had been talking and doing things with me out of the classroom. She had only said this because during our class meeting times, I would sit alone for the whole 40 minutes. I didn't feel like I was apart of the class. I can understand that some of the people in the class may have been shy to talk to me. But they shouldn't have to. I am pretty open and always willing to talk. No one should ever feel shy to talk to me.
Now that I have changed classes, I don't want the original class to feel as if I don't like them. I do like them. I enjoy every time one of them talks to me. It makes me feel good inside. I feel like I have a purpose for actually being here. Instead of just feeling like I am alone and that no one wants anything to do with me. I would love if I could go to the movies, have Fikas, and even have people over from both of the classes. I think it would help me get more friends and also help me become more involved with the Swedish culture like I would love to do.
I hope that if I had offended anyone, that this would help clear up any misunderstandings. I am truly sorry if I have made anyone feel bad about themselves or feel as if I am not willing to try to be friends with anyone.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Confessions About Sweden and My Year So Far
I thought I would give everyone an insight on how my year is going. To be honest, I will write some sad ones, but I will write some amazing ones as well. I want to give everyone a better look at my exchange year because a lot of people ask me how I am. And I love answering them. So this post is for the other people who don't get the chance to ask me how I am doing. I hope that these confessions will give you an idea of how I am keeping up in Sweden :)
After arriving, I thought that I had never truly left the States. I mean there are some pretty big differences, but where I live has a forest pretty close by and it looks pretty similar to Vermont. But there are huge differences.
I had to start a new medication for a exsisting condition. And I had gotten very sick from it. I tried to hide it as well as I could. I never really told my host parents about it. I am still feeling some of the side effects now. And I have been on it for over 2 months.
I had liked my last host family, but I didn't really connect with them. I mean I did, but not like I thought I would. It was hard because of their jobs.
I had very bad depression during the first two months, but it really effected me in the second and third month. I almost never wanted to do anything. I would sit around and cry for most of the day. I sometimes did it during school, but I hid that very well also.
I was very homesick during the end part of August and beginning of September. I like to think it was because I had finally gotten fully adjusted to my new life and I was a bit jealous of my parents exchange student. But I stopped being home sick in early October.
In Sweden, they have some American things, such as Skittles, M&M's, Ben & Jerry's ice cream (Made in Vermont), Coca-Cola products, peanut butter, Doritos, and even fluff. It makes my happy that I can go to the store and get them.
Sweden has mostly BMW's, Volvo's, Citron, and some Toyotas. I have seen very few Chevy's, Jeep's, and Ford's. This is because the cars here are made in surrounding countries. And the cars that we have in the States would be very expensive to ship here.
It took some time to make friends. It was maybe a month or so before I really had any friends. Now I am friends with most of my class. It feels great to know that I have people I can hang out with and talk with.
I have blood from Ireland, Scotland, and England. A few people at my school asked me if I was from different places in the U.K. I told them that I was from the States and that I had blood that came from the U.K. They were very surprised.
I have been told that I do not have the "typical" American accent. The "typical" American accent to them might be from the large places that they have visited. But I am from a very small town and state. I also I have a parent from Vermont and one from New Hampshire. My family lives throughout New England. I hear different accents all the time. Mine has changed over the years due to this.
Food here is very good. But it isn't a normal meal. To me, a normal meal is where you have a meat, a vegetable, either rice, pasta, or potatoes, and a drink. Here that is not the case. You have a meat, potatoes, and a vegetable. I am fine with having potatoes because I eat them in almost every way. Even raw, just needs a little salt ;)
I thought that the weather would be freezing and that we would have seen some snow by now. I am completely wrong. It is currently like a late September to early October weather in Vermont. And when it is time to go to school, the temperature is not usually below 32. I was told that back home they have seen snow and that it is cold almost all the time.
I thought that Sweden would have a lot of Swedish artist. I thought that it would be a great way to learn the language. But usually they listen to American music. They do have some successful artist, but they mostly sing in English. Some famous artist are ABBA, Rockset, and Avicii.
A very good thing about Sweden is that they have many different types of candy. Their chocolate is amazing. I get very bad headaches from eating American chocolate. But here, I don't get any. They have many different types of candies to choose from. The Swedish word for candy is Godis.
The language... For me, I think that it is pretty easy to learn. I do have problems with it though. Don't get me wrong. Anyone who learns a new language has problems. I can talk to my host siblings with almost now problem now. But the good thing about Swedish is that many of the words are pretty close to English. But the grammar is hard. And there are three additional letters. Å, Ä, and Ö. We have words that use the sounds of the additional three letters in English. But they have different ways of saying them here.
Since I have moved to my new host family, I feel like a big sister and feel like I have big responsibilities. I am the youngest of three and the only girl in the family. It is different having a younger sister and brother living with me. I love it though! I wouldn't change it for the world. They are the best!
For the first time in my whole life, I have no pets around the house. I am used to having a dog or two. But my host family's dog recently passed away. It is sad.
In my mind, I think that a bit of the Swedish guys are pretty hot. I mean like damn.... And I also think that a lot of the Swedish girls are very pretty. It sort of intimidates me.
A lot of Swedish girls have very thin and very straight hair. And is usually blonde. Where as my hair is very thick, very curly, frizzy, and wavy. And it is a medium brown color. I am always having my hair up because if it wasn't, it would be an afro or a hot curly and frizzy mess.
The stereotypical Swede had blonde hair, blue eyes, very tall, very pretty/handsome, and can be very shy. Well I can tell you. They do have many different hair and eye colors. They can be very tall and very short, such as myself. They are pretty and handsome, but everyone has their own looks. And they can be very shy, but it doesn't take very long for someone to crack their shell and make them act like a bunch of crazy people.
After arriving, I thought that I had never truly left the States. I mean there are some pretty big differences, but where I live has a forest pretty close by and it looks pretty similar to Vermont. But there are huge differences.
I had to start a new medication for a exsisting condition. And I had gotten very sick from it. I tried to hide it as well as I could. I never really told my host parents about it. I am still feeling some of the side effects now. And I have been on it for over 2 months.
I had liked my last host family, but I didn't really connect with them. I mean I did, but not like I thought I would. It was hard because of their jobs.
I had very bad depression during the first two months, but it really effected me in the second and third month. I almost never wanted to do anything. I would sit around and cry for most of the day. I sometimes did it during school, but I hid that very well also.
I was very homesick during the end part of August and beginning of September. I like to think it was because I had finally gotten fully adjusted to my new life and I was a bit jealous of my parents exchange student. But I stopped being home sick in early October.
In Sweden, they have some American things, such as Skittles, M&M's, Ben & Jerry's ice cream (Made in Vermont), Coca-Cola products, peanut butter, Doritos, and even fluff. It makes my happy that I can go to the store and get them.
Sweden has mostly BMW's, Volvo's, Citron, and some Toyotas. I have seen very few Chevy's, Jeep's, and Ford's. This is because the cars here are made in surrounding countries. And the cars that we have in the States would be very expensive to ship here.
It took some time to make friends. It was maybe a month or so before I really had any friends. Now I am friends with most of my class. It feels great to know that I have people I can hang out with and talk with.
I have blood from Ireland, Scotland, and England. A few people at my school asked me if I was from different places in the U.K. I told them that I was from the States and that I had blood that came from the U.K. They were very surprised.
I have been told that I do not have the "typical" American accent. The "typical" American accent to them might be from the large places that they have visited. But I am from a very small town and state. I also I have a parent from Vermont and one from New Hampshire. My family lives throughout New England. I hear different accents all the time. Mine has changed over the years due to this.
Food here is very good. But it isn't a normal meal. To me, a normal meal is where you have a meat, a vegetable, either rice, pasta, or potatoes, and a drink. Here that is not the case. You have a meat, potatoes, and a vegetable. I am fine with having potatoes because I eat them in almost every way. Even raw, just needs a little salt ;)
I thought that the weather would be freezing and that we would have seen some snow by now. I am completely wrong. It is currently like a late September to early October weather in Vermont. And when it is time to go to school, the temperature is not usually below 32. I was told that back home they have seen snow and that it is cold almost all the time.
I thought that Sweden would have a lot of Swedish artist. I thought that it would be a great way to learn the language. But usually they listen to American music. They do have some successful artist, but they mostly sing in English. Some famous artist are ABBA, Rockset, and Avicii.
A very good thing about Sweden is that they have many different types of candy. Their chocolate is amazing. I get very bad headaches from eating American chocolate. But here, I don't get any. They have many different types of candies to choose from. The Swedish word for candy is Godis.
The language... For me, I think that it is pretty easy to learn. I do have problems with it though. Don't get me wrong. Anyone who learns a new language has problems. I can talk to my host siblings with almost now problem now. But the good thing about Swedish is that many of the words are pretty close to English. But the grammar is hard. And there are three additional letters. Å, Ä, and Ö. We have words that use the sounds of the additional three letters in English. But they have different ways of saying them here.
Since I have moved to my new host family, I feel like a big sister and feel like I have big responsibilities. I am the youngest of three and the only girl in the family. It is different having a younger sister and brother living with me. I love it though! I wouldn't change it for the world. They are the best!
For the first time in my whole life, I have no pets around the house. I am used to having a dog or two. But my host family's dog recently passed away. It is sad.
In my mind, I think that a bit of the Swedish guys are pretty hot. I mean like damn.... And I also think that a lot of the Swedish girls are very pretty. It sort of intimidates me.
A lot of Swedish girls have very thin and very straight hair. And is usually blonde. Where as my hair is very thick, very curly, frizzy, and wavy. And it is a medium brown color. I am always having my hair up because if it wasn't, it would be an afro or a hot curly and frizzy mess.
The stereotypical Swede had blonde hair, blue eyes, very tall, very pretty/handsome, and can be very shy. Well I can tell you. They do have many different hair and eye colors. They can be very tall and very short, such as myself. They are pretty and handsome, but everyone has their own looks. And they can be very shy, but it doesn't take very long for someone to crack their shell and make them act like a bunch of crazy people.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Changing of The Host Family
One of the hardest things about being an exchange student has to be one of two things:
1. Having to pack your life away for a year. And having to repack when you move.
2. Having to leave your family for a new one. And once you get used to the family, you must move again.
I must say that the packing is the hardest for me, personally. I didn't bring too much or too little to Sweden. But when I pack, I try different ways of packing things to try to find the best way so that I can make the most out of what I have. I mean this more towards space than anything. When I came to Sweden, I had packed my smallest suitcase with shower items, some clothes, host family gifts, and used my sweatshirt to make so nothing opened. Then my largest suitcase contained SpaceBags that had all of my clothes. Also in there, I had one pair of shoes (I should have packed a different pair. That pair gave me six blisters almost as soon as I stepped out the door), make-up bags full of random items, and candy. I packed my small suitcase into my larger suitcase. It saved space and I didn't have to pay for a second bag. In my duffle bag, I had my laptop, dress clothes, shorts, t-shirts, and my Rotary blazer. I could put it on whenever I landed and was at an airport. In my backpack, I had my documents for my flight, insurance, doctors notes about shots, school papers, information on becoming a Swedish citizen, and a paper that had the numbers of important people in the States and Sweden. I have to say, it wasn't that organized, but I still managed to pack everything and not miss anything. I was pretty proud of myself. My stow away weighted 51lbs and I was pretty damn proud of myself.
I was told I was moving to my next host family on Saturday November 2nd. I was nervous and pretty excited. I had felt the same way when I went to the first host family. But I was ready to try it. If I wasn't ready to try new things and have different experiences, I wouldn't have decided to be an exchange student. I washed, ironed, and packed my clothes away in a day and a half. Packing the other things I had only took an hour or so. But when Saturday came around, I was ready. I had already met my second and third host families at a Fika (Coffee and desserts). I knew that I was going to love my next host families.
As I got out of the car of my first host family, I walked to the door of the second. I noticed that there was a sign that say "Välkommen Silver" (Welcome Silver). I couldn't help, but smile. I loved it. I opened the door to be meet by two welcoming small children and my new host parents. I had gotten a gift from my host brother. It was a necklace with little colorful butterflies I smiled at him and said "Tack så mycket, Martin!" (Thank you so much, Martin) He blushed and tried to hide behind his mother.
I brought my bags upstairs and began the unpacking progress again. I liked unpacking. It let me look at what memories I had with the items. There is some items that I didn't pack that I wished I had. And some items that I packed that I wish I didn't. But I can't change what I did. It makes me feel good to look at the items. It makes me smile and think of home. I would love to be home and experience my junior year with friends. But from what my father has told me over Skype, I'm not really missing much, besides snow and very cold weather. And I am thankful that Sweden has turned like that just yet. It is cold though. I do have to admit. My host mom, the kids, and I play a game in the car every morning where we guess how cold it is. I have won every time that we have played.
After I finished packing, my host parents had an amazing dinner waiting downstairs. As well as an amazing dessert. I enjoyed being at the table talking with the whole family. It felt like I was home and I loved every second of it. When dinner was finished, my oldest host brother, his cousin, and I went to the movies. They had a few good movies that were playing that night. I would have loved to seen "You're Next", but we saw a movie called "Prisioners" which was just as amazing. The movie was really good. It had its scary moments, but also had its great moments.
I fell in love with this host family almost as soon as I entered it. The family is always on the go. And that's what I am used to. The kids are always energetic and so am I. We get along pretty well. Even though they are young and can't understand English, I can understand them in Swedish. Which makes myself pretty proud and excited that I can understand them. I am thankful that this family opened their home and lives to me.
1. Having to pack your life away for a year. And having to repack when you move.
2. Having to leave your family for a new one. And once you get used to the family, you must move again.
I must say that the packing is the hardest for me, personally. I didn't bring too much or too little to Sweden. But when I pack, I try different ways of packing things to try to find the best way so that I can make the most out of what I have. I mean this more towards space than anything. When I came to Sweden, I had packed my smallest suitcase with shower items, some clothes, host family gifts, and used my sweatshirt to make so nothing opened. Then my largest suitcase contained SpaceBags that had all of my clothes. Also in there, I had one pair of shoes (I should have packed a different pair. That pair gave me six blisters almost as soon as I stepped out the door), make-up bags full of random items, and candy. I packed my small suitcase into my larger suitcase. It saved space and I didn't have to pay for a second bag. In my duffle bag, I had my laptop, dress clothes, shorts, t-shirts, and my Rotary blazer. I could put it on whenever I landed and was at an airport. In my backpack, I had my documents for my flight, insurance, doctors notes about shots, school papers, information on becoming a Swedish citizen, and a paper that had the numbers of important people in the States and Sweden. I have to say, it wasn't that organized, but I still managed to pack everything and not miss anything. I was pretty proud of myself. My stow away weighted 51lbs and I was pretty damn proud of myself.
I was told I was moving to my next host family on Saturday November 2nd. I was nervous and pretty excited. I had felt the same way when I went to the first host family. But I was ready to try it. If I wasn't ready to try new things and have different experiences, I wouldn't have decided to be an exchange student. I washed, ironed, and packed my clothes away in a day and a half. Packing the other things I had only took an hour or so. But when Saturday came around, I was ready. I had already met my second and third host families at a Fika (Coffee and desserts). I knew that I was going to love my next host families.
As I got out of the car of my first host family, I walked to the door of the second. I noticed that there was a sign that say "Välkommen Silver" (Welcome Silver). I couldn't help, but smile. I loved it. I opened the door to be meet by two welcoming small children and my new host parents. I had gotten a gift from my host brother. It was a necklace with little colorful butterflies I smiled at him and said "Tack så mycket, Martin!" (Thank you so much, Martin) He blushed and tried to hide behind his mother.
I brought my bags upstairs and began the unpacking progress again. I liked unpacking. It let me look at what memories I had with the items. There is some items that I didn't pack that I wished I had. And some items that I packed that I wish I didn't. But I can't change what I did. It makes me feel good to look at the items. It makes me smile and think of home. I would love to be home and experience my junior year with friends. But from what my father has told me over Skype, I'm not really missing much, besides snow and very cold weather. And I am thankful that Sweden has turned like that just yet. It is cold though. I do have to admit. My host mom, the kids, and I play a game in the car every morning where we guess how cold it is. I have won every time that we have played.
After I finished packing, my host parents had an amazing dinner waiting downstairs. As well as an amazing dessert. I enjoyed being at the table talking with the whole family. It felt like I was home and I loved every second of it. When dinner was finished, my oldest host brother, his cousin, and I went to the movies. They had a few good movies that were playing that night. I would have loved to seen "You're Next", but we saw a movie called "Prisioners" which was just as amazing. The movie was really good. It had its scary moments, but also had its great moments.
I fell in love with this host family almost as soon as I entered it. The family is always on the go. And that's what I am used to. The kids are always energetic and so am I. We get along pretty well. Even though they are young and can't understand English, I can understand them in Swedish. Which makes myself pretty proud and excited that I can understand them. I am thankful that this family opened their home and lives to me.
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