What I learned

I learned that falling snow is one of the most beautiful sights. I also learned that ice on the sidewalk is one of the most dangerous things. The bruises on my knees throughout the month of February confirmed this.

I learned that a public transportation system that works efficiently is life-changing, at least for a Californian who depends heavily on a car. I am not looking forward to higher gas prices and commuting 60 miles a day for work when I get back.

I learned that a smile goes a mile, especially on the metro. Just for kicks, I would smile at people during my morning ride to work and the confusion and double-takes I got from stoic Swedes always entertained me. I like to think I brightenend their day a little, even if they only saw me as a crazy American.

I learned that I can survive and make it on my own, completely by myself. I realized that thinking I was an independent person and actually pushing myself outside my comfort zone to prove it were two different things entirely. Suprisingly, though, there were very few times that I felt alone. There is something liberating when you know you are so far from everyone and everything you know.

I learned that no matter what language you speak or what culture you come from, there is always common ground to be found. I learned that some people really are only in my life for a season, but that doesn't make the goodbye any easier.

I learned how weird Americans are. We say "awesome" and "cool" entirely too much. And Finnish people especially like to remind us of this. I won't deny that I picked up a couple Swedish and Finnish sayings though.
 
I learned that my goal is to always have a goal. I learned that I don't know nearly as much as I want to. I learned that I never want to stop learning. I learned that it is possible to create a life in three months that seems impossible to leave behind. I learned that I will miss Stockholm more than I thought I would. I learned that I am not the same person who left California in January.

Savoring sunny Stockholm

I had a five-day weekend for the Easter holiday. Since it was my last weekend in Stockholm, I decided to make the most of every day. Thursday started with a GROWers picnic in the park by the water. We raided the ICA for meats, cheeses, bread, and fruit and sprawled out on the grass for a few hours. The sun was out for most of the day, and in true Swedish fashion we basked in the warmth! Friday Riku and I ventured to Djurgarden and visited Skansen, which is a living history amusement park. It feels like you are back in time and exploring old Sweden. There are tons of cobblestone paths, Swedish houses and buildings, and lots of Scandinavian animals. When I read that Skansen housed wolverines in the zoo area, I was perplexed. Wolverines are real? I mean, I love the X-Men movies and Hugh Jackman is amazing, but I didn't think wolverines were a real species. Yep, they are real. But to say I was disappointed would be putting it mildly. They are puny animals and at first I thought I was looking at a badger! After Skansen, we took the ferry across the water and enjoyed the skyline view from the boat. The last time I took a boat across from Djurgarden there was so much ice and I could barely stand outside without fearing frostbite. This time I stood toward the end of the boat in the sunshine, pretending I was "the king of the world!" Saturday I visited Millesgarden, which was the home of Carl Milles, artist and collector. There is a ton of original art and a lot of famous pieces too. It was amazing! Saturday night I was invited out by my coworker Linnea for a girls' night with her friends. It was fun to meet some new Swedish people and have a few drinks. Easter Sunday we had celebrated at Tiina's house where I attempted to cook lamb for the first time. I waited too long to grocery shop for a leg of lamb, so I had to settle with lamb steaks. I made my own rosemary garlic marinade, but ended up slightly overcooking the lamb. My garlic mashed potatoes made up for it though and we had a ton of other yummy dishes. It was fun to have a "family" dinner in Sweden with all the GROWers. Then on Monday Tiina and I went to Drottningholm Palace where the royal family resides. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we took a 45-minute tour and then walked around the park and gardens. Some crazy Swedes were laying out in bikinis on the grass. I'm all for warm weather, but it was definitely not that warm! On the way home we met up with Riku for a mini picnic at Kungsholmen park. I would say we took advantage of the warm weather as much as we could! This past weekend made me forget the dreadful February snow...almost. I leave Stockholm in four days and then head to Italy for a week before I head home to California. Is this a three-month dream I'm going to wake up from soon? Seems like it should be.

A beautiful day at Skansen.

Crazy sculpture at Millesgarden.

The Easter feast!

The back of Drottningholm Palace and the gardens.

A dress and sandals? You better believe I took advantage of the sun :)

9 days...

...until I leave Stockholm. I remember when I was counting down from 46 days until I arrived in Stockholm. The saying, "Time flies when you're having fun" has never had so much meaning as it does now. I've been on a rollercoaster ride of emotions this past week, trying to prepare myself to end this amazing three-month adventure. Leaving is bittersweet; the "bitter" being the fact that I will miss the people and the relationships I've made in my time here. From my GROW people, to church friends, to my coworkers, I feel lucky to have been surrounded by such fantastic people that helped Sweden become home for me. I would like to think I will see them all again some day, but I really don't know that for sure. I know I need to embrace the moments and memories I've shared here and be thankful for this opportunity, but my heart is a little heavy. Spending three months in close contact with people, building relationships and friendships, has been a gift I will treasure forever. I've learned a lot about myself and feel I have truly grown as a person, maybe even a bit more content with the woman I have become. God has shown me what He is capable of, and what I am able to accomplish when I put my faith in Him. Talk about mind-blowing! The "sweet" part of this transition is the reunion with my family and friends that I have missed dearly. The constant support, encouragement, e-mails, and skype dates with my loved ones helped me feel that I wasn't far from home at all. But I don't want to think about a world without skype! Thank goodness I was able to see my parents and some friends on a regular basis because familiar faces are priceless. As I depart Sweden, I am leaving behind a job that I've poured myself into for three months, amazing relationships, and the beginning of a sunny Swedish summer. Man, sunshine has never felt so good! But I leave with a thousand memories, a newfound appreciation for life, and the hope that Sweden and I will one day meet again.

No jacket? Most amazing day in Sweden!

Stockholm sunset.

This is beauty.

We are family

So, I'm Swedish. My great-grandfather was from Sweden and born in a village outside Leksand, north of Stockholm. My great-aunt visited the few Swedish relatives we have about 20 years ago and she gave me their information when I found out I would be living in Stockholm for three months. I majorly procrastinated in contacting them, but a week ago I finally made the call to my fourth cousins, Eva and Lasse Andersson. Eva was so nice and welcoming on the phone, and she insisted on coming to pick me up on Sunday. They live in Norsborg, which is only about a 15-minute car ride from my apartment. Again, I should have called them a lot sooner. Nonetheless, I spent an amazing day getting to know my distant relatives. They welcomed me to their home and we took a long walk around their neighborhood after we had a coffee together. The landscape and scenery was so beautiful! It was nice to experience a real Swedish home and see how the "natives" live. Lasse prepared a typical Swedish lunch for us that included fish, potatoes, carrots, and fresh tomatoes. I discovered that Eva and I shared a love of wine, so we enjoyed a couple glasses on the patio while Lasse cooked a delicious meal. We ate on the patio and enjoyed the sunshine because it was the warmest day of the year. I truly understand why Swedes worship the sun when it is out. Eva and Lasse's youngest son, Niklas, came over later in the afternoon with his three-year-old son, Oliver. Niklas insisted on taking me to hang out with the "younger" generation, so we went to his house and his girlfriend came over to meet me. They were the nicest people and we had some good laughs over Niklas' homemade pasta carbonarra. I feel really lucky that I was able to meet some family and hear a few stories about the past. It was a great way to spend my second-to last-weekend in Sweden!

The trees were beautiful!

Eva and Lasse Andersson's cute house.

My wonderful family that I am so glad to know.

Life in Sweden...by the numbers

I'm not exactly a math genius, but here are a few statistics to paint a picture of my time abroad. I only have a few more weeks here, so I am in a nostalgic and reflective mood. Forgive me if a few calculations are a bit off...


89–the amount of days I am allowed to stay in Sweden without getting a visa, so my trip was planned around that strict regulation–February 1 to April 30 is exactly 89 days.
5,500–miles it is from Los Angeles to Stockholm. When I put it that way, I guess I really am far from home!
4–the number of GROW participants in Stockholm from February to April. Since we were all in the same boat and experiencing a new country, we bonded and became friends very quickly. From touristy visits to museums, beers at bars, boat rides around the archipelago, and lots and lots of laughs, we shared three months that none of us will ever forget.
25–approximately the number of visits I had to H&M while in Stockholm. What do you expect when there are four of them within walking distance of my office? I didn't dare calculate the money I spent though...
45–I haven't kept an exact count, but I am guessing this is roughly the number of work-related meetings I've had at Bonnier AB. That calculates to an average of three meetings per week. Swedes love having meetings, and it is even better when lunch is served because light beer is usually a drink option.
6–I will have visited six countries in three months by the time I get home–England, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Spain, and Italy. Whew!
100–number of times I wished for warmer weather and promised to never complain about "cold" days in California ever again.
-15C/4F–the coldest temperature I experienced while in Sweden; heck, it's the coldest I've ever experienced, period! It just so happened to be the night that I got trapped in an elevator in the metro station.
45–minutes it took to get released from the elevator that five friends and I were trapped in. I still have a hard time laughing about it.
2–apps for my iPhone I could never have survived without: google translate and oanda currency converter.
120 SEK–most expensive price I paid for a drink in Stockholm, which is equivalent to about 20 dollars.
3–in my wallet I have 3 different types of currency: US Dollars, Swedish Kronors, and Euros. See why I needed the currency converter?
0–the regrets I've had about coming to Sweden. I have to admit I was a bit nervous and unsure about coming to Sweden because I had no idea what to expect. From the cold weather to a new job, I was out of my element for sure. But I can honestly say that I have learned a lot in the past three months and experienced the world in an amazing way. I feel so blessed to have had this wonderful opportunity and I will always treasure and remember my time abroad!

I'm on a boat!

This past weekend I went on a two-night cruise to Helsinki, Finland. I've never been on a cruise before, so it was a great way to have the cruise "experience" and do some sightseeing in another country. The boat left Stockholm at 5:00pm on Friday and we returned on Sunday at 9:45am. After departing on Friday night, the duty-free store opened on the boat. Apparently in international waters you can shop at a duty-free and take advantage of much cheaper prices on lots of items, including alcohol. We bought some beverages and snacks and hung out in our cabin for a bit before the dinner buffet. After some major gluttony, we enjoyed drinks and dancing at the nightclub and disco. The next morning our boat docked in Helsinki and we were able to explore the city with the help of Riku as our guide since he is Finnish. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we were able to see lots of historical sights and squeezed in a visit to the National Museum of Finland. The second night on the boat included an air hockey tournament in the arcade, yummy tapas for dinner, and more drinks and dancing. Two super late nights equals me totally exhausted on Sunday, but it was well worth it. With only two more weekends left in Sweden, I need to make the most of every moment!

Getting ready to set sail with Kelly, Paul, and Riku!

Upenski Cathedral

Walking around the center of Helsinki

Spectacular Spain!

Last weekend I took a trip to Spain for three nights. I saw so many wonderful and beautiful things, and I don't think my words can clearly explain. Here is a slideshow of all my favorite pictures from my trip. My friend Dominic was in Barcelona while I was there, so we had some time to hang out. From La Sagrada Familia to Parc Guell to the Jewish Quarter in the old city, I saw it all! The sangria and tons of tapas only added to the amazing time. I also explored Girona on my last day in Spain and fell in love with that quaint city. I loved Spain!!!