Två Månader

Well, it has been just over two months since I arrived in Sverige and my parents are curious for another update. I remember the first week quite vividly, and the rest is beginning to blend together. Here are some thoughts about my time so far:

When I arrived in Sweden, I didn’t suddenly see drastic differences between Swedish and American culture. I am not really able to define what Swedish culture is, but here are a few things I have noticed. Swedes are very friendly people, but from what I have seen, not terribly outgoing with strangers. Once you get to know people, they are wonderful, but initially, they won’t usually run up to you. This has been a bit of an adjustment because I am pretty quiet, but it is good for me to work on reaching out to people and not waiting for others to do this.  This may be a generalization, but just what I have noticed. Swedes are very punctual people. They also seem to be very busy and time is very important.  I have mentioned this before, but Swedes are way more fashionable than Americans. People dress up much more for school, but also on the weekends. This is quite interesting but also a tad stressful.

-School: School is going pretty well. I have more free time than I expected, compared to American high school, where it seemed time was very structured. I also don’t belong to a specific class and take a combination of classes with second and third year students. This is both good and bad. I am meeting more students, but it also means that my schedule isn’t really that organized. I am officially enrolled in some courses, but others I just show up at and observe. Maybe after winter break, I will see if I can just follow the third year students, which would provide a bit more structure. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I have around two hours of free time each day. I have been trying to take advantage of this time to study Swedish, but sometimes this is easier said than done. On Thursday and Friday, I have more structure. I belong to the aesthetic course of study at my school, and I have learned that that is one of less demanding courses of study. Students can chose to take additional classes outside the track since there are more free periods. I am enjoying trying the art track because I never did art in high school, but I do miss rigorous science, literature, and history courses. If I were a Swedish student, I think I would choose the natural science track. Even so, sometimes it is difficult enough to keep up with instruction in the classes I am taking now, and it is nice to be able to process my notes and lessons, and not have to worry about struggling through a great deal of homework. I am satisfied with my experience. School is important for me to attend. My favorite class right now is musikal rehearsal. I have never participated in a theater class, but I think I like this the best because I actually have a role in the group. I don’t just observe. We found out a few weeks ago that we would be performing the musical Ringo. It is a Swedish work about a girl who becomes a famous singer, but more than that it has to do with relationships. Naomi and I have our own scene. When Ringo becomes famous, we have a pretty hilarious scene as TV personnel, who present her to the world. The scene happens to be in English.  I had no idea I would be given a role, and even if it is quite small, I feel a part of the group. Later on, I may have a few smaller roles as well. We perform in March, and right now we have read through the script and are now meeting with local professionals who are helping us with lighting, costume, makeup, and cinematography.  I never would have done this back in the US.

-Language: Swedish is coming along. I find I am understanding a great deal, but now the challenge is trying to actually speak it with peers and my host family. I think it would be easier if everyone only spoke Swedish, but as it happens my host parents are nearly fluent in English, and my friends are too. It is easier for both parties to speak English, but I need to force myself to speak Swedish. I can study Swedish as much as I want, but the real progress is when I can speak with less effort. It is scary to speak in a language I am not comfortable with, and I am learning not to take myself too seriously; it would just be miserable if I did. I think I am making progress, but I know I need to work harder to speak the language.

-Friends: Despite my inability to communicate that well in Swedish just yet, I have met some nice people. At school, I feel most connected to the third year students who are in the musical with me. They are either in the theater, art, or music track. They have been very kind and welcoming.  We often start the mornings with card games, including one the named “Gunilla.” I am not sure what the real name of the game is, but I think it is a bad word. It seems groups of friends often depend on what track in school you are in. This is because students attend most classes together, and they sit together at lunch. In a way this is nice, but also means it is a bit difficult to meet people outside my program. I have been meeting people at youth group as well. Besides Naomi and me, there are exchange students from Germany and the Netherlands. I see them in Swedish lessons every week and it is nice to talk to them, but it is also good for me to meet Swedish people as well. About once or twice a month, I also see people from my entire district in Sweden (around 30 people). Next week we are spending a week together at a conference in the coastal city of Varberg. We are staying in a hostel that was a former prison, so we get our own cells. Naomi and I decided that our Rotary district does a good job of planning activities. We are very grateful.

 -Mood: I have noticed I am quite content and happy in Sweden. When I have a great deal of free time combined with being tired, I sometimes get a bit uncomfortable. I am never unhappy, just not in a good mood. I try to study my Swedish during these times and I am usually quite productive. Some days I am busier than I was back home, but some days I am not, and when that happens I feel a bit anxious that I might be missing out on something or that I should be doing something. I think it is engrained in us that we need to be busy from morning until night, and in reality that isn’t necessarily realistic or even what is best. I find that when I get enough sleep and make sure to take walks or go on runs, I am in a much better mood.

-Family: After two months, I feel very much at home in Sweden. My host mom is very much like my mom back home. My host parents involve themselves in what we do in school, and make sure Naomi and I are happy.  I haven’t been doing as much baking as I did back home, but I feel comfortable going into the kitchen to bake, if the "kök" isn’t being used. To me, this is a good indication that I am comfortable. Recently, another exchange student from the Netherlands came over, and we baked delicious kladdkaka, which translates to sticky cake. It is very similar to brownies. A while back, I made snickerdoodles, and a few days ago, Karin requested I make them again at some point.

-Getting Involved: I am finding activities to fill my time besides skolan. I am enjoying youth group and volunteering with the scouts.  Every Wednesday, Naomi and I get picked up after school, and drive up the windy, wooded hill, to the village church/little youth building. We meet with about twelve children. We sing songs and then do a scouting activity. Last week, the kids had to build a shelter from things in the woods, in case the ever got lost in the woods at night. The results were impressive.  I try to help as much as I can. Sometimes I don’t do that much, but I am absorbing and trying to communicate in Swedish. I have also enjoyed youth group with people my age down to people who are fourteen. It is at the same place, every other Thursday. We meet, play games, and then gather together, talk, and sing songs. It isn't super religious, but more of a time for personal reflection and community. The church is a ten or fifteen minute bike ride away, and if the weather permits, we bike with our neighbor/host cousin/friend Louise. It is a lot of fun, but we have to make sure the bike lights work since we leave when it is dark. The road is quite small and few cars go on it. I hope I don’t cross paths with en älg/ a moose!  

I have found that some of my favorite times are when I am going on walks or bike rides in my village, either with friends, or by myself. Last night, our host cousin and friend Louise walked over and we went on a walk at night on a small road I had not yet explored. I will be back. There is something almost spiritual about slowly meandering along a curvy road, surrounding myself in the fresh, crisp air, gazing above at a few bright stars at dusk, or the changing trees in daylight, and listening to the comforting sounds of cows grazing in the hilly meadows nearby. If it is a bit chilly at dusk, and you pass the meadow, you can see the cows exhaling slow, easy breaths. Many people might prefer the excitement of a city, but I enjoy the peacefulness of starting and ending each day among the trees.

Evening walk

Naomi and me during a bike ride with our friend Maria