Update for Maj

Can you believe I actually have my return ticket home? it still seems unreal that I'll be flying home soon. i will have to get used to speaking english all the time again. woah, weird!

Lately i have been doing homework, going to the gym, riding, meeting with friends. 2 weeks ago it was Vallborg which is a celebration of spring here in Sweden. i went to a friends house (with my friend/neighbor Josefin) we cooked dinner together and had a mysig (cozy time) the sun finally came out after a very rainy day so we went outside and enjoied the weather alter on.

Saturday two weeks ago, I went with Natalie to get her hair done, it was her confirmation. then we helped Monica clean/get food ready for the party with friends and family after the mass at church. it was a lot different than my confirmation, they performed a play and sang songs. then they change into white rodes and get a blessing form the father. then friends and family came to our house for dinner and cake. its actually a funny story with the cake beause i thought Natalie's grandma and grandpa had bought the cakes ( there were 4) because they were so good (typical swedish celebration cakes with merange cream, i forgot the swedish name for it.) i asked wehre they had bought it and he look really confused, turns out he made it himself! he used to work in a bakery. too bad monica doesn't have special talents in baking passed down from her dad. sunday i spent the day with my neighbor/good friend josefin. watching movies and soaking up the sun.

now it seems like everything is beginning to wind down. soon there will be get togethers for all the classes in 3rd year, getting ready for graduation/prom.

last weekend some of the other exchange students in this district were here for a little get together. we went aroudn teh fortress, around the town of barberg, had pizza and watched movies. it was fun to meet with everyone. there were 2 new people and they thought i was swedish! it was funny, i seem to be getting that a lot lately?

for a week my host family hosted 3 Mexican students. they were just traveling but they are a gorup of 25. first to italy then to varberg, sweden. it was definitely a full house here! but it was fun to havea different language and culture mixed with swedish and american! i was a little disapointed though, they didn't cook any Mexican food! the only thing close to mexican food that i have had here is tacos. Inte okej!

on may 10 at school for the Environmental club we had a clothes swapping event. student bring in used clothes he/she doesn't want and in exchange he/she gets tickets for another article of clothing! it was actually a great idea. one can get rid of old clothes, get new ones, and not spend any money at all! i will definitely take this idea with me to college. also, on that monday i ran in what is called Varruset, which is a run in Gotebog for women only. it has been going on for about 15 years now and they have goodie bags after your 5k run, and all sorts of things to do or look at. i just had to get a shirt to document the experience. i went with a good friend Maria and her mom, i had so much fun!

in school we are close to being finisehd. massage is winding down, i had many massages to give because we had our practice for 2 weeks, its really good training for me to get used to what it would be like working as a masseuse. But now i finally have my diploma and certificate, so i'm officially a massuse in Sweden! in my history class we had our guidening tour around varberg last wednesday (19/5) it was very interesting because some of the places we visited i have never even been to. it was also a test of my Swedish skills, because all students did the presentations in Swedish. i was really nervous to do mine but it worked out really well. i did the Kallbadhuset, which is a famous sauna/bath house for this town. Swedes are all about soaking up the sun, relaxing, and bathing (taking a dip) in the sea on a perfect summer day.

Last Friday (14/5) was JippoDagen, which is a day that all the 3rd years in school each have a theme for each class and get together grill out or cook food, then we meet the other classes in town to parade around in all the funny outfits. itw as a lot of fun but tured out to be a long day! my class was military folk. we met in a really nice forest and grilled out with hot dogs and hamburgers, it was a lot of fun!

now the weather is finally starting to feel like summer. i can go running by the beach in just a tank top and shorts and be perfectly lagom (in-between, swedes use this word all the time) yesterday was a perfect day! waking up to have a fika with a god friend/neighbor of mine, Josefin. then having a relaxing day and cooking lasx (salmon) potatoes, Great Brittan style, salad, and homemade ice cream for dessert! delicious. it stays light out till at least 23 00 now, it should get to 24 00 or something in july then starting in the morning light at about 4.. crazy!

this week i met Eva and Mats my first host family for dinner, we made lax (salmon) and look at the part of their sundeck that they are rebuilding its a big project but so worth it! it was really weird being back that their house because i havent been there since i moved. but it was nice to be back! i also got to see eva's new horse! hes so cute and all white! and the perfect horse for her. then i met with thomas and his family with my friend Alex from australia who is also my prom date. we had my favorite way of having chicken but i don't remember the name, hopefully i can get the recipe! this week im pretty much finished up with classes at school. i have a big project due for history on tuesday or wednesday next week. but, massage is finished and all the other classes are pretty much over also. i don't really have any tests because in swedish students take a national test (kind of like a final but on a national level) and its in all swedish and even though i understand some swedish to take a nationwide test would be really difficult.

Its's a little weird to hear about all of my friends back home graduating. its a little sad to know that the people i have grown up with are all graduating without me. but, then again i can only graduate in sweden once in my life so i better live it up while i can with the short time i have left! my parents get here in two weeks! i mean you always think of things happening but once it gets to being this close its just crazy to think about! i still can't believe i'm going home on the 18th of june! it will feel so weird to be back. there are a lot of different emotions going through my ehad as to how i feel about leaving and coming back to the life i am used to. once on is immersed into a bulture it takes a little hwile to get back to how things were. i just hope my family can bear with me through the hard parts of adjusting. i still can't believe it really has been a year that i have been gone. i can't help but wonder, what has change? will people look different? what will it be like speaking English and hearing it all the time? i think that now i have been speaking Swedish flutently it will be a little weird to go back to english i will definely miss hearing swedish it is sucha cool language! i wish more people in the world spoke it. mayb ei will meet som swedish people this summer? one can only hope.

yesterday i went sailing with my friend Josefin, she is actually an instructor so she has been doing sailing for a really long time. it was a little cold and i didn't have a wet suit on so i was hoping not to fall in. but we did get close a couple of times! i was with two guys my brother keegan's age, i couldn't believe how good they were at sailing! it was fun to just go out for a little bit. and the weather wasn't too bad!

today im going to town to help Alex my prom date, get his suit for prom, with about a week and a half left he still doesn't have it! this week i will spend with some friends and maybe take a picnic with my host family.

more pictures and updates soon!!

Latest Pictures

Påsklovet (Easter Break)

Can you believe it is April already??? Where has the time gone?

Well, my big massage test went really well. lets hope i did ok on it... im like 99 % sure I did. But it was all in Swedish so it was pretty hard. Fingers crossed! :D

Today is the last day before our week break, its like a spring/easter break. Yesterday they had a Påskbuffet in the matshallen (an easter buffe for lunch) its almost like the christmas food only they add påsk to it. for the swedish easter holiday it is not so much a religious holiday... its more like halloween with eggs added. but only really younger kids take part in going around to get candy and colorful eggs. i'm not 100% sure what i will be doing for påsk... for the kids my age it is spent with friends and parties. its not so much a family holiday with most people. so that is really different than in the US i thought.

being in my new family is great. this week has been pretty busy for all of us... its like when im out of the house the rest of the family is home and when i am home they are gone. so we have different schedules. its kinda funny but its good that we are all keeping busy. next week should be better because us kids have the week off. i will try to get pictures up soon!
it so nice being able to just ride my bike everywhere. although its not so much fun when its pouring rain and i get soaked but besides that its really nice not to have to worry about taking the bus or watching the time. :) ahhh i love it.

its so hard to believe this is my last family. sometimes it just catches me off gaurd that in 2 months ill be graduating and leaving sweden.. and that it has been a year. i wonder how different things will be back home? its so exciting and nerveracking and emotional at the same time.

did u realize today is april fools day?? i didnt know if they celebrate that here but on my facebook i wrote that i leave for the USA on monday (heehee) lets see how this goes? :) yay for April Fools day!!! and yay for wearing spring shoes and a spring coat finallyyyy!!!

Skiing and the beginning of spring!!!!

My trip to Sälen was sooo much fun!!! we went skiing everyday. i mean its not like the skiing in colorado but at least we got to get out and go ski! the cabin we stayed in was really really small and we all stayed in bunk beds in the same room. so it was a little crowded but fun nonetheless :)
we went for pizza one night and that was really good :) we went to an after ski.. which i have never been to before. but u listen to the band and have a good time. the time that i went apparently was a good after ski cuz it was really crowded and the people were standing on tables and yea it was crazy. my little host brother nils didn't really like it but i dont blame him he is 7 and the music was really loud! we went to tåndalen on some days which you go on this really long lift that takes u to some other ski hills/ski area. hundfjälet.. where we stayed is more for families and tåndalen is more for teenagers and the younger crowds. then we had to come back to reality and the annual musical festival was on tv... there is a european music festival in a couple months and this was swedens final round to send the finalist on to represent sweden. the girl that won i thought was really good. and the guy that one the music festival last year was from Norway.

Getting back in to the swing of things with school and being back with my friends is great. now i don't have any more trips or visitors for awhile so i just get to relax and hang out with my friends and enjoy my last few months here in sweden.

i cant believe its only 3 more months left.!!! i remember when i was saying oh wow ive been here for 6 months but now its like shit!.. i go home in june!

the spring weather is finally starting to come our way no more hats and gloves. coming here i have definately learned to appreciate the little things in life. like enjoying the weather and enjoying my time with friends and my host families.

speaking of host families... i move to town tomorrow!!!! how crazy is that! im sooooo excited!!! i live ten minutes away from school so i no longer have to take the bus! ohhh the luxury :)

on wednesday was the 100 dagars fest for school. can u believe less than 100 days till i graduate??!?! crazy! well there were not many people at the party but it was all people that mostly go in the same building as my form class so that made it lots of fun! and we danced the night away! it just sucked going back to school the next day... good thing i didn't start till 11!

School is getting really busy now i have a bunch of projects due before and after påst (easter) so im trying to finsih everything up! massage we ahve a big test next week. and a big project due for history and a project due for my swedish class. but i think i can manage :)

i have also been busy getting ready for college. can u believe i start college in august already!?!?! so crazy!

im very excited to get home and see everyone it will be a hetic couple of days once i get back.. hah grad party rotary club speech then leave for colorado. but i think i will miss sweden so much. ill be ready to come home but i have made so many good friends and family here it will just be so incredibly hard to leave it all. but lets not think about this yet.

today is a beautiful sunny day and i only have one class today!... film... then off to the gym and my girls night with hanna! its our last night together! i move tomorrow and she leaves for spain on monday!!!
i will get pictures up tonight!!

Sportlov and such....

(sorry if spelling and grammar is not correct in this, im in a hurry to write this before i leave!)

the week before sportlov tyler was ehre. it was sooo nice to have him here i think he enjoied the food :). during that week i had my practice for massage. i had 7 massages in one week! man was i tired! but i got an MVG which is the highest grade you can get. i start the B course (the full massage) in 2 weeks.

Sportlov is what the week break is called (directly translated its sports break)
during my holiday break i spent a lot of time meeting friends, going to the gym, going to a horse show and enjoying the soon coming spring weather.

last thursday I went Alinde andn her niece Elinaor to the Goteborg Horse show. which is an international show and the first one i have ever been to (well for that level of competing. there were no americans but i spoke with some people from Ireland, Scotland, and Great Brittian. It was so much fun and the exhibition hall was HUGE! Anything that relatede to horses you could definately find it there.

Friday I went with Christina and Hanna (host mom and host sis) to Asia Spa. which is a really popular spa in town. started off with a japanese style shower then the 5 different saunas with different flavored showers, ice rain and tropical rain. then the massage pool which had different stages of massages all in a pool then to the relaxing pool which was basically a huge hot tub. these pools were on the top floor of the hotel which is in the center of town. so it had an amazing view of everything and it was a perfect sunny day so relaxing and calming.

Saturday i went to oscars with my new aussie friend alex who is my date for prom. it was a fun night!
On sunday hanna and i baked the most delicious bread ever! i think im going to start to make my own cook book! after that i went to the kastberg family (my third host family) because i would be going to school with natalie (my sister) because i had no school monday :)
it was really intresting to see her school. because her teacher was from the US so he didnt know hardly any swedish. and he taught in english so it was fun to talk with him! she has about 16 kids in her class ages ranging from about 12 to 16. with the help of assistant teachers :) so they speak english and swedish in that class :) stuff i actually understand!

being back at school this week was nice! i go tto see all my friends and the thrill of catching up on my homework :) ohgoodie :)
but its not too bad actually. i was out early on tuesday and wednesday so i went to alinde with the horses at lindhovs we brought all of them in. marie (the owner of the barn) has some really nice horses!! jumping and dressage horses that she trains! so after we brought them in we decided to go for a ride. i rode a horse named bee :) it was difficult but i managed! it was fun :) wednesday we did the same... plus the feeding :) (marie was taking a well deserved vacation in spain for the week)

so mostly this week consists of working out at the gym (yes i joined atletica hanna persuaded me :) )
friday i met with a good friend of mine fanny because it was her birthday! i got her some jewerly and some american candy (i gave up chocolate for lent so i have to give away the candy i have so i wont eat it!) then i made dinner.. burritos i guess everyone loved them! i can cook its amazing!! haha ;) then hanna had some of her close friends over for a movie night. so we had some delicious goodies and popcorn and watched some movies :)

today my counselor came over to see how things are going in my new family then hanna and i are going to our box challenge class at the gym weeeehooo and before i head off to salen next week! im staying at the kastberg's house tonight because we are leaving early tomorrow morning to hunfaljiet we are going for a week of skiing and living in a cozy cabin :) ill be back next sunday!
i will update next week when i am back along with pictures! :D

Nya Hem (New Home)

I would just like to point out the fact that there are 110 viewers for this blog! wow I didn't know that many people were intrested in how life is in Sweden... Here is a tip for you all, Just come visit!!!

Back to the main subject at hand, I have now been in my new home for 2 weeks. I feel so comfortable with my new family, its like I have always known them! My room is in my host brother's room, he is in his older brother David's room. The room is really small so not all of my stuff would fit! But we managed and i was officially moved in within a week and a half. :)

I love Eva and Mats but I love my new family, i really do appreciate having a brother and sister, even better they are my age! hanna is a good friend of mine so we get along really well.

The food is really good, I have a T.V. in my room, and there is a little work out area in the house! (well a bike and some lifting equiptment) the house is pretty far out in the country so it is really quiet and it takes awhile to get to the bus, but it is a nice walk. There is sooo much snow here!!! I cant believe how much it has snowed, and before everyone said we would get absolutely no snow, now it just wont stop! woozers!!

This past week I have been sick with a sinus infection so i have not been able to do much but work on homework, watch movies, and sleep. sounds really lame and boring but its really the only things i had energy to do. I believe i came to the right house to get sick at. they take care of me so well and make sure i take it easy and eat the right foods to get better. Up to 4 cups of delicious tea everyday, lots of oranges and other healthy stuff that i cant remember. but also tasty! hanna and i share a lot of intrests, including food (some vegitarian and mostly really healthy stuff, and baking.. all kinds, bread muffins u name it!), we both like running, and yoga, some of the same music, tv shows (we watch the old OC episodes everyother day.. we are trying to finish all the seasons before i leave.. good goal huh??). Life couldnt be better. Ok well it could if my cold would just go away. I missed the 150 days (the countdown till graduation, the theme parties, this time is was T.. i was supposed to be a teacher) i missed a movie night with hanna and a friend of hers, and i havent seen my friends from school much. but lets not get stuck on complaining! this next week i hope to back in tip top shape on the bike everyday, going to school, and seeing my boyfriend tyler on friday!! Just in time for valentines day :) and in case you were wondering, yes there is valentines here in sweden.

so last weekend i went with hanna and her friend carolinea (spelling??) to goteborg to find hanna's prom dress! i think we walked allllllll over the entire city in search of the stores... only found 2 because the others closed by the time we got there. Once we were hoome we had to thaw out because it was so incredibly cold! but we managed :)

I cant believe this year is already half way over. im sooo excited to get home and see everyone but i know i will miss so much here. Especially the food! i really should start some kind of a cook book. no wonder the swedes are so skinny there is so much natural food! i love it ;) It will be exciting to go back to Steamboat in the summer and start college in the fall but i am also really nervous for the classes! the new surroundings and situation will not be too different.. it will basically be like this year only i wil understand everything!

before i forget i must mention that i met my uncle ricky and his friend john in copenhagen last weekend. it was really nice not to have to worry about planning anything.. all i had to do was just go with the flow and follow them around :) so i was well taken care of. it was nice seeing my uncle. and talking about everything back home. hopefully the economy will be better once i get back! but thats just positive thinking :)

i cant write too much today i have my history interview paper to finish and massage class to study for! test this week ( well last week really but i missed it cuz i was home being a sick duckling) hope all is well at home, stay warm, the winter is soon over!

xoxo

audrey

The pics... my host mom, my house...hanna's friend carolinea and i.. .copenhagen and my uncle.... how much stuff i had to move to my new house... my new room... me skiing in akulla... and my friend olivia.. the one standing. it was her birthday.. and my friend fanny (right) and emilee. (left)