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!!