Swedes...

One of the hottest topics in Sverige this week was the birth of the princess Estelle.

It’s a funny topic for me to grasp, the royal family. To me it seems like such a story-book fantasy to have a king and queen… it seems almost unrealistic that they exist. Of course they do exist, in Sweden as well as many other countries around the world, and here I am experiencing one of the happiest moments a nation with a monarchy can have- the birth of a royal.

The new princess’s name has been a huge controversy. It is normal for Swedes to have two middle names and the princess is no exception; Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary. Apparently many people were bothered about the name Estelle, because it is not a very common Swedish name.

Things will finally be coming back to normal here in the next few weeks. The family has been traveling around leaving my schedule somewhat askew, being a full-time stable hand, dog walker, house-sitter and this weekend a babysitter as well.  Mira and I spent this weekend watching Harry Potter and eating candy, called Lördagsgodis (Saturday’s candy). That is a special tradition here in Sweden, every Saturday kids go and get to spend their allowances on candy. In the stores here they have walls full of tubs containing different types of candy, and kids pick up a bag and a scoop and pick whichever their favorites may be. It’s mesmerizing to look at… total Willy Wonka effect. I really like this, and it’s something I wish I could bring back to America with me,  I know my little brother would love it too. 

'Till Next Time

Holding Down The Fort

My week of freedom, the family has traveled to Gran Canaria for Sports Break!
Or not.
Actually even though the family is gone, there is still the poodle to walk and the horse to take care of, and other small tasks that need to be done. I have been a very busy girl on my 'week off'.

This week I made a trip to the dentist. That was quite a deal! I got a letter saying that I could go to the dentist for free since I'm under 18, so of course I took that opportunity! It was a fun experience to compare Swedish dentists to American dentists. First of all, this dentist office was way up on the 5th floor of this scrawny apartment building, (sketchy). When I finally made it up the stairs, I was not greeted by a receptionist; there was a big room full of chairs with one computer screen. I walked up to the screen and typed in my personal number and then sat down and waited. People came and went, and I just waited and waited. Finally, a lady came in and asked for Corianna. I got up and followed her through the portal to where I would be getting my teeth checked. There was a lot of hand shaking and introductions. Then they decided to take some x-rays and soon found that I have marvelous teeth.

"Bra tänder" "Mycket Bra" "Bra, Bra, Bra"

After about 50 other "bra's" I was free to go. I hesitated for a moment... I expected them to clean my teeth like American dentists but that didn't happen. Maybe that's why Americans have such great teeth!

Another interesting thing that I've done is going for a fika with two Mormon missionaries that I met on the bus. It's kind of a funny story of why I would be doing this but it was great! I've never met a missionary before and I was duly curious about their thoughts and work. The one that has been keeping in contact with me insisted that he told me the origin of the Mormon church, and I have nothing against learning so we made a date. It was really nice, as we were sipping our coffee we were casually discussing religion and what they have to do every day and then they were curious about my beliefs and what I do every day... it was a conversation-packed hour, quite delightful.

Other new things... I've officially booked my round-trip tickets home! I'm going back to Good Ol' 'Merica on June 13th! It feels wonderful to have a date picked out!

So, that's what I've been up to. Reporting to you from this (nearly) empty homestead in Helsingborg,

Corianna

Why Not?

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

If you were living in Europe as an 18 year old and you had easy public transport that could take you from country to country in a matter of an hour, would you take the train? Well, that’s what my friends and I did this weekend.

After a night spent dancing and singing away at a Valentines event downtown, we woke up the next morning to a fresh blanket of snow- another winter wonderland. Unlike the normal Sunday, where we spend our time sulking around and resenting the next day, we made a plan to travel to Copenhagen, Denmark. It took us a little longer than expected to get ready in the morning, but eventually we gathered in Helsingborg Central Station and waited for our train.  

Traveling with friends is one of the best things I can think of. Even if we didn’t have more of a plan than walking around and then eating at the Hard Rock Café, we had a great time. Even the ‘short’ train ride to Copenhagen Central was full of smiles and laughter. 

When we stepped out of the train station in Copenhagen, we soon realized that we didn’t have to walk very far to reach the one destination that we knew we needed to be, the Hard Rock Café. It was too early to eat so we just started walking. The first thing we stumbled upon was some sort of Arabic-held protest in front of an impressive building. We stood and watched that for awhile… it’s too bad we didn’t go and ask someone what was going on but it was still amazing to see these people brought together holding up big signs that had hearts and some Arabic writing, hear the chanting and the singing, it was great. 

Keep in mind, it’s a bit chilly here in Scandinavia. We kept wandering down the shopping streets eventually reaching one of the most famous areas of Copenhagen, -Nyhavn. I had actually been here before with my mother earlier this summer, and it was crazy how some places here were giving me such flash-backs! It was much warmer the last time I meandered down those streets.

When we reached the end of Nyhavn and glanced at the half-frozen water for a while, it was time to go back for our long-looked-forward-to dinner. 

On the way back, we ran into a huge candy store. Of course we went in, and the first things on display were a bunch of American items, like Milky Way, Reeses, M&Ms, Popcorn, Maple Syrup and Pancake Mix, Poptarts, Arizona Ice Tea, Mountain Dew, Vanilla Coke, Beef Jerky, and many other silly little things that I haven’t thought about in a long time but was happy to see them again.

We didn’t have to wait very long for a table, and very soon we were immensely enjoying ourselves with refreshing drinks and waiting impatiently for our delectable ‘Merican food. I treated myself to the whopping 10oz burger, and let me tell you that I was completely satisfied. What a great trip! 

Some Kind of Wonderful

I never could have imagined what a wonderful life I would have here in Sweden!

I have been inquiring about the possibility of attending Lund University, one of the top universities in the world, and earlier this week I received an e-mail saying that it is very possible that I may attend this institution without paying tuition next year! I have, of course, applied to Lund… but it will take a while before I know if I am accepted or not. I can hardly explain how exciting this news is to me, this was seriously an opportunity of a lifetime, this whole year.. the family I am working for, the friends I have made, the language I’m learning,  everything!

On Wednesday I took a trip down to Lund to hang out with Caylie and join in on a party that was mainly for people who were new to the university. It was a strange realization as we were socializing the night away that it was only Wednesday, when it truly felt like Friday. Lund is most definitely a student city, I think if I am accepted there not only will I get a great education, but I will also make a ton of friends and meet many interesting people. Anyway, of course since it was Wednesday after all, I had to haul it back to Helsingborg early Thursday morning and get back to work!

Something hilarious did happen as we were walking back to her room. Caylie and I were admiring some different buildings and we had stopped to look at a cute scene of a pond with a lighted-up sparkling tree in the middle of it when a guy on a bicycle came up behind us. He looked out of sorts and was quiet for a minute, Caylie and I exchanged glances and I asked him what was up. He said that he was cold and couldn’t believe that we weren’t, and then abruptly asked us “Don’t you like love? Don’t you like sex? Do you want to have sex?”’  We exchanged glances again and hurriedly shut him down. He shrugged and left, and the rest of the way home we girls laughed and laughed and laughed. This would happen to us…

This week was cool. Literally! It’s about -8 Celsius here and windy, that’s about 17 Fahrenheit. During these days when I take treks outdoors, such as going to the stables or walking to the bus stop, my cheeks freeze in one position, (usually a smile so I look like Barbie) and if I’m not wearing gloves and good shoes, then my phalanges go numb. I know I’ve witnessed colder temperatures before, but I think the reason why this chill is getting to me is because before, I never had to be outside for long periods of time! Most of the time at home, we just wait for the cars to warm up and then jump in and go!

For those of you who have been following my journey, you know that I’ve marveled at the water before. Well here I have to say things about it again. I love living by the water! This morning my friends Caylie, Erik and I took a walk outside on the coast, it was freezing but a must-do! It’s amazing to me to see how the ice forms on the ridge of the beach from the waves, it’s much different than ice on the pond. As we were scooting along on the slippery ice, I saw so many beautiful things, a pair of swans I mistakenly thought were clumps of ice, the endless sea and the sun bouncing colors of light off the rippling waves, it’s amazing.

'Till next time