Hej då Sverige

Goodbye brunch with our host students, Alexandra and Andreas... :o)

Soaking in the last night on the lake.

Goodbye dinner with friends.

Hugging Karlstads Universitet goodbye.

I don't even know where to start with this blog entry. As many of you know, I am leaving tomorrow morning to return to the States after 5 months abroad. 5 months. I still can't believe how fast the time has past. Sadly, because I am leaving tomorrow, I have experienced a lot of "lasts" this past week:

My last class,
last exam,
last choir get-together,
last host group get-together,
last sports class,
last futboll game,
last walk to the lake,
last shared meal with friends,
last run through the Swedish forest,
last church service,
last bus ride,
last fika on Stora Torget,
last walk to the University,
last time spent in the library...

and the list goes on.

While I know that my time here is quickly coming to an end, I still am having a difficult time understanding the reality of the situation. I have been so busy that I have not taken much time to simply sit and think and process what I am doing tomorrow...leaving.

But for now, what I do know is this: I can't even begin to explain how wonderful this experience abroad in Sweden has been. I have learned so much about...everything...about Swedish culture, my own culture, and myself. I would not trade this experience for anything, and to think that it is finished is mind-boggling. I can recall as if it were yesterday how I felt as I drove with my family to the Denver International Airport on January 11. I was nauseated knowing what I was about to get myself into. To think back on it now is almost comical. Of course it made sense at the time, but now I know I had nothing to worry about.

I hope that after I am home I can reflect a bit more on this whole crazy experience and share with you all some final thoughts--state-side. Until then, thank you all so much for reading. It has been fun to be able to share my "Swedish Adventures" with everyone from home and to give you a little taste of some of my experiences during my semester abroad. I look forward to talking with you all in person too!

Hej då Sverige. What a fun and exciting ride it has been!

Lauren

I Wasn't Kidding...

This was taken at about 2:00 am, when I first attempted to sleep :o)

Still up...3:00 am

I finally whipped out the eye cover-thingymagig at about 3:30 am :o)

And at 4:15 am when the party finally ended. I slept until 10 then next morning :o)

So, since it is the end of the year, and everyone has finished exams, there have been an obscene amount of parties lately....every night.....all night. I have the privilege of living in Triogatan 12, the infamous "party house", and while I enjoy socializing with everyone and hanging out for a while, I am usually ready to head to bed around 1. Some people on the other hand, like to stay up just a taaaad bit later :o)

So, all of this is to say that trying to get sleep the past few nights has been quite an daunting task, especially when you consider the fact that the sun doesn't ever seem to fully disappear for the night. One good thing that has come from it though, is that I have been able to capture some pictures of the progression of light through the night, so now you all can see that I wasn't kidding when I said it never really gets dark! These are just a few pics I took on Friday night, as I attempted to fall asleep...

Swedish Summer Sunsets

The golden sun reflecting off of one of the many trees in the forest.

The Lake.

Beautiful and peaceful x 100 :o)

Sunset!

We were happy :o)

Throughout the entire semester, all of the Swedes told us about the amazing sunsets in the summertime. At the time it seemed to be only a dream; not something that was actually possible.

We soon discovered that all of the conversations about summer weather and sun were a simple coping mechanism for the long, cold, dark, and dreary months of winter. And I have to admit, they worked. Now that summer has arrived, I can say from experience that the sunsets truly are like nothing I have ever seen before. They are simply gorgeous.

Besides the fact that I have a few buildings and a parking lot for my view, I also have a window facing West, or at least partially West, meaning I can enjoy the sunset from my room every night. It has been fun to watch the sunset as the winter and spring have come and gone. Now, although the sun sets every night, the sky never turns black, and at around 2:30, the sky reaches its darkest shade, a rich royal blue.

A few nights ago, Kim, Anja, Antje, Keilin and I decided to take a walk to the nearby lake to see the sunset. We left at about 9:15, and arrived just as it was about to dip below the horizon. We had clouds and rain the entire day, but for those couple of hours, the sky was completely clear. We stayed at the lake until around 10:45, when we decided to make our way back home. It was a wonderful way to spend one of my last nights here in Sweden. I'll never forget it!

Sunne

Selma Lagerlöf.

Beautiful flowers.

Sunne Kyrka.

GREEN!

There's nothing like wasa crackers and blue skies on a warm day!

Charlie's Angles.

Enjoying the view of Mellan Fryken Lake.

Just a couple of hours ago, I arrived home after a day in Sunne with Anja, Antje and Keilin. Because it is only about an hour North of Karlstad, it made for a great day trip! The weather was absolutely beautiful (we all got some sun to show for it!), and we were able to enjoy a relaxing day wandering around by the lake, enjoying the scenery, and soaking up the sun rays.

Considered to be the regional center of the Fryksdal Valley, Sunne is "beautifully situated on the water between Övre Fryken and Mellan Fryken." Över Fryken and Mellan Fryken are two long and narrow lakes in the region. Mårbacka, a residence just outside of Sunne, is the home to the famous Selma Lagerlöf, the first woman and first Swede to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909. She called the Fryken lakes the "smiling leaves" because of their beautiful natural surroundings, including glittering waters, flowering meadows, and dark forests.

We went on a "literary walking tour", which was fun and entertaining at the same time. We saw several places that Selma wrote about in her books, as well as places that she often visited herself, including a boutique and a milk farm :o) haha! Along the way, we took a nice break for lunch overlooking the lake, and trying to darken our wintery-white skin. After some more walking, we found a nice cafe to enjoy fika. It was a wonderful, relaxed, sun-filled day!

The days are quickly slipping away, and they are starting to fill up with everything from picnics to forest walks to final fikas and BBQs. But for now...I must study for my final Swedish Exam. More to come!

Lauren

Vättern Runt

This picture was actually taken at the very end of our trip, but I think it is appropriate because it best describes our little adventure without words :o)

Stop 1: Stjernsund. This is the view looking out from the Stjernsund Castle, which was built between 1798 and 1801. The entire lake is visible from this point on a clear day.

Stop 2: Vadstena. Vadstena is located in the province of Östergötland, and it played a significant role in the middle ages. Vadstena abbey church was opened in 1430, and there are still remains today. Through the town there are lots of fun little shops and a glass factory!

Stop 3: Ombergs hjässa. Omberg is a mountain....or hill :o)... with the highest point reaching 263 meters. Although it was raining when we first arrived, it soon stopped, and we made our way up the little trail to the top to enjoy this beautiful view!

One of many lovely views along the drive.

Stop 4: Rökstenen. This is a rune stone which was erected in the 9th century, and has almost 800 runes engraved into it. It is the longest rune inscription in all of Scandinavia. Most of the text has been translated, but a large part of it still remains a secret.

Stop 5: Visingsö. Visingsö is an island in the middle of Lake Vättern. It is often thought to be the most famous Swedish island. Legend has it that a giant named Vist threw a clump of grass into the lake to help his wife cross it without getting her feet wet. haha! In the past, it was an important island for previous Kings and Queens, but now is mostly known for its horses and beautiful scenery.

Our cabins in Visingsö! Cute!

A view from our cabin at about 11:45 pm.

Looking out from Visingsö toward Gränna.

Some ruins.

Hello Vättern! Crystal clear water!

Stop 6: Gränna. Gränna is a small town along the lake that is famous for its peppermint sticks! (Polkagrisar in Swedish) They were invented in this town 100 years ago by a widow, and have continued to be popular to this day!

Polkagrisar factory. Fresh!

Overlooking Gränna and enjoying fika.

Stop 7: Brahehus. These are the ruins of Brahehus Castle which was built in the 1640s right outside of Gränna in the province of Småland. This place had some incredible views...we didn't want to leave!

Sitting in a window soaking it in...

The view!

Stop 8: Hjo (pronounced you!) Hjo is situated along the West side of Vättern, and is called the "wooden city" because of its many old wooden houses. We stayed here for our second night, and our campground/cabins were right on the water!

Sunlight! Green grass! :o)

We got up at 2:30 am to take some pics...

And again at 4:00 am :o) Got to love Swedish summers!

Stop 9: Karlsborg. Karlsborg is an old military town with an old fortress which was built from 1820 to 1920. Also, the Göta Canal runs through Karlsborg. The canal is 190 Km long and goes from Vänern to Vättern, to the Baltic Sea. It has 58 sluices and is known as "The Blue Band of Sweden". It opened in 1832, and took about 20 years to build by hand. Whew!

Stop 10: Tiveden National Park. Tividen National Park is one of Southern Sweden's wildest forests, and contains deep valleys, rock fields, and several lakes. This was our last stop on the trip. From a starting point, half of the group hiked to the other side of one of the lakes, while the other half canoed. We spent some time on the beach relaxing, bbqing, and just enjoying ourselves before heading back. It was a great afternoon!

Enjoying the refreshing water.

BBQ!

Canoeing back! So fun!

Hej Hej!

On Sunday night I returned from a 3 day adventure around Lake Vättern, Sweden's second largest lake! In January, the International Student Organization Coordinators asked all of the exchange students if they would be interested in a culture/nature weekend toward the end of our time in Sweden. Fortunately, enough people were interested, and I have been looking forward to it ever since. I knew it would be fun, but it blew my expectations out of the water. We all had such a great time.

Lake Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, and the 5th largest in Europe. It is thought of as the "heart of an unusually beautiful, exciting, and adventure-filled cultural district." Over three days, we visited Stjernsund, Vadstena, Ombergs hjässa, Rökstenen, Brahehus, Visingsö, Gränna, Hjo, Karlsborg, and Tiveden National Park. At first we thought there might be too much driving, but our hosts did a great job of slpitting the drive up with various picturesque fika spots, and sight-seeing opportunities. Plus, the drive was very beautiful in itself; I would even venture to say that one of my favorite aspects of the trip was sitting the van, driving alongside the lake and soaking in all of the beautiful flower covered fields and greenery (siiiigh) :o).

As I have already told a few of you, this trip was the perfect last trip for my time in Sweden for multiple reasons. First of all, it was great to see and experience some of "traditional Sweden" that I had not been able to do too much of before. Secondly, I was able to see more of just how truly beautiful Sweden is. I have known it the entire time I have been here, but I continue to be surprised. The sunsets, the flower fields, the crystal clear water, the greenery; it is simply beautiful. Finally, I was able to spend my final trip with my friends that I have made this semester. There could not have been a better way to enjoy one of our final weekends together in the great land of Sverige.

One week from today, I have my final Swedish Exam. Two weeks from today, I will be stateside.

My internet service is going to be terminated on Sunday, but I will do some blog entries from the library just like I did during the cold short days of January when I first arrived. Where did the time go?!

I hope this message finds everyone healthy and well!

Hej då,

Lauren

The Family Came to Visit!

Family picture in Stockholm (not our first destination, but I figured it would be appropriate to start with the family photo :o)

Destination 1: Visby, Sweden. Visby is a medieval town on the island of Gotland located just of the Eastern coast of Sweden.

Our street.

Lots of red roofs!

One of many ruins in the sunset.

Destionation 2: Stockholm, Sweden. Changing of the guard at the Palace.

Experiencing the narrowest street in Old Town!

Nice view form Gamla Stan at sunset.

Destination 3: Oslo, Norway. (I was there for only 1 night, so you will have to ask the others to fill you in!)

Flåm railway through the Fjord region in Western Norway.

So much water everywhere! May is thought of as the best time to visit this region because of all of the water flowing down from the tops of the mountains. It was BEAUTIFUL!

The town of Flåm.

On the boat going through the Sonjefjord. Amazing. So amazing.

Approaching Bergen after a 5 hour boat ride through the Fjords!

Destination 4: Bergen, Norway.

May 17 is National Day, and we were there to experience it! This is at the parade...

Maybe one of the cutest scenes EVER. :o)

Bergen at sunset. This place is gorgeous!!! We loved it there.

Brother!

Destination 5: Karlstad, Sweden. Enjoying Fika with my friends in Stora Torget.

HAHAHAHAHA!

Walking around Karlstad at sunset...this is around 10:00 or so...

Tulips at Karlstad's annual Tulip festival!

Hej hej everyone!!!

Well, it now has been about two weeks since I have last written, but I have a good excuse...my family was here! Two Fridays ago, I met my slightly jet-lagged family in Stockholm's Central Station, and for the past two weeks we have been traveling through both Sweden an Norway! The places we visited (in order of the trip) were Visby, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, and finally good 'ole Karlstad. This afternoon they caught a train to Stockholm, and are flying out tomorrow morning.

It was so good to spend time with my family. I was just telling a freind that it was kind of strange in a way, because seeing them made me more homesick than I had been in the entire semester--even though they were with me. Ha. Talk about ironic! It was not bad by any means, I just had the feeling that I would be ready to go home in a few weeks, whereas before, I would practically tear up every time I thought about leaving.

So in the end, they came at a perfect time. Not only was it perfect for them to experience Sweden's beautiful "almost summer" weather :o), but the timing worked out great for me too. I now know that I will be happy to go home in a few weeks, but will also be sure to soak up every last minute of my time here.

I could go into detail about what we did in each city, but instead, I will let the pictures do the talking, and then we can all fill you in with the rest in person! I hope everyone is well, as always.

Until next time (don't worry, there will still be a couple more!)

Lauren