Today..
It's 11pm and I am soooo bored, I shouldn't be the only night person in Växjö, right? At least it seems like I am. Should I go to bed then? Ahhhh I guess so. If anyone has great advice for how to get sleepy, don't hesitate. I might even stop complaining!
Cheers!
USA 2nd Ed.
So I will be going to the US for a second time this year to celebrate New Years in Park City, Utah. I'll be there 28 December - 6 January, and I cannot wait until I get there! And the best part? I'll be there with Chris, whom I befriended in New Zealand and spent a week with this summer in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.
So it drives me crazy knowing that in a month I'll be on the plane, going to a whole new place to meet a dear friend. I can't imagine a better combination than traveling with good friends. So I consider myself very fortunate, I'm counting the days!
So it drives me crazy knowing that in a month I'll be on the plane, going to a whole new place to meet a dear friend. I can't imagine a better combination than traveling with good friends. So I consider myself very fortunate, I'm counting the days!
You are my sweetest downfall
..and that's about it.
18th November 2012
In one month and ten days I'm off to Park City, Utah. Until then: study, study, and study. Cheers.
tearjerker
My head is spinning. I want to run. To breathe fresh air. To feel that I'm alive.
As so many times before, I am thinking about how much I need a spiritual journey. Call it whatever. A walkabout, perhaps. I need to get out of campus. Away from civilization. Leave Sweden, Europe and everything that I am used to. I want to learn new languages, learn new cultures and become more aware. Every now and then I ask myself the question 'what the hell am I doing right now?' and it is indeed a justified question.
When will I be able to take off to Tibet, India and Argentina? Volunteer in Bangladesh, and have a stormy affair in Italy? I can't help but smile because I know it will happen, one way or another. Although procrastination is one of my specialties, whenever I actually do set my mind to something I make it happen with great élan.
I want to get a backpack, go to the most deserted place in the world and find myself there. I want to bring all my clothes and give them away, work without anything in return. I want to learn true compassion and how to practice it. I want to meditate on top of a mountain, watch a sunset in every continent, dip my toe into every ocean and bake cookies to homeless children.
My head is spinning. I have so many plans, so many wishes.
Update
I've been terribly bad at keeping my blog going. Not that I have a thousand interesting things to write about, nor do I have heaps of followers, but just for fun I'm keeping this thing going.
First of all, my trip around the US this summer was just amazing! Seeing NYC, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and San Fran was a dream! No to mention all the reunions with Nick, Emma, Angel, Gretchen, Chris, Andy, Nichole, Alex, and Charlie. How insane is that? And it all happened in three weeks. Can you even imagine how exhausted I was by the end of it all?
After returning to Sweden, I started uni in a matter of days and I must say that I really love what I am studying. The second year of my program focuses on peace and development, which is the best part of it all. Looking forward to lectures, and finding new areas of interests for every day that passes by is.... I can't even describe it,. wonderful!
Elsewise, this year I'm celebrating new years eve in no place less than Park City close to Salt Lake City, Utah. So yes, two rounds to the United Stated within six months, I am one lucky gal! I'll be seeing Chris again, and I'll learn how to ski, I guess it'll be interesting and a bit embarrassing being a Swede not knowing how to ski. I might have to make them all believe that I have a polar bear as a pet to defend my "swedeness", or what do you think?
Needless to say, I miss traveling already and I cannot wait until I'm on that plane, knowing that I'm going to a new and exciting place to explore. Sweden is amazing, I guess it's just not my cup of tea, so to say.
And more? There's not much left to say about me. My life is pretty ordinary filled with studies, work every now and then and as many trips as I can possibly go on. My flatmate and I decided to get a third, so now we're three people living here which is nice! But life goes on in the same directions as before, I am single, uncertain of what will become of me, and schizophrenic when it comes to my taste in music.
However, I have spent more time thinking about what I want to do with my life, and even though it is all a huge blur I'm pretty certain I want to spend my life doing field work, the actual practical work in order to change societies to the better. Salary has always been a factor of importance to me, as I am taking loans for my studies. But in time, money becomes less and less important. I fully understand the value of money, however I don't count money in terms of power or fancy clothes, but in plane tickets and good food, and I guess that's what's been influencing my certainty of doing field work in the future. And I'm happy about it, because how could it not be more important to contribute to the world's development and it's inhabitant's improved living situations, than having a six figure amount on your bank account? It simply doesn't add up to me.
But of course that does not make me a non-materialistic person, I'm still a so-called "brand-whore" regarding certain things, and as so many people I too thrive for some things in my life to be of a higher value, e.g. my laptop.
Oh well, I just cleansed my mind a bit there. I'm going to continue my studies now. It's very interesting, but there's so much to read and understand.
Cheerio
First of all, my trip around the US this summer was just amazing! Seeing NYC, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and San Fran was a dream! No to mention all the reunions with Nick, Emma, Angel, Gretchen, Chris, Andy, Nichole, Alex, and Charlie. How insane is that? And it all happened in three weeks. Can you even imagine how exhausted I was by the end of it all?
After returning to Sweden, I started uni in a matter of days and I must say that I really love what I am studying. The second year of my program focuses on peace and development, which is the best part of it all. Looking forward to lectures, and finding new areas of interests for every day that passes by is.... I can't even describe it,. wonderful!
Elsewise, this year I'm celebrating new years eve in no place less than Park City close to Salt Lake City, Utah. So yes, two rounds to the United Stated within six months, I am one lucky gal! I'll be seeing Chris again, and I'll learn how to ski, I guess it'll be interesting and a bit embarrassing being a Swede not knowing how to ski. I might have to make them all believe that I have a polar bear as a pet to defend my "swedeness", or what do you think?
Needless to say, I miss traveling already and I cannot wait until I'm on that plane, knowing that I'm going to a new and exciting place to explore. Sweden is amazing, I guess it's just not my cup of tea, so to say.
And more? There's not much left to say about me. My life is pretty ordinary filled with studies, work every now and then and as many trips as I can possibly go on. My flatmate and I decided to get a third, so now we're three people living here which is nice! But life goes on in the same directions as before, I am single, uncertain of what will become of me, and schizophrenic when it comes to my taste in music.
However, I have spent more time thinking about what I want to do with my life, and even though it is all a huge blur I'm pretty certain I want to spend my life doing field work, the actual practical work in order to change societies to the better. Salary has always been a factor of importance to me, as I am taking loans for my studies. But in time, money becomes less and less important. I fully understand the value of money, however I don't count money in terms of power or fancy clothes, but in plane tickets and good food, and I guess that's what's been influencing my certainty of doing field work in the future. And I'm happy about it, because how could it not be more important to contribute to the world's development and it's inhabitant's improved living situations, than having a six figure amount on your bank account? It simply doesn't add up to me.
But of course that does not make me a non-materialistic person, I'm still a so-called "brand-whore" regarding certain things, and as so many people I too thrive for some things in my life to be of a higher value, e.g. my laptop.
Oh well, I just cleansed my mind a bit there. I'm going to continue my studies now. It's very interesting, but there's so much to read and understand.
Cheerio
Fairytale of New York
So I've been in New York for a few days now, since the 31st July. I've hung out with Gretchen and so far we've had a blast together, and I've realized just how much I missed her. It's hard to grasp when you're far away from each other, but now that we are reunited I never want to leave her side. I love my friend! I've also met Nick, Emma and Angel, three wonderful people whom I befriended in New Zealand.
Gretchen and I spent the first night at Nick's place, and the next two in a hostel right next to Central Park, on Upper West Side. It's very nice, although we're changing rooms every night we're enjoying our stay there, it's cheap and charming, plus it's a hostel, what can possibly go wrong with that?
Our touristing have been insanely intense, least to say. Yesterday alone we went on a morning walk in Central Park around 6:45 am. We later made our way to the Statue of Liberty (need I mention she's BEAUTIFUL?) and Ellis Island. We went on a bus tour around the city, walked down Wall Street, touched the bull (and its balls, of course). We met up with a friend of Gretchen's friend, had a few drinks and got a lift into Times Square where we went on to Madame Tussaud's. Oh Gosh, it ws so much fun there! We got to see a 4D movie as wellwhich was fun. After Madame T's we made our way back to the hostel. Well, we tried to. It took us about 2,5 hours after riding the right train but in the wrong directions, falling asleep in the Subway and walking on the wrong streets. After a very long time, a lot of cursing and Gretchen talking to herself for like 3 km we made it back to the International Student Centre.
Today we had a sleep in, got up around 7.15, had a looong shower (because we smelled since yesterday, without exaggerating) and now we're having breakfast at Starbucks around the corner. Next mission is bike rentals in Central Park, Museum of Modern Arts, Guggenheim Museum and tonight we're doing the Empire State building, sometime after midnight.
This was a very brief update, but there's more to come. I've got so many stories and about 850 pictures.
xoxo
Sunday night
U-S-A
Almost everything is set and done for my 3 week long trip to the US. This is my travel plan:
31 July: flying Copenhagen-London-NYC, meeting up with my lovely Gretchen at Newark airport, ready for a weeks shenanigans in the big apple.
6 August: flying from La Guardia airport to Chicago O'Hare, meeting my Dad, his girlfriend and my big sister Erica. Will be hanging out there a few days, then Chris is driving there to stay a day or to, then the two of us will go on to Milwuakee and Andy, and from there to Minneapolis.
13 August: flying from Minneapolis to San Francisco, where I'll stay until the 20th of August to celebrate a birthday.
I'm going to see a lot of cool places, but most of all I will see friends whom I haven't met for way too long, but I guess the fine part of living far away from your friends is never taking them for granted, you are well aware of how destructive it can be not keeping contact and doing everything you can to keep updated about them, AND it's absolutely amazing once you meet again. There will be a lot of happiness and love flowing in the air this summer. Loving it.
Ten days to go, I'm counting.
Dressy
Found the most amazing dress at Zara today, and despite the fact that I am going to the US in a few days I bought it, it had my name written all over it.
Life
So it's summer by now, and life's going by faster and faster, it's almost sliiping out of my hands. At least it feels like it from time to time. It's alomst a year since I came back to Sweden after living in New Zealand for one year, at still it feels unreal to be here, and not down there. I'm still getting used to it, I suppose.
.....
As I'm looking back on my life, I can't say I'm not pleased. I fulfilled my life long dream of moving abroad when I was 18, three weeks after graduating high school. I had the time of my life, and since January 2012 I've travelled a lot, I've seen New Zealand, Prague, London, Samoa, Amsterdam and the list goes on. And this summer I'll be spending three weeks in the US exploring NYC, Chicago, Minnesota, and San Francisco. I love travelling, and what I've done and seen the past 2,5 years is more than I've ever dared to dream of.
.....
I'm now living at my Mom's place down south in Sweden during summer. Just a week and a half before coming here I moved into a new apartment with a friend of mine, and even though I miss my new home so much it doesn't feel too bad being at my Mom's place either, being able to spend time with her as well. While I'm down here I'm working until I go to the US, which feels amazing. I love having a job, and even though I'm still new and have a lot of things yet to learn, I like it! Never did I think I'd work under such intimiate situations with people, but in the end it's not what I thought it was. I'm helping older people in their everyday life, and I feel really good about it.
......
I'm continuosly changing ever since moving to New Zealand, and right now I'm finding it hard to grasp where I am. Not geographically, of course, but metaphorically speaking. Where am I? What do I want? What do I want to be when I "grow up"? All I now right now is that I want to travel. I sometimes think that I will never be happy until I'm back in New Zealand, but would going back there stop the urge to keep moving? I guess it wouldn't.
.....
Anywho, I can't decide on where I am in life right now. I still have a lot of work to do with myself. I'm currently trying to become more approachable which I know I've never quite been, and perhaps even more open. I also need to figure myself out, before I can try to figure my life out. But in the end, I am happy with things as they are now, and I can only hope that I someday soon will find my way back to figure out what I wat to do with my life. We'll see how that goes!
Flea market
Picture
Canon EOS 500D 18-55mm
Ego
The blog consists, nowadays, mainly of pictures of myself. Yeah, but as I don't feel like writing just as much as I love using my new webcam, it's simply the most logical outcome. Cheers.
Only a few days left in V-town!
On Sunday I'm heading off to Ängelholm, but I'm leaving Växjö already in Saturday afternoon, which feels kind of sad as I will not be back until late August. At least I have the whole summer planned with work and travels, so that's always something. My flat mate, Cornelia, went to bed a while ago, and I will too in a few minutes.
