Fall is in the air

I've finally gotten around to posting about my post-departure adventures since I have arrived here. It's officially been two weeks from Saturday that I arrived here in Norsholm...and I can't believe it is already September! In these last two weeks, I have watched late summer slowly turn into the beginnings of autumn as the breeze is more crisp, and the morning and evening air is a piercing cold that doesn't accompany the smooth, summer breezes. That's not to say that we still aren't experiencing our fair share of beautiful summer-like weather. The report this week is projecting sunny skies (other than today) and temperatures upwards of 75 degrees (Farenheit)! We are happy for that. I have already experienced the ups and downs of moving to a new place and settling in. My first challenge was an old friend that arrived who always seems to come and keep me company when I have just moved somewhere new. This is the same friend that visited me the first three weeks of school at Willamette freshman year, and the same friend who payed me a visit during my first two weeks while settling into my life abroad in Uppsala....this is the friend who makes me sick. Not just a simple throat cold sick, but rather a full fledged fever, soar throat, runny nose, and this time the ever loved nausea and throwing up. I think I had a 24 hour bug as my first Saturday here I was in bed all day. I caught a nasty cold as well that lasted about a week and a half. I know that picking up and moving is both emotionally and physically stressful, but I was hoping I'd be spared this time. Luckily the worst of it only lasted about a day and a half and I have since recovered. In the mean time, I have taken to exploring both Norrköping and Linköping, trying to take some university classes (to no avail), playing with Valter and going on our daily afternoon walks through the country side, making home made apple sauce from the apples we picked, attempting to master a wonderful bread recipe, mushroom picking, and going to Stockholm for the weekend this past weekend.
Stockholm was great. We had a lot of fun, and all of us were eager to get away and see something new.....the big city. On both Friday and Saturday Anna-Carin (my host mom), Valter, and I spent our days walking through the city and strolling through small shops as well as big name stores. We met Filip (my host dad) for lunch on Saturday after an intensive fitness test to get him ready for the NYC marathon in November, and then we headed to meet with their friends for dinner that night. We stayed with Filip's eclectic and outgoing sister who we sadly weren't able to spend much time with. Sunday morning Anna-Carin, Valter, and I walked around the famous Söder (Girl with the Dragon tattoo, most notably) and then went to the Fotografiska museum where they had three beautiful exhibitions of very different kinds of photography. I'd been there once before, and I love it every time I go. We then met up with Anna-Carin's friend from university for a thanksgiving style hotel all-you-can-eat brunch where we ate so much it was painful to walk, and we weren't hungry for a solid 4 hours after. The food, as you can tell, was delicious, and we kept going back for more. We then drove home, ate a light dinner, and finished the night in our onesies (well, Anna and I), drinking tea, and watching our new favorite series....Broadchurch.
So far I've made two friends in the area who are also au pairs from Germany and Austria, and we've planned to meet up again this week with more au pairs in the city possibly to watch soccer, or enjoy a fika. Soon I start Swedish class where I will begin a daily routine of going into the city, going to class, and hopefully meeting some more people....not to mention learning some more Swedish!!

Pre-Sweden post

It's that time again.....I've gone back to school, graduated, and now it's time to come back to Sweden for an entirely different, just as rewarding, adventurous endeavor. Instead of studying and attending lectures, I will be actively engaging my mind by stimulating the mind of a one and a half year old little boy named Valter. I am excited and overjoyed to have the experience to come back and live in authentic Sweden, that is, a Swedish household where I can put my Swedish to good use and practice. For those of you who don't know what I am referring to, I will be arriving back in Sweden shortly to live and work as an au pair for a minimum of 6 months (with the likelihood of staying longer). I wasn't sure in what form my journey back would come, whether it be for work or for furthering my education at grad school. It all begins in just a few short days on August 14th. Much has happened in the two years since my semester abroad, but I am in a chapter of life where I am thirsty for a fresh start and a new beginning. To "pull up from my boot straps" as they say and start over. I'm searching for a time to reconnect with myself and further understand the complexities of the human spirit. Quintessential post-graduation-life crisis? Maybe. But also a time to pick up the pieces of me and begin to connect them back together, a time to fall back in love with, well, me.....and Sweden, of course. However romantic it may seem to be an au pair in a foreign country, everything comes with it's own set of challenges, and this one doesn't fall short. My introvert nature will be challenged with the overwhelming notion of meeting new people and making new friends, rather, establishing a new community for myself from the ground up. Studying abroad didn't present quite a daunting task as this since it was a preformed group of students with forced interaction activitites, much like freshman orientation at Willamette. Not to mention, I was in a higher learning environment with most of the students within the same age cohort. This, on the other hand, is more "real life" since I must seek out my own relationships rather than have them conveniently presented in front of me, a task I know I am not entirely skilled at. I will also be in a situation where I am not only responsible for myself, but for the safety and well being of a small child, so my days will revolved around his needs, and my actions need to reflect those of a role model. Additionally, it is a new city, and a new way of life, lots of changes in a short amount of time, but nothing that isn't impossible to undertake. I am excited and blessed to have an experience that will only enrich my life and help me to keep growing within myself.

LOVE

Woops! I missed yesterday!! Here is my quintessential valentines picture. Strawberry, poppy seed pancakes (yes they are in the shape of a heart, I think our cook thoroughly enjoys cooking for a bunch of girls), my valentines from my students at the elementary school, and my coffee cup complete with a heart, thanks Starbucks.

This is about as Valentine-y as it gets.

Hello!! I'm back! Photo challenge

Ok, so it's been a long while since I've posted. I've been back in the states, and to sum it up, it's been a hard transition. Remember when I said that I had fallen in love? Well I did...with Sweden. Everyday I do a little something to remind myself of the home and happiness I created while I was there. Listen to Swedish radio, read the newspaper, talk to my dad in Swedish, drink Swedish coffee, teach people here the art of fika, it's a perfect way to bring Sweden home with me.

In the meantime, I'm starting a one photo a day or maybe one photo a week challenge. Here's today's. My mom sent me flowers for Valentine's Day, a holiday I'm not so fond of, but when it comes to my parents, it's not all that bad. In any case, here are the beautiful flowers that made my day!