Everyone-ish is in Rome

Yesterday I had one class and there were only 2 other people in it (Debbie and Paula). We talked about Africa since the library was closed and we couldn’t check out books or go on computers. Then, Debbie pulled out her laptop and we watched a show called “Outsiders” which documented three elderly Finnish sisters who married 20 year old men in Africa because they wanted to have a “love adventure” and the men wanted to leave their country so that they could be richer. It was pretty freaky.

We went to McIncredible after the documentary and talked and then I went home and slept for a million years.

BTW, you all need to be watching the new Fox series, Sleepy Hollow. It’s like Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, and CSI all mixed together.

Today I had a field trip to some sort of Astronomy museum. My science teacher was really excited about it, so she convinced my Svenska 3 teacher to skip teaching class so that we could spend more time there. The science teacher ended up coming a half hour late with an excuse given in rapid Swedish. The museum was alright. I saw a fake fetus in a jar and a three legged pigeon in a jar and a two-headed snake. I was going to take pictures, but I forgot the memory card in the computer, so I’M SORRY.

Then I took Mickayla back to school and we went to music class. Marcus Markus Marckus was there and he said that we get three more days to rehearse, THANK GOD.

I went to Dorren’s oppen hus, and it was nice. There was a really confusing skit done in Swedish that consisted of a man in a dress, a girl in a playboy bunny costume, and an angry girl who screamed “I’M BLACK AND PROUD,” even though I’m pretty sure she was middle eastern. I accidentally stumbled into an oriental dance class, and they made me dance and the only thing I could do was the figure eight thing with my hips and the sexy walk. I’m hopeless at shimming and booty shaking, so it was really embarrassing. Anyway. Let’s not dwell on that. I hung out with Hanna and Rhoda and it was nice and I really like them and I’ll be joining the Dorren choir as well as the photography class and so that should take up some of my time. HOORAY!

I really like Gamla stan, so I’m glad I’ll be getting to spend more time in it.

OH, I almost forgot to tell you this story! My friend Paula told me about how she has this 32 year old boyfriend, and the way that they met was she was on the subway and she smiled at him because he was hot and he smiled back and when she got off, he followed her and was like, “I’m sorry, this is weird, but I really want to talk to you. Can I have your number?” and so she gave it to him and later they went to a cafe and ever since then, they’ve been dating for over a year. Literally love at first sight. Crazy stuff.

I scowl at attractive men because how dare they be so attractive? Makes my eyes hurt. All the boys here are so stylish, I know I’m going to be disappointed when I get back to Wisconsin where everyone is colorblind and wears basketball shorts and doesn’t brush their hair.

Okay. yeah. Today was good. I had a cinnamon bun for lunch and it made the rest of my day sweet.

A Rant and an Update

Ohmygoodness. Every time someone asks what country I’m from, and I say America, they go “Well, there’s more than one America, you know ;)”

No. NO THERE ISN’T. You asked me what country I was from, and I told you the shortened version of the name of my country. The USA is the only country with the name America in it. You didn’t ask me what continent I came from, you asked me for my country. This isn’t about being politically correct, this is about you being annoying.

Someone said that we need to call the USA the USA instead of America because saying America makes it sound like we think we’re better than everyone, and we need to break that stereotype.

Here’s a nifty tip: Be a nice person, and do kind things for people, and then when they ask you where you’re from, and you say “America,” they’ll think, “Gosh, that American was a really nice person. I guess not all of them I giant jerkwads! In fact, I should like to visit there someday, because I enjoyed this person so much and they represent their country so well, that it sounds like a dandy place to go.”

So, yeah. People need to get over themselves.

Moving on. 

Yesterday no one talked to me and that was great. Then I got a migraine and slept for five hours and when it was time for bed I couldn’t fall asleep until two, so I was tired and grumpy all day today.

I’m a full-fledged vegetarian from here on out. It’s been going great so far. It’s just the smell of fried foods that kills me sometimes. Must. Resist.

OH, wait, that was a lie. I went to a Rotary meeting yesterday, and they talked to me. They’re looking into getting me more than one host family, which is nice, because perspective. Also, I waited outside Dorren for 20 minutes, and my rotary contact didn’t show up, and when I called her, she said that she left through a different door and didn’t see me. So, there was that.

Today I had music class and Sandra decided we needed to change the melody. And I was put in charge of that for some reason. And it’s due on Thursday. And I sing with the rhythm of an unevenly loaded washing machine, so I can barely sing the song as it is. Cool.

Then we had SFF and the teacher was gone, so I sat downstairs and got to know the older, more mature kids in the class, and they’re all pretty great.

Then we watched a documentary about Hang Drums in Religion, and for the second half of class the teacher was at a Dr. appointment, so we went to the computer lab and I studied Swedish.

Then we had the Club Fair and I signed up for a book club, a creative writing club, and a film critic club, because I love to participate when things are organized and there are more than 3 members in the club, and I don’t have any secretarial responsibilities.

Then we had a class photo, and I’m pretty sure I blinked in each shot.

Then I went home and my hands were white because it’s FREEZING outside.

The End.

Can you tell I’m still hung up on the America thing? Ugh. It just really gets to me.

I think this might be their excuse for a corndog. Hank would be very disappointed.

I feel like a Swedish peasant when I hang out in Gamla Stan

this is the pretty courtyard

Me waiting

Sonja on the royal steed at that museum I went to a few posts ago

I’m really bored

I’m so bored, you have no idea. I’ve been playing dress up games for the last few hours and Astrid is busy watching a dance competition she’s missing and my host parents are at a party and Saga and Hugo are gone?? And I just really wish my friends were here so that we could hang out because I’m so lonely.

In other news, we have a babysitter coming tonight? My host dad’s sister is coming to keep an eye on us at six and she’s sleeping over so that we don’t burn the house down or something. That’s what they told me anyway.

I wish something would happen!

Titling these is super hard, you have no idea

Philosophy = I don’t know what happened, but I saw Cecil Baldwin’s full arm tattoo and was super disappointed. Jonatan said it might me a Satanic worshiper thing though, so I guess I can always pretend it’s something scary and cool. I don’t know, it was like a pitchfork in a circle?

Svenska 3= We read poetry about death and then I translated one of the poems and had to write a super detailed and disgusted essay on something that happens in my daily life. Mine was a really surreal piece about waiting for the train in the rain. I didn’t read it aloud because I was embarrassed by how freaky it was.

Lunch = penne noodles and hamburger?

Natural Science = nap time because I couldn’t remember my password for the school computers

Music Class = I still suck at music, but Rickard was just as hopeless, so I don’t feel too terrible. They wanted me to stay after school and teach him how to harmonize though and I had a thing, so I recorded me singing the song with the piano so that he can figure it out on his own this weekend. I really hope he pushes the due date up to next thursday. We are soooo not ready.

Break = I went home and had a meltdown because the internet wasn’t working and I couldn’t figure out where to go to meet my rotary contact and I ended up getting there a half hour late and ughhhh.

Dorren = That’s with a swedish ‘O’, to be clear. I hung out with a girl named Hanna (Hannah?) and a guy named Oscar (Oskar?), and Hanna and I watched Oscar edit photos for an hour, and we talked and ate sandwiches and drank tea and it was a grand time. Then Christal picked me up and we went for vegetarian food and IT WAS THE BEST, OMG! I’m so tired of meat, this was a blessing! Then I forgot my phone charger so I went back and hung out with Hanna  and Oscar some more and then we all went to the train station and here I am. What a day. I want to go back to Dorren because those kids were really cool and I like them a lot and they listen to good music and the photo editing was really interesting and yay!

Dr. Livingston, I Presume?

Today our english teacher asked us if we had any news about Africa. Va? Really? No one answered him because that’s such and obtuse question, and he got all upset that “none of us had done any research”. He went on to tell us about how some Swedish missionary just died ‘over there’ and if we knew who he was. I don’t think Swedish missionaries are exactly “news about Africa,” but okay? None of us did and then he asked us if we knew about Dr. Livingston. No one was talking, so he told us about how this dudebro got lost in the wilderness (still not sure where exactly, but I guess that’s not important to the story.) and when someone found him, they said something famous… what could those words be? hmmmmm I wonder…? No one was raising their hand so I did, and the teacher was like “THANK GOD” and I was like, um, these kids didn’t know who Livingston was, and they speak English as a second language? Why would they know those magical words?

Anyway, we went to the library to “Research Africa” and I read some short African horror stories about kids getting tricked into terrorist plots and some boy getting tangled up in and exsanguinating to death in some barbed wire. I think I’ll probably write about Rwanda or something. It’s not due until October, and it’s only a two page long paper, so I’m not too worried.

I took a nap on a bench. Probably drooled a little, but I was face down and my hood was up, so it’s all good. We had a two hour wait before going on a surprise field trip during E-Block to the King Christina exhibit, so I made the most of it and got some rest. The exhibit was alright, and probably pretty informative if you spoke Swedish and could understand the tour guide. I felt like any minute I was going to time travel back to the 1650s and that would be my YA character power, but no. So because that didn’t happen, I guess my favorite part was when we got to wander off on our own and I found the dress up section. There will be pictures, but I’m to tired to upload anything right now. Check back later.

Alright. So that was my day. I made pancakes for dinner and it was only Hugo and I eating tonight, so we ate all the bacon and got two giant pancakes each and it was heaven.

How To Be Awkward: a guide

I just really don’t know how to make friends? Like I don’t want to appear clingy? But I also don’t want to appear standoffish? And so today when we were walking to lunch, I was waiting for Farida and then she was waiting for someone else at one point, and I just kept walking and then I got in the lunch line before them, and I didn’t know where to sit, so I ended up sitting with kids I don’t usually talk to, which I suppose is fine, but it felt weird and then when we were on the bus they were all talking to each other and I didn’t know if I was a part of their conversation, so I just stayed quiet and ugghhh. I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT ENTAILS. okay? I’m really into run on sentences if you hadn’t noticed.

Gucci has a cone on her head right now because she got in a cat fight and her leg got ripped open. She’s very sad and very noise and likes it when you scratch where the cone sits and I don’t know if I could handle Sneakers having a cone on his head because I feel bad enough for Gucci and I don’t even care that much about her in the first place.

That sounded cold. I care, but she’s not mine. I guess I have compassion for her. There. Compassion.

Cecil Baldwin saw one of his attackers on the subway so he took a few pictures of him, found a student who witnessed the crime, and they’re going to go to the police station together to make a report. HOORAY FOR JUSTICE! In other news, religion is interesting, but I can’t understand anything, only look at pictures. Astrid translated the pages about Ethics for me, so maybe I’ll learn something yet.

Question: when the college website says that I need to take at least five classes my senior year, do they mean that I need to pass five classes my senior year? I’m very stressed out about this.

I’ll have the music video ready for you guys next thursday. Wish me luck! (say: Lycka Till!)

Sorry I’m behind on updates again!

I’m on the fifth row of Abby’s baby’s blanket, and I think I might actually be able to finish this thing! My new goal is to do five rows a day. I want to have it done before Christmas so that if she has her baby early, she’ll have the blanket in time.

That wasn’t about Sweden, but I’m very proud of myself for learning how to crochet, so I wrote it down to show off. Moving on.

I’ll show you the pictures first for a nice little change up.

Lunch time! I’m totally missing circle tables!

Not my lunch, but this is what was served. It’s gyro meat and rice. Apparently the Swedish school invented this meal because it takes the two cheapest foods and puts them together.

If you look closely you can see a chimney sweep up on this roof. Chim Chimeny Chim Chimeny Chim Chim Cheree

These swings went a million feet in the air and you could see everything and it was totally worth the hour wait

Twirl a whirl a whirl with Aida and Jenny

WAFFLE WITH ICE CREAM!

This is like a more hardcore version of the twirl-a-whirl. It made me understand why dad hates rides now.

this advert on the bus looks like danisnotonfire and I think about it a lot.

 

 

Okay, so yesterday I went to Grona Lund (it’s not spelled right because the O is supposed to be a Swedish one, but I’d rather type this than go hunting for the actual O.) and it was a grand time. The rides were scarier than the ones at six flags (believe it or not) and there was this fun house that made me feel like I was tripping on some bad drugs or something. All of the kids in front of Jonatan and I were screaming and crying, and if I were four years old I think I might have passed out from fear as well.

I don’t know how much I’m supposed to say on the subject of the theme park, because it was really fun and fantastic and I it was probably the most fun I’ve had all month, but that’s because I spent all day with a bunch of really amazing people and rode a bunch of cool rides and ate sweet food. There isn’t really one instance that I can write about that happened yesterday without going in to the conversations that I had with everyone, and I feel like that would be weird to talk about. So I won’t. Rest assured that I am in fact making friends.

OH! Forgot to mention! Jonatan and Farida are Musical junkies besides just being regular music junkies! I don’t know how I’ve been so fortunate to meet these two! They were very impressed by my Les Mis Revolutionary Rose pin and when I was talking about this cool tattoo I saw (I’ll post it below) I said something about how it would look better on me if I were a boy because boobs, and I sang “If I Were a Boy” (you know, the beyonce song?) and Farida sang it at the same time and I was like DAMN. I think that was what I missed most about my friends back home; bursting into song when we were reminded of one, and LOOK. TITTA! I hope they like me as much as I like them 😀

Everyone needs to watch My Mad Fat Diary. Farida got me hooked and it’s the best thing ever.

Awkward moment of the week:

The other night Astrid and I were hanging out and she got a text and told me her friend was here and that they were going to go swimming. So I was like, “Oh, can I join you?” because their pool is heated and I thought it would be better to go swimming than go to bed at nine pm.

She hemmed and hawed before saying ok, and in my head I was like “She doesn’t want me to go swimming with her, and so I shouldn’t because now it’s going to be weird.” but I had already asked and she had given me a reluctant yes, so it would have been weirder if I didn’t. So, I put on my swimsuit, stepped on another slug, and jumped in the pool. I swam back and forth width wise and Astrid and her friend sat in the corner farthest away from me talking quietly in Swedish. Ten minutes in I was getting really cold and wanted to leave to end the awkwardness, but I knew it would look weird if I got out, so I stayed in for another ten minutes and ohmygod.

I read this quote that said you should put yourself in as many awkward situations as you can so that when one catches you by surprise, you don’t act weird or make a fool of yourself and you’re just comfortable in general, but it’s hard, man. Okay? Everything I do is cringy, so I should be used to it already, but I’m not.

Last thing I’m going to say: I’ve spent almost six hours filling out scholarships so far, and I haven’t even gotten to the ones where you have to write long essays. College applications are a walk in the park compared to this.

This is that tattoo I was talking about. Isn’t it cool? I’ve never seen blue like that! Too bad I’m not a sailor who’s gotten her leg ripped off by a kraken or something so that it would represent something. Not that tattoos need to have literal meanings, but if he was a peg leg, that would make him even cooler.

I don’t wanna apply for colleeeeeeeege :(((((((((

It’s so harrrrrrd you guiiiiiiiiisssee. Essays, and personal information I don’t have, and asking for recommendations, and paying to send it in, and uggghhh.

Anyway, I should probably tell you all about the highlights of the past two days. Ugh. I don’t want to do this either. I’m getting increasingly lazy. Here we go:

1. Humanistics for three hours = Kate reads Jane Eyre for three hours, taking breaks to talk to Jonatan when everyone else seems to be talking to each other.

2. Lunch = colored penne and meat sauce = what Jonatan says is this is the best school lunch I’m going to get.

3. Natural Science Teacher = missing = we “study for an hour and a half and go home = we eat chocolate covered nuts and talk until we feel like going home

4. Music Class = We finished the song, now we just need to add Rickard and guitar

5. Swedish For Foreigners = That teacher is nuts. Today we learned about geography and how to say the letter y. Amazing.

6. Religion = OMG CECIL BALDWIN WAS MUGGED!!!!!!! He told us this story about how four giant guys came and pushed him against this wall and kicked him in the back and stole his phone and money and no one helped him even though he was on a busy street and had blood streaming down his face. He was asking for help but people just passed him by and WOW. Crazy stuff man. He’s got this big ‘ol bruise on his cheek and I guess he has to go to the doctor to get his back checked out.

7. Lunch = frijoles y carne. I thought we were in Sweden? But that’s what was written on the little descriptor card. Anyway, it tasted like taco meat with kidney beans in it. I mostly just drank the milk.

The view from another window.

OR you can have hash browns with jelly. The other option was the penne and meat sauce. So many options. Good thing it’s free!

Hashbrowns with Lingon sauce?

Making Friends on the way to school

this little guy almost got hit by the train!

 

 

3 days worth of updates

Basically, I’ve been doing nothing. Friday was dull. Only one class that day and then I forgot to go to some carnival or something that was going on a few hours after class got out. Saturday I watched season one of Misfits, today I painted some feathers that I found so that I can use them as trendy bookmarks and I edited TMoNaD. I’m getting a cold. Saga and Astrid are sick too, and we don’t know who started it. It’s too hot to wear cute sweaters or drink lattes so I’ve just been making a million cups of chamomile tea and thinking about writing. No actual writing involved. Maybe another time.

I brought my camera to the city with me when I went to buy the paint for my feathers, but I forgot what I did with the memory chip (it was in my back pocket) so I don’t even have any fun photos to share. Sad day.

Please watch the TheAoJaneEyre. I started it when I was still in Murika, but it’s getting really interesting now. (This isn’t directed at you, dear parents. It’s not the kind of romance you like, mum, and I’m certain papa isn’t interested in gothic literature brought to life in the form of a vlog.)

kk. peace out.

I’m so boring

I feel like I should give you guys day to day updates, but life is pretty boring. Not for me of course, but for you guys to read about this junk, I feel like it’s getting boring.

Today:

I got on the train, made eye contact with the person sitting across from me and they got up and moved. People here scare easy.

My first two teachers were missing so I went record shopping with Farida and Nick Baker. It was nice. We were out for like three hours and then we got lunch and went back to school for our last few classes.

I finished rereading Looking for Alaska in science class. Still didn’t cry. I must be lacking in some hormone that triggers that emotion.

We started the song. Everything went okay I guess. I’ll videotape it later. I’m no longer the weakest link in my group! We got this new guy (I think his name is Rickard? He’s cute I guess, but he has really long hair, so it takes away from his general appearance. These facts are for Ollie. It’s important to know. If you were a teenage girl you would understand.) and he can’t play or even read music, so I’m going to sing harmony now so that he can have the easy melody. I don’t think our voices blend well together, but whatever. I’ll make it work.

I got on the train to go home and some guy sat across from me and asked me something in Swedish. I said “I’m sorry?” and he repeated himself in Swedish. I thought that he was asking if he could sit there at first, so I replied “Yes.” He got frustrated and then looked out the window. At the next stop he asked another rider the same question before running off and getting on the train that was going in the opposite direction. I’m pretty sure now that he was asking what way the our train was going. Oops.

“What way is the train going?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Which direction is this train going???”

“Yes.”

I’m the worst 😛

I made the enchilades tonight and they tasted okay. I burnt two of them. It’s a good thing that my host parents don’t eat on thursdays (the day that I will always be cooking.) because then I can always ruin a few of whatever I’m making and no one needs to eat them.