Homesick?

I'm feeling homesick. What the heck is this? This never happens to me.

I've always been Eden the adventurer. Eden the explorer. Eden the one who can't hold still. The one who went to Bangkok not knowing where she'd sleep that night. The one who gets antsy if she stays in the same place for too long. I have only been here for six days. I don't do "homesick."

And yet here I am, sitting here in my IKEA room on my IKEA bed covered by IKEA sheets, homesick. I'm sitting next to my IKEA nightstand which is already covered in stuff--a hair tie, a frog necklace that someone I really care about gave to me, my now-unlocked cell phone with a Comviq SIM card in it, a copy of Bhagavad Gita and my login credentials for the local university. And I'm going to be here for an entire school year.

My nails are long because I forgot to pack nail clippers and the only ones I could find at a local store cost about $11 worth in Swedish crowns and I refuse to spend that much without looking elsewhere first. My wi-fi signal is spotty at best. I hate cooking and I'm in denial about the fact that I have to learn to like it. I broke my headphones so I'm listening to music with the free ones Delta Airlines gave me. But these are all first world problems. I have it easy--pretty much everyone here speaks my native language, and I even speak the local language. I am not the homeless man I saw at the train station today, nor am I one of the numerous refugees who came here from some war-torn region and has had to learn Swedish or English to survive. I'm just an exchange student.

In order to survive mentally and spiritually, I'm going to have to make my home here for now. I'm going to have to make close friends and practice other people's languages and learn the metric system. Of course I expected those things, but I did not expect that I would actually be nervous and even lonely. This is not what I expected at all when I dreamed of coming here.

But I guess it's the unexpected things that make us grow the most. For wise people have always said that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to be afraid and go on anyway with enthusiasm. In the spirit of Ralph, an adventurous professor of mine who recently passed away, I will press on and learn everything I can from this experience. I terribly miss the people I love back in the US of A, but I wouldn't trade this next year of my life for the world.

Next time I return to this beautiful, green, happy, Nordic country, I want to bring someone I love with me. For now, adventure awaits.

First Impressions

There is so much to take in. I have learned so much in the past few days that I can't even keep track of everything. Sweden is amazing. I've finally moved in to my flat and met my roommate. She is from Mexico and is awesome. We took a trip to IKEA to buy some stuff for our room. You think your local IKEA is big? No. Let me tell you, this is the biggest IKEA I have ever seen in my life. I'm pretty sure there is an entire block (or something close to that) dedicated to this IKEA. And there is not just one little restaurant area, but a coffee shop as you walk in, a cafe in the middle, and a cafe on the way out.

I've figured out the public transportation, and man is it amazing. It's so efficient and fast and available. I bought a blue access card, which can get me onto the pendeltåg (commuter train), metro, buses, and even some boats. They make it super easy for you to get where you're going, even if you have a baby stroller with you or a suitcase. By almost every staircase, there is either an elevator or two ramps fixed onto the stairs--one for each wheel. This makes me really wish we had better public transit in the US.

 The other night we went to Stockholm with one of our neighbors who is an immigrant from India. He showed us around the city and got us into a night club. I am normally not a fan of loud places but this club was fun. It was Latin night so there was a lot of Latin American music. Most of the people there were around my age and were from all over the world. I met someone from Tanzania and someone from Germany. I try to use Swedish as much as possible, but I have actually used English much more often.

 

My first geocache ever found in another country. :)

Last night I met some Swedish people who were celebrating a crayfish party in my building. They invited me to eat some pie with them. It was a lot of fun talking to them.

My one complaint about Sweden, or at least the part I live in, is that it is so difficult to find a public restroom you can use for free. Seriously? In the USA when you need to use the bathroom you can go to a store, a mall, a theater, a gas station, most parks, most bus stations, anywhere. As much as Sweden supports human rights, they seem to not think it should be a basic human right to be able to pee for free anywhere except your own flat. Lots of Europe is this way I think.

Those are the highlights for now. I'll go more into depth next time.

Here I am.

I am sitting here on my hostel bed, feeling like a zombie. It is 9:33 pm and I have only slept for maybe an hour during my entire journey. I am sharing a room with about 13 other people I have never met before. They are from all over the world. Some of them are whispering in French and laughing about something silly. Little do they realize that I have been listening to their conversations.

Ever since I was 16, I have wanted to be an exchange student in Sweden, and it's finally coming true. Back when I was 14, I started to teach myself Swedish. When I was 15, I was privileged enough to get to stay with friends who live here for a couple weeks. Now I am nearly 22, and I will be staying for almost a year.

This is me the first time I went to Sweden:

First time I ever left the USA. Picture by Kenneth Cope.

This is the second time:

picture by Kenneth Cope

When I first got here, I was even more like a zombie, except a ridiculous one pulling two huge bags. I always like to say I'm a frequent traveler and pride myself on packing light, but this is not light at all. It's rather embarrassing how clumsy I looked carrying these huge things with me through the train stations. As I was muscling my way down an escalator with a bag in each arm, and a nice stranger helped me out. Ha en bra dag, he said. Du också, I replied.

Just a few hours ago, I ate dinner here at the hostel. They offer complimentary pasta, coffee, tea, and random food items that guests leave behind. I was really hungry and decided to do what some other guests were doing: mix pasta with cheese and ketchup. Not the best meal ever, but I just really wanted to eat whatever I could get my hands on. Right as I finished a plate, this nice Brazilian lady asked me if I wanted what she and her husband were making--fried mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and meat. That was such a nice offer that I couldn't turn it down, and even though I didn't eat the meat I really enjoyed those mushrooms. That was seriously so nice of her.

When you first arrive in another country, it feels like you're in a magical land, which is completely silly because it isn't magical at all to most of the people living there. I think it's the newness that surrounds you mixed with the exhaustion of being on plane after plane for a day straight. Having said that, Sweden is magical. Seriously, people are so nice and everything looks like it was designed by IKEA. I wish I had something more substantial to back up my "Sweden is magical" statement but you'll just have to trust me on this one. It just feels new and exciting and almost unreal.

The lesson I learned today was that you can never underestimate the kindness of strangers. I'll say something more meaningful when I'm more awake. Time to get some shut eye. Good night.