OneYearAbroad

Here in Sweden we celebrate christmas the 24th, but we say like in the states - Christmas = Jul and eve = afton but somehow the big day is the 24th and for Christmas Day we kind of just take it easy and eat all the leftovers from the christmas food.

I came home last weekend from Stockholm where I had my 8 week internship, they offered me employment for over the summer, so I am thinking about taking that!

For New years eve my parents and I will go up to Åre we I study, I will work till school starts and my parents will just stay for the weekend.

Here in Sweden where I will live, a snowstorm came thru and caused major traffic disruptions! A lot of snow came at same time, I think we have like 4 feet of snow in our yard, so at the sides of the street it is like a wall of snow, you will seein the pictures!

Some picture from north Norway that a friend took on vacation. I thought they were kind of beautiful and wanted to share them with you.

I talked to some of yall about the sunset and how many hours of light during winter and summer we have up here in the north world.

This is is picture at 11pm and it will almost be this light the entire night long, we get 20 minutes more dark everyday, so in august we will have regular day/night hours again, but just for a few weeks until it starts to get darker for the winter.

The sun hours are worse the more north you get Sweden.

Todays weather temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit, I wish we could have some of your heat!

Back in Sweden now after three wonderful weeks in Southaven, MS
I stayed in Jennifer Marlins house with her family the two first weeks until they went on vacation to Florida.
And the last week I stayed with Beverly Cain and her family, they were very kind to me.  I have meet many great people that I have missed very much. It was not as bad as I thought it would be to be back, even if this is very hard.

The weather was not as bad as it use to be, not much humidity and acceptable heat. Try to tan away paleness but that seems to be impossible. We went to Memphis downtown and went on the trolley, walked on Beale street and took a picture with duck at the peabody hotel. It was a great day with Jennifer, Malory and Lindsey.

Malory and I went shopping at the wolfechase mal one day, I bought shoes size 16/51 to a friend, some clothes to myself and also a MacBook Pro :):)

I went to the zoo with Shirley and Alica, had a cook out with the youth group, had lots of sonic, went to yard sales, went to the movies, had catfish in Byhalia with tha Cains, had dinner with the people who were first the wreck scen, met the layer, hanged out with Brice, and met many more great people.

It has been a great visit to the states and I am looking forward to the next time.

You heard me right! Next saturday I will leave for USA! And stay for 3 weeks, I would love to meet as many for you as possible.

Here in sweden We just have two weeks in high school, but I will just get out earlier to be able to go to yall.

Two weeks ago we got the last snow here, but now it is just snow up in the mountains. You remember how I wrote before about dark all days and just a few hours a day with light. Now it is the opposite, the sun goes down at 11pm and up at 4am. 23rd of june we will reach a turn, that day it will be light all day and night with the sun up entire day!

It is not cold anymore either, today we had graduation and we had 70 Fahrenheit so that was wonderful!

So you all next weekend!!

Today I got the real drivers license, I am happy to have it and now it is over with all studying!!

Here we still get snow everyday, almost over entire sweden, not just here up in the north.

My class and our teachers are going on a field trip tomorrow, we are going away 3days, we will go up in the mountains and do some cross country skiing and have a (hopefully) great time! ;)
I am going to take some pictures for yall, hopefully they will be good!!


Here is a swedish drivers license, mine as well

Since last I blogged, I have now my drivers license! It was not easy, wish it was like in Usa and definitly for same price. To take a drivers license here cost like $1500-2000 But I guess it is worth it.

Last week we went on easter break here in sweden, we are out of school for 5 days, but my class got it earlier, so I went home to my parents a few days and then I went back to Åre to stay here the rest of the break. I have now worked every day  from saturday to Saurday, and then I will be off on sunday before school starts again on Monday.

I work at the destination company; Skistar. We rent out skii equipment, sell the skipasses, have skischool and take care of the slopes and lifts, we also have weekend apartments the tourist can stay in, basicly they own everything here in Åre. But I work at the shops where people rent skiis and buy the skipasses. 

Here we still get snow, Last week it snowed for 5 days almost continuous. So it is still winter here, but not less then 20 F. 


Here are some recently taken picture from Åre




On the top of the mountain.


The top station of the cable car.

Åre Village in February

A few months ago we did just have a few hours daylight, in late december it started to turn around and get lighter. Today it gone the half way, 12 hours the sun is up and the other 12 hours they will be down! In june it will have gone so far that it will be only dark and not even dark dark, just like crepuscular or more light/dark! This day is called vårdag jämning translated to springday even (not a very good translation thow)

My grandmother and parents are up here in Åre this week, my grandmother turned 75 today so we went to a ice globe, made out of snow and it was made like a church. It was very cool!!
It was built right next to a waterfall and it was very beautiful!!

In 100 days I will be going to Usa, june 2nd I arrive at Memphis Airporn and I will stay until june 23rd!! I am super excited!! I will be great, but also very hard and not as fun and great as it should be! I will stay at jennifer marlins house the first two weeks and for the last week, I am still looking for somewhere.

Here in sweden life goes on great, school is good and I make almost straight A's. I really which our school system were more like yours in MS, but thats not the case, at least we got a new grading system now!! I guess thats a start...

When I don't go to school, I work! 50-60 hours a month. Most at the ski resort company, we sell ski pass and rent out skis! We have many foreign tourists and if I can hear on their accent that they are from the states, I use to ask them and it is very fun to talk to them and some can hear my southern accent, not that it is very clear that I have one, but it makes me very happy to talk to them!!
I am saving the salaries to spend them this summer in southaven, and I will buy a iPad! :)

Today we got a Princess in the Swedish royal family, Estelle is her name and she is the king's oldest daughter's (that got married two years ago) first child.

I hope to see as many people this summer! Until then..
Take care!

Much have happend since last update here, for Christmas I went home to celebrate my 18th birthday and Christmas with my family. For christmas I got a trip to the states!!! I´m coming over this summer, just looking for a place to stay. My parents and grandmother came back with me to Åre, they stayed here for a few days and then went back home. I worked the rest of my break before school started. 

The winter here in Sweden have been warmer then regular, no nights have been below 14 fahrenheit and daytime have been around 25-30 and sometimes even above 32 that is very unusual. But today, it is 14 F outside and it was a chock for me this morning when I was going out skiing, but up on the alps/mountain it was just 21 and sunshine, so we stayed up there!!

I am working on my driver´s license as well, but it is talking much time and it is very expensive compared to Mississippi and the states! 40min driver´s lesson her cost between 60-70$ and you have to add books, fee for certian classes and here we also need to learn how to drive safe on ice, so next week I have a class where we drive on ice and need to do certain movements and take action in high speed. That cost 250-300$ depending on where you live in sweden and how much they take, but it is mandatory for everyone that is taking a driver´s license. Hopefully I will be ready soon to take the tests.

Glad to see that you are many out there that keep reading my blog, I would enjoy a comment if someone have anything they want me to write about, it could be about sweden or my life here, anything! Just click kommentarer (0) and there you can post a comment anonymous.

Here are some pics from this morning when we went skiing! enjoy

Tomorrow we will go up early and skii before school starts at 3pm, evening classes tomorrow!