Hej då Sverige

Goodbye brunch with our host students, Alexandra and Andreas... :o)

Soaking in the last night on the lake.

Goodbye dinner with friends.

Hugging Karlstads Universitet goodbye.

I don't even know where to start with this blog entry. As many of you know, I am leaving tomorrow morning to return to the States after 5 months abroad. 5 months. I still can't believe how fast the time has past. Sadly, because I am leaving tomorrow, I have experienced a lot of "lasts" this past week:

My last class,
last exam,
last choir get-together,
last host group get-together,
last sports class,
last futboll game,
last walk to the lake,
last shared meal with friends,
last run through the Swedish forest,
last church service,
last bus ride,
last fika on Stora Torget,
last walk to the University,
last time spent in the library...

and the list goes on.

While I know that my time here is quickly coming to an end, I still am having a difficult time understanding the reality of the situation. I have been so busy that I have not taken much time to simply sit and think and process what I am doing tomorrow...leaving.

But for now, what I do know is this: I can't even begin to explain how wonderful this experience abroad in Sweden has been. I have learned so much about...everything...about Swedish culture, my own culture, and myself. I would not trade this experience for anything, and to think that it is finished is mind-boggling. I can recall as if it were yesterday how I felt as I drove with my family to the Denver International Airport on January 11. I was nauseated knowing what I was about to get myself into. To think back on it now is almost comical. Of course it made sense at the time, but now I know I had nothing to worry about.

I hope that after I am home I can reflect a bit more on this whole crazy experience and share with you all some final thoughts--state-side. Until then, thank you all so much for reading. It has been fun to be able to share my "Swedish Adventures" with everyone from home and to give you a little taste of some of my experiences during my semester abroad. I look forward to talking with you all in person too!

Hej då Sverige. What a fun and exciting ride it has been!

Lauren

I Wasn't Kidding...

This was taken at about 2:00 am, when I first attempted to sleep :o)

Still up...3:00 am

I finally whipped out the eye cover-thingymagig at about 3:30 am :o)

And at 4:15 am when the party finally ended. I slept until 10 then next morning :o)

So, since it is the end of the year, and everyone has finished exams, there have been an obscene amount of parties lately....every night.....all night. I have the privilege of living in Triogatan 12, the infamous "party house", and while I enjoy socializing with everyone and hanging out for a while, I am usually ready to head to bed around 1. Some people on the other hand, like to stay up just a taaaad bit later :o)

So, all of this is to say that trying to get sleep the past few nights has been quite an daunting task, especially when you consider the fact that the sun doesn't ever seem to fully disappear for the night. One good thing that has come from it though, is that I have been able to capture some pictures of the progression of light through the night, so now you all can see that I wasn't kidding when I said it never really gets dark! These are just a few pics I took on Friday night, as I attempted to fall asleep...