One Week (!)

Approximately. More or less. I'm leaving on the 6th, so 8 days, really.

Spent the holidays in California with my dad. There's a strange, pervasive sense of detachment that's dominating my life right now, and I think it's because I'm preemptively saying goodbye to people. While I'm really, really excited to leave, there's probably a great deal of nervousness I simply haven't acknowledged yet.

So yeah, the last week has been a lot of family and some old friends saying goodbye. It's odd, though--I only see them once or twice a year anyway, yet the farewells seem fare more final, as if I'll be gone for years, or I'll be unrecognizable when I return. Perhaps I will; perhaps the Swedish culture is more insidious than I'm anticipating.

Anyway, a trip update. I picked up some Swedish Krona from Wells Fargo the other day - that's their national currency. Fun fact: despite being part of the European Union, they voted down a motion to adopt the Euro, because they liked their currency too much (A major economic issue, boiled down into a five year old's sentence. Go me!).

All their bills are different sizes! Who knew?

From top to bottom: 100 Krona, 50 Krona, 20 Krona. Because you can't read numbers.

I guess it's not just a Swedish thing. My grandma had some (now defunct) Italian Lira, and the greater the value, the bigger the bill. Honestly, I would have expected this trend to be opposite between the States and most European countries. There's such an overwhelming sense of "Bigger is better" in America, which is a cultural trend I thought they'd overcome already in Europe.

The bills are pretty, but it bugs me that I can't square them properly. Plus, my American wallet puts weird creases in them.

I suppose I'll survive. 

To do list directly related to Sweden:

1. Order more Krona (500 is not enough)

2. Buy a backpack/duffel thing

3. Buy some hiking boots (more on this later)

4. Laundry

5. Pack

6. ???

7. Leave

Ancillary goals:

1. See approximately 8 billion friends before I go

2. Sleep

Cheers,

Daniel

Itineraries

I'm fortunate enough to have three weeks after my semester ends in Jonkoping to go where I please. I've spent today soliciting recommendations from friends, family, and approximately infinite travel websites on which cities I should spend my time in.

I harbor some sort of pathological intolerance of the traditional "big tourist" Europe experience--I'd rather spend a week in one city, exploring on my own and discovering things on my own terms. Classic hipster.

Anyway, at the moment I'm looking at Brussels, Berlin, Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Meteora, in Greece. I was set on Istanbul until a friend kindly reminded me that Turkey was out of the Eurozone, and I would have to apply for a new visa (I'll pass). I'd like to narrow this list down to three cities, so I'll have a week in each.

Meteora is a strange contrast to the other five on the list--the name means "Suspended in air," and that's basically all it is: monasteries built on top of extremely tall cliffs. Look--

Kind of incredible, right?

I seem to have picked the rest of the cities based on particular genre-related itches I have. Brussels is the home of both NATO and the European Union, which would make for some awesome political thought. Berlin is about as 20th century historical as any place can get. Paris and London have fantastic culture and architecture, and London in particular strikes me as a great place to explore the streets. And frankly, I can't get this stunning picture of Amsterdam out of my head.

Seriously, whoa.

Planning where I'm going has also reinforced how much I'll have to be pushing myself. I have a natural tendency towards inertia, and it's easy for me to justify spending a day inside, futzing about with my computer. Even if I do go out, sometimes it's slipping into an introverted sulk. In order to be satisfied with this trip--and with myself--I need to really force myself into foreign situations. More importantly, once I'm in those situations, I'll need to stay engaged. Unfortunately, I'm not particularly adept at hiding my boredom with a conversation, even if I was really into it just a moment before. Despite that personal hiccup, my favorite experiences revolve around conversations.

People have been saying that the best way to have a good experience abroad is to be active about it. While there's certainly a rigid, planning mentality to this philosophy that I don't agree with, I'm going to try to take the core message to heart and not let opportunities for these moments I crave slip away.

Cheers,

Daniel

Temporarily Swedish

It's quite strange to think that, in exactly one month, I'll be leaving the country for the next five months. 

I've been accepted to Jonkoping International Business School (JIBS) in Sweden, and that's where I'll be taking classes for the next semester. I've booked my flight, gotten my residence permit, and confirmed my arrival--all that's left is packing for life in the cold, dark Swedish winter. 

Ideally, this blog will keep you updated on trip preparations--and, once I'm there, my adventures. 

Stay tuned (And toned. And tamed. What?).

-Daniel