Season Finale.

As I write this I am sitting at my family's kitchen table in Apple Valley, Minnesota. My dog and two cats are lounging in the living room near to me (the dog is actually snoring), and for the first time in the last supercharged week, this house is quiet. Finally some time for reflection.

Let's back up. The last story I left you with was the snowmobiling day preview, and now all of a sudden I've hopped countries and have been in the States for a week. Surprised? Good! That was the plan. About four months ago, I discovered that all my classes in Sweden end by December 15th. My immediate thought was, Oo that's great I can travel freely then until my flight on January 5th! But then I invested in my Eurail Pass, and then I visited six countries in a month and a half, and then I found out how few people were actually going to be around for the holidays, etc. etc. etc. Either way, my gut/brain/heart combo were encouraging me to rebook my flight and get home before Christmas. 

But at this point I found myself in a position of power: I was the only one with the knowledge that I could easily get home before Christmas. Meaning I could potentially surprise the living daylights out of my family if I so desired. Well consequently, I DID so desire. :) So Uncle Mike, my godfather and travel agent, and I got on the planning committee to arrange my travels back to the States before Christmas. I decided to let Patty and Mark (my parents) in on the whole ordeal as well...they'd be crucial in the behind-the-scenes preparation for my return home. But my two lovely siblings, Matt (17) and Betsy (23) would be kept in the dark until I stepped foot in that front door. So by early November the plans were set and I'd be heading home on none other than Christmas Eve!!

Now fast forward a month, when I discover my grandmother has lung cancer, and I think to myself that I'm so glad I'm going home to spend another Christmas with her.

Now fast forward to my last few days in Östersund following snowmobiling. One by one everybody departed back to their respective homes: some for the holidays only, some for good. What I posted in my last blog stayed true in the drawn-out goodbye I gave to Östersund, and has stuck around since; I'm not sad at leaving my place from the last four months, but instead happy at what I can take away from it. The last few days all blend together in a sweet memory of lazy chatting and random acts of craziness. Although I was very much looking forward to going home, and although I knew I could count on Matt and Betsy to not open up this blog in those last few days (bless their hearts, they love me but they have enough reading to do as it is without spending hours reading their sister's incoherent ramblings :)), I still decided to play it safe and cut off blog posting until I was safely back home. Part of me was also scared to jinx the whole trip as well, so it was best to not talk about it.

Now fast forward to December 23rd, while I'm on the 6-hour train to Stockholm. A little girl falls in love with my stuffed penguin, Herr Blåbar ("Mr. Blueberry") and runs around with him for hours. I'm thankful that she gets sick of him just before we pull in the the Stockholm train station, because it's awkward to be 21 years old and kindly trying to reason with a two year old about coughing up the stuffed penguin of yours that she's fallen in love with. 

Now fast forward to that night, as I toss and turn for hours in a 20-person room at my hostel. I wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway; I had too much running through my head: The generic I'M SEEING MY FAMILY!! I miss my cabin. It's Christmas!!! I wonder what Sandra and her parents are doing. What am I going to get for breakfast. What if I forget something. I get to use my old cell phone!! I get to drive!!! My room at home is always cold and it a complete and utter uninviting mess. Östersund is so pretty. What am I going to do for New Years? When will I make time for myself? How much time will I need for myself? I hope Nana's doing okay. Am I going to cry at some point? AMERICAN MEN!!! Is someone puking?! Will the difficulty of this situation ever hit me?

Now fast forward to 6:30am the next day, with me awake and in the "shower" three hours after falling asleep. I won't go into detail, but it was the most disgusting place I've ever been, and I've been to Amsterdam. YUCK.

Now fast forward to me being at the airport three hours early. What a way to go. I again have pulled out Herr Blåbar (who, by the way, took quite the scrutiny amongst the weathered travelers sharing my room the night before...nothing screams badass like a stuffed penguin...), and with that action have again caught the attention of a three year old Swedish child. Remember this little boy, because he shows up in the story later. I hop on my flight to Amsterdam, and a witty two hours later find myself on land in Amsterdam, getting ready to dash to the next gate for the last leg of my journey, and sharing goodbyes with the two Dutch characters I chatted with on the flight. 

Now fast forward to me, on what they call an Airbus, starting my 9-hour flight across the ocean back to the place I call home. We are flying into the sunset the entire time...so awesome. I see Little Swedish Boy from the Stockholm airport again, and he again sets his sights on Herr Blåbar. It's clear to me that Mother of Little Swedish Boy is growing weary, so I offer to let Little Swedish Boy hang out with the penguin for a while. Throughout the course of the flight the three of them (Mother, Boy, Penguin) will come visit me; all the while Little Boy will be clutching Herr Blåbar like his life depended on it. 

Skip ahead an hour to lunch time, when I ask the friendly flight attendant how much a glass of wine would be. Friendly flight attendant coyly informs me that all alcohol on the Airbus is complimentary. I order a screwdriver, accept her offer for an extra "dash" of vodka, and thus establish the entertainment I'd be taking advantage of for the next few hours. Nine-hour flights are strange: you have enough time to get drunk, watch a movie, pass out for a four-hour nap wake up hungover, watch another movie, and still have enough time to fight off the hangover for when your mom and dad come pick you up. All the while flying into the sunset.

Now fast forward to the last 30 minutes of the flight where I get up to track down Herr Blåbar and find him buried underneath the finally serene, sleeping body of Little Swedish Boy. Swedish Mom makes grateful eye contact with me, finally relaxed as her child sleeps. I hesitate, smile, wave it off, give her a thumbs up, say Happy Holidays, and return to my seat. How could I take it back now?

Now fast forward to the Oscar-winning performance Patty has in answering the house phone and pretending I'm someone from work in desperate need of not one but TWO people to help jump cars at Barnes and Noble?? Mark and Patty valiantly steal away from Christmas dinner with the kids to help.

Now skip ahead 20 minutes--yes 20 minutes--when I'm already through customs and in possession of all my luggage, casually waiting outside for Patty and Mark. I had expected a lot more trouble getting back into the States, but I'm not complaining. Finally the moment arrives, and the parents pull up alongside the curb, Patty jumps out of the car literally skipping to me, we all hug six or seven times, it's all very perfect. Matt and Betsy are still sitting at home, still very clueless. On the trip back we scheme the plan of attack for The Surprise.

Now skip ahead another 20 minutes. I'm waiting out on the porch, peaking into the house. Mark has just called Matt upstairs, and the whole family is in the kitchen near the front door. On cue, I ring the doorbell. Mark comes over to answer it, yanks open the door, and I step into its frame to throw out my arms and shout, "MERRRYYYYYYY!!!!! CHRISTMASSSSSS!!!" Matt and Betsy freeze in the foyer. When Matt finds his voice again all he can make out is a sharp, "NO. WAY. NO. WAY...." over and over again. Betsy's face explodes with tears and pelts them out like bullets. They both rush over to me and embrace me in this gloriously awkward hug/lift maneuver that couldn't have been more perfect; I don't know who was holding what but I can be certain that my feet left the ground.

It has all been perfect: the surprise, the response, the reaction, the hours of talking and opening presents, the catching up, the midnight mass, the Christmas morning with the family, the skiing, everything. It feels so surreal to be back here, part of my feels like I never left.

My Uncle Mike debriefed me at Mraz Christmas on Saturday. It was difficult; the first time since being back that I'd been challenged to talk about what I learned and experienced. I shared a lot, he shared his insight; it was a very meaningful discussion to me. I don't know if I'll ever have an epic moment where all the amazing concepts I learned over the last few months will come together and I'll suddenly by capable of capturing the ways I've changed in words; I think they'll slowly come to me over the rest of my life. What Uncle Mike and I talked about most this weekend, though, was how touching it is to feel that I'm more aware now of how similar we all really are in this world. We all have something to fight for; we all have something to lose; we all are striving for happiness; we all are constantly trying to find our own place. Regardless of country or culture we are all looking for something, and if we could each understand what the next guy is looking for, maybe we could all realize that we aren't really all that much different from one another. That's one idea I can already say I took away from this experience.

So you may be wondering about the title of this posting. I'm thinking a couple things at the moment. First of all, I think I might be coming back now and then to add little tidbits of reflection as I struggle to superimpose all the insight I gained in a notoriously amicable country onto the projection of our notoriously World Superpower country. It would be a sad story to discover that what I learned doesn't apply in the context of our American culture. You could consider these added reflections the "extras" to the show's first season. Second of all, this blog may be getting a new name. I might just start using it for all my travels. I'll be heading to Sicily for two weeks for May Term, so perhaps that will be a Season Two? We'll see. But until then, take care, and thanks for all the support over the last four months. Your warm thoughts and hopeful prayers reached all the way across the ocean to my cabin. :)

Bye for now,

Katie

And then there were...

Maybe it's just that this has been the longest, most drawn-out good bye period ever fathomed in the history of the world, but I'm not sad right now. Of the seven people I felt closest with this semester (although all of us 30+ exchange students definitely formed a family here), two of them still remain here with me. Some of them have returned to Germany, some to Canada, but regardless of the space that will divide us in a matter of weeks I still haven't been able to muster up more than a few tears in the last week or so. I'm just not sad. I actually tried to force the tears at one point, thinking I was just repressing everything and just needed to let it out, but it turned out that there wasn't anything I was holding back! At first glance this doesn't seem like me: I've always been a huge proponent of the once a month healthy emotional breakdown, and I haven't had one yet in the last four months. 

But I've been thinking...I'm more happy than anything right now. I savor the way I've spent my time here; I cherish the friends I've made; I embrace the ways I've changed and the circumstances I've encountered that led to those changes; I'm happy with everything I've experienced in the last few months. So why cry in sadness? These friendships are just starting in the long run, right? These people, this place, they're all snapshots in my life's collage. Some of them will show up again, and some won't. It's okay. Really. I feel good about everything right now. 

In related news, I'm taking the next step to becoming a true Minnesotan tomorrow. That's right, Sandra schemed us into a FREE afternoon of snowmobiling tomorrow! Don't ask me how she did it...she could sell sand to a camel...but for a few hours tomorrow we'll be shooting around her friend's private property on her brother's snowmobiles. Sweet!  Wish me luck. :)

negligence...sorry...

Okay so clearly I've been spending my time elsewhere these last few days, hence the lack of AMAZING snowboarding updates. I apologize. I'm really wrapped up in the spirit of the holidays here, and saying good bye and whatnot, so to be honest the old blog hasn't been all that present on my mind. This stuff is getting serious! Saying good bye is not cool.

But you know what IS cool?! Mucking up the courage to veer off-course on a mountain and snowboard through deep snow littered with jagged rocks and tiny trees! This weekend was unbelievable. By far the best snowboarding I've ever had. The trails that they had there were just so varied...ranging from tiny little zigzags through the trees to broad slopes speckled with moguls. My favorite route (unless of course you count the one that I created myself by going off the trail onto the side of mountain... :)) was one that took us through three separate tunnels after beholding a treacherous view of the mountain side. So great. And since the sun sets at 2:30 or so there, I got to sit on a mound of snow and watch the sky explode with color as the sun went down on Saturday. The weekend was full of, "Life is great." moments and that of course was one of them. The slopes were also open for 56 straight hours as of Friday morning, so for the first time in my life I got to say, "Do you realize it's 1am and we're snowboarding?!" Haha very cool. 

So after three full days of snowboarding, sauna-ing (?), eating, and partying, I came back on Saturday night for Jeffrey's surprise birthday party. Then last night we had our huge 34-person holiday gift exchange/good bye party/holiday party/we love each other party. The good byes started right away and didn't really stop until everyone called it a night. This is all hitting me very strangely at the moment.

Tonight I'm having the girls over for a dinner, followed by a photo exchange, followed by a slumber party, 8th grade style. We're bringing mattresses in and everything to transform my cabin into one big bed! It's going to be awesome. 

cheers!

kt

Åre

Well it's 12:25am on Thursday night and in the morning I'll be headed up to Åre for snowboarding!! Three full days of snowboarding at Sweden's most famous ski area (resort? I guess I'll find out...). I'm so jacked. Thankfully, the old wrist has stopped being a complete baby and I'm confident she won't be acting up the entire time. So wish me luck!

katie

PS-I ate lunch on the roof of our water tower today and then made peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses in the middle (Mraz family holiday classic :))...pretty productive I'd say.

The 12 gifts of Patty's care package

Alright so here's the shibby on the package: Patty wanted to make sure that I got at least twelve items, to go along with the concept of the twelve days of Christmas. So that's what she was going for. And she pulled through. We have:

-one anti-Bush clipping from the Star Tribune (the particularly creative and hilarious parts highlighted in pink, of course)

-two comics from the Star Tribune

-one Mraz Family Favorite: the Isaac Asimov's Superquiz from the Star Tribune (the theme is U.S. States and I swear Sandra and Anna, from Germany, came up with some answers faster than I could.) And not just ANY Isaac Asimov's...oh no. THIS Isaac Asimov's Superquiz is the first superquiz I've ever found to have an ERROR!! I'M SMARTER THAN ISAAC ASIMOV! WOO! :)

-one bag of coveted Reese's Cup, per request of some of my German friends

-one bag of Hershey's Kisses for peanut butter cookies

-one box of Christmas Tree Cakes (which, upon first taste by Anna, elicited the response of, "But this is just pure sugar!")

-one miniature christmas tree

-one snowman stocking stuffed with

-one tiny cat figurine,

-one bottle of Advil, and

-one sheet of stickers of the planets

-two Christmas ribbons (one that folds into a bow!)

-one handmade card from the Betsy!!

-one pair of Christmas socks

-one ace bandage for my wrist

So that's at least 12 items...very solid Christmas package to say the least! :) 

In celebration for the copious amounts of sugar I found myself in possession of, Sandra and Anna came over last night to watch Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. I know that a movie night is not exactly interesting enough to post on a blog, but I only bring this up because I wanted to express the regret I felt at never having seen this movie! Haha it is hilarious! I can't believe I've been living in the dark for so long.

And then today has been a very outdoorsy day. In the afterglow of copious amounts of sugar consumption the night before, I went on my longest run here yet. Three laps around Lilsjön (literally translated to "little lake") instead of two let me run past the same awkward-Swedish-man-with-dog-speaking-to-me-in-Swedish-and-laughing-a-little-too-much THREE times instead of two, so that was nice. :) Middle-aged man flattery aside, it was a refreshing hour-long run.

After letting the icicles melt from my face (I wish I was kidding), Sandra and I headed back out for a long walk around Lilsjön to just take our time and capture pictures of all the snow and ice. It just felt so calming to walk through the silent woods. I got some beautiful shots.

I'm getting so excited because on Thursday morning I'm heading off to Åre for three full days of snowboarding (hence trying to get a lot of blogging in now). And then after that all the good byes are going to start for the Europeans heading home for the break. Many of them will be back after Christmas but a lot of us won't be around any more when they do, so we're having kind of one big holiday party on Sunday night after the ski weekend. It should be a nice way to say good bye and whatnot.

Well I'm off to Stacey's for some Christmas movie action! peace out

kt

Narnia.

So it's Monday evening and I've had a really cozy day. Anna picked me up at 9:45am to bike to school, and at 9:48am I decided there's no way in HELL I'm going to bike to class in that snow storm!! No siree. These snowflakes were thick pieces of confetti that turned me blind every twenty feet. And the sidewalks obviously hadn't been paved yet and so as our eyes were dripping with tears and snow trying to see through the snowfall, we were pedaling our bikes through literally four inches of fresh snow. So class was a no for me...it was the last lecture anyway, no biggie. I guess I'm feeling a little arrogant, too, since I finished my last assignment for school yesterday and am officially done with my semester of Swedish education. :) So I treated myself to a cozy day of watching some movies and cleaning the cabin. 

This snow is really out of control though! I started a little pile outside of my cabin about ten days ago, and originally it stood at about three feet high. Now on its own, the snow has fallen so much that it almost reaches my window at four feet! A foot of snow in ten days! Wow! It made for some really stunning sights while we were dog sledding on Saturday. While a first group went out on the dogs, Kevin, Jeffrey and I trekked through--not exaggerating--waist-high snow to explore the woods. We passed through the outer layer of trees and people, and I swear we had stepped into Narnia. Everything seemed to go silent...it was like a vacuum. The woods were breathtaking: a thick layer of pure white snow on every branch of every tree, wide areas of completely untouched snowfall...mystifying. At one point in our hike/climb through the snow we found an open space where all three of us just collapsed. We laid there for a while, listening to the snowflakes fall onto our jackets, and the snow actually started feeling warm after a while! Agh so cool.

But then it was our turn for the dog sledding! And boy was it a good time...the majority of the dogs the crew brought were less than a year old, and they were SO EXCITED to run! They literally kept pacing and howling and jumping all over each other as we switched drivers. So cute. Riding a dog sled isn't all that tough: lean left, lean right, soft brake, hard brake. That's all there is to it. Notice I didn't include "Mush!" in there...unfortunately these dogs didn't respond one bit to that word. Drat. I had really been looking forward to it. 

So yep, dog sledding was a hoot. We spent the entire morning outside with the dogs, and then got back to the hotel at around 2:00 for soup and relaxation. We warmed up and then at 4:00pm (when the sky is literally pitch black these days) decided to give sledding a go. Now I know that my wrist has been hurting, so with all honesty I tell you that I did not push the limits with the sledding, but I just could not pass up this hill! It was monstrous! I woke up yesterday completely confused as to why my calves hurt so much until I realized that walking up that mountain was a workout! My goodness. 

After sledding we headed back, had some delicious buffet-style Swedish cuisine, and then got our party on. Sauna-snow-repeat. Never gets old.

So all in all it's fair to say the farewell ceremony was a total and complete success...people, The End is getting really close for me and it's becoming more difficult to think about leaving my friends here. *Sigh.*

Okay but today just got better!! As if it wasn't already a perfect lazy day, I just opened my mailbox to find yet another Patty Mraz package!! Woo! Now, I know she sent it with a 12 Days of Christmas theme, so I want to make sure I have the description right before I post it...but trust me, this is a good package. :)

Alright well I hope everyone's doing well! Take care!

kt

MUSH!

Hey! Today I went to the Jamtli Christmas Market, and if you've been good you just may have gotten your Christmas present from me picked out. :)

Alright if my title doesn't give it away, I'm pret-ty excited about going dog sledding tomorrow. At 8:20am tomorrow morning a bus is going to pick 20 of us up and then we're all headed up north for the night. The formal name for this whole shebang is the "farewell ceremony," but I just think that's just a fancy name for a chance for a bunch of us to just party in a new location. Oh, and to try dog sledding, of course. :) We're spending the night at what sounds like a great hotel (the International Committee planned all this...I'm just rolling with the punches) that offers snow mobiling, snow shoeing, dog sledding, and who knows what else. Everyone's pretty psyched. Once the word "sauna" was thrown into the picture, the discussions haven't stopped about a sauna-snow-repeat adventure come nighttime. It's a little disappointing that we only have one night there, I have a feeling one night will be plenty with the amount of energy people are packing at the moment. :) I'll have updates on Sunday!

kt

Icelandic horses have their own agendas.

Riding yesterday was really neat. The horses that we rode on are like none I've ever seen in the States; they were bigger than ponies, but shorter than the typical full-grown horse I picture when I think about riding. Adapted to the climate, Icelandic horses have fur that's really thick and is kept at a longer length than usual. It makes them look sort of stout. And then if you throw a few of them in a snow-covered field they just look beautiful! (see pictures.) 

The group that went consisted of six of us, half of whom had many years of riding experience and the other half who hadn't ridden a horse in their entire lives. These being the circumstances, in our planning process, we opted for a beginner trail so that everyone could enjoy themselves. So. We get to the place and they immediately pair up the experienced riders with horses who are known to be a little more spirited, and the beginners with some mild natured ones. We get a start out on the trail, and right in those first five minutes Stacey and I have assessed that our horses are in no way interested in the mind-numbing boredom of walking nose-to-rump on a trail they've walked a million times. Oh no, on the contrary, our horses would like to push the pace as fast as possible. Before we've even left the barn area the line already has a huge gap separating our horses and the guide with the rest of the group. 

Stacey's horse actually lashes out around halfway through the ride. Frea (her horse) decides that the hill of unscathed snow should be shaken up a bit, and takes a sharp right turn to run around on it while the rest of us suckers are moseying along on the main trail. Nös, my horse, is incredibly jealous...I can tell it takes every ounce of both mine and her energy to resist veering from the path too. For this reason I decide to not take out my camera, but I wish I could get a picture of Stacey and her horse; it looks really pretty, actually, as Frea literally bounces through snow that reaches up to her belly and kicks it up everywhere. 

So that's incident number one...and the tone never really dies down after that. Nös and Frea start walking/trotting, consistently changing places in line with each other. It's obvious that they both want to peel ahead of the guide, but she assures us that, "They know I go first." Right. That's balderdash. As we reach the home stretch, again the three of us a solid 100 feet ahead of the rest of the group, I guess it just becomes too much for Frea. All of a sudden Stacey's horse just TAKES OFF down the 100-yard road leading up to the barn. Well Nös sees this, decides it's simply NOT FAIR that Frea gets to run but she doesn't, so she responds in like kind. So now I'm sitting on a horse running at top speed, faster than I've ever gone on a horse in my entire  life, firmly pulling back on the reins as hard as possible, bellowing, "WHOA!" in sharp, crisp repetition, but Nös has her own initiatives. She wants to leave Frea in her snow. So once I come to terms with the fact that this horse has no intention of paying me any mind whatsoever, I decide to just go with it and enjoy the ride. And we do end up leaving Frea and Stacey in our snow. :)

It was SUCH a rush! Tears were streaming from the corners of my eyes to my hairline, the wind was whipping my face so fast! I loved it. :) So needless to say, taking the beginner's trail wasn't as boring as I thought it might be. 

kt

It just won't stop!

The snow is making a serious statement here these days! We get more and more every day...it's so beautiful. It's going to be AWESOME going horseback riding through it today. Keep your head up for pictures being posted soon! :)

kt

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!!!!!

We have SOOO much snow here right now!! On Saturday, the day 15 of us went snowboarding, the snow started to fall. It literally did not let up until Sunday night! And even though Östersund was breathtakingly vibrant in the Autumn, it most certainly is a Winter town. Think: tiny streets lined with snow-covered cottages, frosted pine trees, people whipping by on sleds with runners (which, by the way, looks like an awesome way to get around town!), snowman after snowman after snowman, gingerbread cookies in every aisle of the grocery store, and a big honkin' Christmas tree right smack dab in the middle of the town center. This town was made for the Winter, no doubt about that. I wouldn't be surprised if Santa himself decided to relocate here. It's a wonderland.

Saturday snowboarding was beautiful...you just can't get views like that when you snowboard in the midwest! But unfortunately my snotty wall post that morning came back and bit me in the you-know-what...I ended up messing up my wrist a little toward the end of the day. And of course I did...I mean I was only the hands-down most experienced snowboarder, boasting eight years of experience amongst at least seven friends who had never snowboarded in their LIVES, so of course I would be the only one to leave the slopes with an injury. Haha oh life, you make me laugh. It's still painful as I write this now at 8:30pm on Monday night, so I'll be having a nursing friend take a look at it tomorrow and then, who knows. I might end up coming back home with more than just a Swedish flag to remember my experiences here. Hrrumph. I'll keep you posted.

Then Sunday was brunch, followed by an entire afternoon/evening of cookie baking!! We played Christmas music and cut cookies into all sorts of holiday shapes...it was awesome and filling. :) 

And now I'll be turning my attention to my paper. AGH the paper. Just gotta get it done. 

Well that's all! Happy late thanksgiving!

And oh yeah that reminds me...as a side note, it appears that the Thanksgiving Cheer took a little longer to get to me than usual this year, what with the ocean separating us and all, but it was interesting to feel it all really hit me today. I find myself feeling incredibly warm and just overflowing with love and appreciation for all the good things we have in this world. I feel like I've learned a lot about corruption and negativity since I've been here, but it's comforting to know that peace and goodness still exists in places you'd lest expect it to. So if I forgot to remind you recently, I'm thankful for you. :)

Okay now that's really all, because my good cheer is going to dissolve if I don't get this paper out of my head fast!

kt

Be jealous.

It's 6:54am here in Östersund and we're off to Vemdalen for a full day of....SNOWBOARDING!!!! 

I'm snowboarding in Sweden today...what are you up to? :)

kt

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE BACK HOME!!!

Love you so much!

That's all. :)

kt

I kick butt at yoga.

Well today broke a little ground for Coe Conditioning. I started out with a shorter run than usual in anticipation for the yoga I'd be doing later in the night. I took a new 4-mile trail that led me to a neighborhood where realtors in the Rockies would foam at the mouths to see; with the snow and the pine trees these little homes gave off the image of a perfect mountain village. (Now all we'd need is that mountain and the place would be sold! :)) 

It wasn't until I arrived back at the camping that I noticed the remains of what had transpired there the night before. Mere hours beforehand, two battles had unfolded right there on that very ground; today, there were countless snowballs embedded in the trees and in the walls of the cabins to remind us. As if we could forget. Everywhere I turned, what had once been pristine, unscathed snowy ground now bore a harassed, leftover look from the dozens of feet that had trampled it in the heat of battle. Angels' wings were indistinguishable. Three-chambered snowmen were decapitated. The aftermath was haunting.

So that was my fun way of saying that after my run I was pleasantly reminded of the two awesome snowball fights we had last night. :) Then I hung out with Sandra for a little while before we decided to brave the snow-packed sidewalks on our bikes and volunteer for a bit at the Red Cross. (Which, by the way, I'm fairly certain I'm only doing because then I get first dibs on the clothes that come in...example: Glow-in-the-dark dinosaur PJs. Score. :)) We very well may be doing all of our Christmas shopping there. It's the greatest. 

Then I was off to a Swedish-run yoga class. Have you ever tried to learn a new way to work out in another language? Well, it's tough. It's tough to relax, aka one of the main objectives in yoga, when you're constantly straining your neck to watch the other girls who know what the heck the instructor is saying. Regardless, I didn't fair too badly. I was a twisting, bending, stretching Swedish yoga machine. It was great...I can't believe I'd never done it before! In fact, I like yoga in Swedish so much I'll be going to two classes next week. 

So that was the day. I just reread this post and it's sad how proud I am of being productive. Haha for those of you whose attention I kept, congratulate yourselves. :)

kt

Score.

Grandma Bev sent me the motherload of what grandma's do best, and it came today!!!! Get this: long underwear, caramel puff corn, chocolate-covered peanut butter cracker sandwiches, Halloween candy (which I sorely missed), and yes, the first batch of Grandma Bev's Famous Homemade Caramels!!!! I can't get the smile off my face. Now, if only she could muster up a way to send over one of her classic bear hugs, I'll be golden. :) 

Love you Grandma Bev. :)

kt

Baby one more time

Well it turns out you're never too old to jump around for hours with your friends singing 90s songs. :) Until literally 4am last night, French, Dutch, Canadian, and American alike all had a dance party singing every word to all our favorites from N*SYNC, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Britney Spears, the works. It was a blast to say the least. 

And then today at brunch I put some plans together for yet another adventure I'll be having in the last month of being here...we're going snow horseback riding next week!! I'm so excited. And then after that I have the farewell weekend at a hotel up north with the exchange students, followed by weekend of snowboarding in Åre, the biggest ski resort in Sweden, and then the big holiday party/gift exchange! Time is just going to shift to hyperdrive now, I know it.

I also clarified the due date for my paper today, and it's later than expected. This means I have two options: I could finish it this week and never have to put a single thought into school in Sweden again, or I could take it easy for another week and churn it out when I feel like it. Jury's still out. I think tonight I'll just read for fun and see how I'm feeling tomorrow. :)

Despite boasting how little school I've had recently, I am in for a big week. THREE DAYS this week I have class. THREE DAYS! What is THAT?! Balderdash, I tell you. Just balderdash. I can see the Coe Conditioning taking some big strides this week. Productivity, let's be friends again.

Regardless of how well I spend my week, however, some news I got today will be a cloud stuck overhead until I get home. After months of hearing she's been in and out of the hospital, I found out today my grandmother has lung cancer. It's crap to feel stuck. All my warmest thoughts and prayers are shooting westward, and hopefully ending up somewhere in the vicinity of the U of M hospital. Love you Nana.

kt

quickie

Alright I'm going to make this quick so I don't distract myself too long from research.

Sandra, Anna, Julia, and Eva are all gone this weekend. They left yesterday. It's Saturday, and I already want them back. I can feel that something's missing, and this is just coming from four of the awesome people I've met here being gone! If this is anything like how it will be when it comes time to say good bye to everyone, I'm in trouble. 

Okay back to homework. ;)

SNOW STORM!!!

I'm sitting in my cabin, expecting the whipping snow to blow through my windows at any moment. It's one of those nights where you can actually feel the cold, snowy wind seeping through your walls. Good thing I still have some hot chocolate from a month ago. :)

Well today marked day one of Coe Conditioning. While I was making lunch today, I was so incredibly tickled by the realization of how little work I actually do here, that the concept manifested itself into a full-out one-person laugh fest. I actually laughed out loud for quite some time. (I think I'm alone in my cabin too much...haha.) And although don't misconstrue, I am LOVING this freedom to take another mile on my run if I feel like it, to hit the snooze twice or six times if I feel like it, to watch the next four episodes of Scrubs if I feel like it, to go out for an hour and a half just to take pictures if I feel like it, to ACTUALLY READ FOR LEISURE if I feel like it, to research new cameras online if I feel like it, etc. etc. etc. It's amazing. It's string-free. But I'd be a fool so say it's anything similar to the amount of free time I have at Coe. (I think there are some big implications to be seen here, too, regarding the Swedish culture vs. the American culture, but I'm not in the mood to dive into that at the  moment.) I know it won't be this way when I get back. I am saddling up for my most challenging academic semester at Coe yet, finishing up my Psych degree. This schedule of classes from hell happens to fall on the same semester during which I intend to party my face off with all my friends for my last semester of college with them. And I'll be broke, so season the mixture with a little bit of work, and you have yourselves there a recipe for a much busier Katie than you have now. 

So, I started training today. Kind of. The plan was to run, shower, volunteer, study at University, pick up groceries, come home for dinner, go to yoga, home. Instead I wimped out on a run in fear of the snow (replaced it with a mediocre circuit workout), sent some emails, stretched for twice as long as usual and ate breakfast while watching three episodes of The Office, showered, and packed a lunch. This all took me...yep three hours. Then I made plans with Sandra and Anna, read (FOR LEISURE!) for a half hour, joined those two on the way to University, studied a bit, volunteered at the Red Cross, picked up some groceries, biked through a snow storm to yoga only to find it was cancelled, came home. So it wasn't exactly the largely productive day I need to start getting in the habit of having, but I guess it was a start. :)

Funny side story, too: The streets at the moment are covered with a layer of ice, on top of which is a tightly packed layer of snow. When you throw in the fierce winds that we have had today, it makes biking on the roads quite the thrill ride. Well I was biking along, grumbling at how annoying it was to get all the way to yoga only to find out I could have been in my warm cabin the entire time, when all of a sudden this violent, snowy wall of wind literally tipped Gumpy and me over. It was one of those slow-motion spills, where you can see your fate well before it comes but there's nothing you can do about it, and I sure enough ended up flat sideways in the middle of the icy black street. It was so disappointing that no one was around to enjoy it.

Today was also a big day because another Patty Mraz package came!! I love these. This time we have:

-"The Audacity of Hope," which I specifically requested be purchased from Half-Priced Books, a feat that only Patty Mraz could pull off considering its popularity at the moment

-CANDY CORN!! to show Sandra and Anna, who had never seen it before (and I didn't just show them, we devoured it all in one sitting)

-A burned N*SYNC Christmas Album, personally created by Mark Mraz per my request

-Three silly comics ripped from a day-by-day calendar

-Two newspaper articles, one about the awkward meeting Obama and Bush would have to have, and the other about religiousness vs. spirituality in Minnesota youth

-A pen.

So yes, Patty pulls through again. :)

Well I'm going to wrap this up. Stay tuned for posts in the not-so-distant future that are no doubt going to be cursing the Coe Conditioning and the daunting concept of leaving this place in a month.... 

*muah*

kt

Cool times o0O

The o0O in the title makes a snowman! Get it? We have a lot of snow here...when I got back from Visby I was so relieved when I found Gumpy the Bike safe under the awning at the train station and protected from the three or so inches we got last weekend.

LAST WEEKEND! Last weekend was amazing. I really had a blast in Visby. It was the perfect trip to end the Era of the Eurail Pass with. And along with not paying for my transportation getting there and back (which included train-train-ferry; ferry-train-train), I also lucked out and had a place to stay for free while I was in the town. My friend here, Niklas, called up his sister who lives there and ended up getting me a MATTRESS and my OWN ROOM to crash in for the two nights. So I was already set for good things before I even left my cabin. 

I stepped off the ferry at 11:30pm on Friday night without a map and just an address. I soon learned that it's next to impossible to be really lost in Visby, and found Malin's apartment along the winding cobblestone streets in no time. Malin was awesome; she offered me a beer right away and invited me to join her and her friends in their "Sewing Party". The girls and Malin's boyfriend Bjorn are part of the SCA, the Society of Creative Anachronism (established in the States...), which basically is made up of a whole mess of history buffs all over the world; so they were sewing their dresses for Medieval Week that happens in Visby each year! (It sounds a lot like the Renaissance Festival, but I would be beheaded if they heard me say that out loud. :)) Anywho, they shared with me a lot of the history of Visby, and since they all lived there we planned my itinerary for the next day. Bjorn works at the museum, so I lucked out with his inside knowledge of the town...he shared with me a secret that few tourists actually know: you can actually rent the key that gets you in the ruins that are scattered throughout the town! So I had my plan for the next day and fell asleep excited to explore the city in the daylight.

The whole town is encircled by a stone wall that was built hundreds of years ago to keep out the peasants and the force merchants to pay a fine to enter the town. So right away in the morning I headed off in whatever direction I wanted, with the intention of hitting the wall at some point. The town is just so perfect to wander in. There must be city ordinances about advertising and signage, because the entire town matches itself; every single street I looked down was "the most perfect street to take a picture of"...needless to say I ended up taking over 200 pictures there. So I finally meandered to the wall and was walking along, picturing all the soldiers who positioned themselves for battle there, all the guards who thought they were tough keeping out the sickly and poor, when I came across a section that had fallen apart ever-so-perfectly into the form of stairs that were begging me to climb up them. I obliged, and ended up spending about half an hour running around all along the wall and capturing as many angles of the outstanding view I had of the town as I could. The little girl in me who fell in love with Kevin Kostner when he played Robin Hood was in her element. :)

Alright this description of just two days is starting to get long, so let me skip to the part where I have the super-awesome Key Of Power from the museum. This super-awesome Key Of Power was a power trip let me tell you. With it, I could unlock the heavy-duty padlocks that keep all the common tourists out of the 13th-century ruins and spend as much time as my elite heart desired exploring every corner of the old churches and towers. To walk along hidden corridors and climb back stairways that thousands of people had done 800 years before me was eerie to say the least. In one tower specifically, one that was particularly dark, might I add, I actually psyched myself out too much to spend more than ten minutes inside of it...I was just so shaken by everything that had most likely transpired there, not to mention the lack of sunlight was making it more and more chilling to be alone. Okay so I'm a baby, big deal. :) Anyway, long story short I was really moved by what I saw. In what ended up being my favorite "church" of them all (there were five in total), I camped out where the altar used to be for who knows how long. I couldn't scrutinize the details fast enough. The fact that this church still had parts of its ceiling intact, the fact that anyone could still grasp what its function was from the time it thrived, the fact that the chiseled artwork on the pillars was still distinguishable, all 800 years after it was built, just had me frozen in place. People built this stuff without the help of machines...stone by stone they piled on top of each other until the building finally took shape into a functional, symmetrical, impressionable place of worship. Sitting there in the apse got me thinking about the concept of work, and how it has or hasn't changed in the way we perceive it over the last 8 centuries. It made me feel more motivated than I have in a long time, to say the least.

So anyway, that was Visby. I feel like I might be forgetting parts but that's what really sticks out in my mind at the moment. I finally figured out how to load pictures up here with little to no hassle, so I'll most likely be putting up a lot of what I captured there for your viewing pleasure. I made a friend in the form of a VERY soft and snuggly cat who stars in a couple of them. :)

After my ferry from Visby on Sunday, I met Stacey in Stockholm, where we had a reservation for the famous Absolut Ice Bar...and it was just that! A bar sponsored by Absolut Vodka (exported from Sweden!) that's made purely of ice! Literally everything...chairs, tables, glasses, everything. We had to wear these ridiculous jackets that made everyone in the bar look like penguins, or boxers, however you want to look at it. It was awesome. And then after that excitement we caught our night train and headed home. 

So all in all, it was a fabulous weekend. I had a lot of time to myself to reflect on life in some of the most tried-and-true places in Europe, and it made me feel strong. :) I have thoughts about the rest of my time here, but I think I'll wrap this up for now. Hope to talk to you all soon!

kt

VISBY!

Well hello there! It's 7:32am here and I just got back from arguably my favorite place I've been in Sweden thus far. My weekend trip to Visby was AWESOME. Unfortunately, you're going to have to sit tight for the details because, true to form, I have put off a rough draft research paper due on Wednesday, and will be falling into the black hole of homework until it's done. See you when I get out, wish me luck!!! :)

MOON

Have you ever been able to see your shadow at night? I have. The moon is bright enough these days that I can actually see a distinct outline of myself as I'm walking on the Camping once the sun is gone. Can you believe that? It makes the environment so much more inviting. 

Just an update!

Hello all!

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I'd just give a little fill-in. I'm starting to feel the pressure of this semester coming to a close, so I've been really adamant about sticking around Sweden and enjoying as much time with my friends here as possible before I leave. This past weekend, then, Sandra, Kevin, Benoit and I headed off to the second largest city in Sweden, Göteborg. It's pretty well-known for its fishing industry, so needless to say we saw lots and lots of boats. The city is also home to the largest shopping mall in the Nordic Area, so when the sky opened up and it starting pouring on us midday on Sunday, we sought refuge in the massive shopping center. This felt oh-too American to me, so I secretly promised to not buy anything. It was fun to run around with Sandra and try on clothes though. :) At one point we also spent a few hours inside Göteborg's Natural History Museum, which was incredibly thorough in its displays. They had room after room after room of all types of animal species, from mealworms to orca whales. It was awesome. Overall, the trip was just a pleasant chance to bond. 

Then some excitement for this week was going to the Moose Garden today! About 20 minutes away from the Camping is this world-renound moose garden that sees over 45,000 visitors a year from all over the world. We got to go inside the pens and pet the moose, while the owner gave us all the background of the garden and little unknown facts about moose. They are incredible creatures. It's really sad to know how much of their byproducts are wasted by some of the ignorant hunters who take them out just for their meat and the antler trophy. I didn't know this beforehand, and please excuse the forwardness, but their poop is sterile! Yeah! And since they eat just mainly wood and grass, it's a perfect resource for making paper! I know it sounds strange but it's true...the tourist shop had yard upon yard of moose poop strung like beads all over the ceiling. They sold moose poop soap, that was translucent colored soap with a single moose dropping inside. It was really funny...can't say I've ever seen something like that before.

Well today I might be getting another ear piercing but I'm not sure. Tomorrow I leave for my last train trip, to the town of Visby on the island of Gotland. It's this famous Medieval town that has been preserved to still give off the impression of medieval times...should be pretty interesting! It's actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I'm rocking the trip solo, but I think that'll be good. I've had a lot on my mind lately. And then once I've gone there and back, Charlie the Eurail pass is over! (Moment of silence will shortly follow. :( ) She and I, we've had a good ride...get it?

Send me life updates! Love you and miss you!

kt

It sounds different.

Since I first arrived here in August, I have adjusted to many dimensions of life in Östersund. I bike to get around, all liquor is sold in one location, buying coffee at coffeeshops is laughably expensive, I expose the foreigner in me every time I impulsively smile at people I make eye contact with, there exists a cheese spread in literally every flavor, etc. etc. etc. It took some getting used to, but as I've mentioned before, I feel comfortably settled in here.

One ongoing interaction that continues me through a loop, however, is answering the question, "So where are you from, then?" From day one, hearing the words, "United States" come out of my own mouth has immediately led to my scrutinizing of my new friend's face for any indication of judgment. For lack of a less inappropriate simile, it's like dropping a bomb. I'm never certain what people, namely Europeans, immediately judge about me when they hear that I'm from the States, based on what they know or what they think they know about our country. Overwhelmingly here I have heard that it's not the States that has a bad reputation, it's Bush (he really is not the most favored individual on a global scale...), but I still can't help but assume that I'm simply associated with the whole country who gave him his second term when I say I'm an American. And it has always been tough too because I wasn't all that patriotic to begin with. Like I've mentioned before, I consider my values, my heart, to be a product of my Midwestern upbringing before I'd attribute it to growing up in the States. And so when I'm engaged in open discussions about the States and its reputation, I find myself only able to represent where I come from and what I know, and utterly fail at defending the entire country as a whole. Because I never felt connected to the entire country. Because I never truly felt the idea of being an American pulse through my veins.

Until Wednesday morning at around 4am. Since Wednesday morning at 4am, I have been reborn as an American from the Midwest. I feel like I DO come from a country I belong to; a country that represents MY hopes and MY dreams and MY outlooks on the world. MY COUNTRY voted Barack Obama to be its president. MY COUNTRY took a long, hard look at itself and said we can do better. MY COUNTRY is ready to BE THE CHANGE IT WISHES TO SEE IN THE WORLD. And maybe I'm all jacked here because Europe is nearly 100% behind our decision too, but clearly I'm thrilled at what I saw late late Tuesday night. This was a GLOBAL decision that was made by one of the most powerful countries in the world...you guys don't realize how much all eyes were truly on America that night. Half the exchange program told me the following day that they, too, were up late watching the results pour in. They, too, knew the implications of this decision. They, too, were ready to see America do the RIGHT THING after who can say how many years of mistakes. 

A bunch of us went out to Soup Night and then a bar last night, and I met a handful of new people. Hearing, "The United States" come out of my mouth as the answer to where my home is didn't sound the same...it was something I actually wanted to brag about, something I wanted to tell everyone. The feeling that I was being wrongfully judged had melted away; I'm happy to be judged by my country now. I finally know what it's like to feel country pride. 

The States still has a lot to figure out, and life doesn't suddenly become a walk in the park just because Bush is outta there. Obviously. I'm just thrilled to see that we've hopped on an express train to Global Forgiveness and will most likely be able to make headway in the next (keep your fingers crossed!!) eight years. 

I love you all and I'm really looking forward to seeing you all again in less than two months!!

kt

OBAMA WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...and it would have been difficult to face most of these Europeans if he hadn't! I'll be writing more later, I'm getting ready for the CELEBRATION PARTY!! right now, but I just thought I'd share with the world how unbelievably elated I am. Our country isn't so bad after all. :)

albums

ps-I hope you enjoy the new albums it put up :)

I should be on trial for blog neglect.

Sorry for slacking so much these days on this blog! It's strange because as each day has gone by, I've truly felt that nothing has been happening that would be considered blog-worthy, but then all of a sudden a week practically goes by without posting and I can think of a lot I could talk about!

So here we are. It's November 2nd and the snow is BEAUTIFUL here. Lots of opportunities to be a nice neighbor and shovel. It's legitimately cold, and I am in love with the winter jacket I invested in a month ago. Sweden is definitely a winter country, no doubt about that. 

I think part of my blog neglect stemmed from a general ambivalence I was feeling last week about my time here. Yes I still feel like I learn something new every day and yes I'm having the time of my life in a foreign country, but I mean let's be serious, I've been here for two months now, times were bound to get a little slower. You adjust to your new home and so obviously no matter where you are you're bound to get bored from time to time. I wanted to convince myself that this is SWEDEN!! and STUDYING ABROAD!!! and THE TIME OF MY LIFE!!!! every single day but that just simply makes no sense! haha it's better this way: it's a more realistic way of looking at this experience. This isn't just a 4-month thrill vacation, it's a relocation and a chance to actually reside outside of my usual boundaries. Of course there will be times where life is less thrilling.

So what do we do when it gets like that? That's right, we cut off all our hair. I forgot to mention this last week, but once I returned from my trip I could not stop thinking about how badly I wanted my hair cut off. I was so sick of it. I didn't want to pay to get it cut, so for a couple days I kept on trying to convince my friends to do it, that I wouldn't be asking if I cared about them messing up, blah blah blah, but no one was brave enough. So sure enough, last Wednesday night I took matters into my own hands and started hacking away. Over the course of the next few days, Sandra and Anna evened out some parts in the back, I cut off more to give myself layers, etc., so after about a four-day hair cutting project I finally arrived at the simple 50s-looking boy haircut I currently boast. It's so awesome. I may never grow it out again. I have a feeling that the implications of this hair-cutting spree and what it truly represents about my growth as a young adult may be revealed to me in a few months' time, but at the moment I'm content with saying I was simply sick of styling it. :)

What else have I been up to? I received my first presidential election ballot to date about two weeks ago so that was exciting to send in. I love Gumpy my bike with all my heart. I just finished an 8-page paper for my master's sociology class, which concludes the course. In relation to that assignment, I have a newfound appreciation for the way classes are taught at Coe. Kevin and I ate lunch with Pam Carstens, our exchange advisor from Coe, last Thursday, and it was refreshing. He and I are also preparing for our Election Party on November 5th to show these Europeans how was party American style :) (we have now found Miller Lite AND Coors Light here!!!). I am obsessed with Scrubs at the moment. I will be going to Sicily for May Term. Oh! Duh...and November will be full of tiny little trips: 

November 7-10: Sandra, Benoit, Kevin and I will be going to Göteborg, the second largest city in Sweden

November 14-16: I want to take a little weekend trip to Gotland, the island off the east coast of Sweden, to see the gated city of Visby, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has been described as "arguably the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia"...sweet!

November 19-21: I'm taking a little three-day trip to Prague in the Czech Republic...mildly worried that I haven't been able to convince anyone to join me yet, but not all that concerned if I have to go it alone in the end. 

Charlie the Eurail pass is over on November 16th, and I'm proud to say I will have used every one of the 15 train trips she offered. :)

Well I think that's all for now. I'm sad because Sunday brunch is a no-go today...the majority of our brunch bunch is still working on their papers. Just another lazy Sunday. :) 

Thinking of you all ALL the time!! Send life updates! Love you!

kt

October 28...

...and it SNOWED last night!!! Not too much, probably just about an inch, but it stuck and it gives the camping a delightful little frosted village look. Just beautiful. :)

I know I haven't posted since Friday but there's not much to report...times are pretty blissfully slow around here. And I will say that although this drastic change from my typical jam-packed life back at Coe has been wonderful on countless levels, I'm noting a slight itch to get back into a more structured lifestyle again. Haha I mean you can only redecorate your cabin so many times you know? So I'm starting yoga this Thursday and will FINALLY be joining choir today. You know, just continuing to live the dream. 

I'll do my best to get pictures from the long two-week trip up soon! Love you all!

kt

Correction

The shirt does NOT, as previously assumed, say "Positive Attitude" underneath the mountain. Oh no my friends. It's "Positive ALtitude," which truly ups the competition in the entire game. Sorry for skewing the report. :)

Round 2

Alright folks, here's another round of your favorite game: What's Your Favorite Item from Patty's Care Package to Katie?

 

We have:

-One political cartoon expressing our opinions :)

-Six stickers of random things in Paris

-My all-time FAVORITE gray Coe sweatshirt that I, in a severe lapse of judgment, decided at the last minute to not bring to Sweden, a choice I have regretted at least once a day since I've been here.

-One package of Double-Stuf Oreos, per request of some of my friends here 

-One roll of Starbursts

-One tear-jerking narrative from the poetic Matt Mraz himself

-Two pairs of socks (one white and for running, one multi-colored and wool)

-Some reflective materials to wear while I'm biking in the pitch dark at 5pm here ("Reflective thingys for my safety" :))

-One bright orange hand towel with the friendliest ghost you ever did see embroidered on it

-A new shirt displaying a mountain with the words "Positive Attitude" scrolled beneath it

Alright so what's it going to be??? There is some stiff competition here, so be sure to choose wisely. Happy picking! :)

kt 

PS-BONUS QUESTION: Who's got the greatest mom in the world?

It has been almost a week!

Hey all!

**Skip to the summary at the bottom if the length intimidates you as much as it should!! haha**

Sorry I've been neglecting the blog. Internet stopped being so reliable once I left Vienna, so I never really had the chance to fill in the gaps until now, as I'm safe and sound in my lovely welcoming cabin in Östersund. :)

Alright let's go back to Wednesday. I spent my last day in Vienna in a very laid-back manner...it was just what I needed. Luke and I stopped and got the (apparently?) world-famous Sacher Torte in town, which is basically a heart attack in a cake. It was unbelievably delicious! Then I got to sample some of Luke's new music (all for field research for the biography I'll be writing for him :)) and then hit the streets for a last little look at the city. We all went out later that night and then the next day I was off to Berlin.

Okay. Here's where the Katie vs. Europe segment of my trip comes in. From here on out I was completely on my own. No definite plans other than Berlin for two days, Copenhagen, then home, and no travel pals. Just me, my feet, and my backpack.

So how lucky is it that I manage to make a friend on the train to Berlin who not only can offer advice for what to do in the city, but goes the extra mile and offers to show me around the city the next day?? Here I was, clueless, plan-less, and friend-less, and by a lucky chance-encounter I managed to find a filler to each of those voids in one photographer by the name of Mathias. So anyway we make plans for the next day and then once in Berlin I head off to find my hostel. And get this! In the cheap 12-person room that I reserved a bed in, not a SOUL was staying in it the first night. So no more friends to be made there, but I DID get to choose whichever bed I wanted so there was a trade-off :). Then once I got settled in I set off to fulfill one of my life goals: Go out to dinner at a real restaurant by myself without a book to read. Found a Cuban restaurant, no english spoken, had my favorite meal of the trip, and checked the experience off my list. :)

So. The next day I met Mathias at 9am and was greeted with my very own professional photography camera. Big, black, neck strap and all. I had to keep two hands on it for the entire ten hours we took on Berlin because I was so scared of breaking it! And we really took on Berlin, the touristy places and not-so touristy places. Saw the TV tour, the DDR Museum (not to be confused with Dance-Dance-Revolution...the German Democratic Republic :)), Alexander platz, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reitzdag, Checkpoint Charlie (the American checkpoint during the cold war and where the Americans and the Soviets had a stand off for 18 hours), and of course, remnants from the Berlin Wall. Off the beaten path, we came across an old tower from where they patrolled the wall and shot people who tried to cross it, an old train station that had been converted into what I thought looked like a museum of graffiti and brokenness, an occupied house with the words: Capitalism Kills, Norms, and Destroys, and all sorts of other little unknown places of interest in Berlin. By the end of the day I had taken 353 pictures of locations literally ALL OVER the city of Berlin, a feat I never would have been able to accomplish had I been meandering on my own and not with the guidance of a chance new friend. It's the encounters like that that make me wake up every morning. :)

I'll need to go back someday and give Germany in general more of my attention. I know it may be tough to believe but 36 hours in a country is not enough time to say you know it, regardless of how turbo you go. :) The next morning I was off to Copenhagen at 7:15am. At around noon, the train suddenly stopped and asked that everyone please exit the train while on the ferry. We could leave our belongings on the train and then resume our seats in 45 minutes when the ferry came to port. Ferry??!!! I had not the slightest CLUE that a FERRY was involved in this trip!!! It was such a pleasant surprise! I probably looked like the biggest foreigner in the world but I could not wipe my childish grin off my face throughout the whole ride for the life of me. This boat was massive and just kept going and going...it had THREE restaurants, a BEAUTY SUPPLY STORE, a liquor store, a chocolate shop, an ARCADE, a KIDS' PLAYGROUND, four viewing decks, everything. I was seriously elated.

It was a couple hours after the ferry trip that I arrived in Copenhagen, feeling refreshed and energized. And despite the fact that I still had nowhere to stay that night, I was feeling positive and excited about the city. So I immediately set off to find accommodation for the night, and soon realized how ridiculously expensive everything in Copenhagen is. The cheapest place I found was...not cheap...but it was the best deal that included a breakfast the following morning so I took it. Then once I was settled I just went out to check out the city. I've come to truly enjoy wandering. You see so much stuff when you just sort of let yourself get a smidgen lost in new places. I came across this great community art project in the square outside of city hall, for example, that consisted of thousands of white legos spread across a half-dozen tables in the shape of Copenhagen. It was called the "U-turn project" and invited everyone who came across it to build a part of what they'd like Copenhagen to look like someday. So the artists were the citizens and tourists alike. Then later I found all these black-and-white 6'X6' photos of residents of Christiana, the controversial hippie settlement on the east side of the city that I'll get to later. The pictures we gripping and so full of personality that I felt that they should be displayed somewhere where they were protected from the weather and vandals, but the artist's point was obviously to make a public statement so they were perfect right where they stood. I stopped at this awesome little diner for dinner and then basically called it a night after a feeble attempt to find live music somewhere. I was exhausted.

Back at the hotel, I figured I should take advantage of having TV, and ended up getting dragged (drug?) into this awful program for an hour and a half. It was a movie of some sort (there were never any commercials so I have no clue) that was in the format of a documentary that told the story of President Bush's assassination. There were fake interviews with his associates, potential gunmen, everyone. And it was all in English, with clearly American actors. It was absolutely nauseating to watch...I mean I'm not fan of Bush myself but I was shocked to see such an intricately hateful film out in the media. A movie about his assassination? While he's still in office?? It shook me. Not only because of how relentlessly hateful it was, but just for the mere fact that there are people who feel passionately enough in their disgust with Bush that they'll spend time making a full-length film about it. Like I've said before, it's a peculiar feeling to be in Europe at the time of such a political turning point in the States. It's a completely different perspective. There's more about this actually later in my trip.

Anyway I woke up the next morning after (!) 8 and a half hours of sleep! Went to breakfast, stole sustenance for lunch, and then headed out for a full day off seeing Copenhagen. Right from the get-go, I was one left turn away from completely scrapping my plan and going to the the famous Tivoli Garden all day (the famous Copenhagen amusement park that the Nazi's bombed during the resistance and now IS the bomb...pun intended :)), but thankfully I talked myself out of it and ended up having an extremely fulfilling day. It started off with a canal tour, which was splendidly touristy and gave me great background on the city. By mid-morning I was back on land and excited as ever to get the exploring started. I saw the famous Nyhavn canal (the one where Hans Christian Anderson lived and that has all the sail boats and multi-colored houses), the somber Little Mermaid statue, the Danish Resistance Museum (which was much more powerful than its no-entrance-fee policy suggested), that Christiana burrough I mentioned earlier, and lots and lots of pretty old buildings and canals. Copenhagen is charming.

Let me go into more detail about Christiana, because it's really an interesting place (you should wikipedia it). From what I gathered, in the early 70s a group of young people took on the abandoned storage land used for the army years back and declared it their own, calling it Christiana after the old king (?). The space provided homes for hundreds of homeless people, and over the last 37 years has developed into a community of common understanding and harmony. They denounce the Danish government and instead govern themselves, making decisions solely on unanimously-agreed opinions. (Ex: They all agreed to put up a sign as you leave the village stating, "You are now entering the EU [European Union]".) About 800 people consider themselves residents there right now, and the Danish government doesn't know what the hell to do with them. On the one hand, they have figured out a solution to some of the homelessness issues in the city, have concentrated the marijuana trafficking to one central location where it can be monitored and therefore less hazardous, and have, for the most part, remained a peaceful, community-based, and love-spreading bunch all the while. On the other hand, they have a reputation for occasionally attracting the wrong kinds of people which end up disrupting the peace on a large scale (someone was even killed in one such disturbance in 2005), and also over the years their dream has become a bit more commercialized than it originally was, as more and more tourists find out about the place and wander around through it (enter: Me). But this is not a typical tourist attraction, and the government worries when some outsiders come across the place and are completely mortified by what they see. I wasn't allowed to take pictures in there, but try to imagine it: Old run-down stone buildings that were clearly used for military purposes, all completely covered in spray painted art/graffiti. Over-grown plants lining dirts paths that at first glance just give off the appearance of being neglected, but upon closer investigation have actually been clipped into the shape of people or animals or other images. Merchant stands all over a central square (where I was incredibly disappointed to find some products "Made in Nepal"...everyone's a sell out I swear). The smells of pot and food everywhere. Clothes hanging outside cottages on a line. Dread locks mixed with leather jackets. Live music playing from somewhere. "Stray" dogs running around your feet. An entire shack dedicated to the Save Tibet cause. A bike rent and repair shop. It was really a neat little village to say the least. I'd love to go in an write an ethnography about the place someday. 

I spent quite a few hours in Christiana just walking around and people watching, and by the time I left it was about time to make my way back to the hotel to grab my stuff and prepare for my night train. On my way back, I came across a peace demonstration going on outside of city hall. There were posters and pamphlets and peace flags in all different languages all over the place. I learned that these brightly-dressed people had been sitting outside the city hall every single day since we went to war with Iraq in 2001, so 2,558 days as of Sunday. To talk with these people was refreshing; they knew that fear was the enemy of peace and that it's amazing what you can discover when you try to put yourself in the shoes of someone you think may be your enemy. But amongst the posters there was one that seemed counterintuitive: It called for a delivery of George War Bush, Dead or Alive. Dead or Alive? What's peaceful about that? 

So as you may have gathered, I have arrived back in Östersund more traveled and even more contemplative about my country and what we portray ourselves as to the rest of the world. I just mailed in my absentee ballot yesterday, and am joining most of Europe counting down the days to November 4th. 

But this blog is not about politics! Haha it's about my trip and how crazy awesome it was. I saw SO MUCH and had SO MANY wonderful experiences. I can't believe it all really happened.

But I must say I am glad to be back to the safety and comfort of my cabin and friends here in Östersund. It's truly amazing how quickly a fun-loving, smiley girl can turn lukewarm when it's Her Against the World in a foreign country. Don't get me wrong, I made friends and was obviously open to new experiences, but wow let me tell you I've never been more suspicious of the people around me in my whole life. By the time I was at the Copenhagen train station waiting for my night train back to Sweden, I had everyone pegged as a thief or worse. I mean I still grinned when I made eye contact, gave directions to people who asked for them, held the door open, ran to return a dropped wallet to a woman, said excuse me, etc., but it was insane to get into my own head and see what little faith I had in strangers by that point. I was convinced that I stood out as a target, being a woman and clearly a tourist (the backpack that was twice my size gave it away if my lack of language skills didn't), and that at any moment my safety could be in jeopardy. 

But was I? Was I a target? Or was it all in my head? I'd like to say it's better to be safe than sorry, and that feeling protective of my belongings, and more importantly myself, was the naturally intuitive way for a woman/single tourist/young person to go, but was it really necessary to psych myself out at all? Is it when we give in to that distrust, that fear, that peace becomes an unreachable concept and hostility becomes the norm? I don't know the answers here. But now, sitting in my warm cabin where I know I can sleep and eat and go about my business with little to no fear of the consequences, I confidently look back and think I could have fostered more positive thoughts about the strangers I encountered on my travels. Maybe I didn't need to feel any fear at all; maybe no one even noticed me. It's just incredible to see how quickly trust appears to be naivete when you're traveling by yourself, I guess. And then all of a sudden you meet an incredibly generous photographer who'll show you around the city, or a waiter who'll gladly take time off his shift to point out where to go on your map, or a homeless person who just wants to talk about the bright lights of New York who ends up making you laugh your ass off. It would have been the best if I could have put myself in the shoes of all the unknown faces that surrounded me, then I probably wouldn't have been so protective.

Well clearly this post has gone on way too long! Haha so in summary: My Paris-Amsterdam-Vienna-Berlin-Copenhagen trip was full of adventures and smiles. Pictures will all be up on facebook soon, and hopefully on the blog here too. I thought of you all while I was out and about and I hope you are all doing exceptionally well. Keep sending me updates of your lives! They're great to read! :) Love you!

kt

Vienna

Well hello again! Of course you can assume by the title of this post that I made it successfully to Vienna. It's beautiful here. As someone who appreciates music and who is finding herself  more and more engrossed in visual art, this place is just a breeding ground artistic expression. It is one of the most famous cities in the world as far as Opera is concerned, Mozart himself is known for his work here, and a person can't walk more than two blocks in town without passing a theater. They're everywhere. Not to mention, there is this vast stretch of lawn in the southwest corner of the city that is totally surrounded by museums. Appropriately enough, it's called the Museums Quartier, and it's filled with art of all types to appeal to the masses. Being in a place that embraces art as one of the most pure forms of communication is refreshing. 

But let me fill you in on what I've actually done here! True to tradition, my first couple days consisted of me hitting everything I possibly could in the city, hellbent on exploring everything. On day one, Monday, Luke took me into town, pointed out some good places to see, then went off to class. (I'm lucky to have my own personal tour agent here! :)) I should say right off the bat that although Vienna is a definite tourist city, I was pleased to see shorter lines and smaller crowds everywhere compared to my past travels. My first stop was Stephansdome, the church that was the central church to the Austrian/Hungarian empire. The inside is cavernous (typical) and surprisingly colorful (atypical). But my favorite part is the outside. The tiles on the roof of the church are patterned in every color and give off a really eye-catching effect. I guess I'm just not used to seeing so much vibrance from an old church! :)

After the church I did a fair share of strolling. I strolled through some books stores hoping to find some cheap sheet music; I strolled through Stadt Park, the city park; I strolled on down to the Belvedere which is a museum + big garden but didn't go in the museum; I strolled along this great gem of a street that was lined with canvases mounted on a fence and covered with artwork from hundreds of different artists; I strolled to another cool church in Karlsplatz that had a huge fresco on the dome that had been painted by a bunch of young monks, which was neat; then I strolled on back to the center of town to meet Luke and Russ for lunch. Ironically enough, some of the most popular food in Vienna is from Istanbul. Kebab and Felafel. (And what is it about food coming from food stands almost ALWAYS having really fun names to say?! Haha it makes eating them that much more exciting.) 

After lunch I mosied on over to that Museums Quartier I mentioned earlier to check out the old Hofburg palace, where the Hapsburgs lived (spelling?). It was great too: Apparently, as some construction workers were digging the subway line outside of this palace many many years ago they just suddenly came across these old ancient ruins. So they just stopped and left the digging open to be seen from the street...it's kind of funny. 

I met Luke again when he was done with class and the two of us went to the Van Gogh exhibit at Albertina. It had his Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat, which is one of his most famous works, but was unfortunately missing Starry Night. Oh well. There was also this great Monet/Picasso exhibit in the basement that we checked out, along with all these ritzy rooms where exhibit opening parties are held. We enjoyed ourselves.

Alright. Still on day one. (I had a huge day my goodness!) Stay with me. On our way back to his apartment Luke and I stopped and got some bread, cheese and wine to take with us to this great park that overlooks a vineyard in the country. It was a bummer that it was so foggy, because the sunset would have been much different if it had been clearer, but hey. I still had a picnic overlooking a vineyard. Hah. :) 

Alright. Day two was a little less crazy. I met Luke when he got out of class at around noon, and after a stellar chinese buffet we made our way to.....THE FIRST ZOO IN THE WORLD!!! Oh it was such a blast. We literally spent hours there. They had giraffes and elephants and sea lions and POLAR BEARS and tigers and MONKEYS and PENGUINS!!!! and so much more. And the majority of it all was outside. Except for this one unmarked tunnel we suddenly found ourselves in that was dark and lined with tiny little lights that allowed us to catch glimpses of...yes...BATS flying all around our heads! Haha it freaked me out but it was awesome.

Right next to the zoo lies what was the summer home for those Hapsburgs I mentioned before. Apparently the Queen loved animals and nature so it was perfect. Not only is it located immediately next to the zoo, but it also boasts what seems like miles and miles of gardens and forests and paths. I couldn't get enough of it. Allegedly there's a massive hedge maze on the grounds as well, but we couldn't find it so that was a huge bummer.

Exhausted from yet again an entire afternoon of walking, we came back and crashed for a while with Luke's roommates. It wasn't until around midnight that we pulled ourselves up off the couch and went out for a drink at one of their favorite bars, then finally calling it a night.

And now today. I was supposed to be writing this in a coffee shop near the Danube River which I wanted to walk along this morning, but the weather had different plans. It poured this morning, leaving me uninterested in bringing the laptop out in case the clouds opened up again. So Luke's living room will have to do. I went on my first run in weeks today and it took me out a little to the gorgeous rolling Viennese countryside. Not bad for the first run in a while. :)

And now we're all caught up. More to come later! 

Katie

PS-Being with Luke has me thinking even more of all you Coe College nut cases. :) Hope you're all doing well.

Alright. This is ridiculously long and I apologize.

Continued from last post: Coming down from our initial adrenaline rush, we started making our way to the base of the tower. Just as we were passing through the trees along the path of this oh-too-perfect pond, paralysis stopped us in our tracks again as the entire tower suddenly lit up and started twinkling like the biggest Christmas tree in the world. I'd be lying if I said the two of us didn't literally squeal with glee at the sight of it all. :) When we were able to move again we set up camp to enjoy a little picnic dinner. Grapes, baguette, and cheese just have a better taste when you eat them under the Eiffel Tower. 

WEDNESDAY

Alright. So. I move on to Wednesday, our day of taking on Paris by foot.

Putting into consideration the inconvenience of our hostel’s location, we didn’t get into the city and settled at a breakfast place (yes, A Petit Dejuner, for you Will Ferrel/SNL enthusiasts J) until around 11:30am. Full of crepes, baguettes, and coffee, we strolled along to the Jardin de Champs Mars, the vast garden at the base of the good ol Eiffel Tower. We dinked around in the garden for a while, just people watching and taking dorky pictures on the map of the EU at her feet. Having had our full of Katie and Stacey Europe Domination pictures, we started making our way to Notre Dame Cathedral. This was a long walk but it was expected to be as such, since all we really wanted was to look around the city and soak it all up. So we took our time. After about an hour of strolling we finally arrived to Notre Dame, its imposing front façade greeting us opposite of a tiny channel off the river Seine. It just looks so powerful; I don’t know how else to describe it. Well either way the magic stopped at the front door. Immediately upon walking in to the church, you realize that it is no longer the sacred place it once was. It’s beautiful and detailed and cavernous and huge, but the appeal of tourist dollars has somewhere along the way trumped the importance of keeping the church a sacred place. In was jam-packed with people shouting and taking pictures, and each chapel which lined the outside of the nave was complete with a request for money. I felt the opposite of at peace there.

Luckily for us the Louvre was up next on the itinerary, where we were bound to be inspired at. The museum is appropriately located right on the Seine, and is no joke longer than a football field. It took us what seemed like forever to get to the entrance after first coming up to the back of it! But finally turning that corner and beholding the famous pyramid settled within the courtyard of one of the most well-known museums in the world was so amazing. And once we were finally in, my heart couldn’t keep up with my eyes. I wanted to see everything. We came after-hours so we wouldn’t have to pay as much, which limited our time to about three hours. So, disappointedly, I sat down and did the responsible thing to prioritize what I had to see. In three hours I saw a whole hallway of paintings from Italy, France, and Spain from the 13^th through the 16^th centuries, and a handful of Ancient Roman and Egyptian sculptures. (Mind you, there are at least six “hallways” in the whole place, along with four floors of other galleries. A whole day there will be well spent next time I’m in Paris. J) I did well, too, I only cried three times. The first time was just because I happened to catch a glimpse of the vast courtyard/garden/pyramid from inside the museum, and the bright pink and blue sunset over a city that you should feel so lucky to see would have moved anyone to tears. So lay off. The other two times were instigated by two separate post-crucifixion paintings. I had never seen either of them before. They were each created by completely separate artists at completely separate time periods, and yet the overwhelming sadness that gripped Jesus’ friends and admirers in each had never been so touching to me. The first one didn’t even need to show Mary Magdalene’s face to portray how broken she was at Jesus’ death; she was depicted from the back, kneeling with her arms raised and head thrown back to him on the cross. And the later one threw bawling children into the mix. A low blow. Two plump little angels, one staring at the crucified Jesus and one holding his wounded hand and staring at me, had tears streaming down their faces like toddlers get when they throw tantrums. It wasn’t even fair…they were so real and vivid. I got choked up here and there at other points throughout the museum when I sat down and allowed myself to fully appreciate every detail of the paintings I was beholding. A passionate artist poured his heart into every stroke, every blend in every square inch of these paintings, some of which were literally ten feet tall and twenty feet long. How could that concept not move a person? Long story short, the Louvre was most certainly a highlight of the trip.

When it was time to leave, Stacey and I made our way back to our good old girlfriend, the Eiffel Tower, for one more hurrah with her. We paid for third-floor tickets, and within ten minutes were standing on a platform that provided us with a full view of the city of Paris. I was glad we waited to go up top because we could look out and see everything we’d been able to visit in the last two days. It was a powerful spectacle. Confirming every cliché that Paris has about being the city of love, a couple got engaged while we were standing up there. Certainly in anticipation for moments such as that, the tower’s tourist center has a bar advertising champagne right up there on the top. J

We called it a night after that and headed back to the hotel, exhausted from walking everywhere that day. The plan was that we’d get up the next day, head to the train station to get our tickets to Amsterdam, go check out the Sacre Coeur Cathedral and maybe the Moulin Rouge, then hop on our train to Amsterdam around 6pm. It was a perfectly planned day.

 

THURSDAY

But as it goes with traveling, nothing ever goes perfectly according to plan. The day started off with us learning that there were no tickets to Amsterdam left at ALL that day. We’d have to wait until the next morning. Alright. So we had already booked the hostel in Amsterdam and wouldn’t be able to cancel it at this point, fine. Not cool. But honestly there are worse places to get stuck for an extra day in right? Stacey and I made the best of it: Neither of us are the kind of girls who could ever justify planning a chill day in a foreign country, since every second we have in a new place we want to maximize on. So, in the long run, an extra day dedicated to nothingness ended up being a bit of a gift for us! We took our time getting in to a new (and much better…) hostel for the night and then making our way to Sacre Coeur. I had been told that Sacre Coeur was much different than Notre Dame, and was pleased to find that I agreed; as opposed to Notre Dame this cathedral not only boasted a welcoming sloping lawn where visitors all just rested and enjoyed the view of the city, but it also had managed to preserve its sanctity over years of being a tourist hot spot. I wasn’t allowed in until I put my jacket on over my tank top and no talking or photography was allowed inside the church. And so it actually felt like I was entering a holy place when I got there. So everyone should see Notre Dame before Sacre Coeur when they visit Paris, because that order will make you appreciate it that much more. J

We meandered around through the district surrounding the cathedral when we’d seen enough of the church. The area was called Montmatre and exploring its streets might have played a big role in improving my opinion of Paris up until that point. I definitely appreciate Paris for what it has to offer in beautiful sights, vibrant history, and lively culture; but I really can’t say I love it. Being in that outside district was nice because I got to see a side of Paris that just wasn’t trying so hard, if that makes sense. So much of the other areas we saw in Paris were so showy and phony and this district was more natural. Not even a Starbucks in sight.

So anyway, after seeing the Moulin Rouge in the Montmatre area we took the metro to Champs Elysees, the big busy street that embodies the showy and phony Paris I was just describing. It’s pretty awesome high-paced people watching I tell you. J Stacey needed to get her Sephora fix and I felt like playing around with expensive makeup, so we ended up spending almost an hour in the carnival that is Sephora. I enjoyed myself a bit too much, however, and managed to shatter one of the biggest and most expensive bottles of perfume they had there. I just couldn’t help but laugh at the Sephora Gods’ clever way of paying me back for my silent judgments of the place throughout my visit; oh karma. J 

We basically said our goodbyes to Paris after another hour or so out in the city, and went to bed exhausted and ready for a full day of traveling to Amsterdam in the morning.

 

FRIDAY

I’ll spare the details of the day up until 7pm that night. In summary, we traveled from Paris to Amsterdam and it took us all day. 

Anyway at around 7:00 we met up with Stacey’s friend Neala and her group of engineering students she was traveling with, along with two of their friends from home in Canada as well. It was refreshing to be in a big group and meet new people again. Since it was so late when we all finally settled down for dinner, we ended up staying out and going to a bunch of different bars until the wee hours of the night. I was shocked to find  that there were no cover charges anywhere…it was really nice to say the least. Not to mention, Neala’s business credit card covered the cost of our accommodations for the night so that was the right price there too.

 

SATURDAY:

The next day Stacey and I went to the Anne Frank museum, which was chilling. Whoever was the brains behind that museum was a genius; it’s set up for the visitor to follow along the building (it is in the actual secret annex from the diary) in a specific order, all the while reading excerpts from the diary that correlate to the items on display. Seeing it all definitely reestablished my profound respect for everything Anne Frank wrote in her diary; it’s hard to imagine such a young girl with such gripping intuition.

 Amsterdam is an awesome city to just wander around in. There are trams running along all the major roads but for the most part everyone else bikes or walks. There are very few cars. So we spent the bulk of the rest of our afternoon doing just that, which was just what all the other tourists were doing too. In our wanderings I got to see a lively break dance show a square and either a protest or a photo shoot (couldn’t really tell), eat a delicious falafel, and look around in an impressive little hole-in-the-wall local art shop. If anyone would like any more details of my time in Amsterdam, please feel free to ask me personally. :) 

SUNDAY 

I’m writing this now on my train to Vienna. I separated from Stacey and left this morning at 10:30am. There were some issues with my last train, but I’ll be meeting Luke Viertel in Vienna at 11:30pm if everything corrects itself.

So until I get Internet again…miss you all!

Katie