I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when i'll be back again.
I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know if i'm ready to go.
I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know if I should go.
I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't think you can keep me here.

Love,
Joseph

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Miss, Look Forward

I leave Sunday for the adventure of a lifetime. Even though I will be back, friends and even I keep reminding myself of "last times". Over the past week there have been a lot of "last times"; "last time" eating lunch at the River Market, "last time" at WholeFoods, "last time" seeing so and so, "last time" going here, "last time" going there. With all of these "last times" I can't help, but think of all the things that I am going to miss, and what I am looking forward too. Here are just a few:

• I am going to miss my friends, but am looking forward to making new ones.
• I am going to miss late nights just hanging out, but am looking forward to a new Swedish night life.
• I am going to miss the comforts of home, but am looking forward to settling down in a new home.
• I am going to miss my family, but am looking forward to making a new one.
• I am going to miss Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro, but am looking forward to finding a new favorite eatery.
• I am going to miss everything, but am looking forward to so much more!

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3 DAYS!!!

3 Days left, and I am getting packed up and rapping everything up with my life in the United States. It is hard to believe that I will be leaving in a mere 3 days, and when I come back I will be such a different person. It's amazing to think of all the things I will learn about myself and this new world of mine. I can't wait to start this adventure!
I am so excited to meat my new family and my new life in Sweden. There is so much excitement and nervousness built up inside. I am just ready to go and see what will be.

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Less then a week

I still remember the days when it was 5 months before I leave and I couldn't wait. Now, its 5 days away, still can't wait, it's here so soon! Just over a month ago at outbound camp we had to do something that was hard for many, we threw all of our fears into a fire, now with the day so close those fears seem impossible to find. They are no where in sight.
With 5 days to go before I board that flight to Stockholm, Sweden, there is nothing to do, but... pack. Yep, packing, its a task in and of itself. I am the king of packing things last minute (I usually pack the night before, or even the morning of), but this time, I must push myself to pack in advance. Not only do I have to pack all the things I am taking with me, I must also pack all of the things that I am leaving at home. There are so many things that you would never think of needing to do, that are just another task to complete on my list.

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9 Days

9 days to go.. Its hard to believe that I will be packing everything up and moving to Sweden for a year in just ten days. Its surreal. I have been getting more and more excited as the day comes closer and closer. It hasn't fully hit me yet that I will be gone for a whole year.

The thought of leaving for a whole year is hard to stomach, but I know it will be amazing! I can't wait to embark on this great new adventure learning a language and adapting to a culture.

 I finally got all the paper work for my residence permit! It was not as exiting as I thought it would be. When I called the embassy, they had not even sent it out yet, so someone emailed it to me. Most of the letter is in Swedish, so I do not know exactly what it says, but my sister who speaks Danish has been translating it.

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Life in a Day

On July 24, 2010, thousands of people around the world uploaded videos of their day to YouTube to take part in LIFE IN A DAY, a historic cinematic experiment to create a documentary film about a single day on earth.

Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald whittled down over 4500 hours of footage into a 90-minute film that wowed audiences at the Sundance, Berlin and SXSW Film Festivals earlier this year.

On July 24, 2011, LIFE IN A DAY will continue its journey when it premieres in theatres across the U.S. Order tickets at the Rave for 7:24 showing. 

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Västerås, Sverige

13 days, and I can't wait to move. I am getting really excited. I realized the other day that I had not notified the blog world of where exactly I would be living. I will be living in Västerås, Sverige. Västerås is the sixth largest city in Sweden (170,000 people). It is an hour and a half west of Stockholm. I will be attending Rudbeckianska gymnasiet. Gymnasiet is comparable to high school in the United States, however you only attend for 3 years. 

The old main building of Rudbeckianska gymnasiet.

Rudbeckianska gymnasiet was the first upper secondary school in Västerås. It is in the centre of Västerås. I can not wait to go to school on their wonderful campus! It is so beautiful and contains a botanical garden. One word: AMAZING! 

I really can not wait for my arrival in Sweden to soak up all of the culture, the beautiful surroundings, and the mix between the old and the new.

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Pins

I have been putting off getting ready for as long as possible. The pins were no exception to that. Finally, earlier this week I got into the game. I began asking people for pins. And boy was I surprised! People are sending tons, everyone that has  them is game. I have gotten nice gold lapel pins and then touristy plastic ones, but they all are special. I have started getting really creative with my requesting. One of the Rotexes, Mandee, told me about how you could request some from Coca Cola and american businesses like that. I have taken up the challenge, requesting them for everyone. I may end up with the largest variety of pins. I can't wait to start exchanging them and filling up my jacket with them!

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Those Permits

The residence permit. Oh, yes, I did say that word. That big scary word, believe me it has been haunting. Ever since I sent off my application to the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. it has been eagerly awaited. Thought it came once, but it was just a letter about how the process had been changed and my application was sent to Sweden. Since then it has been nothing but waiting. I finally decided that I had to contact someone, my application had not been registered, no decision had been made and I was supposed to leave in 30 days. Let me just say that contacting the embassy directly was not the best idea. If you thought 24 hours a day tech support from India was annoying, try one hour a day visa support. That's right, the embassy only answers questions an hour every weekday except Tuesday, talk about convenience. After that I decided to contact the Consulate in Dallas and see if they would be so kind as to help me. Boy, was I in for some wonderful help! The Vice Consul in Dallas, Tina, has been the most helpful person I have met in my life. She figured everything out for me and has been so kind. Granted, I do not have my permit yet, but it is well on its way speeding through the Migration Board. Now a little more waiting. 

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