Oh yes.

A little treat for the eyes and the ears.

I love GBG

So yeah long time no post... Well the other day Filip and I went out and went shopping at NK which is this cool department store with all sorts of really nice clothes. They have a whole floor of just girls clothes. I brought a really pretty sundress and a red and white polka dot bikini to wear to the beach this weekend. I'm so excited! We also went to a store called STAYHARD.se mostly for Filip but they have really cute girl clothes too. Filip bought a pair of shorts because all his shorts were too "American". I saved the best for last! I finally bought clothes at ZARA. ZARA is this really nice clothing store that I have been obsessed with for a long time. The only other ZARA store I have been in was when I went to NYC. The best part of that store was the MEGA SALE going on with tons of clothes in my size I got a beautiful flowered sundress, jeans that fit me perfectly, a really adorable grey t-shirt with a bunny on it, and a cute little thin white sweater with navy stripes. IT WAS FANTASTIC! I love that store. I better get a job fast or this store is going to be the end of me. We did find this shirt that was written in English but the grammar was totally off. It said "this shoes are made for dancing" lol.

When we were finished shopping we started going home when we passed this store called Chili. I saw this blanket in the window that was perfect. It was the same blanket that Filip's mother got for a Christmas present. I have been crazy about finding one and there it was right in the window so I got Filip to buy it for me. It's furry and lush on one side and the other side is just like what clouds probably feel like. I love it.

Later on we decided that we wanted to go to Liseberg, which is this really cool amusement park. I have a big bag full of small coins and we went around playing games. We only won one prize and I got frustrated with all the losing so I wanted to go home. Before we left we stopped at the blackjack tables in the casino. I actually like playing blackjack, but I gotta say, only when I'm winning. While we were in the casino I saw this kiosk of snacks and they were called U.S. Snax. They were creepy looking pork rindish things. They were weird.

We had also gone to the IFK store. IFK is the soccer team that Filip and his friends like. It's pretty col in there. They have every type of team merchandise you can imagine, everything from undies to playing cards and cuff links. We went to the bar next door and Filip got a beer made specifically for the team. He thought it was okay I thought it was gross. I don't like beer. I like wine better. I really want to take a wine class or go to a tasting or something. I want to learn more about it and appreciate it more.

We tried our hands at bagel making the other day. I found out that I am not good at kneading dough but I roll excellent bagels. and Filip's rolling is a little out of touch but his kneading is top notch. I never knew he could bake. They were pretty good but we need to adjust the recipe since it was pretty difficult to convert the temperature and baking times perfectly. With some practice I bet we can get them made better. We had a cute little brunch with our bagels and cream cheese and smoked salmon. It was really nice.

This week starts Gothia Cup. It's a world youth soccer cup. There are tons of people in the city now. Filip went to the games to watch some soccer and I went to walk around through the city on my own. It was nice I found this really cool GIANT candy store that I want to go into again. Then I found a store that sold Toms and I bought myself a black pair yay! Later on I met up with Filip for lunch and we went to this place called Sushi Yama. It was pretty good. Better than most of the sushi I've tried in Sweden. On our way home from lunch I saw a sign with an English typo "tur" instead of "tour". I am on the hunt for more "Engrish" typos. We spent the rest of the night looking for jobs. tomorrow is more soccer and hopefully a trip to Haga to see the historic district.

Busy People

Okay so we have been pretty busy these last few days. I have officially been signed into Sweden. We went to this place called Skatteverket. It reminded me of a a really clean MVA. We had to take a number and wait about a half hour and then we met with a lady who gave us a bunch of forms to fill out. Then she officially signed me into Sweden. I will get my ID card in a few days hopefully so I can start going out to get jobs.


Yesterday we went to the mall for a bit and I got a new dress and we went to the liquor store and I got some wine and Filip got some beer. We hung out with Filip's friend Jerry later on. They drank some beers and I had a few glasses of wine. It was rainy out so we didn't really go out much.

well I charged my phone and we are about to go out so hopefully I will upload some pictures when I get home.

Sorry I'm Lazy

Okay so I know I said I was going to try to update everyday. I failed. Sorry I was tired.

Well since I last posted I haven't done too much stuff. I did get talked into driving to Stenungsund. It's only a 5-10 minute drive, but it was really stressful. I HATE driving other people's cars. HATE IT! So Filip needed to go and use the gift cards he received for his birthday to buy some running shoes and I wanted a few things as well so I reluctantly agreed to take his mom's car. It was pretty okay for my first time driving in Sweden. I would have been more at home in my Toyota Celica I had to leave in the USA. But we made it there and back and I didn't kill anyone!

Later on that day we had to go back to the apartment in the city and get things organized. We also shopped for a few essentials and groceries. Filip finally went and bought some alcohol from the liquor store since his birthday. He was extremely happy that he could buy it.

After that we realized that if I want to go somewhere on my own and need help I am going to need a phone which brings us to the grand finale of this post. I HAVE AN iPhone!!!!!! oh yeah! okay well I will hopefully post something later.

New Friends and Family

Okay so this is my new friend Embla. She is Filip's cousin's daughter. She is officially my first Swedish friend. For all you people who scoff at my making friends with someone so young, she is cooler than you probably so get over it.

So today we cleaned and cleaned and cooked. We got everything together for Filip's birthday celebration. I was super nervous at first because today I met Filip's whole family pretty much. I was super awkward throughout any introductions and to make matters worse there was champagne involved. We toasted to birthdays and Welcomes and moped licenses. After the toast I felt like my champagne glass was glued to my hand. I guess I just felt less nervous with something to do. Unfortunately my "something" was drinking.

Lucky for me it was soon time to eat. Plus the champagne had run out. I had to pluck up some courage to actually interact with people. I am pretty sure no one noticed my anti-social tendencies. What really helped me was Embla, I can't understand her and she doesn't understand me (for the most part). But she is really funny and she seemed to really like me. We played soccer and keep away with Filip and we sat together for the rest of the party pretty much. I really want to learn Svenska even more now just so I can have a conversation with her.

The rest of Filip's family were great. They were all very nice and welcoming and super helpful with my poor Swedish. I had a lot of fun even though I couldn't understand much.

Strawberries and Swimming

Alright I really wish I had my camera working. Unfortunately I don't, but I can tell you that today was super beautiful and pretty warm as well. I may end up stealing Filip's iPhone to take some pictures even if they aren't high quality it's still something to look at.

So the other day we went "swimming" at the beach but I chickened out when I got in the water about halfway up my shin. It was really cold (Swedes say "refreshing") and while I was braving the arctic waters something brushed my toe. I don't care what it was, it was game over, I was done in the water. But today was really really warm so not only did I get in the water I jumped in and even swam around underwater. But only after Filip and his family teased me with "aren't you a swim teacher?" and Filip threatened to throw me in. It was still freezing, but a tolerable kind of freezing.

After that we went for a hike and ate blueberries on the hike. Blueberries grow wild all over the place we hiked at. I was really excited to pick and eat blueberries except all the fat, juicy berries are guarded by giant spiders. So yeah needless to say, that was not happening.

When we got back from the hike, Filip and I were supposed to make dinner, but I found a big container of freshly picked strawberries on the counter. So while Filip cooked dinner, I observed him while I stuffed my face with strawberries. Let me tell you those strawberries were the best I have ever eaten, perfectly red, juicy and sweet all the way through. All my fingers are stained pink now. It was totally worth it though.

It was a very summery day. Tomorrow is Filip's 20th Birthday! Family will be here tomorrow so I better brush up on my Svenska.

Lazy day

Today there is really not much to write about. Filip and I woke up late after being out all night watching the World Cup match. We actually slept in quite a bit and then had to rush around to get our stuff together for spending the weekend at his parent's house.

It's raining here in Sweden and that apparently makes the summer feel like late fall or very early spring. As I type this I have on a sweatshirt and jeans. It doesn't seem to bother the Swedes any though as I still see people in shorts and tank tops. I think they are a little crazy.

Other than that I went running finally. Only a mile and a half but it is really super hilly here so it was a lot of work. Tomorrow I am going to run 5k though. Well the ice cream truck is here and Filip wants me to go out there and look for some treats.

I Made It!

Okay so I officially made it to Sweden. It is super beautiful here. If SOMEONE remembered to charge my camera I could show you... The trip was super boring and long. when I finally arrived at baggage claim people laughed at me because I had so many bags I could barely control the baggage trolley.

Filip and I had to take a bus with all my bags back to the apartment. That was quite a task with people having to get on and off the bus and we were right in the middle of the aisle. It was annoying. Then we get to the bus station and had to walk to the apartment. The walk to the apartment without 5 million bags is fine, the walk with them however feels about 100 miles long and your hand are going to fall off from pulling 100 lbs of luggage behind you.

After we got back to the apartment Filip made me delicious pasta for lunch and started to help me unpack until he counted out 18 pairs of shoes... There wasn't any lecturing just a great deal of shaking his head in disbelief. Well I have about 1000 more things to unpack so I will update later okay I need to call my Mommy and Daddy anyway.

I Leave Tomorrow!

I seriously can't believe that I leave tomorrow. This is my last night in my house. Needless to say I've been crying a lot in the past few days. It's so sad having to say goodbye to all your friends. It got so bad that when people left the room I was in I would melt into a puddle of tears.

I had a great going away party from SPY. I will miss everyone. I already want December to be here. I know I will have fun but I will just miss everyone a ton.

I know I said I wanted to update at least once a day... Well let's just say "want to" and "able to" are two very different things. Never mind that the past few days have been all water works, all I do is pack. It would have been even more boring than this post. lol.

I know this is not exciting yet but hopefully when I get my camera back I can put up pictures and video clips. I will also have more exciting stories to tell and cool places to describe. I promise I will be more interesting.

That's really all that's going on right now because I still have more packing to do... Almost done!