almost there..

BIG NEWS!
I have officially been accepted to Uppsala University! (Bahh!!!!)
But I know what you are thinking, "what weren't you accepted before? did we already know that you were going to Sweden? Isn't this the purpose of this blog?"
Well a little minor information that I forgot to mention was that upon my acceptance, Uppsala University (the university I will attend) had to send me an acceptance letter to finalize my acceptance.
I know it seems weird, I have to get 2 acceptances in order to go.
Like, super bummer and unfair for those who get a rejection after getting accepted.

EVEN BIGGER NEWS!!!!
THERE IS A WAFFLE DAY IN SWEDEN! I REPEAT THERE IS A WAFFLE DAY IN SWEDEN!
ALL OF MY DREAMS AND HOPES AND WISHES CAME TRUE AND LIFE IS TEN TIMES BETTER THAN BEFORE.
Like seriously, guys this is bigger than my acceptance. Like you don't even know.
I have found my country, and an apology to Spain but you need a waffle day, it's necessary.
I got excited like I did when I first got my letter.
Waffle Day: March 25th.
And fun part is, is that there is a logical reason for having waffle day, it's not just a day for funsies it's like legit.
REASON AS TO WHY SWEDEN HAS A WAFFLE DAY:
Since 500 years after Christ Christians have celebrated a feast day for the Holy Mary. This day is celebrated nine months before Christmas – around the 25 March. “Our Lady” is “vår Fru” in Swedish and the common belief is that a misconception of hearing among the Swedish people transformed “vår fru” into “våfflor”, which means waffles in Swedish, and suddenly the Swedes had their very own Waffle Day.
^ See guys it's like legit.^
I will be there. I will be making waffle. It will be the biggest waffle apocalypse Uppsala has ever seen. Like ever. I will be famous in Uppsala and my legacy will be "the girl who makes the delicious waffles" which from Google Translate means: "flickan som gör läckra våfflor". (<----that's me)

But anyhow, I have been officially accepted and after receiving my packet, I did three things
1. Watch an episode of The Office (cuz I was in the middle of an episode while getting the mail and had to finish it)
2. Made a Swedish dessert which will be mentioned below.
3. Hopped on my bed and looked at pictures of Uppsala University and rolled around my bed hopping that some sort of Swedish aliens will abduct me and take me to Uppsala now, or time travel to August 20th to the airport to go to Sweden, either one is fine with me.

But neither of those happened, sadly. I was still on my bed, in my PJs at 2pm with pictures of the university still on my computer.  And then I stuffed my face with the Swedish dessert I made:

Chokladboll (English: Chocolate Balls)
3 1/4 cup of oats
1 1/4 cup of sugar
6 tablespoons of cold coffee
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2/3 cup of butter
6 tablespoons of cocoa
Shredded coconut (or what I used shredded white chocolate)

Mix oats, sugar, vanilla, and cocoa in a large bowl.

Using hands or potato masher, incorporate butter into dry ingredients until the dough has an even consistency.

Add the coffee and mix until incorporated.

Fill a small bowl with shaved white chocolate.

With hands, roll the dough into 1 inch balls.

Chill chocolate balls for at least one hour before serving.

Chokladbolls.

Also here is a picture of Uppsala University.

Your Welcome.

Food: Balls I just showed you
Song: Old Pine (Peking Duk Remix) - Ben Howard

...and I'm back..

No I have not ignored you. No I have not given up, and No I am not officially done with paperwork.
But I am done with school and with half of the paperwork, so that deserves a celebratory pelvic thrust, yeah?

Nothing to say much here either than the fact that I have started working to get more moolah for Sweden, plus, which I discovered today, I will be getting money from family members so that's like cool yeah?

But here are some cool swedish facts that I found out:

1. On Easter children dress up as witches and go trick-or-treating. (so it's appropriate for me to dress in a bunny costume and go out in public for once?)

2. The sun rises at 3.30am in the summer. (so I guess I will be a morning person in Sweden)

3. The sun sets at 3.30pm in the winter. (shit.......)

4. According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), Sweden ranks second in the world after Finland in terms of coffee consumption per person.  (OH MY GOD! I'VE FOUND MY HEAVEN!!!!)

5. Parents get a total of 13 months of paid maternity leave and the father is required to take at least 1 month of it.  ( this totally blew my mind.. YOU GO SWEDEN! 10 points to Sweden)

So there you go..some facts about the Swedes. I'll get back to you soon

Food: I made Blueberry Crumble Muffins
Song: Buried- Family of the Year

pure entertainment

Nothing new, just here are some jams to listen to.
It's Star Wars day by the way: may the fourth be with you.
Also happy finals week!

Song: She Will Be Loved- Maroon 5
Food: Mac n Cheese at a local restaurant

chaotic

I'm back.
But not mentally back.
The only way to describe this past week/ month is running around like chicken with its head cut off.
I'm not kidding.
My body loves me for the exercise for the amount of stair climbing, walking, power walking, and running I have done but my flats and feet hate me.
Who knew that in a small campus that is Sonoma, the campus would feel so big and so long?
I had one week. 10 pages of paperwork, classes to approve for GE and Major all before Friday at 12.
CHALLENGE WAS ACCEPTED.
Well kind of. I did take a day off at one point and didn't leave my apartment until 3 in the afternoon. ( It was needed.)
Aaaaannnnndddd eventually it was finished. On Friday. At 11 AM. In my outfit that I like to call "lack of sleep and no coffee in my bloodstream"
Weirdly enough, as I turned in that whole packet and walked away, some part of me didn't feel complete. I just sacrificed, sleep, healthy food and my sanity for this packet and yet, I wasn't fully done.
I still had tasks to cross off my bucket list, until my departure and even then, I'm not sure if I will feel complete.
It took my walk for coffee for me to realize when I'll actually feel complete.
The time I buy my plane ticket.
It seems weird and un-monumental but when you really think about it, it's like a big deal.
Recently, I had seen my roommate and my good friend book flights for Ireland for a year, and just watching them alone was thrilling. My roommate (who for a picture imaginative mind, is like a 5 year old) held her hand over the mouse, shaking as she pressed "book flight" on Expedia. Hesitation and nerves rushed in and for a simple 2 second task, it was a 2 minute task. My friend on the other hand, took pictures and stood there pressuring her to push the button. And as that finger pushed down on that mouse and clicked those nerves of excitement filled the room and goosebumps rose all over my body. I was screaming for my roommate and I'm not even going to Ireland.
It was just the fact of having the reality of leaving the country in such short time for such a long time.
The idea of leaving for 8 months doesn't hit me but there are little moments in my day that remind me that I won't see this in the upcoming year. It's bittersweet if you ask me.

I distinctly remember one day over Christmas vacation. It was the day after Christmas and I had awoken. As I woke up and got out of the bed, one immediate thought popped up.
"You're not going to be here next Christmas".
I wasn't even fully accepted and yet my mind was telling me something and it was right.
Christmas in Sweden will be forever beautiful and memorable but with a little dose of sadness just for the fact that I will have the absence of my family.

But then I was reminded of a positive factor.
This past Saturday I rushed off to San Francisco State University for a 5 hour orientation on "How to Study Abroad" (that wasn't really the actual title, I just decided to name that myself because it was better and cooler that way). And it was there that I learned that through all those hard hitting moments, it will all be way better than expected. I was told by an alumni that "once you're there, you'll hardly miss home, when you get back, you will miss Sweden 10 times more."
This little reminder and the passion from this alumni that reminded me why I was doing this, why I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, why I was going crazy and losing sleep and why this was all worth it.

The thought of it is scary and will be until I get there. It's just waiting for it scares me the most.
My paperwork is done and all that is left is to book my flight, get my VISA and figure out what to pack in my suitcase (that will be another long post).

So i'm sorry for the long, weird, chaotic post but like I said this blog is a venting mechanism. I promise there will be exciting posts to come....I swear.


Food: It was Taco Tuesday...so obviously I ate tacos

Song: One Week: Barenaked Ladies