365 days of sunsets

Did I forget to mention that from my room I get to see the sunset every single day?
LIKE EVERY SINGLE DAY?!?!?

Seriously Sweden stop being so beautiful.

But wait don't stop......

saturday night live: crayfish scene

I've been here 6 days and I'm already starting to feel Swedish. It started with this past Saturday when I was invited to a "Crayfish Party".
What is a "Crayfish Party" you ask?
What is crayfish?
Let's begin with what is crayfish.
They are a red type of shrimp characters with little black beady eyes that remind me of a movie that I watched in junior high. Those beady little eyes that look at you with sadness speaking "Don't eat me! Don't eat me!" But you want to fit in to Swedish culture and so you crack them by the tail, pour some lemon over them and eat them.
I'm sorry little red fellas, I'm trying to fit in with the Swedes, you understand right?

ignore the badly chipped nail polish

like i said, those beady little black eyes
also ignore my right eye, it has a mind of its own

All in all, crayfish were delicious, I ate three and then munched on some salad and mozzarella balls along with 2 German beers. Oh, forgot to mention, I'm legal here. Cool right? I can actually chill in the alcohol aisle and not feel guilty/awkward.

Also, in dedication to this being my first crayfish party and in eating these sad look creatures, I wore my fire engine red pants to this event, in hopes that no one will make fun of me matching the crayfish.

No one did, although I did match my Irish friend later on that night who also sported fire engine red pants.

Also Swedes wear fire engine red pants, but that's another post to come.

They were $20 at the GAP, I couldn't resist. Get a pair, trust me.

Fun fact about crayfish parties: People sing songs in Sweden and drink shots of Schnapps during it and get extremely intoxicated. As a first time participant, I chose to listen to the songs and nod my head pretending like I know them and drink my beer in substitute of Schnapps. Also, I can't do shots, bad experiences with shots. Nej shots nej.

Thus concludes this week's SNL episode of crayfish, no worries more to come, these little red guys are everywhere and my red pants will make a surprise appearance just like my idol Amy Poehler. ( I wonder if she has a pair of fire engine red pants, she should, she's Amy Poehler).

And live from Uppsala, Sweden......IT'S (was) SATURDAY NIGHT!!!

day two adventures

This is when the day gets more interesting.
Woke up after my 10 hour sleeping night and decided to run my first errand.
Sidenote:
The night before I had gone to a local supermarket to get breakfast materials, cereal and milk. Simple right?
Nope.
Apparently yogurt comes in cartons just like milk, because I'm pretty sure I ended up getting yogurt. So I had corn flakes and yogurt in a bowl. #totalforeignmove.
Back to my errand.
Go get my Internet account and get Internet because this no Internet for a day and a half makes me feel like I'm on deserted island.
It took me 2 full hours to walk there and back, plus I got lost.
But I found it and got some good pictures during it.

I ended up finding it and obviously getting Internet. But you want to know the best part.

I GOT MY LUGGAGE!!!!!!!!!!!

Right when I arrived back home, my luggage was there waiting for me, waiting to be opened. Biggest relief if you ask me. 

Although I didn't unpack right away as you might think, no, I took a 3 hour nap because I was still jet lagged and then I unpacked.

But that wasn't the adventure.

Let's talk about the shower.

This is what it looks like,

Again modern right?

Yes it is a little weird that there is no tub with the shower, its just all together. That wasn't the adventure.

If you look closely, you can see that there isn't really a turn knob or button to turn the shower on. I figure this out a day after I moved in and right when I'm about to take a shower.

I know that every shower is different in majority of households, in majority of countries, but this one was definitely different.

I couldn't for the life of me find that button/knob that turned the shower on. I looked everywhere, on the pipes, on the shower head, shower rod, the toilet (I was desperate, you never know). Nothing.

I got frustrated. I mean I know the Swedish are modern and everything but modern doesn't necessarily have to be complicated.

I then got creative.

Well what if it was like one of those motion showers where if you stand under the shower the water appears.....Nope

I then thought it was one of those clapper showers, where if you clapped it turned on....I clapped...Still nothing.

Then I did the smart thing which I should have done 20 minutes before doing any of these weird moments, I asked my hall mate.

Turns out you turn the sink on and then there is a tiny knob on the pipe you turn and then WaLah! shower is turned on and you control the temperature from the sink.

Who would have thought?

Eventually I did take a shower and it was totally fine. I survived and now know how Swedish showers work. No need for magic showers or clapping in the bathroom.

The adventure still continues though...

After the shower incident, I started to get hungry so, luckily, near where I live there is a small supermarket where I ventured down and got some dinner.

Adventure time:

The entire store is in Swedish, so finding dinner was interesting. On the menu was just a sandwich, just a simple sandwich. 

I found some wheat bread for 19.90 kronas ( $3 USD), went back to my Spanish roots and got jamon serrano, and then I went to cheese section. I'm pretty sure I spent about a solid 10 minutes in front of the cheese aisle because I had no idea what to get. It wasn't that the cheese labels were in Swedish, it was whether or not I was getting the RIGHT cheese. 

Is there even a right cheese in Sweden? What was THE cheese to eat in Sweden? Like really, I'm trying to fit in here, and I can't even figure out what cheese to buy. Like I didn't want the Swedish cashier to judge me because I got the weird cheese, I would have totally looked like a foreigner, it's the yogurt incident all over again. After 10 minutes of fighting with my conscious, I finally find a cheese that I recognized and looked decent

I got the Gouda.

My purchase was successful, my dinner was delicious. Oh and I finally figured out what the RIGHT milk was and will probably no longer have another yogurt incident.

As a SuperCamp TL would say "Oh! Estibaliz"

Oh! Darling-The Beatles

day one adventures

I'm here. Officially in Uppsala, Sweden and it has already been an adventure.
After a 14 hour flight which consisted of bland airplane food, 5 cups of coffee and consistent sleeping, I finally arrived at 12pm on Wednesday. But that wasn't the adventure.
It began with my luggage.
After 20 minutes waiting for my luggage to appear on the rotating circle, it didn't appear.
And then I waited another 10 minutes. Nada.
After consulting with the lady from the airport, turned out that my luggage was still chillin in Zurich and wouldn't get back until the next morning.
Sarcastic "Awesome".
All I had was my backpack with nommie-noms and an extra pair of underwear, my phone, iPod, camera, my papers and my wallet.
All I thought to myself was, "just get on the bus to Uppsala and figure out everything from there."
Waiting for the bus wasn't too bad, although I did have an old man approach me and start a conversation with me in Swedish, I was flattered that he thought I was Swedish but a little freaked out.
30 minute bus ride later, I officially arrived in Uppsala. Waiting for me was my new found Swedish buddy/friend and thank the Lord he was there or else I would probably not be here to write this post.
And on a positive flip, I'm kind of glad my luggage was late, because it would have been a struggle bus to carry my big fat neon orange suitcase and my bulky carry on all around Uppsala. (Everything is on purpose). We walked from one building, to the next and finally came to my room. FINALLY.

Modern right?

Funny story about this room (another adventure).

When I walked in, there was already a lamp, duvet cover (uncovered), books and little knick knacks everywhere. My immediate thought, "oh cool the person the year before left this cool!"

But then I saw a white piece of paper. It looked like a checkout list, so naturally I still thought it was from the person last year, then I saw the dates. 

August 16th, 2013- June 13th, 2014

Wait......

I then thought "Did they give me someone else's room and just not realize it? What the hell is going on?"

Then I found out, from a Swedish hall mate, that there was a person living here before me, who apparently went back to home town of Canada and is not returning. 

So to wrap the story all up, I got a duvet cover, sheets, towels, a lamp, 2 mini rugs and a bunch of hangers fo' free. (hashtag win)

Also I slept for 10 hours, which was glorious, I haven't slept that long since finals week ended.

And that concludes my day one adventures...don't worry there are day 2 and 3 adventures, be patient.

Play Hard - David Guetta

send me on my way

The title says it all.
Send me on my way.
In approximately 2.5 hours, I will be running around my house getting everything together, then driving 2.5 hours to the airport where at 8AM, I will embark on my journey to Sweden.
It's been one hell of a ride to get here, but worth it.
Yes, I have been stressing and yes I have exaggerated the process a tiny bit, but looking back, it was worth it. All that running around, stressing, panic attacks and tiring out my shoes, was all worth it. I got new pairs of shoes and I feel a little more relaxed and confident.
Now don't get me wrong, inside, I'm flipping out like crazy and screaming and will be a hot mess on the plane ride from San Francisco to Stockholm, but I know that the moment I step out of the bus and onto Uppsala turf, I will have the dorkiest, biggest smile any Swedish person will have ever seen.
Literally.
People have asked me how I have felt these past couple of days and in all honesty, it's indescribable.
This is how I can explain it.

Imagine the biggest goal, you want to accomplish. Like the biggest goal that lingers in the back of your mind and when it pops up, you go "no, that's too big, it seems impossible." That goal. Bring it out.
Now imagine if you could fulfill that goal. You're given a date and were told "on such and such date you will fulfill that goal" That date seems so far away that you think it will never come.
That day has come. You are fulfilling that goal. It's the night before and you are finally accomplishing it. You get to do that.
That's me right now. I am now accomplishing my goal of going to a foreign country on my own and completely immersing myself in something I have never done. Surrounding myself in a culture that is completely new and stepping out of my comfort zone, big time.
This is my goal and I'm doing it.

So as I leave my home that is California, United States, I leave you with this.
That goal that you have in your head....the one that lingers and seems impossible. DO IT. Activate it and DO IT. Just do it okay? For me. Believe me, it will all be worth it.

Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root

Sight Of The Sun- Fun.

Peace out 'Murica. See you in 8 months.
Don't go too crazy.

Big Month

It was a big week last post, and know it's been a big month with some notable changes.
It's going to be a long post folks so please keep your legs and hands inside the vehicle during this trip.

1. The change of the blog's name.
Yes, journey to Ikea Motherland was catchy and creative as I am venturing off to the birthplace of the known furniture store, but the title sounded like an abduction to a different planet in space than a different country in one planet.
And also, I have been researching famous Swedish people and found that the author of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is Swedish and thought it would be clever to play with the name.
And also, I have no tattoos and it is on some people's concern (aka my mother) that I will go abroad and get a tattoo (which I won't, so you can not have a heart attack mom.)

2. My VISA
My VISA application has been turned in and I waited a month until I finally had the results. And let me tell you it was a pain. Making 4 calls to DC and given a different phone number with certain times and dates  at 8 in the morning was not the bees knees, but then I got the right person who told me yes, which was a relief, and now I will tell you the story of the most awkward conversation I had.
(Background: It was 8am and I did not have coffee or pop-tarts)

Woman from the Swedish Embassy in DC: I cannot find your control number. Can I have your last name?

Exhausted and coffee-less me: Uh yeah ok :;gives last name::

Woman: What is your ethnicity?

Me: White...wait no American...wait.....

Woman: laughs hysterically.

I should never be allowed to speak before I have had coffee in my system. EVER.

3. (and lastly) I BOOKED MY FLIGHT!!!!!
It's all coming in...literally. Like it's for realz happening.
I'm leaving August 20th at 8am and not returning to America until June 13th.
Holy shit it's happening.
I still can't believe it, like can't. I don't know maybe on August 20th when it comes it will hit me that I'm actually doing this.
All the stress and worry and running around ruining my flats and nail biting all paid off.
Jesus Christ it's happening.

Here's some tunes to put you on hold, while I'm still sinking in the news.

Feel Again- One Republic

Submarines- The Lumineers

Dirty Paws- Of Monsters and Men

big week

It's been a big, long week.
Today I am no longer a teen youth, I have now entered the 20 years, or as my mother calls them the "ty" years (I have no idea why.)
And on top of that, I turned in my residence permit/VISA for Sweden. Next stop is to book my flight and then I'm done. All I have to worry about is pack and then I'm off.

It's hitting me as each day goes by, but then as each day goes by I get eager and excited. To help with my eagerness, I made another Swedish cuisine.
Known as Swedish pancakes, but to the public it's crepes.

Swedish Pancakes
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup of whole milk
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a non-stick skillet. Combine the flour, milk, eggs,  remaining melted butter, vanilla, and salt in a blender, process until smooth.
Pour about 1/3 cup of batter onto skillet and flip over until brown.
Eat happily, with a vanilla latte and watch Parks & Recreation and think about my next birthday in Sweden.
The big 2-1.

Song: Lover's Eyes- Mumford & Sons
Food: the pancakes I just showed you....