CNN-mckenzie-hejsverige

Windsurfing? In Sweden? Yes! Nils loves windsurfing and tonight he let us tag along. Daniel decided to jump in and learn as Gayatri and I stayed dry! The water is freezing!!!

I went out to eat for the first time in Sweden with a group of girls from school before we went to the theater with our class. We also stopped at a candy store!

On Friday, Agneta, Louise, Gayatri and I hosted a girls night for some exchange students in the area. We had a lot of fun eating Swedish tacos, watching movies and trying really really really really really bad Swedish candy! 

Saturday afternoon, we packed sandwiches and had a picnic at the castle!

Saturday night, we went to a Crayfish Party! I was so excited about it because it is so Swedish! During dinner, the adults started singing and after we all danced!

Today, I started school. It was strange not walking into Beaufort Academy, the school I have gone to all my life, and very intimidating not knowing any teaches or students. However, Tibble did a great job making me feel at home. I was given two guides for the year; I do not think they know what they are in for...I am going to need a lot of guiding.

In Sweden, high school is divided into programs and the courses students take depends on their program. I am in the Economy program.

I met with the counselor to go over my schedule.

Monday
10:00-11:20 English (Yes, an English class. I will be reading books in English and writing papers in English. I better be top of the class or something is wrong!)
11:20-11:55 Lunch (During lunch, students can eat off campus at Täby Centrum)
12:00-13:25 Economics

Tuesday

10:00-10:55 Math
11:00-11:35 Lunch
12:05-13:20 English
13:35-15:00 Economics

Wednesday

10:00-11:25 Physical Education
12:20-12:55 Lunch
13:30-14:55 Swedish

Thursday

11:15-12:00 Math
12:25-13:35 Science

Friday

8:20-9:30 Math
10:00-10:45 Mentoring or Samling (it switches every week. Mentoring is like study hall where you can get help from teachers and Samling is when everyone goes to the theater and bands made up of students perform.)
10:50-11:25 Lunch
11:45-13:00 Swedish
13:10-14:30 Science

Today in school, my class which is made up of 34 students (the same amount of kids in my grade last year at BA) went bowling. It was a blast getting to know the girls and learn some new Swedish words and phases.

1) To meet people like Sam who knows Jimmy Fallon's make up artist

Just the fact that she said that makes today 100% greater even if Jimmy never gets the message!!

However, today was Gayatri's first day of school. This morning Louise and I escorted her to Tibble; we ended up staying for the assembly. The principle had a very long speech about the school and the upcoming school year but I did not understand anything!! It went over my head so I just stared and clapped when everyone else did.

After Louise and I biked home, I made my way to the bus stop. I met Sam, a girl from Florida, at Täby Centrum so we could shop for first day of school outfits. We hit up H&M, which is a swedish brand store and then rode the train into Stockholm where we had fika, a coffee break/hangout, with Cherry, a girl from India and Daniel,a boy from Texas.

Daniel, Sam, and I rode the train back to my house because my host family hosted a fika for all the host parents in Täby. They discussed how we are changing families this year as us exchange students sat upstairs and watched youtube videos. I put on a video of Jimmy Fallon and Justin Bieber and Hikaru, a girl from Japan, freaked. I mean she was bouncing of the walls with excitement; little did I know she has Bieber Fever pretty bad so when I told her he is coming to Stockholm in April almost cried! She is just too cute!

The parents talked everything over and we are switching families three times this year. I am excited about this because just like every where else, every family is different so I get to experience three different types of Swedish life.

By far, the best last day of summer!

I went exploring by myself. I walked along a trail in the woods that was by the water; it was awesome!

I went to language camp with thirteen other exchange students from two different districts around Stockholm; Samanth-USA, Kate-USA, Sierra-USA, Abi-USA, Annalise-USA, Daniel-USA, Ryan-USA, Mi Yeon-Korea, Hikaru-Japan, Dave-Canada, Aakanksha-India, Gayatri-India. It was a lot of fun getting to know all the exchange students. I had a blast staying up all night laughing, trying to Geocache, getting lost, eating Swedish candy, waking up at 6:30 to go exploring, having class outside, and making unforgettable memories. However, I did not like being called the Southerner! 'Ya'll' is not a bad thing!

This morning, Gayatri honored her country by hoisting India's flag and singing the national anthem. She dressed in a Churidar while Louise and I were in our pajamas!

Louise made Swedish pancakes! (No Keaton, they are not crêpes!)

Gayatri and I explored Täby, Sweden!

Louise took Gayatri and me into Stockholm. To get to Stockholm, we walked to the train station, took a twenty minute train ride, and then got on a subway. We walked around the city just sight seeing. I was really excited to see Old Town which is Stockholm's original city center. It has gorgeous buildings and cobbled streets.

I slept through the night waking up occasionally. Yay! I think I am getting used to the time difference!

For breakfast I had vanilla yogurt with blueberries. Then Agneta and I left to go get my visa card. However, when we got there we found out we had to have an appointment (the website said nothing about this!). We booked one for 2:30. It was too long of a wait so we left and ran some errands. Agneta and I went back home to eat lunch with Louise and Gayatri. We had an open sandwich with butter and cheese. Louise needed to go to H&M to get a shirt so we all tagged along. Täby has one of the largest malls in Sweden!

At 1:45, Agneta and I left again to get my visa. Agneta had to give her name and address because the card will be mailed to us in about two weeks. The Leijonhufvud's have an old Swedish name which means lion head. Today, Swedes would spell lion head, lejonhuvud. The lady helping us got very confused.

Later that night, we went to a welcome/goodbye party. The goodbye part was for this Swedish boy who is going to Utah, named Oscar. Oscar is living in Salt Lake City where Louise lived when she want on exchange. The welcome part was for Daniel from Houston, Texas. He is living with Oscar's family and we have the same sponsoring Rotary Club here. We sat outside and the temperature dropped down to 60 degrees so we wrapped up in blankets and turned on a heater...winter is going to be freezing!!!

I am safely in Täby, Sweden. Nils (host pappa), Agneta (host mamma), Louise (host syster) , Gayatri (host syster from India), and Claes (host bror going to  America) greeted me at the gate. It was amazing finally getting to see everyone. They had a sign with my name on it, American flags, and Swedish Flags.

The flight to Sweden was long. However, I sat next to a young woman in her late twenties who let me ask her questions about Sweden. She gave me some great advice, "There is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothes". As we talked other passengers would chime in with their own advice.

After the Leijonhufvud's welcomed me at the airport in Stockholm; we had an hour drive to Täby. When we arrived, I got the grand tour of the house and then we had breakfast. Breakfast was an open sandwich; two whole wheat slices of bread with butter and ham.

Claes going away party was last night. It was American themed. Nils grilled burgers and we used American Flag napkins. Unfortunately, I was way to tired to stay up and headed to bed at 6:30!

Also, during the afternoon, Louise and Agneta showed me around Täby. We went to Tibble Gymnasium my new school.

Major Difference: People walk everywhere! Or take the train or bus

Just boarded my flight to Sweden! Will arrive in Stockholm, Sweden 7:50 AM (Swedish time) 1:50 (East Coast time).

...well I have been packed for a week now! I thought I was leaving Saturday, July 27 for Sweden however plans changed. I can not leave without my travel permit which the Swedish Consulate has not sent me. When I receive the permit I will leave 24 hours after. My seventeenth birthday is this Friday, August 9 and I swear my birthday gift will be sitting on a plane for fourteen hours.