Nathan in Sweden: The Overdue Update

Wow, I really did it.

This realization has struck me a number of times since I arrived in Stockholm a little over a week ago. Yesterday, I called my brother, and when he asked what was going on, I had the pleasure of replying, “Oh, you know, just chillin’ in Sweden.” Thursday night, as I waited for the bus after seeing Modestep at Göta Kallare in the city, I suddenly became aware how cool what I’d just done was. And, yeah, I really did it. The first day I arrived, though, I found myself on the opposite side of spectrum. It was more like, “Wow, what the hell have I done to myself?” Considering I’m quite the homebody and this is really my first time spending a significant amount of time away from home, as well as my first time out of the U.S., I guess I was bound to have some trouble. The unsettling combination of sleep deprivation, anxiety, melancholy, and excitement did nothing to help the stability of my mood. However, my situation has improved dramatically since those first couple days.

Being able to talk to my family has helped my homesickness immensely. Plus, in a little over a month, Madison will be just a short trip away in Hannover, Germany! I checked out some flight prices, and apparently I can fly into Hannover Airport on RyanAir for about $25, round-trip. What a relief. It’s so awesome to have the opportunity to explore Europe together. I Facebook-messaged a guy from Norway that studied abroad at Maryville College last year and got a few destination suggestions from him. So far, I think I’d like to visit Lappland, Copenhagen, Oslo, Amsterdam, and London. If I have any money left, and depending on my schedule, I might like to hit up a few other places, but we’ll see. Speaking of my schedule, I just saw that I have both of my current classes, The Struggle for Our Minds (a sociology course) and Swedish 1, this Wednesday. After that, though, I don’t have any class until the following Wednesday! This type of thing won’t happen often, but it will be really nice to plan my travels around such gaps.

This post would be far too long if I went into the specifics of all that has happened to me in the past week, but I plan on doing a better job of keeping regular updates once I get internet in my flat. Honestly, the worst part of Sweden thus far has been the lack of internet at home. Oh, the pains of living in the first world. Actually, I might have to take that back; it was probably the physical pain I felt after purchasing a Miller at Göta Kallare for 56 SEK. That’s right, folks, an $8 beer—not even a good one. Never again. Never. Anyway, to summarize, I have met some fantastic people, I have spent too much money, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next!