Unexpected achievements during my exchange...

• Minimal jetlag flying Oz to Sweden
• Steep downhill sledding
• Coffee addiction
• Starting a foreign Starbucks mug collection
• Sangria and tapas in Spain
• Ice skating
• Dogsledding

• Snowmobiling
• Visiting the Ice Hotel
• Seeing the Northern Lights (twice!)

• Feeding Reindeer
• Eating Reindeer
• Visiting Café Deux Moulins

• Eating Escargot
• Wearing a beret in Paris

• Visiting Auschwitz
• Finding Old Scotland Yard
• Touring the Harry Potter Studios

• Watching Eurovision in the same time zone
• Visiting three countries in one week
• Visiting three Italian cities in one week
• Being on 19 different flights
• Being on 7 different ferries

Italian Espresso Tour with Contiki.

The Italian tour with Contiki was absolutely jam packed. Our tour manager Vincenzo (Vinnie) was quite a character and he set the tone for the trip. Very open and friendly. And funny!

The tour started in Rome, where we spent two nights and one full day. Places included the Trevi Fountain (which received 50 Euro cents and 1 Russian ruble from me), the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.

 

Afterwards we jumped into Florence. This was two days of sightseeing, leather distinction, and relaxing. A certain David was there, and I myself didn't know that it was actually an intended representation of David from David and Goliath, the biblical story. Obviously before David slayed Goliath, and then started having how many wives. The real one's in a museum where pictures aren't allowed, so here's the Doppel-David for you. We enjoyed Tuscan dinners, wines and cheeses. 

The food overall was fantastic.

We stopped through San Guglielmo, Pisa (yes, the Leaning Tower) and Verona (Romeo and Juliet's town) before arriving in Venice for two nights. 

Obviously this called for a gondola ride. Some would call it cheesy, but I'm not in Venice often. Plus it makes so much of the income for Venice, you'd be surprised. Venice itself is quite expensive. The tour itself ended in Venice.

Something else I will say is, I was so happy to use my not-quite-fluent Italian I learned through primary school and some of high school. It's otherwise considered almost useless in my daily life in Australia. It was fantastic to greet the locals, ask how they were, and understand most of what they were saying.

I wasn't going to consider going to Italy because I was afraid I didn't have the time. Finding the Contiki tour and counsel from my friends persuaded otherwise, and I'm so glad they did. This tour got most of Italy for me than if I'd tried to plan it on my own. All the cities are different in their own right and I loved all of them for it.

This was my last overseas trip before returning home next week - and what a trip it was!

I also have a little extra news... I've been on accepted on a study tour in the US! LA and New York, for two weeks in November. I'm so excited. United States, you're next!

Twenty-One.

So it was my birthday -- in a foreign country, continuing a pattern started last year in Phuket. This time it was Sweden, and I was interested to see how things would unfold. I had a pre party a couple of days before, and we ended up going out, the usual adventures that happens when you're on exchange with a bunch of fantastic people.

The (Tues)day itself was pretty quiet in comparison. I woke and had three separate Skype dates with home before going grocery shopping and looking around stores. Nothing to really say about groceries that's worth mentioning... but I did get a couple of phone calls. Local ones, asking about my address and if I will be home for the 'delivery'. My questions were answered when the 'delivery' occurred... it turned out to be courtesy of my friend Nicola back home in Australia!

And also got an extra something from my friend Marion here in Sweden.

It wasn't a huge affair, the day itself....but then again, that's never really been my style to begin with. That's something I've thought about over the years and come to accept; I've never been able to get my entire family and friends in the one room together.

And I'm okay with that. Really. That seems to be part of my nomadic nature, and I'm embracing it.

This weekend I'm squeezing in a quick trip to Warsaw, Poland. We'll be taking a day out to visit Kraków (and Auschwitz) as well as sightseeing in Warsaw. It looks like my predicted three weeks in Örebro just didn't stick as I thought they would. But hey, I'm not objecting here!

I'm also extremely excited to London next month; I've already started making my list, like I did for Paris. I'll have four whole days for sightseeing, and I can hardly believe that this is becoming a reality.

I'm off to live this whirlwind life that I've been given -- and I've accepted, and spun as... my own.

And I will love you, until you learn, to love yourself...

Guess what guys? I've finished uni for the year.
So you'll probably hear more from me.

I've also started Bleach (the anime). I'm not usually one for anime, but it's something different. Plus there's only so many television shows I can watch before I start picking at the clichés; seductive teacher, bug person, dead person, witch person, etc etc etc.

Once I got over the whole YES THIS IS AN ANIME vibe it threw in my face, it had that weird charm of being charming. Like Doctor Who did. I'm going to have to keep watching Bleach, aren't I?

I've also watched RENT and I like it a lot! It reminds me of year 12 Lit, especially this number.

I'll definitely be Buffy/Angel this summer as well, I only just today bought the Angel boxed set.

I also have this song in my head. While it has the most appalling ulterior motive ever (girls willing to start ripping off their clothes for him) I'm learning to love myself. (Well I'm not like this: *annoying fangirl teenager* Like OMG that song was, like, soooooooo written for me, like yeah). So I don't really care. It's a feel good. 

 

GIRLLEMMELUVU.

The weather, while being very temperamental lately, is getting a little warmer. I rugged up real good today, and I realised I wouldn't mind doing it on a regular basis.

I might have some news in the next couple of days, I might not. No idea.