Välkommen till Sverige!

And there I go again. Destination: Jönköping,Sweden.

Two weeks ago I stepped on a plane flying towards a new adventure. A cold and snowy country all the way in the north, known for its beautiful forests, delicious fika and of course IKEA.

I moved into my dorm on Sunday, after spending a few lovely days with my family, who live only 30 minutes from Jönköping. I live in a big house, only a 20-minute walk from the city centre and I share the kitchen with the 20 people who live there. I have my own room with a breathtaking view on lake "Vättern" (see photo). I am so grateful for the house I live in, sharing it with several nationalities: Spanish, dutch, french, Australian, polish, Canadian, indian and Chinese. Very multicultural.

Week 1 started off with a meeting with the teachers and a bustour through Jönköping and surroundings. I got to know many new students from all over the world. Most of the time I speak English, but I also speak Dutch and German with a few people. We had a lot of activities throughout the week to get know each other and the city. On a Thursday we had a meeting about the Swedish culture called "living like a Swede". It was interesting to hear about the Swedish people and the country. Of course I will discover by myself how the Swedish culture differs from my own culture. I want to meet them, get to know them and learn from them. The introduction week was very well organised and I had a lot of fun together with all the other students.

In week 2 the classes finally started. This is the main reason why I decided to study here in Sweden, because the courses sound very interesting. I want to learn the Swedish language, to be able to communicate with the Swedish people in their language. The second course I will attend is "Intercultural and international communication". I am fascinated by all the different cultures and how they work together. I can see this first hand in my own house. There are so many different cultures living with each other and it is still possible to keep it organised and friendly :). In the second part of the semester I will study "Sustainability in a Multicultural World" and "Social Relationships, Conflict Management and Leadership". In the future I am hoping to work as an English teacher at an international school teaching children from different cultural backgrounds. I believe that these courses will be a good basis for my working-field.

Besides attending these courses, living at an international house, going to the gym and having fika (Swedish coffee and cake), I want to be part of a church. Before I came to Sweden I checked the internet to see if there are churches in Jönköping. And there are a lot, however I found a church called Connect Church ( www.connectchurch.se ) and I really liked it, looking at their website. This weekend I got the chance to meet someone from the church and she invited me for a Swedish fika and on Sunday I came with her to the church. It was so good and I felt really welcome. The people were kind and open. The sermon was in Swedish, but Lovisa was so kind to translate for me. I know for sure that I will visit this church regularly. It felt like family.

It has only been two weeks, since I arrived in my dorm on Kortbovägen 33, but it feels like I have been here longer. I got to meet so many people and I got to do a lot of fun things already. According to the "five stages" of Peterson's culture-shock model I am still in the first stage called "The Honeymoon stage". This means that the differences are intriguing and I feel excited and curious about the Swedish culture. I like the Swedish people, they are kind and open. The food is great and the weather is cold but beautiful. I am sure I made the right decision to study here. This going to be a great adventure.

Lastly an inspiring quote, which describes my situation right now. And I hope this will inspire you too, to travel and discover new places :)

"One’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things." | Henry Miller