First Day of School

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Today was my first day of school at Vaxjo Universitet and I really liked it. At 1pm I left my corridor and walked about 10 minutes to my classroom. It was next to the room I had orientation in so I had no trouble finding it. When I got there the professor told me to come back at 3 because the first two hours were for Swedish students only. So I went back to my room and wrote down the books I needed to buy for class. I bought 3 books and a planner at the campus book store and then sat in the cafe and wrote in my journal and started reading. I was tempted to buy a latte but it would have cost me over $4 so I passed. Class only lasted a half hour. Each student told the class where they are from and what they study back home. My class is about 60 people and I am the only American to my surprise. There are mostly Swedes, and also many Germans, Poles, Belgians, Japanese, Canadians, and a few students from Hong Kong as well. We are studying globalization and I think it will be very rewarding to study with so many diverse people. Tonight, Kai and I booked our hostel for Stockholm on September 12-15! I am really excited to explore the city because I've heard its beautiful. We are also beginning to plan a weekend trip to Amsterdam, which is quite close to Vaxjo. Tomorrow I am going to a BBQ in the park by the lake, only a 20 minute walk from campus. After that I will be heading out to the student pub with my new friends. I'm so happy to be here!! I've met a lot of friendly people so far and the school is in very good condition with neat architecture. On Friday, my corridor mates (all Swedish) and I will be making dinner together, but I have not decided what I want to prepare for them since I am not much of a cook. On Saturday, the International Office is hosting a dinner and dance for all of the new students and we are supposed to dress up! I'm really excited for all my new adventures to come! I have posted pictures on www.Facebook.com and it is free to join if you would like to see them. I have also included a lot of information with those pictures. Also, my aunt Patsy has been posting pictures at www.Phonygal.com if you would like to check it out. Thanks to everyone reading and I hope this has all been interesting news to you! I will be writing again soon about all the different/sometimes odd things I've seen while here in Sweden.

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