Short update

So many wonderful things have happened, and my time pretty well spent up, that I haven’t had time to update. Sailing in the archipelago with Per, then in Umeå meeting so many people that I am in awe of, forming a little “clique” with a few classmates who I’ve been spending almost all my time with – all impressive, passionate, amazing people…I couldn’t imagine how different it would be if I had arrived and not met any of my classmates, how alone I could have felt instead.

Touring the school was surreal… The building is beautiful, situated beside the river with huge windows into our workroom. Our workroom! (Though when winter rolls around it could only be 4 hours of sunlight in a day.) I couldn’t believe what good luck I have to be here.

The residents of Umeå completely break the stereotype of “shy, reserved Swedes”, as I’ve met astoundingly friendly and outgoing people. I have NEVER met someone on the street (technically, a former design student, who happened to be in front of our school) who struck up a conversation with us and then joined for lunch. This is just one example of many moments that have felt so amazing.

I say this too often, but I will have to write more later since it’s after midnight now.

Thoughts written while waiting in the Munich airport

Leaving grandma’s house on my way to my parents’ house, I suddenly imagined myself on the way to an exciting new life, only to be be struck and killed in a car accident on the way to the airport. “How tragic,” people would say. Why I imagined such a terrible scenerio – is that it just seems too good to be true. A few years ago I wouldn’t have believed someone if they said I would move to another country, study at one of the top industrial design universities there, and have a hunky, blonde Swedish boyfriend who cooks! I’m still nervous as to whether I have what it takes to succeed. And that there’ll be jobs for me, that I’ll be able to make a living. And for how long will I go without an income from this point on? People keep asking me those same questions that I dread trying to answer, because I don’t have an answer. But I’m not too worried. I’ll be tackling it day by day.