I remember it like it was yesterday, even though it was 10 months ago; I was early to my International Finance class. I was sitting in the dark. I had my laptop out, and I got an email. This email was forwarded to business majors and it told us that there would be a J-Term trip to Sweden in January 2020! There was even a scholarship available! So many things went through my head. “SWEDEN?!”, “2020 is so far away!”, “I never win anything”, “I need to start budgeting right now so I can go”. You’ve probably read in other parts of my blog, I’ve always wanted to go to Sweden. I own Swedish movies, I listen to Swedish music, I own Swedish books, ALL my furniture is from IKEA (LOL), I learned the language… I even had (essentially) a pen pal in Sweden and we’d sent each other care packages from our home countries. As cheesy as it sounds, in that specific moment, it felt like this Sweden trip was too good to be true, but also fate for me. After all, the likelihood of me taking a leisurely trip to Europe any time soon was very slim. I’ve always felt deep down that I’m meant to travel the world. It really was too good to be true.
10 months later, and I’m sitting at O’hare International Airport, waiting to board my flight to Sweden. I don’t think it’s really hit me yet. I might be in a state of shock. Maybe I still don’t believe I’m actually going. It seems so surreal. I am so grateful.
This past week has been crazy– at work, trying to compensate for the two weeks I’ll be missing and not being paid. At home, making sure my house is immaculately clean because coming home to a mess is awful. Packing! I managed to pack my entire life into a <50lb bag, a carry-on and a personal item. Emotionally; saying goodbye to my family…explaining to my little sister that I’ll be on the other side of the globe, but I’ll be back soon. Also, saying goodbye to my dogs was very sad. In the midst of this, I’ve been in class, learning about Swedish history, bonding with and building connections with the fantastic group of students I’ll be traveling with, and trying my best to prepare this blog, and what will be a masterpiece that I look forward to cherishing forever.
I really have no idea how being in Sweden will make me feel. I know that I’ll learn a lot. But I don’t know what the atmosphere will feel like; the gratification I’ll feel from finally being somewhere I’ve wanted to be for so long. I have no idea what friendships I might have when I leave. It’s all to be determined and I can’t wait to find out.
Take aways:
- Goodbyes are never easy, even in the happiest of situations.
- Patience brings great things.
- Dreams do come true.
I will finally see you soon, Sverige.
till sverige 