Last night, I handed over my passport for the first time before boarding a plane. I’ve never been out of the United States, until now. We took a seven hour flight from Chicago to Copenhagen, Denmark.
I slept on the plane, but not much and not well. I get extremely antsy and fidget a lot and can never fall asleep on flights. When I do fall asleep, I always wake up abruptly with a neck or back pain. The flight attendants made us keep the shades down until we had about an hour to land. The view, once the shades were up, was beautiful.
Scandinavian Airlines 
The long flight is finally over now. Note: Copenhagen has the most beautiful airport I’ve ever been to. Check out my “vegan food” page to see what I got there!
During the layover, many people talked of jet lag. For some reason, I don’t think I have that problem. I was wide awake all day and am tired now that it’s the late evening. That being said, I hope I feel normal tomorrow. Here’s the sunny view from out gate in Copenhagen:
After a very short flight (about 40 minutes), we finally landed in Gothenburg.
In the area in photographed above, I exchanged USD for Krona, even though it was probably unnecessary. Also in that area, there was a lady with pigtails, and she had a Miniature Schnauzer. I’ve heard Swedes can be more reserved, but I gathered the courage to ask to pet her dog. She and her dog, Soya, were very nice. I complimented her dog’s haircut and told her I groom dogs. She asked me what I was doing in Sweden and I explained that I was here on a school trip. I then told her that I speak a little Swedish and got to practice with her. She commended my efforts in learning the language.
After leaving the airport, I was in complete awe during the taxi ride to the hostel. I wish I was able to take photos, but it was dark and we were driving quickly. There are forests and rock walls everywhere. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
We arrived at our hostel. This is what the check-in area looks like:
We went out to dinner (photos on my vegan page) and another fellow vegan and I were concerned that maybe the pasta was made with egg. It was very busy and we didn’t even have our drinks yet so there was no reason for the servers to check in with us at this point. I decided to go up to the counter and ask…except I decided to ask in Swedish. I approached the counter and talked to whom I assume was the manager. I said “Mit Svenska var hemsk (My Swedish is bad), men jag har en fraga… (but I have a question…) Jag ar vegan (I am vegan); har pastan agg (does the pasta have egg)?” And he said “Nej” which means no. So I asked “Pastan ar vegansk?” Asking if the pasta is vegan and he told me yes! There was a little more to this conversation, but this was my first time having a real conversation in Swedish. I’m so happy and proud of myself. It is nerve-racking. I don’t know much and I’m not confident in what I do know. But before this trip, one of the things I wanted to accomplish was getting better at Swedish and practicing the language with people as much as I can. That being said, I think these two interactions (not to mention my ordering dessert later in the night) are the best way this trip could have possibly started. I am incredibly happy and excited to be here and I cannot wait for tomorrow to come.
Take aways:
- “Remember to look out the window and to talk to people” -Thomas Stambro.
- It could be rude to assume, so always ask someone if they speak English first before rambling to a stranger in a language that is probably not their native language: (“Pratar du engelska?”).
- Practice makes perfect. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when practicing or learning a new language. Even making the slightest effort is pride-worthy.
till sverige 