All good things comes to an end.

This blog is not so much fun. Sorry. So turn to my real stuff: shutupandfly.wordpress.com

 

7 days left

So I figured out a smart thing. I’ll stay up late this week just to get used to the new time…! I never thought of it before while travelling. Over there I’ll need to be awake as fast as possible.

Anyhow. My days of counting down is not going so well. I have 7 days left! Monday, tuesday and half of wednesday (getting my hair done) I am packing. Then a wedding on friday. The weekend it time to da goodbye and have a few nervouse breakdowns.

I got a french manicure done and I am really feeling american now. =)

Anyhow. I got to the point in packing where I think I’ll need personal things with me, more than clothers. Living in a room for a year with nothing more than studying books will be very weird and lonely. But also a chance to get new things.

one week left. Then I leave and no turning back for a long time…

2 of 14

I kept packing all day last night. And G and me stayed up watching the real housewifes of beverly hills! To get the american feel! We both realized there is so much more color over there!

Anyhow. Today:

went for a run, tanning, checked e-mails. Waiting for a friend to come over for some planning. After that book at flight ticket, pack and drive to our summer house to hang out with my sis and kids for the last time in a year. Stay till thursday (2 days) and plann again. Friday I have to make sure I got everything for the wedding that’s on sunday. Keep packing and all. After this weekend I can’t believe it’s only a week left! This is reallllllly crazy! A year of planning…and it’s happening for real!

I am proud of myself to plan and go through with such a big plan. The biggest dream I ever had. But as you can see i the blog, it’s a lof of planning. But it’s fun along the way too!

A big issue left is CSN, the money I get for studying. I can’t apply until some credits has registered which they do on monday…So I have little time left then. But Im not worried, and strangly I am not nervous, just sooo exited!

Amen sister!

1 of 14 left.

I payed the embassy an visit. If you don’t know it, you can be late but not later than 11.30. Everyone in line were freaking out because they all had an appointment at 8.30 and well, there was a line we can say. I actually saw Crister Fuglesang pass by (the Swedish austronaut) but he was in the immigrant line… Exiting.

Anyhow! My life is going fast right now. The visit took 1.5 hour and today, 5 days after the visit, I got my passport back with a big page in it saying I’m studying at college of central florida, Ocala fl.

🙂 !!!!!!

I remember march, when it was 5 months left. So much time left, too much time. And just enough time to fix everything. I get everything done right on time, the worst part is the headaches of knowing it’s not done.

I have an international driverslicense too.

So right now as I am writing I’m surrunded by boxes trying to make a decision of what will follow me.

Today my 14-days-left countdown begins.

Day 1.

Slept a long time. Went for a run. Took a bath, did a manicure, facialmask, foot scrub. Ran to the car the moment mom called out I got mail to pick up. Packing, phonecalls, coffee and tv. Need to grab something to eat, take a powerwalk and the go into the tanningbed… this summer has given me no sun!

I did study and work my ass of. Now I got the points I needed and just waiting for stuff to register. I guess the thing with going to the embassy should have been booked a long time ago… Well well. I started with everything 5 months ahead, still seems like all I do is get headaches over to much to do and never feeling done with anything. Packing, working… The exitement is extreme. Can’t wait to move out and be finished with work for a year of studying and then work with what is my passion.

Fast forward now would be nice…

the packing issue

I finished everything. All that’s left is my visit to the Embassy to get the visa. It’s the most important part left in all of this.

It’s exactly 8 weeks until I move into my new apartment in Florida. Yeasterday I sold my stuff I have here, preparing to have little left when I move out. I bring home boxed from work to pack in and I feel that I am doing a good job on the time issue.

During the spring I have been reading books about america, travel books, english litterature, watched every movie seen without subtitles… Most people might not do this, but you know, I love it. 🙂

I will start throwing stuff away, giving back borrowed, packing a little. But the real thought here is WHAT TO BRING?

If you were leaving home for a year and only had a suitecase, what would you bring? Computer, camera, some clothes… Give me tips!

Mandy.

 

money, money, money

I guess a lot of people give up on the study abroad dream when they get a good look at the expences. In the USA they have three different levels of school and costs;

private owned college/university at 35,000 dollars/academic year
public university/college at 20,000 dollars/academic year
CF (my school) / community college 8,000 dollars/academic year (procematly)

It’s quite a difference. I guess if you attend harvad or yale which are ranked at top schools in the world you have to pay A LOT more that if you attend a more ordinary school. I am attending community college which is costing less than a regular college, probably becasue they don’t have all that. It will be a school where all kinds of people attend and maybe not only rich kids. I like that.

If you study abroad you can (if the school is accepted by CSN)  get the same money you would get here in Sweden but also extra loans for the flight ticket and…well as I can see, it will cover most stuff.

Even if I can get away with a year not havning to spend my own money, I still think it is stupid to take loans.

I have always been economic. Saving all my life all the money I’ve gotten in gifts and all my allowance has become aenough to afford a year abroad. I have been working extra since I graduated and this year I’ve worked full time, pretty much just saving and working, not spending. A dear friends voice echoes in my head: many brooks makes a river. Don’t spend small amounts, this teaches us.

But you gotta live too. But I think putting one year out in your life to just save, is okay. I can’t at all say that this year was any fun. It’s been sooooo boring, but what ever happens after this year is going to be better than before. I am very happy that I did this.

 Any how. Eat cheap, have no more expences than you rent, food, cellphone, travelling and maybe some presents and extra. I put up a budget every year for myself and I am still sticking too it. But!! I love economy and counting so this might not be for everyone.

But just só you know: it’s possible.

I really didn’t know this!! I am freaking out over everything getting a bit screwed up right now!

I got an e-mail from CSN about not completing all the information they need. So I called them and after my problem-free-phone started to crash and was out of service for no reason I got to see my dream pass and fall into a pile of mud. Right now my pulse is not normal.

So after calling and getting all the information I need it turns out to be that, and listen you might not know this, you have to have 62% of your credist from you first semester studying at a university and after that 75%. I never knew this so I just took the 15 of 30 credits when I studied. = 50%. Panicking I have now applyed for summer corses, I need 3 more points. To be a bit more cleasr, dont flunk out if you are reciving csn while studying, because you cant get any more if you dont get your points together.

But! Lyckely for me, I will be taking a math class this summer to get the points to get csn. Even if i don’t get csn i can afford a year abrod, but it’s 26 thousand kr that I miss…. As mom just said, “that’s alot of shopping”. lol.

So right now I spped things up, try to breath, going to the library to get an appointment at the embassy. It’s a lot, but lycky me I have 2 monthes before the plane leaves and I guess it is enough time to fix all of this.

I am soooo happy to be doing a math corse this summer, I LOVE math and when I arrive at campus there is a big test I will be doing with a math section, so I guess the problem just turned into something great!

Now I am off to work, gotta make a living baby!

.Rory.

No air

Feelings go from falling asleep with a smile on my lips to freaking out and getting a stomach ache. I know how badly I want to do this and how I will say thank-you to myself one day, but right now, breath! Air!

What makes me happy, glad, exited and energetic, is how I get to live around the people who have this culture I love. The positivity, the freedome, the believes, the patriatism. Sweden has no patriatism at all! I was looking at picktures from the the new york times of the tornado/hurricane that recently took place and saw how walmart and other food markets reached out with food, and people from around came to help out. Well if a tornado would hit Sweden, we… I don’t know. I am afraid we would as always, complain to the stat why they acted too slow. It’s like it’s never our falt..or our responsebility to take care of each other, but americans look different at that.

Food market, well that I am exited about. Publix is a bff of mine! And now I am going to live in a town that has it around the corner! Air. I just felt air.. 🙂 And not to talk about target! Or tar jé as pretty people pronounce! The stor of life!

All the shopping, the new roomates and going to study there, actually feeling smart again and serious and getting somewhere in life, is all overwhelming. 

BUT, I freak out now and then over everything! My nightmare is kind of to arrive at campus, feeling small as an ant and invisible like a shadow. Just freaking out, not being able to eat, sleep and just panicking. Getting roomates that play loud music and leaving dish everywhere. And not being very nice. Then I attend my lessons and I don’t understand anything. To shy to raise my hand and to dumb to understand. So I fail my classes and get no friends. Oh dear, oh raindear!

When I think about it, it’s not that bad if the roomates play loud but good music, and if they leave the dishes, than I can too. And how many americans have I met that are really rude, messy and lock themselves up in a room with bad and loud music? None! Oh jesus I am saved! Fantastic.
If I don’t understand I’ll have to ask someone after class for help (the shyness probably remains) and …(well if there are small classes I will raise my hand) and we become study mates and then best friends! Amen!

Friends and no failing classes.

What is happening right now is probably very normal. I never heard about anyone going away for a year and coming back with the worst story ever. Maybe they just dot publish those stories.. Well, I promise that if it sucks over there, I will let you know.

Mandy.

step 1.

I think it is really important to know where you would like to live or try living for a while. What culture do you want to be inspired by? What climate do you want to live in? What language do the speak there?

It was quite easy for me to know that I wanted to be in America since I have lived there before. And every winter here I promised myself I would not be here next year, so the climate for me is very important. Since I don’t speak any other language fluid I knew that it had to be English. Australia was a thought too but I knew how I still wanted to “move back”. I guess Australia can be my next adventure.

I want you to follow your dream!

The studies are important but for me the whole experience matters more. You get a good resume wherever you go and what you study can never be wrong. It is always a plus. But if you are paying for something that you could have gotten free, make sure it is not only a fun year and meeting new friends, but intresting classes too.

For me, I don’t know exactly yet what I will be studying. When I get to campus I will do a test that will show what classes I am able to take. But I have made sure the college has subjects, classes and corses I can pick from that I like.

The worst part about everything is all the reading! You want to make sure you pick the right spot and school and country and not missing anything. Write down what you are looking for (laguange, climate, small or big city) and it will be easier.

After all the thinking and dreaming, apply! Either you do it to any school you find yourself or you go through a Swedish representative company. There are a few to pick from, some ask you to pay a little for the help and some not. I picked www.studin.se (study international) because they did not cost extra and they had many years working with this. I e-mail alot when I have questions and quickly get awnsers all the time.

If you want to do something adventourous in life I guess you will have to read and plan and do a lot of paperwork. I can guess that a lot of others give up just doing that, it’s a stress hanging over you. Put a day asside so that you can fix everything. I did and I almost got it all done…

1. apply = paperwork.
2. wait for awnser
3. get you awnser, hopfully accepted!
4. fill in the embassy papers, pay deposition on rent and get insurance. Apply for CSN (grants & loans). I’m here right now, waiting for CSN…
5. When CSN accepted it you can go to the embassy for an interview and get you student visa.
6. By an airplane ticket and start cancelling phones, rent, internet… and pack!

When it starts to stress you and become overwhelming, I just try to see it as small steps. You’ll get there one day.

.Rory.