Interview with Amanda Erixon

As you have read before in my blog I’m sharing thoughts, events, news etc about the New York acting industry and today I wanna share an interview I did recently with my hard working and talented acting friend, Amanda Erixon. I was curious of knowing more about where she gets her drive and inspiration from since she is constantly working on new productions and projects.
 

We have worked on a few projects before that you produced and acted in. How do you combine those two big roles in a production?
For me that’s been working out well. Working on the bigger picture and administrational part of a project only feeds me in working on the character. It’s interesting and challenging and really something I learn a lot from.

 

Since we’re both from Sweden originally I’m curious about hearing more about your decision of coming here to New York. What made you make the move to the United States to pursue a career in acting?
I was accepted to Stella Adler Studio of Acting and I was ready to make a big move in my life. I had just worked as a singer and entertainer at a Hotel in Europe and I saw my chance to combine my previous experience with additional training in an industry I’ve always wanted to work in. I had been working in musicals and with my vocal gospel group N’Harmony so New York City felt like the right place for me to be to move further with my career goals.

 

You recently had your Off-Broadway debut in the musical production ESTHER. Tell me more about that experience.
I had a really great time working for Theatre 315 and the story and music of this play spoke to me. When I get to pursue my arts and tell important stories I feel very content as an artist. I’m happy that it was very well received and that I had the chance to play such a fun character.

 

What’s next for you?
I’ve been offered the principal role “Shelby Eatenton Latcherie” in a new adaption of the play Steel Magnolias which opens this summer here in New York City.  I’m very excited about sharing more information about that soon. I’m also writing on a short-film together with a friend that I promise to talk more about next time.

 

Thank you Amanda Erixon for this interview and good luck on your future projects! I can't wait to hear more from you! 

 

hey what's up it's been a while

I'm alive!! I promise. Wow it has been quite a while since I wrote here. But there has been a crazy month! I am still in New York so don't you dare think I returned home. I am still here, in school and I am truly having the time of my life. 
 
Okay, so since last time a lot of things has happened but I will try to not bore you with too much text. I will try my best okay? Okay. Let's go.
 
So, school started on the 26th of september I think. It feels like ages ago to be honest. The first wekk we had all these get together things with a boat thingy and then free pizza and ice cream at school. Best thing. We then had to do a screen test and then we got devided up into groups. I am so happy to be in my group. We are like a little family already and I couldn't be happier with all the amazing people around me. Yey group A. 
 
 
Since the first week of school we have been doing a lot. A lot of exercises, shoots and studying. And it's just getting more intense! I have three scripts to learn, prepare a monologue, write down a journal entry, write backstories to characters and answer a hella lot of questions about the three scenes I have and all of this for next week. And here I am writing a blog post. Priorities. Yes. Strong side. No but even if there's a lot of things to do and a lot of homework I still think it's so much fun to do. Well maybe not when I have to be up to two am to finish my essay but besides those moments it's fun!!
 
 
I also met up with a fellow swede, Jordan!! We got to know eachother thanks to Sandra Beijer which I am so thankful for!! I was invited over for sushi in East Village which we enjoyed at such a pretty rooftop and then we met up after I finished school another day to sit in Battery Park, eating popcorn and talking about life for about two hours! Best thing. 
 
 
Oh and yeah, we moved like I mentioned in the last post! We are back on Manhattan again and being like fifteen minutes away from school ain't that bad at all. I am sharing a room with my roomie back from this spring, Jenny, and I couldn't be happier to have her as my roommate!
One day we met a new friend from the school and we spontaniously took the Staten Island ferry (it's free woop woop) to Staten Island (duh) and we got to see the pretty skyline during the sunset. Amazing. We have also partied a lot. As you can see in the picture above. And of course there's only water in my cup. Yes. Totally. 
 
And yup, that is about it. The short version. Oh and I will try to update here more hehe. I will try my very best. Well, now I'm gonna have to stop writing because I am going to meet up with Jordan to go see a dog parade where the dogs are dressed up for Halloween. Yes. You read that completely right. If I'm excited? Yes very much. 
 

hello from new york

I'M HERE!!! Omg. It feels soooooo good to be back and I am so happy and thankful that I get to do this. It has been ten crazy days and I don't even know how to tell you everything that has happened but at least everything is alright now and we are going to be fine and everything so I am just so happy today!! Yey. Okay but let's take a look at some of the things we have been up to. 
 
 
We have been around to every single area to view apartments. It has been so exhausting and I am so happy that it is over. Like all the stairs we have been walking in? Walking up to the fifth floor in thirty degrees isn't really my thing. Nope. Even the broker complained about it. Well we now have a place to live and we are moving in the beginning of october! YEY. So excited!!
Anyways, we saw this beautiful street art outside one of the apartments!! I wish I was that talented. 
 
 
We have had a lot of good meals and this brunch was one of the best yet. French toast with peanut butter mousse and grapes. Holy moly it was so good. I could sadly only eat half of that portion and believe me I tried to finish it but it was way too much, even for me. But super nice. If you are in New York you should totally go there. It's a place called BREAD in Nolita. Go there. Just do it.
 
 
Another day we took the subway to Brooklyn Heights to spy outside one of the housing options we had. Looked okay but it wasn't the one. Then we went down to the water and just enjoyed the view of Manhattan. Felt like a true tourist but it looks so nice doesn't it? And like ten minutes in of looking at the view I realised I didn't have my glasses on. Great. Luckily I had them with me and HELLO HIGH QUALITY. It is truly the best feeling ever *inserts glasses emoji*
 
And yes that is basically our week here. Looking at apartments. eating and walking around. Pretty okay if I may say so. But I am so glad that the stress is over about housing because it has been KILLING me. So now we are moving out of here tomorrow to a place before we get to move to the actual place. Got it? Me neither, way too complicated. But yeah, that is what is up right now and I will try write more another day when I'm not melting away and have a bit more inspiration to do it. Yup. See ya.

see you soon new york

When this blog post is up on here I am on my way to New York!!!! Omg. I have been so stressed these last weeks, I have also been nervous and sad because hugging people goodbye is the worst thing I know. Been trying to hold back the tears though because I hate crying hehe. Anyways, the packing should be ready now (I do hope so since I'm in a plane across the Atlantic) and this weekend I bought one and a half kilo candy to bring with me since it was more than fifty procent cheaper than usual. Score. It was chaos at the supermarkets candy corner though and people were pushing each other, yelling, babies were crying and old men were screaming at teenagers for taking the last pieces of the best candy. Sweden everyone. Anyways, enough about my candy experience. I hope you all had a great monday. Wish me luck on my travels and I'll try to update on here later this week when I have settled in a bit! Byeeeee. 
 

frisbees, crayfish and a ton of chocolate

I haven't been this tired in such a long time. Like I am right now in bed just staring at the wall because I can't bother to move my eyes to the tv. I almost feel like these babies who has such a big head so they can't hold it up by themselves. Something like that. But yesterday was so much fun so it was totally worth it!
 
But let's just start with the day before yesterday. I spent the whole day baking two cakes and it was a nightmare. Like something always goes wrong when I'm baking. This time it was the white chocolate mousse who just wouldn't be a mousse but more like a dough. Like can you imagine spending the whole day baking and then at eight pm over one liter of whipped cream and one kilo of chocolate just goes "nope". I was this close to throw the whole thing out of the window and go and hit something. BUT thankfully I didn't, I managed to save it and it became the best white chocolate mousse I've ever done. *cries happy tears* The cakes turned out really good. I didn't eat it but it's just two slices left so I think that is a good sign. 
 
 
And then yesterday. CRAYFISH PARTY YES. So this is something we do every year and I am looking forward to it every time. We basically get together the whole family, wear these funny hats, sing these funny "snapsvisor", eat a lot of crayfish and other nice food stuff and just have the best family gathering ever. I had so much fun yesterday and it is always nice to spend time with the people who matter the most to me. We ended the night with some frisbee in the dark and I will be surprised if I didn't get any bruises from that game. We (I) take it very seriously. I almost chopped of my cousins head with the frisbee. But let's not talk about that. I am a nice person really. 
 

my day in photos

 09.00
Okay so my alarm really went off at eight but it was way too early for me so I kind of snoozed. Then I realised I had to leave my house in less than half an hour and I had to take a shower, get ready and eat breakfast. Never been that quick before. Not a morning person as you can see.
 
 
 
10.00
Okay. I did it. I removed the stitches. Or not me. But a nurse did. And I was super close to fainting because the whole room started spinning. But thankfully she was really quick and managed to get it done before I hit my head in the floor. This is my "omg I did it and I am so happy but I need some more air so I don't faint from thinking about it"- face. 
 
 
12.00
Okay so since I am baking a lot of stuff for the crayfish party this weekend I needed to buy a lot of things so we drove to this mall not too far away. I bought almost two kilos of chocolate so the cake better turn out great. I also really needed a new t-shirt (not really but why not), a lipstick and to fix my glasses. 
Hello from the fitting room! *hand emoji*
 
 
16.00 
After shopping both clothes (I swear I don't shop that often omg it just sounds like that on here like I am broke af) and food stuff we decided to call it a day and I drove home. This is me, super happy for some reason that I drove a car??? I don't know what is going on.
 
 
18.00
 So the cookies didn't turn out thaaaat great. I kind of forgot about them and they are not cookies but more like... very crunchy and hard cookies. Yes. But the vegetarian pie I made for my cousin did turn out great and look at it!! I am chocked it turned out so good? I might qualify for a housewife after all?  
 
 
And yes. That is my day. Described with pictures of me. Omg. Well, sometimes that happens okay. Deal with it.
Right now I'm in bed trying to keep myself from going to the kitchen and take a cookie. They might be rock hard but they contain vanilla fudge so they can't be that bad right? Anyways. Tomorrow I'm going to get my hair done *angels singing* and then bake two cakes, workout and clean my room since it can't look like this when there will be people here this weekend. I need to look like a person who was her life together. 

ingen här har cash

Okay so it has been very empty here for a while now. And it's basically because I haven't been up to anything special lately. I have just been doing some packing, celebrating two birthdays, some more packing, been on some powerwalks with my dog and spending cold days inside watching tv-shows. And I haven't been feeling that great either so therefore no blog posts.
 
(he likes to "help" when I pack and his definition of "help" is usually to make a mess and act all innocent)
 
But I am feeling much better this week though so it won't be as boring as last week was! Let's look at some of the things I'm going to do. And yes. I do like lists.
 
Thumbs up things:
 
+ Baking
I am going to bake some cakes for a party on saturday!! Oh how I love to bake. Even though it will probably take days to finish this cake this time since it has to be enough for everyone... I have been making this cake a few times (own recipe) and now I got an order to do it for this weekend. No pressure. 
 
Haircut
I am finally gonna get a haricut! I haven't been to the hairdresser for like a year... Oops. Better late than never I guess. 
 
Remove stitches
I finally get to remove my stitches so I can act like a normal human being again. Not being able to workout the way I want to has been driving me crazy. Powerwalks isn't that much fun.
 
Crayfish party
YES. It's time for the annual crayfish party. I am so ready. If you're not from the nordic countries and have no idea what I am talking I will make a blog post about it later this week and show you the perks about being swedish. Or just google it if you want to laugh at us. It's okay. I promise.
 
 
Thumbs down things:
 
- Remove stitches
Okay. I HATE going to the doctor because blood, needles and that weird smell. I have been worse than I am right now but it's still pretty bad so I am a bit nervous to remove stitches since I have never done that before. I will probably have to lay down to not faint like I have done several times before. (Do I have to mention that it was just like a year ago that I started to go by myself when I had to leave blood samples? No let's not bring that up.)
 
Paperwork
This endless paperwork. I just got an email where I have to print out eleven papers and sign all of them? And then scan them and send them back by email? Why? W H Y?
 
Payday
Could have been a + before this one but I just remebered that I only worked one day during july. And the lowest income of the month goes to *drumrolls* ME. And I just got a letter from the tax agency telling me it's time to pay taxes. Shit. I hate being a grown up.

let's be alone together

Got back from Stockholm a couple of days ago after being there for almost a week! I swear I spend more time there than the people actually living in Stockholm. 
 
I started my week there by meeting up with Lisa!! I think I've written about Lisa on here before but for you newbies and english speaking people I met Lisa when I studied in London for a while when I was seventeen! We were living together in Twickenham with a host family (scarred for life) and she is one of my closest friends. We met up one last time before we both are going abroad for a year. She showed me her university and then we went to a museum where we found out we have enormous sharks in swedish waters. Jeez I think I could have lived my life without knowing that. I thought I never had to be afraid of sharks here in our cold country but I guess I WAS WRONG. Traumatic experience.
We also went to this really cute café that is basically just selling chocolaty stuff. I swear it was not a dream, totally true. Best hot chocolate ever. We easily spent some hours there just talking about memories from London (omg) and about nothing and everything.
 
 
Besides hanging with Lisa I have been to the movies, eating a lot of nice food, I accidentally did some shopping and then I watched a horror (read scary thriller) movie for the first time in my life. I am never watching a horror movie ever again. I might consider it if I have my very own private bodyguard. Then maybe. I could barerly sleep that night and man I am such a weak person. I do prefer non scary stuff like... uhm... like the Olympics!! Much better. Oh god speaking about the Olympics. Okay. So we were watching the mens gymnastic the other day right? And there are some very young people competing? Anyways I made a comment about how one of the guys only were eighteen years old. And then from nowhere my little cousin (who is eight) just looked at me dead serious and said "he's younger than you, are you gonna...." *wiggles her eyebrows* "and..." *makes kiss sounds*. She totally gets me. I love her.
 

a battle between a country and a city

Dun dun dun. The title of this blog post says it all. A battle. Between NYC and Sweden. *drum rolls* 
 
Okay this is a question I get a lot. To compare Sweden and my city here with New York. So even if I only been to New York a couple of times is still consider myself appropriate for this task. Because even if I have been in Sweden waaaay more than New York I still know some important pros and cons.
This is like a rap battle.
Without the rap.
Okay. Here we go. 
 
 
NEW YORK
 
Pros:
* A lot of hot guys (of course)
* There is always something to do even if it's four in the morning
* Cheap pizza (I live for this)
* Shake Shack (their chicken burger holy moly)
* Huge buildings with great views (I don't have that where I'm from)
* It is a huge city which means that you can hide if you want to (not trying to sound like a criminal)
* It is never completely quite (I love this because silence makes me go crazy)
* Cheap nail polish (mucho importante)
* The subway system is easy to understand (might not be the best in the world but yeah, easy to understand!!!)
* Like the possibilites?? 
* Forever 21 (they have the best shirts)
* These cinemas where you get a chair that you can make to like a "bed" (best thing EVER take me there and I am yours forever)
* You can get everything with the flavour "peanut butter"
* Reeses pieces (I swear this candy lasts forever, I still find pieces of it in my bags)
* So my dad told me that there is salmon in the Hudson River that you can fish??? (would never eat it though, feels like it could be radioactive or something) 
* You can get anything fried (even salads have a fried option)
 
Cons:
* If you drink the tap water your body will be like 50% chlorine because that is how the water tastes
* It is a very expensive city to live in
* You might have a rat as your neighbour (not sure if this is a pro or a con hm I guess it depends on the rat)
* The air is a serious problem for people with allergies (hello asthma)
* Rush hour is no joke
* It feels dangerous to take a bike anywhere else but a park (cars drive like crazy)
* If you walk in a short skirt at Wall Street because chances are that some scumbag in a suit thinks that he has the right to cat call you (don't let that stop you though!!!)
* There's this guy called Trump
 
 
SWEDEN
 
Pros:
* Fresh air that isn't toxic to breath in
* A lot of things are free here in Sweden which is great (health care, school, surgery), America you seriously need to look over where those tax money is heading 
The water tastes like it should (in other words like water)
* We have a lot of great bands/artists
* You can drive to a nearby farm and pet cow babies
* The pizza might not be as cheap as the New York one but it's better oops
* Sweden is very small so it doesn't take days to drive to another part of the country, you can like drive to different countries in less than a day
* Cold winters with a lot of snow (yey for skiing)
 
Cons:
* If you don't own an Michael Kors bag you are an "outcast" (if you are a swede and disagree with me you probably own one of those bags) 
* This douchebag Jimmy Åkesson and his political party (pls don't support them people)
* If you live in my town there is no fast food close and everyone is racist and sexist here
* Swenglish (that horrible accent)
* You always run into someone you don't want to meet, ALWAYS
* The swedish "dream" that everyone is going for makes me totally panicked
* The summer weather (hello rain and hail)
* If you live in my town no one wants to come and visit you because you live way too far from civilisation
 
 
Okay I think I got the most basic ones. So conclusion? New York has a lot of awesome food and hot dudes and Sweden has better water and the air is better to breathe. You must cleary see why I choose to study in New York rather than Sweden. Nah jokes aside. Sweden and my little city (it ain't even a city but yeah) is all good and I do like it here. But after spending almost twenty years of my life here I kind of feel suffocated. Everyone knows me and I feel like I can never be anything else here. Never achieve what I want to achieve. I need something else.
So even if the air in New York sucks I kind of find it a bit easier to breathe there. 

flight booked

 After a long Skype-session a couple of days ago with my roomies to be we finally decided on when we should leave for NY. Me and Jenny will go over first to do some house hunting and then Carla will join us later on. In about a month I will be on my way to the city again!!! Woop woop! I booked my flight yesterday and after hours of googling if it's safer to sit in the back or in the front of the plane I found an article that said that if the plane crashes it is more likely that I will survive if I sit in the back. So that feels good to have the odds on my side. And I will also get the food first. Surviving is always better on a full stomach. 
 
So now I basically just have the packing left. Dun dun dun. I am kind of scared to even start because yeah, how the hell will I get all the things with me?? I have done a list on everything I need to bring with me and it is a mess. I have nine pairs of shoes on there. NINE. Five of them are sneakers. In different colours. I do love my sneakers. I have decided to leave my camera at home and that gives me room for roughly two more pairs of sneakers. Priorities. Totally my strong side.
 
He hates when I'm on the computer so he always get inbetween. He is one jealous dog.

here we go again

Yup. Here we go again. A list. But I do love them. And more people keep showing up here (it is so much fun, welcome!!!) so let's get to know me a bit better with some questions. And mix it up with fun posts I have been finding on tumblr recently. Sounds good? Awesome.  
 
 
What are you doing right now? 
 
I am outside in our backyard listening to some music with these awesome headphones I got to borrow from my brother (he's the best). Thankful to have a brother who is a gamer and only buys proper headphones. Even though my head is way to small to look cool in them...
 
On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you?
 
Probably around 3424. So like super afraid. This is so embarrassing because I am twenty and I shouldn't be afraid of the dark but hell nah I have no idea what's hiding in the shadows. 
 
What scares you the most? 
 
To die. I feel like I have so much left to do with my life and yeah. It kind of scares me not to be able to do all those things. And when people with an unknown phone number calls me. That is some scary stuff right there. 
 
 
What makes you excited? 
 
Getting postcards or letters!! I love opening up letters that are addressed to me omg. Sadly I barely get any fun letters these days, only bills and boring stuff. Oh and when someone starts telling you about something with "this reminded me of you..."
 
Where do you see yourself in five years? 
 
In five years I am hopefully working as an actress in the US (if someone from the US government is reading this I would never ever work illegal I promise!!!!!), is able to travel the world and having my own island in Carribbean. True Johnny Depp style. But if you should listen to the rumours going around about me right now I am probably married by then. This is amazing news for me that didn't even know about this though because then a green card is not that far away. *inserts crying/laughing emoji* No please if these rumours have reached you please do know that it's not the case. I am not going back to NY for a guy. Hahahaha omg. 
 
 
 
What makes you cry? 
 
When animals die in movies. Jeez. Heartbreaking. 
 
Do you have any scars?
 
Yes, I actually have three. Buhu.
1. Two claw marks from when I was little and my cat by mistake got stuck with her claws in my arm. Ouch. 
2. A burnmark around my ankle from my graduation when my dogs leash got stuck around my ankle and he ran after a ball. Again. Ouch. 
3. When I got attacked by a dog a few years ago while protecting my own dog. I took my dog in my arms (thank god he is small) when the other dog came running after him so when there were no longer a dog on the ground the mean dog just jumped and bit my leg instead. Not ouch on this one though?? Didn't even feel that he bit me. Thank you chock and adrenaline. 
 
If you were a type of tree, what would you be? 
 
I love these questions. Totally important. If I were a tree I would be... *googles types of trees*. I only found a wikipedia site on important trees and none of them seemed to have had a fun life so I am just gonna go with a christmas tree because who wouldn't wanna be a christmas tree??
 
 
What was your last dream about?
 
Hmm.. don't remember my last dream. But I do almost have a dream like every single night. Just can't remember any of them right now haha. Oh wait, just a few nights ago I had a dream that I fell on my face and lost three teeth. And then I came up with the smart idea that I could keep the teeth in my pocket so the dentist could glue them back on. Brilliant I know.
 
 
 
If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create?
 
A creagle. A crocodile with an eagle. First thing that came to my mind. A flying crocodile that can also swim. I want one. 
 
Who would you really like to just punch in the face?
 
Trump. Maybe I could punch some sense into him. Probably not. I think he is a lost case. And I am not THAT strong.
 
Are you a good liar?
 
Nothing to brag about but yes sadly I am. I actually see myself as a great liar. I do not lie thaaaaat often though because I feel kinda bad when I do it. But yes, sometimes there is no other way.
 
 
What do you usually start your text messages with? 
 
Well this depends on the person I'm texting but probably something like "heeeeej" or "hiii". I like to have more than just one letter if you didn't notice. It makes it waaay more exciting. Yeah see, I did it again.
 
What is one unique thing you’re afraid of?
 
Unique and unique. I don't know about that but I am really afraid of veins. Not blood or needles (well okay needles a bit) but it's mostly veins. Oh god like when people talk about veins or try to touch them I swear I am so close to fainting. And the people that knows about this LOVE to show me their veins och try to touch the area on the arm where you get blood samples from. Worst thing ever and I can't even tell you how many times I have almost fainted when people do this (mostly my brother). Glad my phobia is entertaining to some people though (again BROTHER).
 
 
 
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
 
I would probably change the fact that I don't have wings. I really really really want to have wings. Or like these things that fish have. So you can breathe under water. That would be awesome too. 
 
 

study abroad

Preparing for a year abroad isn't the easiest thing to do. It might not seem like there is much to do at first but just wait. It will be even more than you could imagine. First there is hella many papers you have to fill in and send to every single person on the whole earth. Not really but that is how it feels. And then like I already mentioned in a previous post, you probably did something wrong and have to send them all the things again. After all the paperwork is done you have to visit the US embassy. And it is not the best place you've been to. They are quite rude and want to know EVERYTHING. And when I say everything I truly mean everything. At first I was a bit unsure if the guy was hitting on me but then I realised that he really wanted to know if I had a boyfriend in New York. So be prepared to answer a lot of questions that feels like a joke. I promise you they are not. Do not make my mistake and laugh at the guy asking the questions. They don't think it's funny. Anyways after the most stressful fifteen minutes of your life, the guy that clearly doesn't like you says that your visa has been approved and you get to run out of there. Best feeling ever. 
 
 
Okay and then you are basically good to go. Nah not really. I hate to be the one to tell you but there are plenty of things left. Like for example finding a place to live. Which I tell you is HARD. If you have budget. If you are a rich f*cker then get the hell out of here. So basically it is so hard to find somewhere to live when you are across the Atlantic and every broker thinks that you are a scam. And you will have to buy everything when you get there and beds aren't that cheap you know. 
 
 
And then we get to the whole packing situation. How the hell are you gonna bring all your favorite things with you? All your shoes? All your clothes? Without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money? What will you leave? What can you live without? Is seven pairs of black jeans really necessary? (yes it probably is.) How do you say goodbye to family and friends? How do you say goodbye to your dog? (this will for sure be the hardest thing for me, to say goodbye to my dog.) Which flight should you take? The one that is a direct flight but more expensive that the one where you have to wait for four hours at some random city in Finland? Will they loose your luggage that you totally over packed but have EVERYTHING in? There are so many questions you will have to ask yourself and you basically don't know the answer to them so just close your eyes and hope for the best.
 
 
And after that you are basically ready. Ready to get on that flight that will take you towards something that you really want to do. And everything will be worth it. All those hours you have spent on doing paperwork. All those hours you spent on filling them in again because something went wrong. All those hours it took for you to get to the embassy and wait there for your turn to have your interview. All those hours you spent house hunting and never thought you would find something. All those hours you spent on trying to fit everything in your suitcases and cried a bit over those pretty adidas shoes that you just couldn't take with you because they wouldn't fit in the bag. All those hours you spent on saying goodbye to the people you love the most. All those hours were totally worth it. Because you did it. You are on your way and will probably have the best time of your life. You will meet knew people, learn new things that you would never learn back home and eat fantastic food (best thing). You will learn the language much better and you will learn so many important things about yourself too. You will meet incredible people that will make your life so much better and maybe, just maybe, you will have a new place to call home. And you did it all by yourself even if it felt impossible at some points. And I promise you. It is the best feeling ever.  
 
 
Okay and now here are some great tips to whoever is thinking about going abroad to study for a longer period of time in USA. Or to do something else. I don't know. Anyways. Here are five tips that I think will help you a bit on the way! 
 
* Don't worry too much about what to wear to the US Embassy. I got the information that I had to be very nicely dressed like for an important job interview. But do not fear. You don't have to buy a new skirt and a blazer for your visit at the embassy. Like you don't even get to "meet" your interviewer. They are sitting behind a glass window and they won't even see what you are wearing. So relax. Just dress in something casual. As long as you don't wear sweatpants and crocs you will be fine. 
 
 
 
* Applying for CSN or some other student loan? Well, when you have to send them paperwork like acceptance letter, the cost of the school and other things SEND THEM EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. Or even better, contact your school first of all and ask them to send you the paper that they normally use for CSN or other loans. They usually know what students are applying for. Then you probably don't have to send them papers again and again and again. Like I had to. Learn from my mistakes. Send them every damn paper there is about your studies. It will save you so much time and you will get the money much quicker! 
 
* Bring two suitcases with you. I know. It will bring an extra cost to it but if you are like me and doesn't want to buy too much over there it is totally worth it. Especially if you are studying and probably won't make money every month. You will not regret spending twenty dollars extra to bring with you soooo many extra clothes, shoes, pillows, or whatever. It might feel a bit like wasting some money and you might wonder how you will do carrying those two big ass suitcases around but it will be worth it. If I can get two suitcases that was over twenty kilos each up seven narrow stairs without falling and dying, you can too. 
 
 
* Got some more room in your suitcase? Probably not. But if you do, that is great!! You can know bring some things with you that you would have to buy over there anyway. If you are a Swede then IKEA is your best friend. If you are are from somewhere else then IKEA is still your best friend. I have a feeling that some of their products are a bit cheaper here in Sweden so if you have some space left buy small stuff and fill up the empty place in your suitcase. It can be everything really. Forks, knives (be a bit careful with this one so it's not something the customs will take you for), plastic things for the kitchen and so on. Or if you prefer to take an extra pairs of shoes with you instead of kitchen things I totally understand you. Totally. I would probably do that too. 
 
* Don't worry if you are going alone without someone by your side. It might seem scary not knowing someone but there are always people in the same situation as you. You will not be left out I promise! As long as you are yourself and a nice human being it will work out. I actually prefer going on my own the first time because then you are forced to get to know new people. If you bring a friend with you it is always nice of course but then you might just hang with that person and not getting to know more new people. So trust me on this one, you will be glad that you went on your own even if it feels a bit scary in the beginning. 
 
 

i will always return

Oh my, hi. I haven't forgot about my blog I promise. I have a valid reason why I haven't updated in a week. Because I totally need one and have to explain myself. Yeah. Anyways. I have been at my dads summer house again and there is no wifi there (panic). Therefore I haven't been able to write any blog posts. I did buy some internet to my phone that I shared with my computer but I spent that on Netflix. I think you all understand my choice. Okay enough about that. I had a great time as always up there and it's nice to spend time with my family now that I'm gonna be away for a year. Up there I went kayaking again! It is so fun even though I am terrified of water. I didn't fell in this time either but next time I'm up there I think we're going to pracitce how to tip over and make it out of the kayak alive. Sounds terrifying. I know. I also did some fishing of course and lost a big fish and spent the rest of the night being upset about it. I take fishing very seriously if you didn't know that about me already. I also had a day where I had the place all to myself. Partaaaay. Nah dad, I promise I didn't wreck the place. I slept in, had breakfast outside, took a few "I woke up like this"-pics (as shown below) and then I tried to enjoy being in the sun even if there was twenty eight degrees outside. Didn't go so well.  
 
 
 Then I got back home again and have been spending some days at the beach. Well. Beach sounds way too nice to describe where I was. More like a lake with a bit of sand next to it. But it was nice anyways! We had some food with us and easily spent a few hours in the sun reading and swimming. Sadly like the weak scandinavian I am I burnt my back and it kind of hurts. But I had it coming since I strongly believed I was strong enough to be out in the sun for five hours without sun lotion. I was not. 
 

tonight we make our dreams come true

So yesterday when I woke up I decided to check the news on my phone and the first thing that pops up is that Pokemon Go has been released in Sweden. Holy shit yes finally. I know it's still in beta version and kind of sucks but who the hell cares. I finally get to live my childhood dream where I get to be a pokemon trainer. *Cries a bit* At the age of twenty. Amazing. And if I don't get fit from running around catching pokemons I don't know what. 
 
So besides catching pokemons (I just have like two because they don't spawn pokemons in the town where I live becuase it's so small so I basically have to run for more than an hour to get somewhere where they are hiding) I have been having some really good lunches (I live for food to be honest??), been to this market they arrange one time every year to buy candy (nothing more important than candy), explaining to a guy that was probably 40+ in the line at the grocery store how to catch pokemons (never thought someone would ask me that) and meeting this really cute cat that followed me around and screamed when I walked away from it. Heartbreaking I know. And yeah then other 'normal human-being stuff' not really worth writing about. But writing about me meeting a cat totally is. Yup. I have my priorities. 
 
Oh and excuse my hand that looks like some kind of big claw in the picture??? I have no idea how it happened?? It kind of creeps me out but I promise you my hand doesn't look like that in real life! I hope...  
 
 

And there's no other place I'd ever wanna go

 So yesterday I went to my dad's summer house to spend the night there. I swear it is so nice and it makes me so calm to be there. Well okay, I wasn't exactly calm when I had to go to one of the other buildings just a bit from our house in the middle of the night. I was totally convinced that I would get kidnapped because I couldn't see anything besides dark shadows everywhere and it was kind of stormy outside so it was like set for a perfect kidnap?? And let's not even talk about the gigantic moth that flew right into my face when I turned on the flashlight. BUT I survived (I ran back to the house almost breaking the door trying to lock it) and we don't really have to talk about the fact that I was so close to bring a pan or something with me to bed. Jeez. Such a traumatic experience.
Oh and before I forget! It's very trendy to look like a zombie with dark circles under your eyes. I promise! Super trendy!
 
 
So being back home again could just be really nice but sadly I have to do all these boring things now that I got the time to do it. Is this what growing up really is about? Like for example filling out different forms for CSN and the I-20. Like it takes such a long time. And then when you are SO proud of yourself that you filled everything in and sent them all the paperwork they crush your dreams and ambitions and tell you that you filled it in incorrectly. Yeah, I truly love when it happens. Nah it ain't that bad to be home again. I mean my dog is super thrilled that I'm home again and wakes me up every single morning at seven am by licking my whole face and jumping on me. Even though he is a small dog it feels like he breaks my ribs every single time. And he looks happy while doing it? But lately I have been thinking about being away from him for a year and I will truly miss him even though he is crushing my ribs way too often, makes packing so hard by sitting on/in your bags, goes crazy every single time someone says the swedish word for cat or the fact that he probably should use braces because the first thing people say when they see him is "aw look at his teeth". 
 

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