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! 

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. 

 

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. 

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. 

 

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. 

 

 

 

* 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)

 

* 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

 

 

* 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)

 

* 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. 

 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.

 

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. 

 

Oj oj oj, jag har knappt tid att sitta vid datorn eller att ta det lugnt. Därför det ekar tomt här. Ibland är dagarna otroligt långa och jag är i skolan från nio på morgonen till sju på kvällen med enbart trettio minuters lunch haha. Jag klagar dock inte, får ut sååå mycket av det här så är bara glad att vi får träna så pass mycket. Och när jag har fritid så spenderar jag den hellre med att umgås med mina vänner och utforska New York än att sitta vid datorn!

Hittills har vi hunnit med att:

 

* Gå på bio och se Batman Vs Superman (filmen i sig får en tumme ner)

* Hittat vårt favoritmatställe som bara ligger en liten bit från där vi bor (Smashburger I love you)

*Tränat in x antal repliker nere i gymmet (hur bra som helst om man har en arg scen)

* Tagit över en bar och dansat fast ingen annan gjorde det (vi är så bra) 

* Shoppat (of course) 

*  Dansat, precis överallt och när som helst (jag menar, why not?)

* Improviserat realistiska scener utomhus bland folk (om folk stirrade när jag skrek åt min kompis? ja.)

* Köpt svenskt smågodis (sorry America, your candy isn't that great)

* Ätit brunch och pratat om allt mellan himmel och jord (bästa bästa bästa)

 

Idag börjar jag klockan fyra och har bara en lektion innan jag får gå hem igen. Såå skönt då vi var ute igår och det blev väldigt sent. Den här veckan har vi inga lektioner på fredag vilket känns sååå lyxigt! En långhelg behövs verkligen efter allt som vi sliter med i skolan. Det blir nog lite mer shopping i helgen men också plugg. Att memorera flera olika manus plus en monolog samtidigt är inte det lättaste direkt. 

 

Nu är allt i full gång här och jag har knappt haft en ledig sekund sen skolan började. För er som inte vet så studerar jag på NYFA och går deras program som heter "Acting for film". Det är så fruktansvärt roligt att jag inte ens känner av att dagarna är 10 timmar långa!! Så himlans kul är det. Lärarna är sååå coola och man vill typ hänga med dem hela tiden. Vi får lära oss så mycket och jag hade aldrig trott att jag skulle våga så här mycket. På gymnasiet vågade jag aldrig direkt svara på frågor, prata inför klassen eller ta för mig. Här vågar jag allt det där. Jag vågar svara på frågor även fast jag inte vet om det är rätt svar, jag vågar ta för mig ordentligt och så vågar jag skådespela inför klassen. I veckan till exempel skulle vi alla spela fulla en i taget och övertyga en polis att vi inte var det genom att walk the line. Alltså hahhaha vi hade så kul. Och jag vågade gå all in också utan att det kändes jobbigt. Tror det har mycket med att jag får så mycket bra energi från mina nya vänner här. Så himla underbara människor! Vi lyssnar på varandra och får alla att känna sig delaktiga vilket är helt underbart. Och vi har bara känt varandra i en vecka. Helt fantastiskt! Sånt här behöver jag.

 

Mindre rolig sak är att brandalarmet i byggnaden jag bor i har en tendens att börja tjuta. Det har hänt 4 gånger på bara den här veckan jag varit här. Första gången det hände började jag nästan gråta av panik för jag trodde verkligen att det brann. Så jag börjar packa ner min dator och hörlurar i väskan innan jag tänker på att ta mig ut ur rummet haha?? I alla fall fick vi springa ner på gatan och brandkåren kom susande. Dock ingen brand så efter 10 minuter var det bara att gå igen. Sen hände det igen samma kväll och då kom både NYPD och brandkåren och vi fick stå ute och vänta längre än första gången. Ingen brand den här gången heller. Sen har det hänt två gånger till och då har det varit på kvällen så jag har fått springa ut i pyjamas, så pinsamt haha. Såklart med datorn i handen alla gånger. Det har inte brunnit någon av gångerna vilket såklart är skönt. Mindre skönt att behöva ta trapporna upp igen sen för att hissarna är så fulla haha. Så snubben som försöker att röka inomhus får mer än gärna sluta med det!

 

Jaha och nu befinner jag mig i New York!! Kom fram i fredags kväll och det var så magiskt att åka från flygplatsen och få se the New York skyline när det var mörkt. Jag hittade fram till mitt boende och checkade in. Boendet ligger ju så centralt och i ett bra område så det känns toppen. Finns hur mycket små butiker och andra matställen som helst. Jag har hittat en favoritaffär i närheten där det finns ALLT. Hur bra som helst. Min engelska har redan blivit så mycket bättre?? Kanske är det för att man vågar mer när det inte är någon annan svenne omkring?

 

Jag hade ju dock såklart oturen att jag var tvungen att uppsöka en läkare här då jag har fått astma. Så först be mamma ringa SOS international hemifrån då jag inte kan ringa utomlands för att höra om jag fick gå iväg till läkare här. Det fick jag tack vare en försäkring jag skaffade innan jag åkte hit (tips till alla som ska över hit en längre period, skaffa en bra försäkring). Sen iväg till läkaren och sedan till ett apotek och hämta ut medicinerna. Inget gick direkt smidigt då man inte är amerikansk medborgare men det gick bra och jag hade turen att få den snyggaste läkaren på hela Manhattan. Score.

 

Hela helgen har jag mest tagit det lugnt och gått ut för att utforska området och liksom bott in mig. Nu börjar dock allvaret och mina dagar kommer vara så otroligt intensiva men förhoppningsvis riktigt roliga!
Here we go!