it’s always fun with something new.

i love love love it when i can discover/experience something new in my city. and today, i did just that!

the day started off pretty normal. wake up early, rush to school & slide into my seat just before the teacher calls my name as she checks roll. perfect. we watched a swedish tv series (skärgårdsdoktorn) and then practiced our swedish sounds. boooring the sounds, not the tv show. during the break = fika time, i met (as i do every day) with my girls from my old sfi class. it’s sad that the only time we have to get together these days is 30 minutes in the morning. but, at least we have that! after school, i rushed to the library to pay my 13 crown overdue fine. oops. i turned in a book on friday (late). paid 10 crowns ( a little more than a dollar) because that’s all i had, and had to leave with a 3 crown fine still on my library account. i can now say that my credit is again good at the library. my balance is 0.00. yes!

from the library, i quickly walked the 10-15 minutes home. in the rain. without a rain jacket or an umbrella. and found my love making lunch when i walked into the apartment. yep. i am spoiled. a quick, but tasty & healthy lunch, and then we were off to work for the afternoon. the afternoon went by fast. there’s always stuff going on at my internship. most everyday there are youth/young adults (they are mostly all 18-25ish) in the office as well. they stop by to chat, hang out, talk, or help out/do their own work. it’s basically a place they can come & be safe, be cared for, have some fun, and work on figuring out their own ways to solve problems (in their lives & in society). i love it there! last week lina, her colleague, and 3 (maybe 4) youth and i had a 2 1/2 hour discussion about drugs, making positive choices, & making a difference in your life/the world. it’s a place where the young adults can explore their own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about who they want to be. the idea is to help them help themselves. basically everything that goes on there is all about relationships. it’s a inspiring and thought-provoking place. important stuff is happening there. plus, the youth are determined to make sure that lina & i only talk swedish to one another. hehe.

this evening, after working, lina and i went downtown for dinner because there was something going on… every year, about this time, norrköping hosts a race through the downtown area. thousands of woman run all through the city streets. 5 kilometers. ugh, i say. i’m not a runner. but, it’s so cool to watch others. it makes me want to begin to exercise more. or, begin to exercise period actually. lina has run the race in the past, but tonight we were just spectators. it was a chance for me to see a new tradition in the city and also explore some new places i’d never been. we watched the race from the main shopping street downtown (not a new place for me. hehe), and then we walked over to the finished line area ( whole new area for me), where the women & their families and friends were celebrating with picnics, music, and just some good times outside. lina and i ended up walking all over the city ourselves tonight, and finally made it home when you would think that it would be dark. but, not here in sweden… it was a beautiful evening, with blue skies and sunshine – by the way, it’s not dark until about 10:15ish now. can you say… love it?!

so, that’s my monday. busy. full. exciting. gaaahh. it’s so good to just soak in the present moments.

peace.