Alexandra Dragland

Alexandra at Niagra-on-the-Lake November 1, 2003

Alex's blog:

The flight was better than I thought it'd be. I got to see the New York skyline, and the best part was flying into Sweden...the sun was rising, and the land looked so cool! Lots of trees and farms, but water everywhere! And with the morning mist on the ground, it just looked amazing. There was a Swedish guy sitting next to me who translated the pilot's announcements for me, cuz I couldn't even understand him when he announced in English! And the airport in Stockholm was so quiet, and clean, and everyone there so quiet....

The first few days here were a little hectic. But, now I've got everything I need (pillow, alarm clock, food) and I'm feeling settled. The people in my house are great. They're all either international/exchange students or mature students, so the ages range from 20-26. There's one other Canadian girl, who I was so relieved to meet the 2nd day when we were both feeling disoriented! And there's already so much going on. A London day trip on Saturday...day trips out to other towns...tours of Brighton. The pub crawl last night gave us a pretty good tour though! One housemate (from Cambridge) insisted I order 'chips in bread' the other day - it's french fries in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, etc. and sauce! Pretty tasty though.

One good thing about being here just till Christmas, is that it already feels short, so it's like I've skipped big adjustment phase, when I'm not really sure if I want to be here...I know my time's limited so I don't want to waste any time, and it actually makes me go do more things and worry less.

We're getting internet in our house soon, and a land line, so I'm happy about that.

Talk to you soon,

Alex

Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 8:40 AM - Stockholm, Sweden

I'm writing you from an internet cafe that I'm so happy to find just a couple blocks from my house. We can't get internet in our place, and we are all very disappointed....but this place is cheap, and there's the campus library too. I haven't been to campus yet, I'm going this afternoon.

Yesterday was pretty lonely. It was (and is) absolutely beautiful here. Sunny, summer day and everyone out and about. But I didn't meet anyone else from my house till later on, and going for a walk around this place that looks so romantic just made me feel more alone. Later on was better though. A couple girls and I (from Germany and Spain) went exploring the streets, and we all agreed that we loved the city.

It's just back in my room when I get lonely. The room is huge. High ceilings, looks like a living room. I have a sink. Yes, mom, it's running water! We all share one toilet. And the shower is in a closet. Literally. There's barely room to open the door. Today I have to go buy some shampoo and a towel, among other things. The people I live with seem nice. I'll tell you more about them later.

So, overall, I'm happy here. I absolutely love my location. We're 2 blocks from one of the main streets, with all sorts of shops, bars, restaurants. All the buildings are so cute! I took a few pictures already, when I figure out how to send them from another computer, I will.

Alex Dragland	Niagra Falls, Canada