~Dag Andra~

HEJ ALLA! (hey everybody)

So its only been my DAG ANDRA (second day) here in Orebro but I thought I would update you all!

To start- my flight out to Stockholm, Sweden went incredibly smooth! I was nervous about my transfer in Hethrow, London- but if anything that is the best laid out airport I have EVER been to (and trust me Ive been to enough to make that last statement legit!) In Hethrow, everything is labelled and everyone was so helpful and lovely! Especially the British man at baggage claim that kept calling me sweet pea- who doesn't love that at 3am Edm. time!? I eventually landed in a VERY clean Stockholm airport at around 830am Edm. time- 530pm Swed. time. I was jazzed about checking out Orebro so it was no problem making myself stay awake till about 530pm Edm.- 130am Euro.

Orebro is like a ginormous Banff. Downtown is all cobblestone trendy little shops with few chain stores/restaurants- ie. H&M, Subway and of course...McDonalds... They an overload of beautiful Swedish signature restaurants! A funky sushi shop that overlooks the town's castle, quite a few funky wine bars- yummmmm, Gala Stam Swedish restaurant, and then some other fun cafes! We are going out tonight so I will keep you posted with how the food is! Swedish “customs” are quite different from North America. They typically spend their money on food and clothing- and little on housing, cars etc. It is rare that you see an Audi or Ferrari driving around here and mansions on the block corners! Orebro is smothered with uni students, so of course I wondered with the prices of food and clothing how do they afford it? Well, to start schooling is free here (that clearly helps) but they also choose to bike everywhere- when I say everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE! This creates a picturesque setting everywhere you look- to your left there is the couple that have just finished a decadent dinner and are biking home, to your right there is the 80 year gentleman with his dog in his basket at the front of his bike going for a stroll, behind you are the uni students that are wasted biking to the next bar and then straight ahead are another thousand bikes parked waiting for their owners to ride them home. Taxis, to follow, are super expensive & the subway/train don't run through the city; only through major lines (like to Stockholm, Gotenburg, Malmo etc.) To be fair, Orebro is quite small- so it would be wasteful to have a subway line when it is quicker to just bike or walk. In sum:

Free schooling + biking = nice dinners & trendy clothes.

Not only are the locals very eco friendly, but so are the houses. Houses are small and apartments are also quite small. Buildings are side by side so they make the most of the space that they do have. Our apartment is very simple and clean- no extra clutter. The tenant has fixed the light fixtures and the heaters so we can not use excess heat- and our lighting is natural with the exception of a few lamps- so at night time we go overboard with candles! Our bathroom is tinnnnnnny! And our shower (no tub) is simply a water cord with the shower head dangling from a pipe- this requires mad, meticulous shower skills! For instance- you water yourself, turn off the water, put down the shower head, put your shampoo or soap- whatever, pick up the shower head turn it back on rinse and get out. Consequently, the tenant has also managed to cut down on his water bills! How clever....

Today I went for a run downtown in attempts to find one of the two yoga studios that supposedly exist...no success thus far so Im going on attempt TVA (two.) Camera is coming with me so I can capture some epic pics of the cyclists and the Swedes- that yes, all look the same...boys are all trendy and quite handsome, girls are all blonde, blue eyes, teeny-tiny and stunning... should be easy to get some good pictures then right?? Wish me luck!

VI SES (good bye!)