Once I knew I was going to Sweden, Stockholm, I started thinking about what it would be like. However, leaving did not consume my mind as I was engaged with what was happening in my life.

I wanted to go, without a doubt; but he wasn’t in a position where he needed to escape. What I was doing was fulfilling and this kept me from getting too caught up in what I would be doing while I was away.

a different climate

What was different about this trip was that it was going to a cold place, and this made a change. In the past, he had usually gone to countries that were warm and only a few hours away.

However, even though I was headed somewhere cold and it would only take a few hours to get there, I thought it would be unlike anywhere I had been before. So when it was time to leave, I started to get excited.

the first signs

On the plane, the security video was in English and then followed up in Norwegian, due to the airline I was flying with. But even though I wasn’t going to go to Norway, this made it even clearer that I was going.

Shortly after this, I landed in Stockholm and when I got off the plane, I heard people speaking in another language. It wasn’t until I got outside and was exposed to the cold temperature that I realized I was in another country.

extremely curious

It was unbelievably cold and since I didn’t go to sleep the night before, I just wanted to go to sleep. However, now that he was away he wanted to know more about Sweden and experience its way of life.

The reason for this is that when I leave, I don’t expect to bring my way of life with me and live as I would at home. I want to find out what is and isn’t acceptable, what kind of food they eat, and learn about their history, among other things.

One moment

While I was walking around the city, I saw an advertisement that talked about where I could find tapas to eat. Now, I’ve tried taps in the past and enjoyed eating them, but I wasn’t in Sweden to eat tapas.

Likewise, I didn’t go there to eat McDonald’s or have a coffee at Starbucks; I was there to experience the Swedish way of life. I thought about how there’s a fine line between adding things to a culture and enriching it, and adding things and completely destroying a culture.

Is no different

As for the main trading area, for example, it could have been anywhere in the world; it was no different than being in London or Australia. The same could be said for the hotel I stayed at.

After I started walking through the old town, I could see that I was in a different place. This was a special place, and what helped was that I was with a friend from Sweden who could show me around.

a wonderful time

Seeing these buildings and discovering the history of Stockholm, Sweden was very nice. I even had the opportunity to write on the wall of a coffee shop: whoever goes there can leave a message or just write her name on the wall.

I wanted to see the Viking graveyard and the 17th century ship, but in the end I didn’t have time. There is plenty to see and do here if you are looking for a different place to explore.