Amazing day

Oh gosh this has been an amazing day so far!
Sunshine and about 80 degrees outside! I love it! I have taken advantage of the nice weather pretty much the whole day. When I woke up this morning around 9 am I went outside with my book (after putting on some sun-lotion) and sat and read for about 2 hours. After 2 hours I got too hot sitting in the sun and moved to the shade instead. It's so nice out that I didn't want to sit inside. My host parents picked me up around noon and we went home, where I had to start prepare a package to send home for my sister's birthday. Her birthday is May 10th so I need to send it pretty soon! But I still have to get the candy to send too! Well, I'll but that in the beginning of this week. And then I had to start prepare all clothes to send home as well. My mum wants me to send one of my suitcases home with a lot of stuff so I don't have to bring two huge suitcases to LA. I think I did a pretty good job actually. :)

After being inside for a while I decided to go for a ride with my pretty pony. She's adorable! And we were actually cantering today over a big field! It was sooo nice, and she didn't try to kick me off. Not during the canter at least. How will I ever be able to say goodbye to my little Lucy?

Lucy and I in the pasture

Bored... Stressed... A little bit of everything

Gosh, can you get more bored or what?
I wish I could do something else than sit here at the store just hanging out. Go shopping with someone or go for a ride. But no, my best friends are on dance competition and my pony is at home and I'm in town. I don't even know when I'm getting picked up! It's either tonight or tomorrow. It would be pretty good if someone could tell me. So I don't just have to sit and wait for them. But well, I guess I'm getting kind of used to that. I never know what's going on, no one tells me. Ever! It really stinks, before I came here I was so used to plan everything and pretty much know everything that was going to happen to me a month in advance. Well, not anymore! I just wake up, hope someone takes me to school, walks to the store after school (or well, before rehearsals started at least) and hoped someone would tell me what was going to happen next. Pretty interesting life, right...?

I am done with the blocking for the play (or at least everything I know) and with my US History assignment. Now I just have to do that stupid Psychology assignment and I really don't want to do it! Hmm, maybe I should start that research paper instead? Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good idea, because I'm running out of time I think. You know, 4 more weeks of school so like 3 weeks till it's due and I haven't even started the research yet! Better get cracking!

Blocking black-out!

Oh Geez! Why did I say that I could write down all the exits and entrances for the female chorus? Gosh, I can't remember a thing now! Or I know what we do, but I just can't remember when we enter the stage! I really hope that K, K, and A can help me on Monday to figure it all out. But I'm pretty proud anyway, I remember almost everything except two entrances! And I don't think anyone really knows when we enters for those scenes.
But I am so excited for the play right now! It's so much fun working with those people and I love them all! Especially K and K, we are hanging around doing everything together! I love them to death! <3
But well, better get going on those homeworks too...

To do or not to do...homeworks?

Sitting at the store my host family owns. Pretty lame here, I guess I could open the store to get some customers, but no! Haha, I wouldn't get any homeworks done then, like I get anything done now... Pretty much not. Well, at least I started the assignment for psychology, but I will probably finish it on Monday during open. I think I'm going to start my US History homework. That didn't seem too hard, and I prefer US History before Psychology. At least today. :)

Well, my host mum is still kind of pissed. But not on me, phew! She's pissed at my host dad (her husband, duh!) and at the dance teacher. Well I don't blame her for being mad at Ms. S, she has been pretty rude to most people lately. And especially my host mum. My host mum have been very nice to Ms. S but it doesn't seem like she appreciates it. OK, Ms. S has been amazing to the girls, and my host mum is grateful for that. But Ms. S is pretty pissed at my host mum since last competition because we didn't show up for the optional dinner. And now she's pissed because they can't attend today either because they have other stuff going on before leaving to ND. Ms. S is still pretty much a child, at least in many ways. She's only 21 and owns her own business but she doesn't really behave as an adult like she should, with being a teacher and everything. Sometimes it's OK to tease her and have fun with her and other days she's a bi** and won't take anything! Well I'm sick of it, only like 1 more month with dance for her! Yiey!

Weekend coming up!

Yiey! I'm done with tests for this week! Everything is done and I can almost relax now! Now I only have to do the homeworks for next week and start my research paper for Psychology. And I have nothing planned for this weekend. That's going to be amazing! But the danceteam is going to Dance Competition, and I'm not coming with them. Why? Because I really don't want to sit in a car for 6 hours, then sit and watch dance for 6 hours, and after that sit in the car for 6 hours to get home. Doesn't seem too tempting does it? I will just have to stay at my host grandparents who just came home from Vegas. I don't mind staying at their house, then I'm in town and can do pretty much anything!

I talked to this girl in my History class today that seems really nice. Why didn't I meet some of those nice people like 6 months ago? I only have about 2 more months here in SD, which is really really sad! I'm going to miss it so much! But well, better late than never, right? So I'm just happy that I might have gotten a new friend. You can't have too many, can you?

Oh, and I know now why I was so crappy last night. PMS. I've never had mood swings like that before a period, I usually just get a major cramp and can't stand up because of it. But oh well. Mood swings are much better than that stupid cramp!

Host parents fighting

OK, what do I do? My host parents are fighting down stairs. I don't know about what, but my host mum doesn't sound too happy. Well, who's happy during a fight? But anyway, it seems like they fight pretty often, about pretty much everything! It's really awkward for me, because I don't know what to do. And I feel so bad for the girls, their parents are fighting loud and just a second ago I could hear one of the girls running up the stairs to her bedroom. Should I do something? Go and talk to the girls, so that they might focus on something else than their parents fighting? I'm so bad at this, my parents (biological) rarely fights and when they do it's not this big. I have never felt awkward when my parents have had fights, maybe it is because they are my parents and not someone elses? Well, the best might just be to not interrupt and just sit here, keep reading a bunch of different blogs and try to answer some e-mails. Maybe...

Crappy day

Or maybe not the whole day. Just during dance I felt like crap. Nothing was fun, and I really really didn't want to be there. Even though I love the girls there, I just couldn't get a smile on my face seeing them. Both Chelsea and Shayna saw that something was wrong, well it couldn't have been that hard, 'cause I'm usually full of energy. Shayna took me to the side and asked me what was wrong and gave me one of those big hugs only Shay can give. Which resulted in me crying. Well, I don't have anything against crying, except I rather not if I try to look like everything is OK. So we stood and talked and she asked me what was wrong. But I didn't know what was wrong, so I just said that it was a reaction on stress. That I have so much stuff to do, well it could be because of that, but I had felt fine earlier that same day. Well, it's nice to know that I have friends that will try to figure out what it is that's wrong with me. My lovely little Chelsea and Shayna for example! <3 But I don't really like my dance teacher Ms. S. She's almost always crappy and I hate it! And I pay her to be my teacher but still some of the other students are teaching my class instead. I'm not paying her $35/month for having someone else teaching!

Done..?

Well, it seems like I'm pretty much done with schoolwork for a while now! The presentation this morning went pretty good, I know I passed it at least, maybe a B and hopefully an A! I finished my Sr Comp essay during class today when we were supposed to do other stuff. But I was done already and didn't want to move on. Well now I just have to study for my US History test I have Friday and then the weekend is pretty much free! Or maybe not, I really really have to start writing on my psychology report. It's supposed to be around 10 pages, so I better get going I guess. I haven't started, at all!

But life is pretty good now, I love being in the spring play. So much laughing and amazing people! Can it get any better? Well, if it only could go on for a longer time I guess. It's like 2 weeks till opening night on Friday. And it's only like 22 days left of school! That means that it's really little time to get the finals ready and then it's pretty much to say good-bye to everything. How sad isn't that? I will cry so much on graduation and pretty much make a fool of myself. But whatever, it's not really like I'm coming back. Or hopefully I will come back, someday...

I'm DONE!

I'm done, I'm DONE, I'm DONE!!! I'm (finally) done with my essay for drama! Yiey! Happy happy happy! One less thing to think about now, and tomorrow after 8.10 it's even one less thing to think about! I haven't prepared my presentation for tomorrow very well, I'll just go there and wing it as I usually do. It's been working before, so why not try again? If the stupid printer just would install on the computer so I can print the pictures I need for the presentation that would be just amazing! At least I got the music to play, and if the printer won't install I can just print it in school tomorrow right before class, it's just that it won't be as good printing it at school. No color printer and the pictures will be pretty dull in black-and-white... Well, it'll work out somehow anyway, I'm sure it will.

Weight problems...

ARGH! So freaking annoying! I get crap all the time for what I eat (or more of what I don't eat) and my weight! It's driving me insane! I am not happy with the body I have, which makes all these comments even worse. I'm trying to just laugh it all off and I do, on the outside at least... Inside it's a different story, it cuts deep, very deep! And the next time someone comments on my weight it will come back to me... Just a few minutes ago my host mum tried to get my with her on a 5 miles run on those steep roads outside. Well, I shouldn't say that I don't like to run because I do, but when I decide to run and not on a road with steep hills, and I am not such a good runner and would probably die after the first hill! For prom she was freaking out 'cause I "couldn't fit into my dress", well it is strapless so it kind of have to sit tight! I work out about 2 times a week up at the gym at the AFB, I ride my pony almost every day, and if I can I walk to wherever I am going, I dance once a week. But that's not all, I'm going to start working out at the Y every other day during my long lunch. And I will hopefully through that loose a few pounds, like 15-20 pounds. And maybe, maybe people will stop complaining on my weight and what I eat...

Home at last!

Finally home... Rehearsals were so much fun! Just as expected. I will have a blast these 3 weeks before the show! Just too bad that it's only 3 weeks...

Well T acted kind of normal at least, so I guess that's a progress from earlier today. But I think he got pissed at me again for writing on my Senior Pic that I'm really happy to have him as friend. Maybe he finally got the message that we're only friends...? Who knows?! Geez, I think I will take a break from guys now. Or maybe not, there are still some amazing guys I would like to get to know even better.

After rehearsal I had to go to Norwegian Folk dancing with my host dad and host sisters. For me going to Norwegian Folk Dancing means studying, which worked out very well today! I finished my psychology so that's pretty amazing I think! And instead of writing on my drama essay I wrote on my Senior Pic's, well maybe not the smartest, but whatever... It'll work out in the end anyway! :)

In School

I'm so bored right now! I'm in Textiles and Clothing and my teacher wouldn't let me make my own pattern for a dress I want to make, so I have to make this stupid pillow instead! Well only like 20 minutes left of class and then it's rehearsal for the spring play! And I'm so excited! It will be so much fun!

Oh, I saw my prom date in school today (let's just call him T) and he tried to ignore me! But I wouldn't let him do that, so I said "Hi, how's it going?" and he's giving me a pretty nasty look. Thanks for that one T! Nice that you appreciate my efforts! And what the heck, he can't be mad still! He's such a baby sometimes... If he's mad he can be mad, not that I'm gonna care! T is still like my best boy friend here, and he's such a sweetheart. And I don't want to loose that, 'cause that would really suck! Well I guess I'll see him at rehearsals today after school, we'll see if he acts any different from before.

And that ton of homeworks to do still has to be done! Yes, I'm procrastinating! Something wrong with that? My assignment for tomorrow is almost done though, and the presentation pretty much done too, and the drama essay is coming along... But yeah, that Sr Comp essay will be freaking hard to get time for! But well, everything will work out in the end anyway, it usually does... :)

Good night

Good night!
It's time to go to bed, especially 'cause I need to get up at 5 am for spinning class at 6 am. I won't spin, I'll probably work out at the elliptical for an hour or so... I'll work hard to get in shape for Beach '07!

But anyway, I talked with my host mum about what happened at the prom yesterday. And she thought it was really weird with my date's reaction on me dancing with another guy, like she said "It's not like you're married, but even if you were you can still dance with other people!" I so agree with her! We're actually not even dating! Or maybe in his dreams... But OK, I'm not going to be mean to him now. He's such a sweet guy, but sometimes I just can't understand him! He's driving me freaking insane! Well I guess love makes you blind sometimes, but it should only be if it's love from both parts.

I haven't finished any of my work, surprise surprise! But I wrote half my essay for drama at least, I just hope we didn't have any assignment for Senior Composition tomorrow! I'll be dead then! I think I'll just stay in the library tomorrow during open instead of walking to the store, 'cause I really need to study! And then I can have lunch with Mo, and that'd be nice. I really need to talk to her. I feel so bad for her, she's had some rough days this week and I haven't been able to help her really. I'm such a bad friend sometimes! But at least she knows that I'm there for her no matter what! Seriously, I love her to death and she's like the most amazing girl I know! She's my little MoMo - my Dumb American - my best friend! I would go through anything for that girl, that's how much I care for and love her!

Mo might be my best friend, but it's Piff that is my bestest friend ever! She's an amazing girl, and we had a connection the first time we saw each other! Since we met (at work last summer) we pretty much did everything together, and even though we lived in different parts of Sweden during different circumstances we pretty much are the same! We've been through the same kind of stuff and I'm just so happy that I can trust and rely on her as I can. She's the most amazing girl ever. The bestest friend you could ever have!

Piff och Puff (Chip 'n Dale, she's Chip and I'm Dale)
Seriously it's from those animated chipmunks we got our nicknames,
it's nothing we gave ourselves but our co-workers.

Studying

Why did I procrastinate in the first place? Geez, this really sucks! I have two essay dues next week, one which I've known of for about 5 weeks and barely started. I have one presentation next week as well, which I've known about for 3 weeks, and pretty much started Friday. I have note cards due some day, don't even know when! And when am I supposed to do all this? This is not good! If I could finish my Drama essay today, do my stuff for the presentation tomorrow and my psychology homework, write my Sr Comp essay Wednesday, then I'd be good! But, I have to do it too... And that's the hard part! Especially because I'd rather be out riding on my beautiful little pony, and rehearsal for the spring play starts tomorrow! Which means that I won't have as much time to study as before!

My pretty pony Lucy!

Promnight

So yesterday was prom. And it was so stressful! I don't think it's supposed to be as stressful as it was for me yesterday. I had my hair appointment at 1 and I thought I was going to the mall with my host mum to buy some make-up before the appointment, but no we went to the mall afterwards. On our way to my appointment my host mum realizes that I don't have one of those flower things for my prom date, so we had to fix that as well! When I had my hair done I had to rush to a flower store to order that flower thing and then we went up to the mall. And there we realized that I actually could get my make-up done there, so that's what we did! So I got this beautiful make-up on, but when I was done I couldn't find my host mum. She was somewhere in the mall without her cellphone! She still hadn't showed up at 4.20 pm and my date was supposed to pick me up at 5, and it takes about 40 minutes for me to get from the mall to the house! So I called my date telling him that I was running late, he didn't really appreciate that! But geez, since when is a girl ready on set time? Well anyway, he showed up at my house before I was there! So I had to run upstairs and get into my dress, freaking out 'cause I didn't have time to really pack a bag with stuff for post prom. Well, I got ready and we took some pictures before we got into his car and went to his house for dinner. It was another couple there as well, very nice! After dinner, more pictures taken and then to my date's sister's job and more pictures taken... And finally we got to the actual prom! It was so much fun to see all my friends in pretty dresses/tuxes and everything! But I think I pissed my date off. I saw some of my friends and decided to go and talk to them, while my date went back to his friends thinking I was behind him. When I had talked with my friends I continued searching for other people I knew, which I found and talked with them for a while before I went back to my date. And he was pretty much freaked out! He and his friends are looking all over for me, like what the heck! Can't I go around on my own talking with some friends or what? It's in a freaking sports arena and he's my ride home I'm not just going to leave! So he wasn't that happy with me, but wait that is not the worst! My friend C (a guy) asked me to dance with him, so I said yes! He's such a nice guy and I really like him, so I couldn't understand why I would say no. Well, in the car after prom on our way to freaking Perkins my date says "When I'm out with someone I don't dance with other people. But I guess... That's just me..." so what do you say to that? I could tell he was pissed at me for dancing with C. I said like "OK..." and then just sat quiet, I didn't feel like I had to defend myself for dancing with C. C and I are just friends, just as my date and I, so I really don't think I did anything wrong! I went to prom to have fun, and I did! So whatever what he thinks! But we went to Perkins, meeting up the guy we had dinner with (his date had gone home), and another guy. So it was me and three guys, could be fun, if they could have talked about something else than wrestling, football, or cars... Their plans were to go to this hotel where they had a room and watch a movie, and they expected me to come with. No way that I was going to a hotel room with three guys! So I asked my date to give me a ride home because I was "tired", he wasn't really excited of driving me home, but whatever! I did not want to be in a hotel room! I'm sorry, but that would just have been very awkward! So I got home, and he didn't even walk me to the door! Pretty annoyed, he have done that before, but whatever...
My first prom was just amazing anyway! And I wouldn't have done anything different! Or maybe go with a couple of friends instead of going like a date...

Time for Prom

Today is the Prom! Ohh, I'm so excited! Maybe not really for the actual prom, but for the preparations. Get my hair done, get my nails done, get my make-up on, and wear this fabulous dress! What could be better? I'm such a girl, as Piff would say. My prom date is OK, maybe not the hottest guy in school (absolutely not) but the sweetest guy I've ever met, and I guess that's most important anyway. It would be so much easier if he wouldn't have this huge crush on me. I have NO feelings for him, except as a friend of course. So I'm in a pretty weird situation and don't really know how to handle it. 'Cause I really don't want to break his heart, he would hate me forever then! My solution this far has been to pretty much ignore his invites, pretty lame I know, but what should I do? Anyone having a good answer?

But anyway, I better start getting ready... Taking a bath or a shower so I won't smell horse at prom. OK, this is SD but you have to draw a line somewhere!

Central in trouble again?

Just one of those days. What can I say?
It was a late start today because of what happened Tuesday, all the teachers had a long meeting in the morning giving all the students a 2 hour late start. I shouldn't complain, it's always nice with shorter classes and sleeping in in the morning. If you can sleep in. Even though I didn't start until 10 I had to get up at normal time because my host dad had to take me in, my host mum planned to drive in around noon. So I got in and sat at the Store my host family owns for about 2 hours, taking it easy and drinking coffee.
School was pretty OK I guess, nothing special that happened. Except that we had higher security than usual. The school had been threatened again. Someone had written a note or on the wall in one of the restrooms yesterday; "Yesterday was fake, but tomorrow it will be real", kind of scary. So that's why we had all these cops running around in the building. Fun, huh?! But luckily, nothing happened. But it kind of scares me that the anniversary of Columbine is tomorrow, what if something will happen again? And at Central? I guess I'm getting kind of paranoid, but isn't that a pretty normal reaction after what happened Tuesday?

Guy with gun at Central!

Yep. that's the info I got today at about 9:45, or actually I only got the information that we had to go into a lock-down and secure the rooms. Which means turn of the lights sit on the floor and be totally quiet! About 10:15 I got the information why we had a lock-down, someone had seen a Native American guy (in jeans and white hoodie) carrying a gun inside RC Central High School. We remained in lock-down sitting quietly and pretty much just chilling. What can you do? Pretty much nothing, we got some information every now and then from the Principal on the speaker system, telling us to remain calm and that police where searching the building. I called Lisa telling her not to worry that everything was just fine. We actually started watching a movie (Smoke Signals) which we turned off when we saw (on the TV and not the projector) that their were News Reports from Central. We were all very eager to get more information about the incident and listened carefully. That was pretty much what we did for 3,5 hours. We saw pictures outside school with all police cars and the chaos outside with parents and cops and news reporters. By 11 pm we got the information that we were going to be evacuated from the building to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center across the street from Central. We sat and waited and thought it would be like a five minutes waiting time, uhm, try like 2 hours. Yes, we sat and waited to leave the building for 2 hours. When the cops finally came and got us I got surprised of how armed they were, I hadn't really thought about how much weapon one guy can have! Let me tell you, it's a lot of guns! And that's pretty much the only time I got scared, I realized that this was real and not a drill. We had to walk in a line with our hands on the person in front of us shoulder. We walked over to the Civic center and once again it hit me how serious this was. It was cops, and journalists, and firetrucks, and paramedics the whole (short) way over to the civic center. When we got in to the Civic Center we had to sit down in the big arena waiting for more information. When we're sitting there Heather (Mo's cousin) says "If Mr. Jones (the principal) says that this is just a drill I will kick is ass!", and Dani who's sitting behind us says "Oh Crap! My mom just texted me saying that there wasn't any guy with a gun!", making us all turn around staring at her. And then Mr. Jones starts talking telling us that the guy with the gun never existed! Someone had just said it to be funny or whatever. Do I have to tell you that the "joke"wasn't very appreciated? We had been sitting in a classroom for frigging 3,5 hours during a lock-down for nothing? But the guy who made it up is in some deep shit right now, with both the school and the police department. Well, he better be! And he will hopefully NEVER return to Central again!
This whole thing caused every school in the school district to a lock-down, even the surrounding towns had lock-downs on their schools, Custer, Sturgis, Spearfish, Piedmont EVERYWHERE! (Or that's what I've heard at least)
Well, we were dismissed early and all the activities for the rest of the day were canceled, including my Acting Recital, we'll see when that will be instead...
So that was a pretty exciting day for me... I don't think many exchange students can "brag" about being in a big lock-down with cops searching the school and evacuating you from the school. Like it's something to brag about... But now I definitely understand better WHY there has to be so much security in school with the ID-cards and Security Guards and everything. I am so happy it wasn't for real and that we all got out safely. The school and the police did an amazing job keeping us calm and giving us information and safely and as quick as possible move us from the school to the Civic Center.
April 20th is the "anniversary" (or whatever you can call it) of Columbine, which made this event a bit scarier especially after shooting in Virginia yesterday.
But yeah, I'm safe and you don't have to worry!

So yep, that's pretty much my day today... Exciting huh?! :)

Finally Friday!

Finally Friday! This week has went by very fast, maybe mostly because there was no school on Monday. Only four days of school, but it felt like forever!

I tried on my prom dress today after school, it's such a pretty dress I love it! It fits perfect on me, put if I could lose a few pounds in the next week it would look even better. It's now the perfect length too, and I don't have to worry about tripping on it! Now I just need to get an hair appointment, maybe a bit late but I'm not really good at this. And then I have to get a manicure and a pedicure next week too. But I'll do that on that Beauty College, much cheaper and probably not that big difference from if you go somewhere else. This really cute guy was at the store where I got my dress, a friend to Jamie... Wonder if they had something going on or if they just were friends? Hoping for the later, like I'll see him again... Seriously, every time I've seen a cute guy here in SD I'm too shy to make a move and then I never see the guy again! I think something in SD eats all the cute guys! :)

My own little pony!

I'm going to get my own little pony! Or sort of at least. It won't be really mine, but it will be my task to ride her and take care of her so my host family can sell her. A family borrowed/took care of her for like a year, but they now have to move so she'll come back. Perfect for me, those other horses they have are cows and so boring to ride on, with a pony with some speed. She's kind of wild and crazy, but we'll see how it'll go. I'm excited at least, she'll come on Sunday but I won't be able to ride her till like Wednesday... Acting Recital both Monday and Tuesday, and I'm in Billings, MT on Sunday.

And I'm sick of girl-drama. Can't we just straight it all out? It will be problem if you spend your time with one person, you will go on each other nerves and it will end up in some kind of fight. There we go, so just don't spend that much time with each other! Especially if you know that you will get mad at each other for the silliest stuff! Gosh! Give me a break please! I'm sick of listening to girls talking behind each others backs, just stop it! You love each other, you are the bestest friends, so please spend some times with some other friends that you don't have in common! It's so hard to know what really is going on when everyone gives you a different side of the story! And if you don't want any advice about how to solve it all, DON'T ASK ME! If you're just going to ignore it, why should I bother with finding a solution? No, I'm done! No way that I'll become a psychologist! Ever!

Tired, tired, tired

Why did the spring break end so quick for? Already back in school, or at least my body was in school, my brain was somewhere else! I pretty much slept through the whole day. The classes were kind of boring (like usual) but it was fun to see Mo, Shay, and Sara in school today. I really love Mo, she's like my very best friend here and she pretty much means the world to me. I will miss her so much, and every time I see her I think of how hard it will be to say good-bye in 2,5 months. And these last months will go by quicker than I plan. It's sad.

I better just enjoy every day I still have here. Which is pretty hard when I know about all (three) essays that I should start on pretty soon, their deadlines are coming up! Just a little procrastinating going on. But I really don't have any energy to put down on essay writing right now, and it will probably not get easier if it keeps getting nicer outside. Someone give some motivation please! Actually, I should just start writing the one for drama, it's only 2 more weeks till it's due!!! Panic!!! If someone would like to give some moral support I would really appreciate it! But I won't start today, will do it tomorrow! (It will probably end up with me sitting in panic the day before it's due writing it all, but that's procrastinating which I'm pretty good at!) :)

Friends who are letting you down...

Gahh! I was so excited for today, Kat* and I had decided to hang out and go to that Pottery-painting place downtown. We decided that I should call her when I was done working out up on base, so I did. But do you think she answered her phone? No! So I left her a message telling her to call me as soon as she got the message. After like 45 minutes I called again and just left my number, yes I was pretty eager to get in touch with her. All in all I think I called her 5 times in 3 hours without getting a hold of her. I finally gave up and decided to go home, pretty good idea for now (3 hours since the last call) she still haven't called me back! I love her I really do! But she's letting me down time after time! I can't do it anymore! Why does it have to be mine responsibility to plan stuff and try to figure out when we can get together, if she will let me down anyway? Next time I'll just prepare of getting let down, and not be excited. Doesn't that suck, or what?

And when I'm on this subject I just have to mention Romeo* and Micka*. We were pretty much best friends back home, or I've never really liked Romeo (who actually is a girl) and my first impression of Micka was not good at all. So maybe I should have ignored for the two years I've spent with them? If it could have been that easy! Of course it wasn't, we belonged to a clique of girls and I loved (and still love) the three other girls. So I was kind of stuck together with Micka and Romeo anyway. Micka has those terrible mood swings and expect everyone else to adapt to that, yeah right! Need to say that I finally got sick of it? Romeo is kind of special. You never really now if the things she tells you are true or not. I've heard so much crap from her, stuff that I've been able to prove wrong later... So yeah, I got sick of that too. Pretty nice then to just have to leave them for a year, but do you really think I got rid of them? Of course not, or actually, I never really heard anything from them, but from the other girls in the clique. I got mad at them and I was a whole ocean away from them! I can't imagine how horrible it was for my friends that actually had to see them every day in school. I pretty much had a panic attack one night and just needed someone to listen to me, so I started a chat with Micka and told her that everything said between the two of us had to stay there. But don't you think she tells Romeo about it all? Of course, and how could I know that? Two days after my chat with Micka I get an e-mail from Romeo with questions about the things I had told Micka. Needless to say that I haven't heard from them the past 3 months? Not that I'm complaining, I'm doing just perfect without them.

*To protect their identities. (And so they won't get who I'm talking about, hehe, so mostly to protect myself actually)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!
Easter is here and the church going increases, instead of maybe once a week till twice a week. Maybe not that bad, but for me (who never went to church at home) it's hard enough to go once a week to that terribly boring sermon. Someone save me, please? Luckily, my friend Katie was there Friday, so I had someone to talk to during the rehearsal for the praise band. I had to sit by myself for an hour before she showed up, but that was OK. I'm reading this fabulous book Wideacre by Philippa Gregory. It's the first one in a trilogy, and it's really, really good, even though it's kind of trashy sometimes...

So tomorrow is Easter day and Easter Egg Hunt and all that stuff... It was actually an Easter Egg Hunt at church today, how is Jesus and Easter Egg connected? Someone that can tell me?

I went to the mall, and against better knowing I bought a dress. My reason was because I need an Easter dress for church. And this dress was soooo cute, I love it! Just hope I'll get more chances to use it than tomorrow. But when I was trying to pay for my dress my stupid credit cards (both of them) refused to work! Thanks that my host mum was there so she could pay for it.

So now I'm just sitting here, kind of bored... But excited to have two more days off from school, that will be so nice! If it just would get a little warmer too... Snow in April is so not right!

Just stop bugging me!

Oh crap! Now I just feel like crap! Just want to crawl up in my bed and cry, cry, and cry. Geez, this day that started out pretty amazing! I got a part in the Spring Play (Comedy of Errors) and was excited for that, but then on the way home from dance something happened. All my energy just disappeared and a little host sister in the back bugging me didn't do it better at all. I'm (sadly enough) getting used to her stupid questions one after another, even though I (or someone else) already answered it. She is so cute I must admit, or at least some days... Not today! I was already tired and didn't want to hear her little voice chattering in the backseat! Then we got home and I was pretty OK, I'm freaking good on hiding emotions now! (Like that's something to be proud of.) So anyway, both my little host sisters (fraternal twins) starts bugging me of my length! They are nine and like a head shorter than I, which is the subject of many, many conversations in this family. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problem with being short(5'2"), actually I love it and taking advantage of it as much as I can. But to hear every other day small comments about my length is driving me insane! Can't they just let it go? Yes, they will be taller than I, but what is the advantage of that? And why the heck do they need to bug me about it?!

Right now I just want to call someone and just sit with the other person quiet in the other end, just sit and cry it all out. My little Helena would be perfect for this! One of the few persons that know everything about me, and I don't need to hide anything from her because I know that she won't judge me.

Why can't I have someone like Helena here right now?

Spring break is coming up!

One more day till Spring Break!!! And tomorrow is "Senior Skip day", but I'll go anyway. Just sitting around doing nothing just drives me insane! And tomorrow is the Cast&Crew list for the spring play (The Comedy of Errors) so I have to see if I'll get a part or not! I so hope I get a part, but if I'm put in Hair&Make-up I'll be happy too! But we'll see how it goes...

Yesterday I chatted with one of the most amazing guys ever! My one and only Andre (my god-brother, so he's Helena's older brother, and actually an ex-boyfriend we dated when we're like 11 years old)! I got so happy with our short little chat, and I realized how much I miss him and started thinking back on the last conversation we had. It was pretty deep, the day/night before I left Sweden. He gave me some really good advice that I listened to. Even though we both are born in 1988 it's almost a year between us. He's born in the beginning of January and I in the end of November, and we both are twins, and I don't have the same connection to Filip (the twin brother), kind of weird!

When I talked to Andre I also realized how little time it is left of this whole experience... In 3 months I'll be home again in Sweden and maybe never see all the people I've met here again. It's pretty sad. I really AM excited to go home, back to what I'm used to, but to leave everything here will be hard. But I'm at least happy with the knowledge that I will keep in touch with some people. I never knew that I would find some of my closest friends in Rapid City, SD. I didn't know that this whole experience would change my life! OK, that might seem like a big word choice, but it really has! I am much more confident today than I was one year ago, I've learned to take care of myself, and see beyond the first impression and look further into people I meet. And thanks to one of the most spec(k)tacular teachers I am more interested than ever to do something within drama. All my drama classes have been just amazing, I now think that I should have worked harder to get into a drama program back home instead of SFG... But life goes on I guess.


Oh and thinking of Spring Break that's coming up. First of all; it's just stupid that it's only two days off from school (I think that's why it's Senior Skip Day tomorrow), seriously! A spring break of two days? That's just ridiculous! There's no time to go anywhere! But what will I do during the break? That is a really good question! I will hopefully get together with Jamie one day, Katie one day, and Mo another day. And maybe even meet Julia or Frida! I think I might have to start call people and see what they are up to! Because I don't want to spend the entire break sitting on my butt waiting for something to happen!

Oh CRAP! Just realized I have this assignment for Senior Composition that is due tomorrow, I better do that now... :)
Ciao ragazzi!

Bored...

So well...
I'm back again, bored out of my mind!
Geez, someone please remind me why I chose Psychology? OK, it's kind of hard and sometimes really boring, but I guess I need at least one class that I actually have to think... I'm sorry all you Americans, but your school system is not hard! It's pretty much to show up and you'll pass it, not that I'm complaining! Till we start talking about Psychology and Senior Composition (what did the study counselor think when she put me, a Swedish Exchange Student, in a College preparation English class?), maybe I shouldn't complain, 'cause I have pretty easy A's in both these classes (in Sr Comp mostly I guess 'cause my teacher haven't corrected all those stupid prompts we've been writing the past month)... And an other reason I took Psychology ('cause I didn't know that would be one of my hardest classes) is that I have to take it next year in Sweden to be able to graduate... Yes, I have to graduate twice! Once here in the US, and then once back home in Sweden, so I'll get one more year of school than all my friends and my twin sister. And it really sucks to have one more year than Nana! We have done like everything together, except this exchange year I guess, and to have to go one more year in High School when she starts College and probably moves out of the house will really stink!

I don't think anyone who's not a twin understand the relationship some twins have. I'm sure (actually I know) that some twins don't have the same relation Nana and I have. To not be able to see her everyday and talk about the most random stuff has been hard. I knew it would be hard, but I never imagined how hard it actually was. During my first month here I thought about her every minute of every hour of every day! When I saw something I knew she would like I almost turned around as if she was right behind me and point it out for her or thinking "I have to tell Nana this when I get home, so she can come with me here tomorrow!".

Nana is and will always be my best friend, I know that she got my back when the rest of the world will turn their backs to me. Oh, I guess I have some friends that will stick with me for the rest of my life like my amazing Helena, but I've known her for her entire life (she's 2 years younger) and she's like my sister. I spend a lot of time at her house, and the sisterhood becomes even stronger because her parents are my Godparents and would become my guardians if something would happen to my parents (or at least before I turned 18). But back to Nana, Nana is actually not her real name, but my nickname of her since we were tiny tiny. Her name was just to hard for me to pronounce (r's and k's aren't easy when you're little), and I still uses it every know and then...

I can't wait till she'll come here with the rest of the family in the middle of June and visit me and my host family! I'll have a blast showing her everything that is now a part of my everyday life, especially the fat ponies grazing outside my window.

Just about 75 days till they are coming!

Woho! My very first blog entry!

Hey there, whoever curious enough to check my blog out!
OK, this isn't really my first blog entry, I have a travel diary in Swedish that I try to update every other week, or at least once a month when my friends and parents get frustrated with me from not getting ANY info for like forever for them. I think they should be happy that I actually DO update it, I could ignore it but then everyone would demand updates through e-mails and THAT would take forever to do for me. Specially 'cause I'm so lazy on answering the few e-mails I actually have...

But anyway, maybe I should introduce myself?
I'm Anna, a 18 year old girl from Stockholm, Sweden (no, it's not a state in the US, and no it's not in the middle of Europe it's in the north). Right now I'm in SD as a Foreign Exchange Student through EF, and having the time of my life! Who thought that SD would be such a perfect place for me? (Not like I'll stay here for the rest of my life, forget about that!)

I pretty much started this blog just to vent some stuff I guess... Just some frustration about life in general and the differences between Sweden and the US that I meet every day, even though I'm getting more and more used to the American way of living.

Right now I'm just sick of my year here, not really that I want to go home. It's kind of hard to explain, but I bet most Foreign Exchange Students know what I'm talking about. I love it here, I really do! But I can't wait till I'll get home and will see all my friends again and just be able to do whatever I want to! Take the train to go shopping whenever I want and not ask for a ride and plan everything every time I want to meet some friends!

But yeah... Need to study now, some stupid psychology!
So Welcome To My Blog! :)