I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more….just to be the one to get to the center of town, and survive a year in Northern Sweden.

I don’t think I’ve walked this much ever in my life! And, it’s not like I’m just taking a stroll around the neighborhood. My “walks” are always mission driven and usually come with accessories weighing down my stumpy little legs!

Today I had a lot on my “To-Do” list. After getting back from Stockholm, I was pretty worn out, and didn’t really do much over the weekend. I think doing my laundry and grocery shopping were as productive as I got. So, I had to make up for some laziness.

The day went like this:
1. 7am: Wake up! Write emails/organize things for 2 hours

2. 9am: Head over to school to use the printer in the library (print off résumé, job application, and draft of October recital program) and practice for a bit

3. 10am: Go into town to pick up package from mom and dad, buy stamps, send a few postcards. This is about the time I longed for Lil Fink (my car) to appear back in my life. From hauling my belongings from the bus stop after Stockholm, to hauling my groceries back home over the weekend, to carrying an awkward box....my feet are getting tired of carrying me to and from town with heavy things!

4. Noon: back at home to eat lunch, to unpack my things from the parents (yummy…peanut butter!! Thanks!) and to do more planning. Talk with Kyle, finalize plans for recital and stay in Stockholm in October. We’re going to stay in a hostel that’s on a boat!

5. 1:30pm: return to school to meet with Mike Langs (advisor) about a few things:
   a. They are definitely teaching a Swedish language class for the students in Piteå! I can’t wait! Plus, I’ll get to meet all of the other international students.
   b. Mike talked to the dance department coordinator to see if they will hire me to accompany some classes on hand drums. Keep your fingers crossed  The money won’t be great, but it’s something! I’m spending way too much, too fast…
   c. Volunteered to play in large ensembles. There aren’t too many classical musicians here, so orchestras/wind ensembles are few and far between. But, I still want to play.
   d. Signed up for jazz combos.
   e. Tried to get permission to use the composers/arrangers computer lab to use Finale as I’m writing my piece. Couldn’t find the professor, Jan, to help me. I’ll have to check tomorrow.
   f. Told Mike that I want to help out with organizing a course Anders wants to start for percussionists. More on that later…
   g. Mike rocks, and is always so helpful! I’m such a needy American!

6. 2pm – 6pm: practice. It wasn’t a very focused session. I was sleepy and scatterbrained. I need to plan out my practice time better tomorrow. I’ll probably try to get more done in the morning…I think I was in the mid-afternoon lull!

7. 6pm: Head to the Kårehuset (Kåren for short) for bartender training!

I don’t know why they are letting me volunteer to work the bar in the student union building (the Kåren), but they are! The people that are letting me in their group (the students I met my first week here…see earlier entry about that night!) are awesome, and were willing to go through the whole training process in English.

The Kåren hosts parties for students on Friday nights, and I’m part of one of the teams (barlag 2) that will volunteer twice a semester to bartend, check IDs, clean up, etc…The training was pretty simple, but I know I’m going to need some help. Previous work in food service will help the process…plus I feel pretty confident in my ability to learn on the spot and make things up 

We did have to watch a video about how to handle different situations that you may encounter in a bar (people being too drunk, disputes within the team, etc…) that was totally in Swedish with no subtitles. It was pretty easy to follow the plot because of the gross overacting, and no matter what language it was in, it was pretty darn amusing.

My team is pretty cool, and I hope I get to hang out with them more. I am so thankful that they all seem pretty easy going and willing to help me out! It’s really easy to meet people here, mainly because I make them meet me (haha), but it’s been hard to make it past the first or second encounter. I do feel bad that I can’t communicate in Swedish, so I think that is deterring me from calling people. Hopefully I’ll get to know people more little by little.

Well, I better get to bed now! It’s about 12:30am here…silly time difference! Tomorrow I’m meeting with the director of the community school here in Piteå to see if I can start teaching there! I sent my résumé and ideas to him this morning, and he is interested! Hope this works out…keep your fingers crossed (again!)