Sweden!

Hej!

That's hello in Swedish. I didn't actually learn that word, but I just googled it and that's what it is.  Exciting huh? Well, as of 7am local time, 1am eastern time, and 10pm pacific time, I am in Sweden.  The trip was a little chaotic.  We had an hour delay in Raleigh, a gate change in Newark, and the Knoxville contingent of our group arrived at the gate a whooping 15 minutes before we took off.  Just a little too much excitement.

 I met all my teammates about a month ago when we had our orientation, but seeing them again means I am  struggling to relearn everybody's name.  I know the names of all the girls and go to Duke, and all the guys on the trip, but the rest of the girls- that's not going to so well.  Honestly two Rebeccas and a Becca?!? That's just not fair.  So as I learn there may be some awkward moments, but I'm hoping I'l figure it all out eventually.  Or else those awkward moments are going to get REALLY awkward.

Sweden is a beautiful country.  Flying in my first impression from the plane was that it is really really green.  The whole country seems to be sprawling with trees and lakes, with small scattered villages throughout.  Uppsala has 200,000 people, but it still has the feel of a small, intimate town.  We haven't explored much but I already like it.  Our hostel is right downtown, and even though my five roommates and I with our bags can barely fit in our tiny room, I get a sense it's going to feel like home.  Right now some of the more ingenious folk are hanging up a clothes line in our room, and a few guys have even put things on hangers. Crazy.  Our upload a picture of it later, but no need to worry, I'm well situated.

I also had my first chance to breach the subject of religion with a Swede.  I rode shotgun in our Mercedes van taxi on the way to the hostel, and struck up a good conversation with the taxi driver.  We talked about Swedish weather and geography, and a little about a trip to the United States he had taken.  As we approached Uppsala a giant Church steeple loomed in the distance, and I asked him what it was.  He explained it was the city church, where people went to baptize their kids and do other religious rituals.  I asked him some questions about why they did these things and the religious atmosphere in Sweden.  He explained Sweden was no longer a religious country even though it had been in the past, which he contributed to progress in education and science.  He contributed things like infant baptism to tradition, and really didn't seem interested in discussing it on a different level.  He told me that he felt material wealth had made it so people didn't need religion to feel better, so it had become obsolete.  I told him I personally felt that even when were materially well off, it doesn't really mean we're actually doing that well deep down.  He told me he likes to escape into nature when he feels like that, and I told him in turn I look to do the same, that nature reminds me there's something bigger than me out there.  The conversation trailed off after that, and though it didn't bear any fruit, I feel like it gave me some great initial insights into the religious atmosphere here in Sweden.  I look forward to many more conversations like that in the future.

Sorry if my writing is incomprehensible, I'm jet-lagged. And if any of my future blogs don't make sense, that will still be my excuse.

In His Grip,
Ethan