AAAARRRRRGGGGG!

Pass me the laundry basket.

Can I help it if I think that the best way to prepare for a trip is to spend my time reading my library books so that I can return them read before I leave, and turning the perishable contents of the fridge into cakeage so that it can be shared at work rather than spoiled/thrown out?

(In my defense, beside that empty suitcase is a pile of clothes, shoes, paperwork and gadgetry).

One Week 'til Takeoff

Not long to go now... This time next week I will be flying through the sky northward.

I must say that I done very little trip-associated work this past week. I have thought a lot about packing, but not done anything about it. I am seriously going to have to get my skates on with this - otherwise next Tuesday I'm going to have to just tip the contents of the laundry basket into my suitcase and hope for the best.

What I have managed to do is make arrangements to visit several of my friends who have chosen to make their home in the UK (and when I say make arrangments I mean that I have arranged with my friends to stay at their homes, not that I have done anything about flights!). I also bought a craft project to take over with me, to fill in the times where I am not out exploring the world (and I am missing both my personal and council library). And yes, that is the sum total of this weeks prep!

So, the next week is going to be busy!

Preparation, Investigation & a Weird Translation

2 weeks left on the countdown! I am spending a reasonable (or an unreasonable?) amount of time with this:


Preparations are ongoing for the trip - cabin luggage has been bought and I've finished all the spoken Svenska lessons on my disc (although I need to go back and check the file on Dr M's computer - I only got 9 lessons and it didn't sound as though it was the end). I haven't managed to start my written lessons (I blame housework).

Investigations have resulted in a program for weekend trips and an idea for how to celebrate my birthday. I have been researching online and passing the info to Dr M, who is investigating locally to check and finalise details. There is so much to see and do - hopefully I will find a lot of cheap/free attractions as I have found a lot of things that I'd love to do that aren't!

The first weekend I'm in Stockholm is Midsummer - one of the biggest annual events in Sweden. I've been researching places to go to watch (join?) the celebrations and I ended up on a website which did not have an English version - so I ran it through the google translator - with the following weird result:

Midsummer night is magical and long. The scents of mint, timothy, clover and sweet gale are enchanting. The night is never quite black, but gray and the shadows you can make out the essence of who narrated on for generations. But be careful, watch out for the Siren who beats chlorine in manfolket and not be tempted of the neck lovely tones. Join us on a magical journey to the houses and farms.
Maximum: 25 persons / group
Price: 2600 kr 1 hr. Entrance to the will.

What can you say to that?

Countdown - 3 weeks to go

I hereby announce this blog open.

Littleswedishblog is here so that family & friends are up-to-date with my adventures during my littleswedishtrip. Right now I am on the countdown to departure - I have my ticket, passport and a signed leave form - in three weeks time I will be winging my way to Stockholm via Bangkok.

I have resumed my Svenska lessons (which had been on hold during my broken jaw experience) and am up to lesson 8 of 10. I am not sure of the value of said lessons as the lessons seemed to be written around the idea of a young American man speaking to a young Svesk woman, with him offering drinks and meals - I don't think I will need to know many of the phrases as the only person I am likely to invite back to my place is my husband (and he speaks English). However, it is fun to learn, and hopefully I can learn enough to understand a little of what's said around me. I think the reading component will be more helpful as it will help me know how to read place/street names so that I can ask for directions if required (although if they answer me in Svenska; what I am looking for will either need to be here (har) or over there (dar botta) otherwise I wont be able to understand them).

With 21 days to go, goals for the next week are:

• research what Dr. M & I are going to do with our rare and precious weekends during the trip
• sort out this blogging business (how to get it looking the way I like, learn how to insert photos etc) and load a swedish font so that I can use the extra letters in the Svenska alphabet (those a's with the funny things on them)
• finish the oral component and start the reading component of the Svenska lessons
• pay all the bills and try and figure out if any are going to come in while I am away

Hej da!

(that's goodbye for those of you who haven't finished the first lesson of Pimsleur's Swedish 1)