Life Changing

Here is a list that I have been keeping of ways that my life is different since I made the big move to Ljungby. I don't think there is really anything profound on this list, but none-the-less my life is very different now. There is no particular order to the list; they are simply written as they came to my knowledge (or as I remembered them when I was sitting at my computer).

1. American DVDs do not work in European DVD players.

2. I do not have a cell phone. What I miss the most about this is having a notepad with me at all times. It would have come in handy while creating this list.

3. I read books all the time and thoroughly enjoy it.

4. I cook dinner almost every night.

5. I eat fresh vegetables or salad everyday.

6. I go to church, but it is all in Swedish. Although I don’t understand what is being said, it is still nice to be in God’s house. I come home after church and listen online to the sermon from Immanuel Lutheran.

7. All of my friends here are female.

8. I sleep in a twin-sized bed that is just a wooden frame with a couple springs and a mattress pad (no box spring and full mattress).

9. The light switches r upside down.  When the light is turned off, then the switch is up.

10. All cars always stop at crosswalks.

11. You can’t get a meal under $10, not even Burger King.

12. I have not driven a car since I left America.

13. You have to pay for grocery bags and shopping carts (but I learned that you get the money back for the cart when you return it).

14. I brush my teeth twice a day, floss, and use mouth wash everyday. If I have any cavities when I come home, I am suing someone.

15. You reserve seats at a movie theater, and everyone talks all during the previews! Meghan and I kept shushing them! At least movies are still in English just with Swedish subtitles.

16. American websites like nbc, cbs, fox, abc, cmt, hulu, Netflix do not work in Europe, thank goodness for ch131.com!

17. I used to easily sleep past noon everyday, but now I struggle greatly to sleep past 9.

18. Nowhere has bagels. Nowhere.

19. The water is fizzier than the soda.

20. I am an avid recycler (you get money back for it so we are collecting everything we find and saving all the money until our last in Ljungby!).

21. I drink a lot of coffee.

22. I have a Swedish bank account and a debit card with a chip, officially Swedish.

23. I do laundry every week that you have to sign up for on a wooden chart with a lock.

24. I play the M1 position, and sometimes I even play back row, which I absolutely LOVE both of those.

25. Most people don’t know my real name isn’t Jo, which they also pronounce as Yo a lot of the time.

26. I never know what time it is. I don’t wear a watch or have a phone to tell me the time so I just go about life and not worry about time.

27. There are no stop signs (or stop lights for that matter). Everyone just yields and follows the right rule. There are lots and lots of round-abouts too.

28. I help at a school once a week in an English class. I was just asked to help with an American history lesson as well (can I do a math lesson instead please?).

29. I haven’t been this long without seeing my parents ever, but we do get to Skype quite often, which I am thankful for.

30. I have no doubts about my life right now. I have lost some friends because of this move, but it has also strengthened other friendships. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life when I am finally finished playing volleyball. Of course, there are still things that I am working at to grow and develop, but as a whole, I am happy. God has truly blessed me!