the "bye shannon" sign the girls made, that hung in Camillas apartment when I walked in! My sweet girls.
Hi Dearest Readers! First of course I have to say thank you for reading my blog these four months I have been in Sweden. I know that sometimes I ramble, sometimes I say things of little value, and rarely do I use correct English. That being said, I hope that maybe you enjoyed it. If you enjoyed just one of the blogs that I wrote then I feel like I accomplished something. I haven’t ever taken a writing class or anything so don’t judge me too hard. Anyways…
The going away bash last night was great. The girls did a great job planning it and I had such a great time. I am really going to miss them. They have made this trip so much more fun and I am so blessed to have them. I am so excited for them to come to America and visit.
I think I am feeling a little shocked that four months passed, and that tomorrow I will be on plane back to the home land. I am so blessed to have this opportunity. The good part about all of this is that its hard to leave, and the reason I say that is good is because I am so fortunate to leave such amazing people behind, but I am just as fortunate to know that I am going home to great people as well.
I think my trip here I have learned more than I ever have in my life. I learned more patience, I learned how to be more understanding, how to adapt, how to “deal with it”, how to meet people. The biggest thing I think that I leave Sweden knowing that I can be alone, and I can accomplish so much by myself. I spent a lot of time alone here, and I really enjoyed myself. Not to toot my own horn. I learned things about myself good and bad that cant be taught, and sometimes if you never branch out you may not ever realize. I know im stubborn, I know im hardheaded, selfish at times, and difficult to please. These are all things I knew about myself, but when I was alone here I didn’t just act this towards other people, I realized that I witnessed it firsthand. It annoyed me when I was stubborn because I would have to deal with my own stubbornness…does that make sense? I know it sounds weird, but I think that I grew a lot here, and that’s what traveling is all about. Experiences.
The family and friends I leave behind here will be a part of my life forever, and when I said my goodbyes to all the girls I acted like I was going to see them tomorrow. Truth is, I won’t. But it feels good to know that I could call (more like email) on any of my Swedish friends any time and from across the world they would do anything for me and vice versa. That is kind of neat.
I don’t know where my next adventure will be, I am crossing my fingers for something in NYC. I have seen the city, I have been there, but I can’t stop thinking about the first time I went there, and said I wanted to work there one day. I want to follow through. I wont be blogging any more, so im sorry that I wont be boring you with my “daily lessons” or things I figure out about life and decide to embellish through my blog. HA. But I can promise you that when I begin my next adventure I will be back!
I hope that all of you readers have enjoyed this, and I also hope you know that you have inspired me to think a little deeper, experience a little harder, and enjoy the ride with more risk! These are three things I really tried to do while I was here because I had nothing to lose. I enjoyed coming back to this lap top and letting yall know how good I am at rollerblading, how great I think saving money via lack of air conditioning is, and of course I loved sharing how much I love America’s school system. Ha, no but really…sitting down and writing really makes you appreciate family, culture, home, traveling, and everything. It put life in a different perspective for me. So try it! I started writing a book in college…and I threw it away a few weeks ago, because I went back and read through it, and it was just like every other book. I want mine to be different. I have some new idea’s, and maybe one day I will come through with something. I promise I will pay someone to check my spelling and grammar. I will be back to blogging when I figure out where I can adventure to next, I don’t think I am ready to give up my nomadic life style, but for now I am really excited to sit in my Dad’s recliner, complain about my dog barking, text on my American phone, and get haircuts with my mom!
I leave the greatest family in Sweden, and come home to the greatest family in America. Pretty sweet I’d say. I have started every blog with a quote, and I think I will leave this blog with a few lessons from me. Maybe not quotes but short things I like to keep in mind in order to keep myself in line. Ha
Remember that risks are not always about reward, but sometimes about the ride. You take a risk, and maybe you wont see some huge reward, but you experience something unimaginable. Also remember that you can’t smile and laugh enough, it is the one thing in life that is universal. No matter where you go in the world a smile means the same thing. Remember to keep an open mind, because differences between people, things, and places are what make it all great. Don’t forget to laugh too hard, wear high heels on a bike ride, read a book in a different language because you can make up your own story, buy a hot dog in any city you travel to because every place has its own idea of the “right dog”, meet people you don’t know, don’t be scared to eat unwashed berries from the forest, and lastly; make plenty of places feel like “home” but remember where you came from, and never forget to call “home base” at the end of the day.
The world is beautiful because you’re in it, so allow yourself to let people know that! I have enjoyed writing and I am so glad you were here for some of my 4 month Swedish bike ride! I have put all kinds of things in my basket, some that I will take home with me and some that I have to leave here, but nothing that I will forget or don’t appreciate. I love you guys!
Xoxo,
Puss och Kram
“work hard, play harder”
Signing off now,
Shannon the Cannon
#1 on the field, #1 in your heart
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