Day 4

There's something about being treated so kindly by such lovely people that makes me sort of shuffle my feet and question why I would be so blessed. I'm in this beautiful country, half a world away from my home, and feeling like I am home, in a sense. Yes, I miss my family and friends, but there's something about the Swedish lifestyle that allows me to take a deep breath and relax into their world. Something I find I'm less able to accomplish in my world these days.

Today the school principal, Maria, offered to show me a little of her neighborhood. She lives in a really lovely suburb of Borås that used to be a major textile producer. A large factory still stands, but has been converted into a museum. She treated me to lunch at a cute restaurant called the Gästhuset (Guest House) where the menu was three options: fish, ground beef patty, or vegetable gratin. I chose the beef and it was really good, served with boiled potatoes, tzaziki, roasted red pepper puree, bread, and a salad bar. Afterwards we toured the museum which was enormous, and still contained much of the equipment used to spin cotton, wool, and other fibers.



We stopped into the gift shop at the end of our tour and Maria bought me a tomte! So far he hasn't caused me any trouble :)

I walked around the town of Borås a little, re-familiarizing myself with the plaza, the park, and the little shops, and exchanging some dollars for Kroner (ouch.) I decided I needed a cup of coffee, so stopped in at the Espresso House. I ordered a large latte with no foam. What I got was probably an 8 oz. cup that was maybe 3/4 full, and I paid 33 kroner ($4.65) for it. Yikes. It was good coffee but...









I tried to stay awake when I got home, but Pär said I had a "power nap" sitting up on the sofa. Our lovely student, Viktoria, and another student from this year, Axel, came to pick me up for dinner. They surprised me by going to Jessica's house where 11 students and I all had Taco Tuesday! It was really wonderful to catch up with what everyone was doing; studying, working, dating, learning to drive, etc. Jessica and her family live in a beautiful, 3-story home that her father has added a lot to with his artistic carpentry skills. After dinner I handed out gifts that some of the families sent along for them. There was laughter and tears as they were reminded that there are people in America who love them.

It was so hard to say goodbye, again, to these kids. They still feel like they belong to me (or I to them?) Hopefully I will see them all again next year.