In the beginning...

I anticipated my year-long stay in Sweden with bittersweet feelings: excited about doing research in Sweden, but sad to leave my family and friends behind. However, my life is full of adventure and I'm sure I'll get my fair share over the next year.

Even before my trip began, I had an unforgettable adventure. A farewell party that involved karaoke with friends, and an acapella session in the middle of the night on a random street corner. Although none of us knew the words to an entire song, we still managed to get an audience! I seriously am going to miss my acapella buddies.

The following day, the adventure became, well, more interesting. We boarded the plane in Dulles, only to find out that the ground electricity went out (because the coolers overheated in the 100 F weather). In short, the air conditioning on the plane was not working, and with about 150+ people in the plane, it became a sauna in about 5 minutes... The best part? The plane couldn't leave the ground for some silly reason (I fell asleep in the heat and didn't catch the reason), so it stood there for an hour while all of us boiled inside. I'm not quite how Finnish people compete in that sauna competition (if you haven't heard about this, you have to google it).

After we finally took off, I realized the my layover in Copenhagen was only 50 minutes. Usually, the international terminal is on one side, and you have to go to the opposite end of the airport to catch the plane to Stockholm. Did I mention that you also have to go through security and passport control? So, when we landed at 7:45 am (30 minutes late), I had exactly 20 minutes to get to my plane... I went through a 10 minute security wait, and another 5 minute wait for passport. Then, I RAN like I've never run, all the while thinking, I don't even know why I'm doing this because I will definitely miss that plane. But somehow, I made that plane, panting, like a dog.

Upon arriving Stockholm though, the adventure-frenzy simmered (whew!). I found my apartment with relative ease, and after doing a bit of shopping for linens and things, I'm starting to feel settled in.

Tomorrow, I start my first day of lab and my life in Sweden.