i died my hair black

*OOps... :P

thethethanksgiving and gåsmiddag(again...)

I had a weekend full of foul...

Friday evening: Chicken Dinner

Saturday evening: yet another gåsmiddag with the District governer of my part of Sweden and the Assistant governer and a member of my Rotary Club.

Sunday evening: Thanksgiving dinner with my next host family and exchange students.

Thanksgiving dinner was awesome. It involved a lot of cooking (standing on my feet from 2:00-7:30 preparing food) which I enjoy and bonding with exchange friends.

Check my friend Julie's blog if you want to see some more on dinner from her view... she's good at that stuff.

http://juliewishau.blogspot.com/.

It was such a cool evening because we celebrated thanksgiving with many different nationalities.

There were 15 of us. People from Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Canada, United States and New Zealand.

We all went around the table and said what we were thankful for and then we digged in!

We definately had enough for everyone luckily.

We had: Asparagus, Corn, Carrots, Turkey, Fruit Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Pickles, Lingon Sylt(equivalent of cranberry sauce), Pumpkin Pie, Carrot Cake, Fresh Rolls and Green Beans. I think that's it but I'll add on if I forgot something.

We ate at my next host familie's house, 'The Leijnhuveds' who live in a mansion in a nice part of Helsingborg called Tågaborg. I am so excited for the sauna and hottub sized jet tub in the basement, or one of the tv rooms with a big flat screened tv.

I am also looking forward to living with the family. They're all really nice, they love skiing. I just found out I go to school with my next host sister, Anna, she's super cool as well.

Anyways here are some pictures... The man cutting the turkey is my next host dad, Axel...

I can't believe that they have a table big enough for 16 people, and it even gets bigger... WOW*

This is my locker

This is my locker- and oh yeah, me getting fat.

Hehe, I hate my locker because it's up 4 flights of stairs and I have no classes up there and when I get there I can barely breath or talk to anyone cause i'm so exhausted from the stairs.

Maybe I will change lockers tomorrow.

Dear Mom

To Mom:

Seeing as I obsessively and religiously look at my Grad pictures practically every day I wanted to make a little blog for my mom.
I talked to my mother on the phone yesterday after a few weeks and it was really nice to hear her voice and see how shes doing. Those are simple pleasures of being an exchange student abroad.

Anyways I got the news she will probably come here to Sweden during the Graduation time in Late Spring so I am so excited, and she will probably being my Graduation Dress.

I love this picture too!

Well I love you Momma and Jag Saknar Dig!

Love,

Rachelle

Lunch in Köpenham

This past Sunday I met Marie Louise in Copenhagen, Denmark for lunch (more like lupper).

We went to this café called, Kys Kafe, which means Kiss Cafe... and supposedly it's pretty famous with all the Canadians who come to visit her. Jim and Betty and Vince and most of her visitors have been there so I'm another to add to the list.

It was really nice to see her again and we had a nice lunch and some fun window shopping.

This is a picture of her on the Retro Copenhagen metro train!

Miss Joanna Law

On Monday November 20th Joanna Law (Rotary Exchange Student from New Zealand) gave a speech on her year here in Sweden(hennes år här i Sverige... which is soon coming to an end) to her host Rotary Club of Rotary Kärnan pronounced Sharnan. Myself and the other Helsingborgian exchange students (Chloe Curtis Canada, Stephany Stillwell United States, Joanna Law, Me- respectively in the photo) Were there to cheer her on. I am so proud, she did it all in Swedish and showed us an awesome Powerpoint presentation of all the cool things she got to do in Sweden this year.

We'll all be sad she's leaving cause she was our very first contact with any Swedish youth and she gave us all a really nice and warm welcome.

She'll be missed but I am so happy she had a really good year here in Sweden.

Work with Jan Roos

My host dad, Jan Roos, works for Christian Hansen, a worldwide research and food developement company regarding sauces, soups, natural coloring and preservation of food.

Jan has worked in the food industry for 30 years and he has worked for Chr. Hansen for the last 10.As many of you might have read in previous blogs, he is a magnificent cook and everynight in my house in Domsten is practically a gourmet meal.

Anyways I had a DTF day in school (holiday for no reason day) So I went with him to his job in Denmark.He works in Kökedael (pronounced Cook-a-dale) Denmark and he has a 2 hour commute to and from work everyday involving, a bus to town, a ferry, a train, another bus and walking through a forest for 15 minutes. I have to say I'd really have to like my job to commute so long everyday.

While I was there I got to go in the lab kitchen (where at the moment they were working on a lowfat bernaise sauce that could be stored at room temperature, i got to taste test it) and it was full of every spice imaginable and I made my own Kebab (donair) spice. I'm not too sure why I made that, but I did, and it was really fun. I made it on a scale that I could have probably sold for 20 000 ca. dollars in Canada to drug dealers because it was so precise. Anyways i felt like a food chemist and it was super cool.
I also took a tour around the research facilities and while touring I notice my host dad, Jan's, face was a pretty popular one for this company. He is a model in plenty of posters, newsletters (including the one above from an exhibition in London). It was funny to be sitting beside a life sized poster of him in the lunch room.
On the way home we stopped in Helsingor, Denmark, to pick up some pre-ordered smorbrod(openfaced danish sandwiches). They were good, but they had too many unknown meats and sauces on them for my liking. They looked nice though. I had a really nice day spent with my host dad. We get along really well and he is so funny. We had a day full of jokes.

Julie Vieyres

Julie Vieyres is the girl I stayed with when I was in Aurillac france.
She is coming here for the last week of March to stay with me and my host family.
She was really nice, she's only 16, but I think that Sweden will be a real eye opener for her.
(the school, parties, people ect.)

ps. the beautiful scarf was a gift from my host family for my birthday.

Night out with JOJO law.

After Gåsmiddag saturday night, Joanna Law(exchange student from New Zealand) and I hit the town.

I slept at her house and we went to one of her friends 'house warming' party... it was a nice night... fun pictures hehehe!

best swedish invention since... well since ikea and hardbread

Electric towel heating rack.

mom i expect one of these in our washroom a pon my arrival.

=D

I never showed pictures of Aurillac...

This is Tove, Kiwi and I in Aurillac, France. I can't remember if I wrote anything about it, but it was absolutely beautiful there.
Rolling french hills, beautiful churches. It was so green, the weather was splendid.
So cool!

Really good cheese!





Also after our return we had a night where all us girls who went to France got together to eat our newly bought cheese and wine (i made carrot cake).

It was so nice. there was 14 of us and we had a reallly really cool evening. Chillin with water pipe and a nice meal with really great girls. I've met some amazing people, you really get to know people after travelling 12 hours with them both ways hehe.

Month of October

Highlight of October: Well my birthday party. Moose hunting. Going to France the day after my birthday... Halloween with Quentin and his Sister and Seb. Going to Belgium and Dunkerque... Dress up party, Josephine's birthday drinks, Carås party... and getting ready for it with Isabell and having chinese food.
Aww but one thing I really really loved was the french night I had with all the 15 girls I went to france with. We ate all of our french cheese and wine and had a lovely evening.


Challenge of October: Ummm thinking I might die on my flight to Belgium. Going to school. Celebrating my 18th birthday sans my besties and family.
Ummmm... Other than that October was the most amazing month!

Looking Forward Too: well I know I didn't do this at the right time. but if this was the end of oct. I would say: PARIS PARIS PARIS...
not looking forward to leaving Quentin and his family, looking forward to gåsmiddag, seeing marielouise and erik... CHRISTMAS... my dad visiting, going to Norway, getting my birthday present in the mail from my mommy =(
getting any mail on that note.
Going to Copenhagen with my host mom shopping after xmas.
Shopping in general.
Kris Jarvis in January.

Another Gåsmiddag

Well I figured out the story of the Gåsmiddag tradition. It will probably be pretty broken cause I don't think I fully listened during the telling of it but here it is:

St. Mortem (his name day was on the 10th and it was St. Mortem day) was hiding in a church barn or something with a whole bunch of Geese.

He was a good person but some bad people were coming to kill him, but a pon their arrival to the Church barn the Geese started squaking (as they were used as warning animals) and foreward St. Mortem to leave so he didn't get killed.

So in honor of those Geese that saved his life we eat them on the 10th of November (or around that date).

Also for my GåsMiddag yesterday with: Christel (my host mom) Bergetta( Christel's mom) Jan (my host dad) Joanna Law (an exchange student from New Zealand) Phillip (my host brother) Andreas ( Phillip's good friend who's a Swedish movie star and Joanna was drolling over all night hehe) and Guy (Phillip's other friend), We had Duck and not goose because it's really expensive, hard to make and you don't get barely any meat from how big the goose is.

The typical meal goes as so:

First course - Svart såp --- Black soup (blood soup --- a mixture of pig's blood and goose blood, brandy, cream, and spices that go in pepperkaka [ginger bread]
and then they put some cooked apples and raisins in it.

Second course - Potatoes (boiled or baked), brussel sprouts ( I don't like those), Carrots, Duck obviously, with baked apples and more raisins and oranges in it.

Third course- Skånske äpplekaka.
Skåne(the part of sweden I live in apple cake)
The recipe is:
In a pie pan grease it with a whole bunch of butter.
Using a cheese grater, grate really hard moldy on the outside(cut mold off) hard bread (wheat bread with spices in it)
Put layer ontop of butter. Lay out cut apples ... coat with white and brown sugar,
coat with other layer of bread crumbs and slices of butter.
make another row of apples..
more sugar and brown sugar.
coat with bread crumbs and butter slices.
cook for 30 minutes, serve with vanilla sauce.

It turned out really well... I made it =D so of course it did.

Anyways it was a really good meal.
I went out with Joanna after to her friend Rille's homewarming party.

Today I went to Ikea... and bought some wrapping paper.
Then I went home... spent sometime with Jan, my host dad,
as today was Father's Day here in Sweden.
We had a nice day together, sitting by the fire, drinking tea and eating peppakaka.

Then we had a late dinner at 9:30... and here I am... full... and not so tired... but i must go to school tomorrow.

Anyways hope all is well for everyone. I had a good weekend.
This week I'm doing a few things... Tomorrow Prison break.
Thurs. test on all the swedish names for every part of the body and rotary meeting.
Friday... hair cut probably.
sat dunno...
and yay, sunday meeting up with marielouise in Copenhagen to get some lunch together! Can't wait.

Oh yeah, and If I'm back in time going to a soccer game of HIF for the european cup finals or something.

godnatt

jag älskar random trips to denmark

Because of the catastrophe of Rock å Folk not having my precious JAY KAY cd.
I threw a few Cd's at the innocent cashier then packed my bags and went to Denmark.
Well I'm kind of lying.
Joanna convinced me to go with her and 2 other exchange students from the Falkenborg area to Helsingor as they were buying beer.
So I went.
and found a CD place and they luckily had it.
Anyways I was happy to get it. And it was kind of my first look at the city of Helsingor. It's really cute. Definately made so Swedes will buy things. *ahem* especially alcohol. It's pretty funny!
Anyways... I pretty much live in swenmark.
But don't tell that to the patriotic swedes.
anyways godnatt!
Oh yeah wait... that all happend yesterday.
Today my first class Gym was cancelled cause my prof is in Thailand. and my next class, Religion was cancelled cause my other prof was in Malmö.
soooo I met a classmate at Dunker's Kultur house and we looked at an exhibit on Islamic Ladies wearing viels and I attempted to translate their swedish texts.
It was very interesting.

Dracula

/















So I guess my middle name should now be Dracula... as I am a blood eater mwhahahaha.
Okay so, for the last 500 years, Swedes, and Danes... and you know the Scandanavian area have had Gåsmiddags. In english... Goose Dinners.
It is traditionally on November the 10th, but most house holds, and organizations just use this date as a base and have it around the time period.
I have the pleasure of attending 3 this November season, of which the first one was yesterday.
It was with my Rotary club and a Rotary club from a small area in Denmark close to Kopenhavn.
The goose was really good. The potatoes were really good. The red cabbage and the desert were really good.
Lets not even start on the wonderful wine...
but accompanied with some Goose parts I got to try BLACK SOUP.
Well lets just think here. What could black soup mean?
Black. Soup... maybe black beans.
Maybe, I don't know olives or something.
But it's blood.
I tried blood soup. It tastes sweet like Pepparkaka cause it has brandy and cream in it and all the same spices as ginger bread.
Anyways to say the least, it was uhh interesting and I think the reason they pair it with so called 'Canadian wine' which tastes like uhh rum... is to wash out the discusting after taste of *ahem* blood.
Anyways I tried it! Good for me.
I get to try it 2 more times. Maybe i'll get used to it.
Or not.
hehe. Anyways it was a really nice evening at a really fancy place. There was another exchange student there from the Danish club. She was from Minnesota, it was nice to meet her.
One of my Rotarians informed us that in uhh 10 seconds we had to make a short speech. So yeah I think that the club heard a lot of 'umms'.
But it went well anyways.
They had 4 different wines throughout the evening. And I had 5 glasses, 3 knifes...
and a few spoons and forks.
It was cool though and I'm glad I got to take part in this typically Swedish meal.

AT SCHOOL

Dear Blog,
I am at school.
I just went to see if Folk å Rock got the new Jamiroquai GREATEST HITS ALBUM out including his new hit single: RUNAWAY.

my two favorite artists, JK and KJ both have a song called runaway!
what a coincidence.
I have class from 2:20- 5:00 now...
yay for french class though.

anyways i'm kind of scared right now, cause when i left this morning i closed my door to my room and im not sure and i probably didnt, but i think i might have locked our dog, Remi in there.
I'm probably just thinking about it too much for some reason..
but I guess we'll see... poor doggy if i did :P
and poor me for getting into trouble with family roos.
Tomorrow I am going to a Swedish goose dinner.
Eating blood soup... yippee. Oh man, they say it tastes like ginger cake.
MMM MMM ginger pig and goose blood soup.

Anyways I am going to go do the stuff that I needed to do.
which was not writing in my blog.
Oh yeah ps. the folk å rock store didnt have Jamiroquai yet.
Tomorrow or next tuesday.
WHATS THE POINT OF HAVING A RELEASE DATE IN SWEDEN THEN!
grrr..

good-bye blog,
.Rarchelle

LIFE IS LIKE A PUZZLE, NOT PEACED YET.
SO DON't SWEAT IT

My swedish class

This is my swedish class.
SP3F of Olympiaskolan.
My teacher's name is Elin Neilsson...
she probably doesn't even know my name.
but yeah i really like my class.
my friends are...
top row: far left, joanna, second from right, patricia.
middle row: second from the left, Yessica, far right, Josephine
Bottom Row, far left, Sarah, second from left, Fredrik, middle, Isabelle and the second from right, ROBIN, and the far right, Adrianne

They're all super nice and we get a long really well

Everyone should go here.
So cool.
So huge.
So magnificent.
I took this picture for Jeremiah,
in memory of Le Diable s'habille en Prada.

SOOO COOL

"home" from France

Coming home to not your real home is kind of a hard thing to do, especially leaving something so familiar, like your 2 best friends.
My heart is in France,
whether the sandy beaches of Dunkerque, in the Eiffel tower,
with Natalie or Quentin,
it's there, and I'm gonna find it one day.

I had so much fun though. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Paris is so beautiful. Pictures don't give it justice. It just hits you and it's so overwhelming. I still can't believe I was there.

I got to do a lot of stuff. Dunkerque is only 10 minutes from Belgium so I can now say I've been to ahem...
Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Germany and France.
all in the last couple months.
France x 2 actually!

I watched a lot of hockey, seeing as Quentin is a hockey boy ( a really good one at that, scored the first goal of the season and he's defense against the Belgium National team)


It was so cool! Can't wait for everyone to see the pics.
Don't be too jealous!


Swedens cool though. It's completely dark at 5:00 pm.
But we light the house with candles, and I think swedish christmas will be really great. all cozy, and dark, and candles.
they like christmas a lot here.
They have a lot of traditions.

Anyways, Christmas is soon.
Something to look forward to...
yay.

Possibly a trip to Norway in the near future as well... so it's sounding pretty cool.

Thanks for reading my faithful blog readers.
Take care.
Hope you enjoy shelly in paris!
love
rachelle