I'm feeling a bit nostalgic

With only 3 days left in Madison I have to admit that I am feeling a bit nostalgic...after all, this has been my home for the past 7 years. My time here is limited and I wanted to touch base before I leave for a year. I depart for Sweden on Saturday 23 August. I am happy to have a week off to pack, organize and pull myself together because things are getting crazy busy.

Here is a quick update on my end....I fly into Copenhagen (it's closer than Stockholm) then take a 4 hour train to Karlskrona. I arrive late Sunday evening just in time for orientation week which begins Monday. I have reserved a hostel for a few nights because I do not have housing arranged - I am not interested in student housing (too old for that) and the rental sites are all in Swedish! I have been chatting with some classmates on Facebook and have found 2 roomates so at least I will not be flying solo! One of the girls is from San Francisco and the other from Vancouver - 2 of my favorite cities in N America. So, first on the agenda is to find a home!

There is so much to do when I arrive - which is why I suppose they have orientation week...finding a bike is priority because I will be riding to class everyday, getting my cell phone set up, getting a student id and most importantly getting to know my classmates and my new town.

Once school begins I expect to be very busy - the curriculum is as diversified as the students (there are students from 6 continents) and I expect alot of writing/ presentation type work. In January we start our thesis projects in which we work in teams of 3. I have some ideas for this but my experience will likely evolve my thoughts and I am open to that.

As for Joe, he is working on an incredible clean energy research project in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and will be traveling there every 5 weeks for a weeks stay each time. I am hoping the project lasts through next summer so I can tag along on a trip! I am going to miss him with all my heart and being but we have web cam's/ Skype set up so at least we can communicate live. It is our 1 year anniversary in October so he plans on visiting me then for the first time. I will see him next in Rome for Christmas where one of his good friends lives. Hopefully he will fit in another trip in spring...then when I graduate in June he will take some time off from work (at least a month) and we will explore Scandinavia together.

So, there you have it. Hope you all have a great year to come, I will miss you all. I will let you know when I post pictures as I'm sure there will be many.