Departure/First Day in Scandinavia!

Friday/Saturday, July 13 & 14:

            Friday, July 13, 2012, our group from Texas Christian University set off for Scandinavia! Meeting at the airport at one pm, we checked in our bags, went through security, met some new faces, and then waited for our flight from Dallas to Amsterdam. All of us are either taking a criminal justice course or a sustainability course with Dr. Pat Kinkade and Dr. Keith Whitworth. I am taking Dr. Whitworth’s class. We started off on the right foot with a sustainable attitude as we were told to pack light for the trip. I am looking forward to the next couple weeks and learning how these countries are making strides in their environmentally-friendly policies.

            The flight from Dallas to Amsterdam went very well. It was nine hours of quality time for contemplation, journaling, and conversation. Some of us made new friends on the plane and met several people from in or around Fort Worth! It is funny how it is such a small world sometimes.

             Despite the rain, we made our next flight from Amsterdam to Stockholm safely. On this flight I was able to get some much-needed sleep. I was so giddy with excitement as we flew over the trees and rivers. Sweden has an abundance of forests and countryside, and it is absolutely spectacular! Everything is lush and green. Even in the downtown part of Stockholm there are so many beautiful trees and flowers. We secured our luggage and left the airport by taxi. I enjoyed the short trip on the highway, looked out the window, and just soaked it all in.

            When we arrived at the hotel we settled in and had a little free time. Michelle, Ashton, and I decided to take a walk around the city, get familiar with our surroundings, and learn more about the culture here. The weather is absolutely perfect; it is basically winter weather in Texas and is about 50 degrees less than what I am used to. Our time walking around was a lot of fun! We relaxed at a beautiful park, noticed fresh fruit at a local stand, and observed several people biking and commuting to their various destinations. A father was playing soccer with his son spending quality time together. It is really interesting how sustainable people are here. An example of this is the crosswalk buttons are solar-powered. In our hotel room there are signs that encourage consumers to be wise about their water usage. It is only day one, and I have already been mindful of several differences in the US compared to here.

       Our group met up later and headed out to dinner in the square. It took about 40 minutes to walk there, but it burned a lot of calories and was great to advocate the idea of sustainability. We ate at a very nice restaurant on the water with delicious seafood: crab, oyster, shrimp, you name it. The meal was another instance of this country’s means to be environmentally friendly. The waitress was telling us how fish, such as the char, are caught locally and served to the customers. It is great they can use their nearby resources! Victoria and I split a meal, and we had a hard time finishing it all. We were thankful Dr. Kinkade was able to finish off the rest of it for us!

            When dinner was over, I decided to go with Megan and Jordanne to Old Town, a part of the district with shopping. We visited one of the royal palaces and took pictures with the guard, admired the beauty of the city in the rain, visited a police station, and had a great time just talking about life.

            Maybe it is just me, but I perceive that the city is super clean. I would like to ask someone in authority how they keep it so nice. It really is amazing! The air just feels so much better up here too. I think this is due to less cars and carbon emissions.

            I believe I am truly going to relish my time here. There are so many emotions I am feeling. I am so blessed to get to know these students and professors better! Not only do we get to learn and become more enlightened in this process, but we also get to engage in a new culture and make memories that will last a lifetime.