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Once I knew that I would be going to Sweden, Stockholm, I started to think about what it would be like. Going away didn’t consume my mind, though, as I was engaged with what was taking place in my life.
I wanted to go away, no doubt about it; but I wasn’t in a position where I needed to get away. What I was doing was fulfilling and this stopped me from getting too caught up in what I would be doing whilst I was away. A Different Climate What was different about this trip was that I would be going somewhere that was cold, and this made a change. In the past, I had generally gone to countries that were warm and were only a few hours away. Yet, even though I was going somewhere cold and it would only take a few hours to get there, I thought that it would be unlike anywhere I had been before. So, when the time came for me to go away, I started to get excited. The First Signs On the plane, the safety video was in English and then it was followed up in Norwegian, due to the airline that I was flying with. But even though I wasn’t going Norway, this made it even clearer that I was going away. Soon after this, I landed in Stockholm and when I got off the plane, heard people talking in another language. It wasn’t until I got outside and was exposed to the cold temperature that I fully realised that I was in another country. Extremely Curious It was incredibly cold and, as I didn’t go to sleep the night before, I just wanted to go to sleep. Nevertheless, now that I was away I wanted to find out more about Sweden and to experience their way of life. The reason for this is that when I go away, I don’t expect to bring my way of life with me and to live how I would back home. I want to find out what is and what isn’t acceptable, what kind of food they eat, and to learn about their history, among other things. One Moment While I was walking around the city, I saw an advertisement that spoke about where I could find tapas to eat. Now, I have tried taps in the past and I enjoyed eating them, but I wasn’t in Sweden to eat tapas. Similarly, I didn’t go to there to eat McDonalds or to have a coffee at Starbucks; I was there to experience the Swedish way of life. I thought about how there is a fine line between adding things to a culture and enriching it, and adding things and completely destroying a culture. No Different When it come to the main shopping area, for instance, I could have been anywhere in the world; it was no different to being in London or Australia. The same could be said for the hotel that I stayed in. After I started to walk around the old town I could see that I was somewhere different. This was a special place, and what helped was that I was with a friend from Sweden who could show me around. A Wonderful Time Seeing these buildings and finding out about the history of Stockholm, Sweden was thoroughly enjoyable. I even had the chance to write on the wall of a coffee shop – whoever goes there can leave a message or just write their name on the wall. I wanted to see the Viking burial ground and the 17-century ship, but I didn’t have time in the end. There is plenty to see and do here if you are looking for somewhere different to explore.
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Oliver JR Cooper http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk
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 Oliver JR CooperAuthor, Transformational Writer, Teacher & Consultant - With Over 2,000,000 Article Views Online. Disclaimer
That which is contained within these articles is based on my own empirical understanding and is true for me at the time they were written. However, as I continue to grow, what I perceive as the truth will inevitably change and as a result of this - parts of these articles may not reflect my current outlook.
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