Växjö, Sweden in a Day

February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 / Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

As an American student studying in Kalmar, Sweden, I need a residence permit for my five-month adventure. Unfortunately, Kalmar doesn’t have a migration board office; fortunately, the six Americans had to travel elsewhere.

Vaxjo, Sweden is a small town, but much larger than Kalmar. We definitely packed a lot into one day!

The vibrant colors of the cathedral and the unique architecture cannot be beat; however, the Swedish slides are very confusing, even for twenty-something year-olds!

Umami Monkey was perhaps one of the best burger joints I’ve ever been to…and I’ve been to some good ones in Germany and Ann Arbor, Michigan! To think we were mad that the Mexican place was closed…

The glass museum in Vaxjo really brought out how modern the town is, as well as how innovative they are with their creations! As an American who really knows little about Sweden (excluding Ikea and the famous ice hotel of course), these unique creations were exactly what I imagined Sweden to have!

The Vaxjo town model and Ice Man replicas were neat to see in order to put all I’ve learned from National Geographic in perspective!

The Loranga part of the museum was interesting at first, but then it really brought out our inner child-like behavior!

All in all, we had a great day at the museums, bookstores, cafes, and restaurants in Vaxjo! A day of chores seemed to turn into a day of fun instantly!

Denmark in a Day

January 21, 2016 / Cate Tracey / 4 Comments

Sorry I haven’t been keeping up with posts lately; each day has seemed to come and go too rapidly. I am out of Michigan and now Sweden for the next five months! Studying overseas taught me so much about myself and other cultures, and I know this experience has already done the same. I haven’t even been here one full week!

I began my travels in Canada; Michiganders have the opportunity to fly out of Toronto for affordable prices! From there, I went to Iceland where I only had a one hour layover! Thankfully the airport is small and I’ve been there before! The semifinal destination was Copenhagen where I spent the night and enjoyed the city for a little bit.

Things to do in Denmark: get lost because it’s a beautiful city, visit the Queen’s Palace and the Little Mermaid statue.

Things not to do: get too lost when you are freezing, it is dark, and you are trying to find your way back home!

All in all, Copenhagen brought out so much of Denmark’s beauty and I would definitely go again in a heartbeat!

Hamburg, Germany in Photographs

August 12, 2015August 12, 2015 / Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

During my junior year of high school, I met a foreign exchange student named Saskia. Saskia grew up in Hamburg, Germany, and never once did I imagine that we would become best friends. It was hard parting ways with her; however, I knew it was not goodbye (just “see you later”).

Rather than having a graduation party the summer after, I decided to go on a three week trip to visit her and her parents. It was the first foreign city I have experienced…and it sure hasn’t been the last! Hamburg holds a special place in my heart, which has inspired me to travel even more.

These photos are not the best and are not edited whatsoever. The few inserted in this post are some of the only photos I have on my desktop as we speak. I wanted this post to feel immediate and as true to my feelings as much as possible; I miss Germany and I miss Saskia way too much.

I hope this post inspires you to look back on distant memories and own them; it is better to “feel all the feels” instead of masking your true, raw emotions.