Hej, jag heter Charles

Charles är en av vårens 14 utbytesdeltagare i Ung i den världsvida kyrkan. Här berättar han om att från Filippinerna landa i ett land av snö och kyla. Om förväntningarna på att se snö, att lära sig om svenska kyrkan och svensk kultur. Och att även om språket är en utmaning så kanske den största utmaningen av alla är att lära sig äta grönsaker…

Please be patient, I’m not so good in English. 🙂

Hej, Jag heter Charles.
Jag kommer från Filipinerna.

I don’t even know how I will start talking about Sweden. It’s a very cold country. It has a temperature always below 10 degree Celsius. Even though there’s the sun outside, it is very cold. Maybe because I came from a tropical country so I always feel that it was cold outside. But it was beautiful when the trees are filled with the snow and everything is white. I can feel that “it was Christmas!” ^_^.

My first week here in Sweden is very hard. I can’t sleep at night. I also didn’t know what kind of food is that and there’s a lot of vegetables in here, and the thing is “I don’t eat vegetables” :P. Eating vegetables is one of the biggest challenge for me here in Sweden.  Different kind of language is also a challenge for me, because we came from different countries. We have Portuguese, Spaniol, English, and Swedish languages.  It’s very difficult to speak to each other. But still, we are working for our languages. Some of us are using the Google Translate to communicate to each other, like me and Brian from Costa Rica.

Before I fly here in Sweden, I also have my own expectations. My first expectation is to see the snow of course, and then to have foreign friends. And I already have those to expectations. I also learn some Spanish words and Swedish words and that is my third expectations to learn different languages. And now my following days here in Sweden I’m going to fulfill my last expectation and it is to learn a lot of things in their culture, environment and their churches. I already go to the church last Sunday for the mass in Sigtuna. I’m also been in the DomKyrkan (Big Church) in Uppsala and in their National Office. The Domkyrkan in Uppsala is like a big “History Book”, there’s a lot of story inside of it, so for me it is an interesting place to see. The Swedish folkdance? I learn to dance it also but just a little. I love the Melodifestival here in Sweden, I like Sean Banan J. And there’s so much things that I want to try or to experience here in Sweden. Any way I have a lot of time here and it is just the start maybe next time I can talk many things about my experiences here.

About the Swedish People? Oh…I can’t say anything to them. They are very hospitable, kind, accommodative and very approachable persons. But not all the swedes are always on time. Maria Puuranen (who works at Sigtuna Folkhögskola) says “not all the swedes are always on time, just like me who is always late”. But she is a very good person. Maybe sometimes we are late for some activities but still we are always following the schedule. Malin Wringstad (administrator of the exchange program), she is also a very good women, Joy and Deunice calling her Aunt Malin. About Maria Carlander, the program coordinator. She is also a very good person. And also Gustav, Claire, Cassandra, Elin, and our “boss” Ida J (hahaha) (participants of the exchange program 2011). I like Swedish People.

Hmmm…I think that’s all…Next week I will talk about the others and my host family. The Söderling Family. About Mariana, Aders, Mattias, Christoper, Micheal and Christina.

/Charles from The Philippines