Long story short
When I was a kid, we had an exchange student from Sweden. After her stay with us, we ended up getting a string of Swedish au pairs stay with us from the time I was aged about 7-12. I will admit to this being excellent, for the most part. I remember trying to get one of them to read me my math homework just so I could hear the accent and spend some time with a pretty lady. She wouldn't do it, but she was our au pair, so we spent time with her anyway, of course.

In any case, fast forward to me being 19. The original exchange student now has kids of her own and asks if my sister or I would like to come and live with her family for a year. As my sister was studying at a "serious university" at the time, she couldn't go. I was just attending community college trying to figure out what the hell I even wanted to do, so the choice was pretty clear. Stay home and dick around or go to Sweden and LIVE LIFE.

I spent one year in the Gothenberg area, learned the language, took care of their kids & dog, learned to cook, had my first (and last) gin & tonic (that shit is nasty), traveled all over the country, visited the Ice Hotel, witnessed the aurora borealis, and got to kiss Swedish girls. That year is one of the best, most eye-opening years of my life and I would never, ever take it back.

It's also how I got my name. "Inte svensk" is Swedish for "not Swedish."
( intesvensk can't recall when I last checked the newsletter, Tue 2 Nov 2010, 16:55, 1 reply)

i like this story

(Monkeystrumpet monkey. Monkey, MONKEY!!!, Wed 3 Nov 2010, 12:38, closed)