Dear friends, families, and loved ones, we made it to Sweden! Here in our first blog post, we’ll describe the journey we took from MSP airport to Arlanda airport, and then finally up to the Umeå airport. We left at 9am on January 14th and arrived at 5pm on January 15th.
Our flight from MSP to Chicago was very short, but the layover was longer. Many of us played games, ate lunch, and charged our electronics. A few girls did yoga even! Next we boarded our long flight from Chicago to Arlanda on Scandinavian Airlines. The flight attendants spoke mostly Swedish to us. We were given dinner and breakfast, blankets and a pillow. The trip went by quickly for many of us, and since it was an overnight flight, we tried to catch a few hours of sleep.
This is what 7am in Sweden looks like!
We are seven hours ahead of Minnesota residents, so our arrival to Stockholm at 8am was really 1am back home! Most of our families were fast asleep, but a few made contact right away. We had a layover in the Stockholm airport for about seven hours, and in that time, many of us freshened up after the long flight and ordered our first Swedish kaffe (coffee)! Many of us also exchanged our US dollars (USD) for Swedish Kronor (SEK), and the exchange rate is currently 7.5/8 SEK per dollar, which is a pretty great deal! Then we all napped. Hard.
In total, our trip took 24 hours. After three security checks, two layovers, and many hours clocked in the air, we have completed the journey to Umeå, Sweden! We were overjoyed when we saw our luggage come off the luggage carousel, and even though it was only 3:30pm, Umeå was pitch black!
Jeff, our fearless leader, getting of the plane in Umeå. This was our first breath of fresh Sweden air!
Pure joy.
Thanks for checking out the Semester in Sweden 2015’s first blog post! Follow us for updates on our five-month long experience!
Hej då alla!
Thanks for posting, Paget! Glad to hear that you are all in Umeå and that your luggage arrived as well. Ours didn’t in ’09. Säg hej till Krister från mig (pron. : say hay till Krister froan may)
Hello from Jeff’s mother, Grandma Jan to Signe and Jorgen. Grandpa Jerry and I are enjoying some AZ sun, but are going to be following your adventure via this blog. We are thankful you have all arrived, as well as your luggage!
Paget, thanks for the update and photos. It’s nice to see everyone and get a sense of what you’re experiencing. We look forward to hearing about the next Sweden adventure.
Even though it is cold and dark, I wish I was there with you! Be good ambassadors, learn a lot, and have FUN!
Woohoo bring on the Swedish life! Experience, explore and have a blast all of you. Remember to blog tons so we get to experience as much a possible..
Jag säger hej tillbaka (Pron.: Yoag sayer hay till baka)
My heart hurts for Sweden and the 2011 group. You will become a family and learn and grow so much together. Thank you for posting- we’re all thinking about you and fondly reminiscing as we read your posts and see your pictures.