The Real Swedish Experience
Posted: June 14th, 2005
AFS USA
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Elspeth's Site
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I've Walked a Thousand Miles
By: David Duff

Well, June is obviously here and that means in a short while, I will be back in the US and remembering what an amazing time I had here in Sweden. I know that you all have been following my adventures via my website, and I have informed you about many different topics pertaining to Sweden, so I hope that you have also learned from this experience, since that was my plan from the beginning. This will be my last article posted on the site, and I figured I would focus on my last thoughts and feelings that I have for this year.

I have been telling people that it is strange because I remember the first day I came here to Göteborg. I remember the clothes I was wearing, I remember what it was like when we first got off the train at Central Station, how it felt so weird sitting with the Gullbransson family in their car and the first night for dinner, and I remember how I thought that there was no way I would ever make it to June. For the first couple of weeks, while I was getting adjusted, I kept saying to myself “There is no way I am going to make it until June, it is so far away”. I quickly got involved with school and made a lot of friends, which was great because it kept my mind off of the time when I was going to go home. I became friends with Kellyn, the other AFS girl who was in Göteborg, and we had fun going to schools and talking about what it is like to be a teenager in the US. Everything was going fine until middle/end of October, when I had to leave my welcome family and move to the Walleräng family in Billdal.

I was very upset and confused about the situation due to some miscommunications between AFS Sweden, my host family and myself. I was not eager to repack everything and have to start all over again with a new family, but I came to the Walleräng family with an open mind ready to experience a lot of new things. Because I was moving into the city, it also meant that I would be changing schools, so instead of going to a fishing school now, I would be going to a more typical high school. I was nervous on my first day because I had never met these people before and I had no idea what they were like. I made it through my first two classes ok, then on the way to lunch, one of my classmates, who has later become a very good friend of mine, invited me to sit with him and his friends. Rasmus, Johan, Magnus, Tobey, Joakim and all of the other guys made me feel right at home and showed me the ropes. Christmas came around, and by this time I was beginning to feel more and more comfortable with school, and my host family, but that quickly changed within the first two months of the year.

At the beginning of 2005, my host parents sat down with me and we discussed the fact that the situation was not working out. We talked about some miscommunications that happened on both of our ends, how we each had different ideas of what I and they were suppose to do, and basically we came to the decision that it would be best if I moved on. This decision hit me harder than moving from the Gullbransson family, because this time I thought that I was going to stay with the Walleräng family until June. I had just gotten settled again into my life and I was not thrilled about having to repack. While the beginning of the year started off on a bad note, there were some things that boosted my spirit and kept me going.

School was one of those major things. I know, I know, you are saying “How can Dave like school?” While everything around me was changing, school was the one thing that didn’t. I had my friends there, my classes and it was the one thing that I could really anchor myself too, knowing that it would not change. Another thing was the fact that I was getting to know more and more of my classmates, and even started dating one of them. Another thing that really energized me for the rest of the year was the AFS Mid-Stay camp in Stockholm in February. The last time we saw everyone was back in August at the orientation camp when we first got here, so it had been a while, and it was great to talk to people, stay up late into the night having fun, and just being away from all of the worries of host families, friends and life and just have 3 or 4 days of fun.

Middle of February saw me moving to my contact family for roughly 3 months while AFS looked for a new family. I spent my time going to school, clubs, and getting to know my contact parents and brother a lot more. They were very understanding and got me back up on my feet for those months that I was there. It was also really hard to turn 19 and be so far away from your family. As the cold dark winter slowly changed into a warm and bright spring, we got word that AFS had found a family for me right in the city, and in April, I moved to the Wennberg family where I have been since. Since I have gotten here, a lot of things have happened. I attended Prom, Graduation, and the graduation party and remembered what Sweden is like in the summer. I can say that it is definitely ending on a good note.

Now that school is over, I don’t really have too much to look forward to. As of today, I have 15 days left here in Sweden, which has given me a lot to think about. Last week was one of the roughest weeks I have had so far. I was angry and frustrated at a lot of people for certain things, but now I have worked out just about all of those problems and I feel like, even though I am not ready to end this chapter in my life, I can. I have been thinking about a number of people who has helped me out this year and has really been there for me and stand out in my mind, and I would like to take a moment now and thank them and say why they stood out.

Peter Gullbransson (first host father) – Peter made me feel right at home right away. He always had an amazing sense of humor and was willing to show and tell me anything. He has been the only host father that I have had that has called me “son” this year, and even though it might not seem like a big deal, it really is when you are away from your family for so long.

The Gullbransson Family – They were the ones who first got me introduced to Sweden and the language. I know that the idea of host family was thrown on them at the last minute, but I really thank them for taking time out of their lives and breaking me into life here in Sweden.

Contact Family – My contact family did so much for me this year. They went to and beyond the call of a normal contact family. When I had my rough time, they were always right there for me, ready to listen and give me advice. They didn’t have to take me in for those 3 months that I lived with them, but they did and I am thankful for that.

My classmates (both the guys and girls) – They had no idea what they were getting into when they heard that they were getting an exchange student. Since November, when I started at their school, they have always been asking me questions about the US, what I think about Sweden in general, and more importantly, how I was doing personally. I thank them for taking me into their circle and letting me hang with them this year.

Caroline Larsson – Even though she is one of my classmates, I feel that I need to thank her also. I know it wasn’t easy for her, because we have gone through so much and we had little time left, but I thank her anyway for taking that chance, knowing what the future might hold. We have been through a lot this year, between me and her, and I thank her for being there for me.
The Wennberg Family – Well, as they always say, you remember all of the stuff that happens in the end. I want to thank Jacob, AnnMarie and their kid’s for being so patient with me and understanding where I was coming from. It took a lot for them to open their doors to this American kid and welcome me into their family with open arms. 

There are so many other people that I should thank, but if I did, this article would never end. This year has truly been an amazing one. When people ask me if there is anything I would have done different, I say “not a thing”. Even though there were some minor set backs, I enjoyed every minute of every day of this experience.

In the words of Bob Hope “Thanks for the memories..."