well this is new

66 degrees farenheit, 18 degrees celcius. Today, new years eve. Insane.

School spirit

Basketball season has been going on here for a while now. Both NBA, college and high schools all over the country are going crazy when there's a game. I'd say the high school games around here take a prize though. Because it's not only watching your school team play, when coming to the games you hang around with the people there, you do crazy cheering, and call people out in the other team. Not the best sportsmanship, but I have to admit that it is kind of fun.

It's not only the teams that are fighting against eachother, it's also the school that has most students there, with the best cheers and chants. If the people from the different schools know eachother it's even better, if we have the history on the people, it's so much easier calling them out on it. All of this is stuff I used to see on TV, now I'm here, living in it, experiencing it. What can I say, it's awesome.

Christmas x 3

I made it through the 24 without any bigger problems. Made it my little swedish christmas here in Kentucky. I was on skype with the family through Donald Duck and the opening of gifts, which was great. Then when it was about three a clock here we made glögg, and had it with gingerbread cookies, as we watched Snow White. Our traditions is spreading world wide here folks.
It also turned out Christmas here on the 25 is actually very simluar to the one we have back home. It all consists of food, gifts, hanging out with the family, food and, well more food.

Right now I'm waiting to have my third Christmas, which will appear when my package from home shows up. I might have to watch another disney movie by then, and have some more gingerbread cookies, and I maybe have some saffron buns too this time, after all it will be Christmas again.

50 dollar on a lottery ticket christmas morning

Christmas rhyme

Agnes

We can see You are a girl so lucky

When You live in old Kentucky

You have told us lots of things

Which can mean Your life just swings

Have You heard some dixie jazz

which can sound fantastic as

Gotlands Jazzband in your hometown

and keep mood up if You´re slight down

- Grandpa Gösta

Saturday

I've had a plan since I got here. The plan was to make swedish food for my host family. It didnt happen as quickly as I thought, in fact, it happend first the day before yesterday, saturday. The swedish food I finally made was saffron buns, or as I know them, lussebullar. I was pretty satisfied with the result, they could have had a more destinct taste of saffron though.. But no, I have my saffron buns for Christmas and I'm in Kentucky, it doesn't get much better than that.
Well, spent my night with the French's, playing wii and having a great time. So I guess a little better.

Snowy Kentucky days

No school last monday, no school this monday, also no school today and there won't be school tomorrow. Why? We call them snow days, it's pretty understandable. I mean if there is too much snow or too icy the school buses can't go on the smaller roads and people can't get to school.
It works out good for me, liking my days of. Although don't like the fact we have to make them up later on..

IKEA

One thing I've kind of missed here from time to time is swedish food. Now, from my IKEA experience back in Sweden I know you can buy food there. So on our way back from Ohio I thought I'd stop in to get some lingonberry jam, because I needed it to go with my blood pudding I've already tracked down.

So my plan is to go to the restaurant and find some simple jar or whatever. It turned out they had a whole little store with swedish food products. I felt like a child in a candy shop. They had all the swedish classics that I had forgot about, and I just had to get more than my jar of jam. So I added some things to my grossery bag, like gingerbreads in a swedish tin (Annas pepparkakor), Daim candy for Connie & Steve to try and some fancy cider for christmas day, both pear and lingonberry. Then the best surprise was probably the glögg, Herrljunga, I had totally forgotten about it but it made my day. Feel some explaining here for you english speaking folks here, glögg is a traditional swedish christmas drink. You heat it up up drink it in small cups, the adults can add wine to it, but otherwhise you only have it with raisins and almonds, or plain, your choice.

       

The only thing I miss now is lussebullar. To be continued! And explained..

lots and lots of christmas

The countdown has officially begun. Houses are now decorated for Christmas, from driveway to the yard, from the floor to the ceiling and from the kitchen to the bathroom. You can spot a lot of santas, snow mans, reindeers and lights, lots and lots of lights. Christmas trees are mandatory, at least one in each house, decorated with ornaments from top to bottom, from the stem to the tip of the branches, and of course, lots and lots of lights. 3000 in ours for example.

Christmas candy is being made. We're talkin' chocolate covered peanuts, rice crispies pretzels dipped in chocolate, fudge of different kindes and flavors, peppermint white chocolate. To sum up, lots and lots of chocolate.

You are likely to see christmas events of different kinds wherever you are in America. I got to see the Bardstown Christmas Parade. Lots and lots of trailors decorated in christmas manner parading after each other. Everybody came to wach it, despite of the cold weather, but we got free candy and hot coco, so it was all worth it. And of corse there was once again, lots and lots of lights.

footnote

Just a little something to add. During our crazy shopping day we were interviued by the TV, no big deal. Just ended up on the Louisville news, pretty neat.