Best Week Ever!!!

Now that I've been officially homesick I'm now officially LOVING Sweden again! At our pre-trip orientation they told us that we would be going through these phases while away from home but being the jet setter that I am I didn't think I'd ever get homesick. Thanks to everyone who sent packages, emails and letters of encouragement. I REALLY enjoyed receiving them all and it definitely helped me to overcome that low time.

The best week ever started last Sabbath at church. Even though the entire service is in Swedish they had a guest group come and sing. It was a group of 4 young men from a neighboring church and they even sang a few songs that I knew! My favorite one was "He'll Be There", a remix of "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5. Yeah, don't ask...lol!

In Växjö the days are already over 15 hours long and they increase in daylight by about 5 minutes every day. Spring has officially sprung and it shows all over campus. Tons of students are out all over campus BBQ'ing and soaking up the sun. Earlier this week an American friend of mine hosted a block party. It was cRaZy how many people showed up and all the fun that we had. I estimate there were over 100 people there and of course, I had to lead everybody in the Cha Cha Slide...it was hilarious.

As everyone already knows I LOVE to have fun so I planned a social in my room. We played Twister, Pass-My-Shoe, Mingle, Mafia and all those other party games that everyone enjoys. If there was ever a trace of homesickness I think it was officially gone after that night.

Midweek some Americans hosted a bonfire next to the Växjö Lake. It was so picturesque! We made smores and sang camp songs. I also took a nap with some girlfriends in the sun this past week and it was wonderful. I think I'm really gonna miss my time here when its time to go...

Next Saturday night two friends and I are all hosting a summer-themed birthday party together. It should be an interesting night to say the least. 1 American, 1 German and 1 Mexican... Stay tuned for all the recap details!

I Need Big Crumbs!!!

Hello again everyone! Thank you all for your words of encouragement, emails and letters over the past few weeks. I appreciate everyone looking out for me and even though I'm unable to be with you physically its only the distance that separates us...you're always in my thoughts and prayers.

Some of you asked specifically how you can help out and was there anything that I needed while I was here in Sweden. Thankfully, a few kinds souls have volunteered to send care packages and I greatly appreciate their generosity. I'll keep you updated on all the goodies that come my way. And as always, feel free to drop me an email just to say hi or to let me know you still are reading my posts. All forms of communication are treasured dearly when you're homesick...

In the meantime, I've recently become a member of BigCrumbs, an online community that earns its members money for purchases made online at hundreds of stores. So why you may not be able to help out in a concrete way why not do me the favor of signing up and adding me as your referral? CLICK HERE!



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God's Nature is Amazing

With Spring officially here and loads of flowers blooming I've been taking the opportunity to get out and enjoy God's beautiful creation. Just outside my door there are walking trails through the forest and a beautiful lake. While walking with a friend the other day we stood still and listened to the sounds of nature. Everything around us was beautiful...we heard birds singing, critters scurrying too and fro...I'm beginning to love the outdoors more and more. Back in the Bay Area I didn't take as much time exploring and appreciating nature but with so much more time on my hands these days I've begun to create a hobby out of nature watching. Its quite fascinating! And now that I've become a little homesick the past few weeks its comforting to know that if God can make a home for all these creatures then He certainly has me in His tender loving care as well. Isn't God amazing?

7 "But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.

9 Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?

10 In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.

Job 12:7-10

Its official...

I'm H-O-M-E-S-I-C-K!!! Okay folks, it only took 2 and 1/2 months but I am officially homesick now. In the beginning everything was new and exciting but now the reality of life away from my closest friends and family has finally set in. The first few months were so busy for me I really didn't have time to miss people. We had our Spring Break March 19-31 and that's when I finally realized how much I miss all of you. Also, Randy came to visit for a few days so it was different having somebody leave me rather than me leaving all of you. So, with that being said you can all send letters and packages to the following address: *smile*

Rhianna Aaron
Stallvagen 24:87
SE-352 56
Växjö, Sweden

Okay, so let's recap the last month... The weather has been a little strange recently. We barely had any snow in January and February but come SPRING BREAK WE HAD A SNOW STORM! I'm no expert but I estimate we had between 10-12 inches of snow over a period of about 36 hours. Maybe some of you who are reading this think that's not a lot of snow but for this California girl it was a BLIZZARD! I almost had to whip out my snow pants but thankfully I didn't have to go to class so I just had a few snowball fights and stayed in for the rest of the time. It was such a beautiful sight to see the flowers poking through the snow (see pic above). I'd been documenting the arrival of Spring by taking photographs of the emerging buds and flowers from week to week so it was quite strange to see all "my plants" covered in snow.

I also went to see the Malmö Symphony at the concert hall in town. They had a Swedish guest artist by the name of Martin Fröst who is famous all over Europe. He was a really good clarinet player but there was this one piece where it was borderline musical theatre and clarinet playing...interesting to say the least. However, the crowd loved him soooo much that they gave him a standing ovation for about 5 minutes straight and then he returned to the stage to do his signature "freestyle" clarinet playing.

For Spring Break Randy, myself and most of the other international students traveled all over Europe. We were able to make it to Dusseldorf in Germany, Amsterdam in Holland and Copenhagen in Denmark. We all had such a wonderful time and hope to be able to do it again. The only thing about travel in Europe right now is that the dollar is sooooooo weak that it is extremely expensive to go anywhere. Here, let me give you an idea of the prices right now. These are actual purchases we made on our trip converted to USD from the euro and danish krone:

Dusseldorf, Germany
gum - $3.25
bottle of water - $4.50

Amsterdam, Holland
10 postcards - $10.00
bottle of water - $3.50

Copenhagen, Denmark
1 postcard - $1.50 (all I could afford...lol)
single ride on city bus for 1 hour - $5.25
dinner at a "cheap" mexican buffet - $64.06

So yeah, after my little excursions around Europe I'm quite broke. So please, feel free to send packages, letters and such to the address above. *smile* I'd LOVE to hear how you all are doing. Emails are nice but I'd love to get some physical letters now that I'm officially homesick. Send pics too! I love you all!