Wisconsin is also where the little house on the prairie takes place. Out in the country, mostly farms. And land that stretches miles and miles far out, a big open country paradise. In the winter.. this place is winter wonderland.
Very idyllic.
Here's the house:
Grandma's garden. The benches have a view of the Chippawa river
A little playhouse!
Guess who played in it? :p
- this reminded me so much of the playhouse we have in
Sweden, mormor og morfar <3
Just outside Grandma Jean's house, by the road
Our daily walk our in the fresh, breathing air
Saturday:
All the cousins went taboganning (a really long wooden sled thar curls up in the front). It was soo much fun. Around the grandmas house, the best hills are tree-covered.. but a couple of years ago they built a kind of deck or plateau form the top of a reaaally steep hill, making a safe track the width of the tabogan. IT was like going on an amusement ride. It was just as scary every time - but SO much fun. We went on it all 6 of us who went out to play in the snow. Soo fuun. Here are some fun pictures. :)
My camera went dead just as I was about to take an action picture of them all in the air!
See? - Little house on the prairie.
After lunch, we went to uncle Dan, aunt Dana's and cousin Geneveve's house, just up the road. They had such a beautiful house, and two really cute dogs.
They were tiny, so tiny you could hold them like a puppy in your arms.. only they weren't puppy's.. but they really looked like puppies - they were clean and had young eyes.
I was sitting on the carpet by the fire, and one of the dogs jumped up in my face and just kept on licking it. A big kiss of love! I found out it was because I had just put on a layer of nivea creme in my face.. but it was licking me for 5 minutes or so.. and the family said he usually wasn't so friendly with new guests.. so I think it was of love too!
I had to work on an application for a Danish scholarship, so I missed gathering with the family for one of my favorite Disney movies - Tangled :/
But I worked hard on something important, so I don't feel bad missing it.. it just sucked not being able to relax a 100 % in my holiday.
That's life.
Saturday night was Christmas with grandparents and all the cousins. Tons of presents were under the tree. The grandparents and each of the aunt and uncle couples had been so kind to find something for me too. I got a really pretty and warm scarf from North face, body lotion and hand sanitizer, and a notebook from Malawi ! (the notebooks that were made from elephant poop ! :p .. they don't smell, or look gross.. they are really pretty and has a vintage/greasy looking color. They are good memories from my time in Malawi 7 years ago)..
In the notebook there were papers and envelopes. I think I will use it to write some letters to old friends <3
Sunday:
I went to aunt Dana and uncle Dan's church this morning. It was a Christian non-denominational church. It felt closer to home, just because there was a great focus on the worship songs and they were more like they are in the Salvation Army. Good experience.
I went to Walmart to look for a smartphone. My uncle offered a smartphone to my 18th birthday.. now that it's been almost 2 years, I finally found a good one, and a good reason to have one. I need it for school to record and listen to songs online all day - so that I don't push all my work towards the end of the day when I get back to my computer in my room! .. a GPS in the city would also be nice..
I looked at Samsung galaxy 3, which has an amazing deal for me. One that I don't have to bind myself to a contract for.
Bekah's uncle helped me to go to the story and talk with all the 'tech-people'! ;)
After that we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch.
Soo delicious!
Then we went to the movies and saw Frozen. Yay!
So Frozen was really good and there were some amazing songs. It's not a new favorite Disney.. I still like Tangled way more.
I think there are several reason:
1.) There are two main princess characters (really one, but you feel more empathy for the sister, because she is the one who has the biggest development of character, she is the one who fights for her goal - but she fights for her sister...which is the 'main character', and for the romance it's about her too - she is the princess who wins a prince by the end).
2.) The story is too complicated. It is awesome - but it would still take me 5 minutes to tell the story line, and just because there has been worked with so many themes, it is challenging for me to say what the movie is actually about.
3.) The songs aren't by Alan Menken.. not to say any other Disney movie not by Alan Menken isn't good (like The Hunchback of Notre dame, Brother Bear, Mulan).. but Menken just has the sparkle - and the ability to write a heartbreaking beautiful ballad for the main character. 'Let it go' was a good song - but had a more pop-rock feel to it, and it's not one that'll be used for musical theatre auditions.
*
The second part of the day, I took an hour-long nap (wow!) finished my work on the scholarship applications, had a delicious sea food dinner, sang Les Miserables songs for the family - with grandma Jean playing on the piano and grandpa Tom singing along in some of the duets! ;), prepped for the interview with Bekah tomorrow morning (one about our trip to Africa.. live on the local TV here in Wisconsin!)... and the curled back up in bed for some girl talk with Bekah and Sarah, and later on episodes of Grey's Anatomy. - I realized that's also what holiday should be like (just curling up in bed all day).. because when it's back to regular weekdays, you don't even have time to get sick - even in the weekends! There's just no time for it, if it does happen, you are kind of doomed (!).. so let this bed day make up for several sick days in the last bit of the semester.
*
Bedtime, and I continued reading the fairy tale from where Bekah finished off from one of our first nights, 'The Little Mermaid' (the original Hans Christian Andersen tale). Bekah was about to fall asleep, so we still haven't finished it.
The original Hans Christian Andersen version..
Even though we were tired, we fell into a deep talk reminiscing our life in Malawi.
We both really miss it. And we realized that there was a difference in this meeting together.. it was somehow different from what we'd expected. We thought we'd feel the memories of Malawi - 'The warm heart of Africa' so much closer to us.. but being together now, looking back - we realized that we had both grown up. The childhood that we were reminiscing about had passed. Most of the friends from Malawi had moved on in their lives - we wouldn't find them in the same place in SAINTS our high school.. they are all spread around the world now. And we have both been struggling to gather them all, meet and bring together what was to relive the memories.
But see - that's what they are now.. good memories.
We both lay in bed with this melancholic feeling.. sad to realize that it was a time long ago.
Our hearts hadn't had enough of Africa. That's what it is about Africa.
You can never have enough of Africa.
- I can't explain why.. so I won't even try.
But everyone who's been in Africa says that the time there was the best time of their life. And it really was - for me and Bekah.
I was reminded of how I cried myself to sleep every night for 6 months, because I longed so much to go back and because I missed the friends so much - the friends that I knew I'd made for a life-time. But most of all.. without exaggerating the fact that I, as a 13-year old would cry in my pillow every night .. for 6 months.. was because I missed the way life was lived there.
Africa is a place that you learn to love with all your heart. That part of my heart will never shrink. It seems more and more like young memories, yes, but a part of me will always be African.
And from that I learned how your best friends don't have to be by your side. It was difficult being away from them - especially because I came into a really bad class, where the students had no respect for each other and I was bullied every day .. probably because I didn't fall into either of the pop girl, rock boy or emo girl category (which was all the options for the stereotypes they had in my school).
But I pulled through, and all through that time I remembered my true friends.
And in the following summer holidays I saved up to visit the friends from Malawi around the world: Cyprus, England, Scotland, Holland ... and now USA ;)
Ever since I saw how leaving Malawi didn't kill me - but actually created some really strong friendship bonds for me, goodbyes have not been that difficult for me. I remember being in situations where I had to say goodbye to friends, who I didn't know when I'd see again.. or perhaps just for months.. maybe things like the last day of school in my primary and secondary schools in Denmark - the friends have cried in my face, feeling like this was the end of the world.. or for our friendship. But thinking like that was not even in my reach.
And I told them: "We'll see each other again. Sometime. Somewhere.
We'll make it happen. Our paths will cross again, because we're such good friends."
That's just the way the world works, honestly. There's nothing to worry about.
And when we miss each other.. we'll exchange letters and call and tell about our different lives from two different sides of the world.
I'll tell you a secret. - I have not missed a friend for a very long time - missed in a physically painful or heartbroken way. I sometimes wish I was in someone's company, yes. But actually crying because I miss someone, is something I haven't done for as long as I remember.
This is like with my family. I have only ever once cried from been homesick - the day I woke up in Manhattan, because it was new, overwhelming and I was scared. I have not missed my family like I did that day ever since. Not even at Christmas.
I would cry if a terrible accident happened, or the were really sad about something serious.
But not from just missing them.
Because they're in my heart and they are with me the whole time. So it is with all my friends.
That's what matters.
You just have to trust it.
Monday:
Bekah and I had our interview on live television, at weaunews (eau claire, Wisconsin) this morning at 10 am! Watch it here!
We were both really nervous, but we did a great job in the end, and Bekah's grandma was really proud :)
In the interview we talked about what our dad's job was in Africa and in which ways we saw that the people in the bushes needed help - especially in the hygiene and dental area.
We had 3 minutes on air, and it went smooth as we'd hoped. However, we both thought we looked really inconfident ourselves - but when we talked about it and saw it together, we both felt that the other person did a much better job ... which is funny. I think it was a lot of fun. First time on live air ;)
Only 4 months in USA, and I already made it to the big screen! :p
Bekah's grandma took us to a Starbucks treat. Gingerbread latte and banana bread, uuhhhm!
Look how the trees are all frosty!
As we were driving, I also found my home church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin!
There are several Salvation Army's nearby her house, Jean said.
We're already leaving to the next family's house this afternoon - where we shall celebrate New Year's.
*
Right now I am going outside to take a walk on the river .. which is pure ice. It's -20 degrees and But the trees by the river have a sharp ice white color, - frozen to the tip of the branches. They look beautiful, like they open up to a magical snow kingdom.It looks like steam comes up from the lake - but it is the warmer temperature meeting the ice on the lake. It looks like a national geographic picture - so I want to go get my own pictures! ;)
I want to build a snowman My favorite song from 'Frozen', now that I have the time, run and roll around in the snow, make snow angels for all my dear ones and eat the pure snow off the surface.
We walked from one side of the river to the other. At some points on the river, the layer of snow was almost iceberg hard, but not ice.. so instead of snow balls, we threw 'snowswords' at each other!
Bekah and cousins Geneveve and Sophia out on the ice!
The sun had a gorgeous winter shade
- covered up behind clouds and snow, but strong.
The river. Isn't it beautiful?
Geneveve and I thought of made cartwheels on the snow.
The first layer cracked beneath us. It was fun!
The footsteps on the first part of the river..
..where the snow was melting in layers.
Bekah quickly ran inside, because she wasn't wearing enough clothes
for this weather! - I on the other hand, sat on the bench for quite some minutes.
I have not experienced this kind of quiet for months!
Before our trip further up on the road to the next state of this adventure - Minnesota, we went to the mall to get some things. Bekah has been dealing with snow boots that has wholes in them.. which I don't even want to imagine.. so we will be looking for snow boots.
The sales at the mall was amazing! Tempting. First time I have gone shopping in the states! This is actually not a joke - even though I have been living in New York city for 4 months.. no, I hadn't yet been shopping!
I got three things:
- a peppermint hand soap for $3 (I love the smell)
- a Disney t'shirt with Ariel - $10 (wow the prize and wooow one of my favorite princesses!)
- a pair of shorts made of jeans material for $0.97! (the prize is kind of ridiculous.. especially because I have been wanting a pair of those kind of shorts forever!)
We finished this trip in Wisconsin on TGI Fridays - a VERY AMERICAN restaurant.. that I had not yet been to. I got a VERY AMERICAN hamburger.
Tummy - be blessed!!
So one minor detail I forgot to mention is that it has been up to -20 degrees (-30 celsius!) these days.
Strange - I couldn't actually feel much of a difference when it got to the degrees below. The cold is so dry, that it's hard to tell when it gets colder. I couldn't feel the knifes daggering into my bones so much - mostly because I had the best winter's wear that any mankind could wish for!
On the other hand, I could feel the cold when I inhaled. I think I took my asthma spray like 5 times today. If I took too deep of a breath I was in trouble. It was like my lungs were freezing from the inside. And when I wasn't wearing my gloves, I discovered how hard and almost frozen my fingers got in no time - just walking from the car in the garage to the door of the house.
..And when we were outside playing in the snow, I had my hair loose. After throwing snow in the air, showering over our heads, I noticed that the snow that had laid on my hair had turned to ice-cycles, that stuck my hair together.. as if I had stuck it together with honey. My hair stood out like frozen sticks... I thought was really funny.. and interesting.
So, yeah, you learn something new every day.. in the cold.
Just like this (prepare to fall off your chair in laughter - I know you will dad!):
So what happened was it came to an end of the day and I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I went to apply what I thought was tooth past onto my tooth brush. Thought it tasted a bit funny - kind of like soap. But I figured it was the 'American flavor'. But I lived through the night, without thinking further about it.
The next day I woke up at 5 am with a searing ache in my tummy, that made me unable to go back to sleep again.. the tummy ache lasted till 6 pm the same day. I thought it was my left kidney complaining about all the fat and sugar I'd been having over the Christmas holiday.
The following night, I brushed my teeth with the same "tooth paste" that I'd used the night before. Again, I tasted the funny soap flavor. Tonight I was more awake than the night before, and I wasn't tired enough to just bear with it.
At the same moment, I heard Donghee, the exchange student in the Bartz family, asked loudly "Is this toothpaste?". And I heard Lucy reply from the next room "NOOO! That is acne cream!". Donghee, the lucky girl, had escaped from the full experience - she quickly spat out the "tooth paste" in the sink, where I was standing next to her.. with a very uncomfortable feeling. EUWWW!
Through all the pain and suffering . We can all laugh about it now .
In our defense, it had nothing to do with English being our second language.. aunt Laura almost used the same acne cream as tooth paste that morning!
Maybe I should start reading what's on the package.
*
In the car on the road.. we are watching 'Beauty and the Beast' <3(best.movie.ever!)
We crossed the Mississippi river to go to the new state Minnesota. I thought that was a pretty cool moment of our trip.
Now, in the house of Kroll's. 5 boys in the family.. 3 of their friends.. and then us girls. A big contrast to all the girl cousins in Wisconsin.
Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite!
X
That was quite a high slope...bigger than I imagined it without photo:) so fun!!! Great pictures of a great time. Nostalgia of yesteryear for me.
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