Home in Sweden for the Holidays: A Week Before Christmas - Week 17

Coming home to Sweden and being with family has been nothing short of a blessing. After a busy and intense semester in the U.S., I’ve found so much comfort in familiar faces and routines. Honestly, parts of me doesn’t want to go back...

One of the highlights this week was reconnecting with my grandparents from both sides of the family. I’m truly grateful they made time to visit—it was so special to catch up with them after being away for so long. Spending time with my extended family reminded me just how much I’ve missed these moments, even though we have been communicating via internet.

I also managed to squeeze in a few swim practices with my home team and two gym session before falling under the weather. I wasn’t super sick, but I had a headache, a sore throat, and just felt a bit off. Despite this, it was great to get back in the water, even if only for a short while. This was probably also the best time to get sick as I was not under any obligtion to swim or practice.

Not having classes has been a welcome change. I’ve enjoyed the freedom to focus on myself and tackle things at my own pace. One of my tasks this week was fixing the internet at home. As both dad and mom work from home at times this is curcial for them—it’s funny how certain things wait for you to return!

I brought back a lot of American gifts and goodies for my family, including some fun candies. Let’s just say they weren’t exactly fans of everything, especially the cinnamon candies, but I think some of it grew on them—my dad included just not the cinnamon candies. Wrapping Christmas presents was another small but meaningful task, reminding me of how much joy these traditions bring and what a blessing it is to have a family to spend it with.

This week has been a perfect mix of rest, reconnection, and small but memorable moments. As much as I’ve loved my time abroad, nothing quite compares to being home for the holidays.