Sweden is a country located in the east of the Scandinavian peninsula. Apart from this, for me Sweden is synonymous of strong patriotism and magical traditions. Their culture is typically Nordic and I personally love this kind of traditions. Cold countries have always fascinated me since I was a child so, for me, having the opportunity of spending a week with Swedish people was the most beautiful Christmas gift I could ever receive.

Our journey, I’m talking about me and other five of my schoolmates, started on 12^th December from Malpensa Airport. We took the plane and two hours and half later we were in Stockholm. I had never seen so much snow: everything was white and this conveyed a sense of total peace of mind. Moreover, if you looked at the houses, their colours and shape, it looked as if we were in Santa Claus’ village. It was incredible!

Meeting our hosts was on the one hand terrifying, because we wanted to make a good impression and on the other very exciting because our adventure had really started. I was lucky: the Lidefelt family was very kind and patient to me; they know Italy and its culture and tradition, so they explained everything to me making comparisons with my hometown. Emma, the thirteen-year-old girl who hosted me, was very intelligent and nice and that week I became jealous of her English: in Sweden they all speak it very fluently.

The Swedish school system is totally different from ours, but pretty interesting, too. They made a lot of practical activities: home economics, music, handicraft and do-it-yourself. I tried each of these subjects and my opinion is that they are very useful, especially the cooking lab: it teaches you what to do when you’re at home alone. Personally I go into panic when there’s no one who cooks for me.

I also fell in love with the city of Stockholm: colourful buildings and big bridges on the river; it seemed to be in a film of the 50’s. Besides, Christmas lights and snow made it look romantic; having a walk in the Old Town and visiting the Christmas market was relaxing. Museums were very interesting, too. We visited the “Skansen” and “Vasa” museums. The second one is undoubtedly my favourite: looking at this big ship was nice and lots of fun: when I was a child I wanted to be a pirate!

Swedish food is also tasty! Well, except for the porridge we ate at the canteen. It’s a typical dish with rice, milk and cinnamon. I didn’t like it at all. On the contrary, I appreciated salmon, meatballs with berry sauce and Swedish tea: they drink it more often than water. At night, after dinner, my host family and I had a chat sitting at the table with a cup of tea: it’s the best way to spend time instead of watching TV or just staying in your bedroom by yourself. In Sweden, they get up early, but they go to bed early, as well: we usually went to bed at 10 p.m.

I think that this kind of experiences helps you to grow up and it helped me a lot: getting to know another culture is the best way to understand that you’re not alone in the world and maybe you could appreciate your home and your way of living more. Meeting new people, not only Swedish, but also Greek, German, Polish and Romanian broadened my mind. I made lots of new friends, especially a Greek girl, and I came into contact with new ideas, some of which were totally unknown to me. I really hope to go back to Sweden one day, maybe to attend university in such a fantastic country.