You're Moving Where?

     So, I guess this is it. After writing  scientific and personal logs for my NOAA Teacher at Sea cruise last summer, and maintaining my PolarTREC journal for the past 13 months, it's finally time for me to start a blog for me. My reasons are mostly selfish - I've been so busy with all these crazy changes in my life over the past month that every time I have a minute to spend with my friends or family, all I  seem to do is babble on about my upcoming job change and move to Sweden.  I hope to use this blog as a way to share the ups and downs of the next part of my life's journey with you.
    Here's the basic update: first I have a 3 week vacation trip to Sweden, then a short time back home, then I make the big move! On June 27th, I fly to Copenhagen, Denmark and take a short train ride to Malmo, Sweden. I'll travel to Landskrona, where I hope to visit the icebreaker Oden and see my friends who are aboard the ship while it is in dry dock. I sense a PolarTREC journal coming soon about this! And I will visit some important family sites, like the church where my grandparents were married! Then I'll travel to Gothenberg, Jonkoping (where I will see my new school and hope to find an apartment,) Granna (to see a cool polar museum) and finish in Stockholm.On July 13th, I start my trip home, with a 24 hour layover  in Madrid Spain. I arrive home on July 15 for a few weeks of road trippin' around Cali with my good friend, singer songwriter Hugo Duarte as he performs at house concerts . We'll be in LA the first weekend, then San Diego, then Northern California.
     On July 31, I fly out of LAX to move to Jonkoping, Sweden to take a position as Academic Coordinator (administrative) at the International English School in Jonkoping. It is a medium sized town at the southern  tip of Lake Vattern in central southern Sweden, about 90 minutes by train or car east of Gothenberg. See the link below for information about the school. It is a year-to-year position, with no end date. I have taken a one year leave from LAUSD which can be extended for 2 more years.  Sooo - we'll just see how this adventure plays out. Yes, I will be learning to speak Swedish. Yes, I will be ready for visitors soon (when I find a place to live!) Yes, I will visit my friends in Goteberg after I am settled. Yes, I will visit my great aunt in Copenhagen and mom's cousins in various places around the country. And, yes, I hope to make it back to the US (Key West) in November for Meeting of the Minds.
     And, yes, I am excited, nervous, thrilled, worried, happy, scared, stressed, and grateful - and emotional about all of this. I've been on my share of travels and adventures, but this one promises to be the biggest one yet.