Crayfish friday

I have been fishing for an invitation to the 30th jubilee of SWEA and crayfish party… today it came. :) Emmy and friends are invited it said. Emmy and friends. Nice! So me and Therese are going friday. Also coming up. Saturday there is an architecture exhibit in the park. Hundreds of participants build real houses during a week, and compete over who is most environmental friendly. And they live in their own houses all week.

Btw, Anders Borg stopped by the office today. Didn't get to meet him thought. Maybe next time.

Other interesting facts. Today I finally managed to install the swedish keyboard on my computer. I also went to jailbreak my phone in a dodgy mall. It didn´t work. So I called Anders and cried for a few minutes. Then it worked! Magic!

It was so humid outside today I actually got heat rashes all over my legs. Nice!

Atleast work was fun today, as always.

And the fun continues...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ECi6WJpbzE

Overdose; the next financial crisis
Read it and wheep!

Swedish club

I was at the Pentagon city mall all day today. Spent a little bit too much money but got nice stuff. More interesting; when me and Therese walked from Starbucks I looked up and saw the Swedish Minister of Finance Anders Borg walking past us. Without thinking I just said "Hej hej Anders!", and he said "Hej Hej" back. Know I am thinking I should have invited him to the House of Sweden, but it´s too late for buts now. What is done is done.

Got home, looked at my internet bank, cried a little, went for a run, made all this week´s lunch boxes, drank some wine, forgot about my over spending. I will make up for it next month.

Don´t worry grandpa, I am still on track.

For the remaining week, I am waiting for the invitation for the 30th jubilee of SWEA, an international women´s organization. Hopefully I´ll get a lot of work done during the week and friday is spent mingling with experienced and interesting women.

Stay tuned. Have a productive week

/E

One week and random impressions

Greetings earthlings! One week almost has passed here and I am starting to adapt. I dont really feel like writing this today, I would rather sleep, but I know that some of you think I am already a poor communicator so here we go.

I was thrown into work and fun already on the first day. Great freedom comes with great responsibility and I am expected to handle and develop communication between the chambers and the members in all directions, and at the same time increase the membership value through a project called deals and discounts for example. I have big shoes to fill but and I´m very exited to be apart of the team. Thursday was an event day. It started when our new trainee from American University Jordan came to the office. He is going to work with me and secure that our american is correct in our communication, as an editor. Me and Jordan went to the Retech convention in Walter E Washington convention center to shake out the exhibition and report back on any Swedish companies within Renewable Energy Technology that have business with the United States. We got an interview with Bruks, a swedish owned company and part of the JCE group. It´s quite an interesting corporation. You should check it out!

During the afternoon we went back to the House of Sweden to attend the Swedish Export Councils SAGA-event, Swedish American Green Alliance, and listen to speakers such as Ewa Björling, the swedish trade minister. It was a very nice event, with all kinds of weird appetizers and networking people. Lobbyist, trade organizations, government representatives, hungry people. I tried a drink. It had vodka and cucumber in it, in line with the green theme, but I wouldn´t recommend it. I met with a lady that ran a website called swedish scene, which reports about the swedish social life in DC and some nice people from Saab North America. They are expanding and need market developers so if you know anyone….

When I looked down at myself crossing the bridge that thursday morning, I realized my blouse was see through. So, I was forced to wear the only thing available, a knitted sweater, to the Retech, the SAGA and the mingle. Mind Note!: From here on, always wear a jacket to work.

Yesterday we went out after work. After looking for 30 min, we found a New Orleans restaurant on U street and 14th called Marvin. We ate chicken and waffles, tradition soul food and it had spinach, waffles, fried chicken and maple syrup. I will never eat that again. With that I had a DC brew. That I can recommend. After Dinner, the four of us, Jordan, Johan and Therese and me, went on to Local 16s, a roof top bar playing everything from ACDC to Cynthia Looper. We where there joined by a couple of the guys' roommates, Mike and Sebastian, and we went on to a club, and then later another salsa club (kind of).

Coming up!

Tomorrow I am going to the Pentagon City Mall to look at mobile plans, jackets and dresses.

I have also found a soccer team, both boys and girls, that never practice and play games on saturdays. Perfect! Their first game is actually while I write this, but I have an October fest to go to tonight. They promised big beers and garden bonfires. :)

Yesterday when I asked Jordan, who is from Michigan, which country Michigan is most similar to. He thought for a while, and then answered Poland. I asked why. He said because it is cold and rainy, and nobody likes it. :)

I guess you all are out having fun back in Sweden. So when you read this, Good morning!

Let me know when you are all coming ;)

Until next time

Yao

Good day peeps. This morning I woke up two hours late. This meant I slept 13 hours, I forgot to set my alarm, and that I missed two meetings. I got to work and they took it quite ok. Have to make up for that in a way, maybe I´ll come extra early tomorrow.

The rest of the day went fine. I had an appointment at the apple store at one and after explaining my phone problems for the 20th time, he looked at me… and gave me a new iphone. Just like that. Without a warranty and with a big smile. I love Apple Store in Georgetown, and the little guy from russian studies who gave me the phone. Telenor wanted 2300 kr to fix it back home and I didnt accept. I hope someone at Telenor sees this and thinks extra hard about their service policy.

After work me, Therese and Johan, the other trainees, went to the embassy gym. After 2 km on the treadmill I ran in to the swedish ambassador and reached out my sweaty palm to say hello. He looked surprised, but what can you do men you only get on first impression. He was sweaty too so that made everything a little less embarrassing.

On the way home I got lost in my thoughts and all of a sudden I missed my exit and stood a few meters away from three "svarta" guys with Marijuna and guns. I slowly backed out of that situation and managed to save a runner passing buy from meeting her destiny. She said, and I quote: "Todays america - its only drugs and guns!", and then kept running.

A little later I was home and I plugged my iphone in the computer and accidentally find the back-up from my old phone, the one I thought Anders had erased a month ago. I once again missed the appointment with the landlord but I am hoping for tomorrow.

I hope you are all fine.

Until next time

ps. I took some pictures of my way from work with the new phone but they got erased when I uploaded the backup on it. No harm. I´ll get new ones tomorrow.

Back to business

9 o'clock here and I am finished, tired, kaputt! My morning walk to school was magic. The trip down Lee highway and over the Key bridge in the drizzle offered a nice view over potomac river, Georgetown University and M-street, the main street in Georgetown. From the bridge I could see University rowing teams out on their morning practice, tons of bicycles on both sides of the river and the House of Sweden down the river on the pier. The office is a swedish bubble, with swedish allover; words, art and people, and the House of Sweden is a designer building worthy of the swedish brand. SACC-USA is not worse. The little charming office, my home for the next 12 months, makes for a promising start. After an intro, I met with the washington chamber, and their president, and then we went to lunch close by. I left around 4 in order to fix my phone and everything else on the list. 2 hours later I was lost and since I was carrying both computer, shopping bags, and too much clothes, I was not the happiest cookie in the jar. 30 min late to a skype-date with Anders I finally stepped inside the door and here I am. DEVISTATED!

Good day today

Ciao

E

Welcome to D.C.

Family, friend and foe!

Good morning to you all and welcome. I woke up at 5.30 this morning when my roommate went to work and reality hit me. Yesterday I left Gothenburg at 9.00 in the morning after saying goodbye to my wonderful Anders. The flight was long and boring and they did not serve enough food. (Hint British airways). Starting with paying 400 kr extra for the overweight bag I flew to Heathrow, sitting beside an older woman, terrified of flying. After solving the cross-word puzzle in svenska dagbladet I was then her therapist for the remaining flight time. Inspite of arriving to the same terminal as my plan to DC I had to go with underground transit subways to get to my gate. Very "day-after-tomorrow". By then I smelled like curry after 2 hours in line for safety checks in the middle of little India. Well on the plane to DC Dulles I sat right in the middle, between a woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder who kept washing her hands in hand sanitizer, and a pakistan woman who kept giving all her food to me. I didn´t take it, and so I went hungry instead.

8 hours later I arrived, with all of my baggage in order. I took a taxi to town, and at 8 local time, I rang the bell of the apartment where I have rented a room for the entire year. Jessica, a 25 year old 5th grade teacher, opened the door and we went late-night furniture shopping at Target. Bought some nice stuff, aiming for that true american feeling ;). You will see pictures of my room. I have a fullsize (dubbelsäng) bed that folds into a couch so there is plenty of space for anyone to come visit. Other than that the apartment looks great and I live in Rosslyn, 10 min walk over Key Bridge, potomac river, to Georgetown, where I work.

It is now around 7 am and I am thinking about going to work. I still need to buy a phone, chords and stuff, and hopefully the guys at work know more. If they are there. I didn´t call them yet so it will be a surprise, to them and me.

Stay calm, pictures will come. But first thing is first. I need to hook me up with some electronics.

During my year as an intern at the Swedish American Chambers of Commerce Inc. I hope to enlighten those of you who are interested in my whereabouts, my thoughts and my experiences through this site. My hope is that this blog will inspire many of you to come visit me or at least that you do not loose hope for your friend in the west. Stay in touch and good luck on all of your own adventures. I would love to hear about them.

Hoping for a magnificent year!

I will soon be back with more. When I do, you can register to get an email through the link on the left.

Welcome everyone to this one-year tour and welcome Emmy to Rosslyn and D.C.!

Yours truly