I made it to Sweden at what the clock said was 4pm, but to my body it felt like the middle of the night. Apparently, jet lag from flying halfway across the world after excessive graduation celebrations is absolutely horrendous. Thus, I spent the first day of my trip passed out in my dorm room until 9 pm. This was probably not my best decision ever since it seems to have only prolonged the jet lag.

Aside from jet lag and a bit of rain today, my time in Stockholm has been wonderful. I met people at the hostel last night and went out to a bar that was the perfect amount of dive-y. I even sang karaoke for the first time; after all, no one there would ever see me again so it didn’t matter if I made a fool of myself, but it was wonderfully fun. In case anyone was wondering if you put four Americans in a Swedish bar and have them sing Dancing Queen everyone finds it hilarious.

Today was spent exploring the city, rain and all. Since I’m still fighting jet lag the morning was slow, breakfast at the hostel, and then out to look for food after another accidentally long nap. This jet lag really is killing me. The best part of today was making it down to the waterfront to go to the modern art museum. I finally got to sit down and draw for a few hours, something I haven’t been able to do since before the new year. I know it doesn’t seem like much, and I really haven’t done a whole lot by the books, but the experiences I’ve had in this first day of traveling alone have been wonderful. I’ve learned how to start conversations with strangers, be it at the hostel where it’s easier or at a restaurant. I’ve learned how to enjoy going out to eat alone and I’ve learned to say no when I don’t want to join someone. All in all, my first 24 hours in Stockholm have been a success.