Ten Weeks and Counting

The countdown has begun. In less than ten weeks, I'll be in Stockholm. And to channel my interior Chandler Bing, could I BE any more excited? I'm hoping to start up regular posts now and increase their frequency as the trip approaches. Tune in for much more from me. Yeah, I'm probably going to drown you in everything Sweden by the end of this summer, so get ready.

My main goal in today's post is just to outline a little bit about why I'm going to Sweden. When I applied for this project about a year and a half ago, the trip was originally designed for Helsinki, Finland. At the end of last summer, the organizers switched it to Stockholm. While I was a little disappointed in the change--and my need to purchase a second Lonely Planet travel guide--I have come to realize that Sweden offers a much greater depth of study for me. And that's the main goal of this experience: to broaden and deepen global understanding for both myself and my students. According to our program's web page, I'll be involved in an immersion experience "framed with technology projects that encourage connections with Swedish educators, collections of Swedish cultural artifacts, and reflections on Swedish culture." So, what does that really mean? You'll have to tune in to my blog to see it in action.

Stockholm Underground

If you know me, you know that I love all things cultural. I can even trace back and find those critical moments in my life that set me on this path. When I read Madeleine L'Engle's The Arm of the Starfish as a child, the setting of that story overwhelmed me, and I knew one day I would travel those same locales in Portugal. I'm still waiting on that day, by the way. Just after high school, when I had the incredible opportunity to visit Great Britain and Mexico back-to-back, I finally realized the thrill of travel and exploring new places. Then when I took my first sociology class as a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill, I knew that I had found the subject I wanted to spend the rest of my life studying. Now, as I'm closing out my 14th year of teaching Sociology at Millbrook High School, I feel like there's a whole world of knowledge still out there for me to learn--and I want nothing more than to bring it back to my students. Through all my travels, readings, and professional development, this program to Sweden is the best opportunity for me dig deep into a cultural study.

I'm already well under way with my preparations. We have met on two Saturdays so far at NC State to train and prepare. One of my Sociology classes created an exhibit at Millbrook's International Festival last month focused on cultural sustainability and Sweden. I'm working with a secondary teacher in Sweden to connect our students and study the topics of world religions and Islamophobia together. I promise more details on these efforts in later posts. I'm reading multiple books, listening to Swedish music (lots of ABBA, a little Eagle Eye Cherry), and following along on Instagram (all the pictures I posted today are from @stockholm_insta). I want to squeeze the most out of this opportunity as possible. My ultimate hope is that all of my friends and family find themselves saying to someone, "Oh, you're going to Sweden? I know this guy that you've got to talk to..."

I appreciate all the encouragement and support that I have received from my family, friends, colleagues, students, and parents. I have been raising support to offset some of my travel costs, and I am very thankful for those who have contributed. If you're still interested, here is the link to my GoFundMe campaign.