The End...

All our bags are packed... we're ready to go... (Get it? Like the song...?)

Anyways.. I don't really have much time/energy to do much of a final post after cleaning and packing all day long, but I thought I would at least drop in and let you all know that if everything goes as planned Ryan and I will be in Minnesota around 5:30 pm tomorrow. So exciting and sad at the same time!

Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year all around the world, and I am certainly glad that we will be leaving this seemingly eternal darkness. Despite my sadness for having to leave, that is one thing I know I will not miss. The official time of sunrise for tomorrow here in Lulea will be 9:55 a.m. and the official sunset time will be 1:03 p.m. In case you don't feel like doing the math yourself, that means that there will only be three hours and eight minutes of "daylight" here tomorrow. That's assuming, of course, that it doesn't decide to be overcast and snowy like it did today.

I didn't really mind though. I found it fitting that we never saw the sun today as we packed our things away and said our good-byes... because as happy as we both are to be coming home to see all of our friends and family who we've missed terribly for the past four and half months... we're equally as sad to be leaving the wonderful life we've led in Sweden. It is a bittersweet ending in every way possible.

Thank you for everyone who was interested enough to read this blog over the past few months. I've enjoyed posting on it, I hope you've enjoyed reading it. I haven't quite decided if I'll keep blogging once we get home. Right now I'm leaning towards yes, but we will have to see. It has been a wonderful way to keep friends and family who we don't see on a regular basis updated on our life... So check back soon! I'll hopefully start posting as soon as the madness that will be the holidays settles down in a couple weeks and we're moved into our new place in Duluth.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we start our travels bright and early tomorrow at 4:30 a.m.

Peace, Love, and Merry Christmas!
-The Bogarts

Oh hey, Christina... you suck at life.

Well, as promised, here is the update from the phone interview I was supposed to have last week for an internship position in Duluth:

It never happened...
The End.

That's right boys and girls... I never even got a chance to interview for the position. Again. Not that I should've expected anything different... but remember, I tend to get my hopes up. Silly me. Maybe this time I'll actually learn my lesson.

So here's what happened... The guy who emailed me almost two weeks ago now asking about my availability for last week said he was "booked" until Wednesday but would email me later in the week to set something up for either Thursday or Friday. I didn't hear back from him... and I still hadn't heard anything back from him after yesterday, so I decided to send him a quick email this morning expressing my interest in the position and wondering if I could interview this week. Apparently "booked" was code for "we filled the position with someone who interviewed at UMD" and they didn't think it was necessary to interview me or even email me in a timely manner to tell me that.

Well, that's all I know today folks. I suppose I should get back to studying so I can do well on my finals even though good grades obviously aren't enough to get me an internship...

Peace, Love, and a few tears from Lulea
-Christina

Whoo Hoo!!! Interviewwwww!!!

Friends/Family/Cyber World.... I have some VERY VERY VERY big news to share with you all!

I have a phone interview next week!!! Eeeeek!!! Whoo hoo!! 

*Gets up to dance around a little bit more*

Yes, I realize that to many of you this may not seem like that big of a deal... but to little ole me who is distinctly lacking any sort of internship or real world chemical engineering experience after three and a half years of college under her belt... it is a HUGE deal! Plus, it's something I'm actually interested in doing!

The company is called Eka Chemicals, and the location I'd be working at is in Duluth. The branch of the company in Duluth specializes in producing chemicals for the pulp and paper industry (did I mention I took a class on that last semester?), but they also dabble in a wide variety of other things as well. Ready for the coolest part? The company was first founded in Sweden (the country I currently reside in, duh!) by Alfred Nobel (I've been to his museum in Stockholm, no big deal)! And their headquarters is located in Gothenburg... the city I just happen to be visiting this weekend! How cool is that? Like really, could they find a candidate that is better suited for this internship? I think not....

Which, actually, is precisely my problem... You see, I have this tendency to get my hopes up about things like this. Every single job or internship I apply for I just automatically assume that they want to hire me. I mean, why wouldn't they? I'm Christina! Hahaha and even after three unsuccessful summers of applying for internships and not getting so much as a phone interview, I still let myself get my hopes up. I don't really know why... especially since it is just as crushing to be rejected on your seventh attempt at a big girl job as it is on your first. Perhaps even more-so...

What I'm really trying to say is that I'm no where near actually getting this job, but I'm just excited to be given a chance to impress them with something more than my eight years of experience working at Cafe Zona Rosa.   Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm not beyond thankful for having a guaranteed means of income every summer, it's just that most companies who are looking to hire chemical engineers don't really care about my extensive knowledge of Mexican food and tequila. Good thing I got myself a perky personality and some intense interview skills thanks to my three-year stint in Business Professionals of America! 

Well, before I start rambling with excitement too much more... I suppose I'll just end this post. Not much more to say anyway... all that's left to do is sit and worry and wait it out until next week. Except maybe a small request? Could you all please keep me in your thoughts and prayers throughout the next few weeks? I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance! I'll update you all when there's more to be said. :)

Now it's off to bed to get rested for Gothenburg tomorrow! I love my life.

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Peace, Love, and Paychecks!

-The Bogarts