Thank you, Sweden

Dear Sweden,

I never would’ve thought that our time together would pass so quickly. It seems like it was yesterday when I was buying my plane ticket to come here. To some extent, these past 4 months are, in short, the representation of the cycle of life; everything goes by so quickly.

And whenever we grow, we as well acquire new experiences. I know growing can be scary; it’s stepping into the unknown without having the certainty of what’s going to happen next or if things are going to be alright, but it’s really beautiful when you have the courage to try something different, because regrets happen when you actually have the opportunity to do something and still, somehow, you don’t do it.

The thing is that there comes a time in everyone’s life when you realize you don’t want to live with fear no more, and no matter how scared I am, I don’t want to get to the point where I’ve grown up and look back to realize that there were many things that I could’ve done but didn’t do, because I’ve had many regrets in life, and I didn’t want for this to be one of them. So when the opportunity came, I knew exactly where I wanted to go; Finland.

I know, you were not my first choice (I apologize for that), but sometimes life has this funny way of putting yourself where you need to be, when you need to be, at the right place and at the right time.

I wouldn’t change anything and I would choose you, every single time, because it turns out that we’re a better match than I could’ve ever imagined. And when I think of you, I know that you are more than my first visited country in Europe, you are the place where I grew up in so many ways I couldn’t even write them all in one article. I love how you gained a piece of my heart every day that passed by, because with you, everyday had a new adventure, a new place to go, something new to learn, new people to connect with, and I’ll remember you for that for the rest of my life.

But as wonderful and beautiful as you are, now I have to say goodbye to you. Not because I want to, but because I have to, because that’s what happens in life; everyone grows up and moves on, cities change, and the people that once lived there now are gone.

Although I may not be here, I still want you to remember me, that’s why I leave this letter behind in the hopes that when you’ll read it, you realize how much you did for me, and yes, I’ve always been pretty nostalgic about goodbyes (because I somewhat always hope that things remain the same), but I know I’m privileged to say goodbye to you.

And I think that there’s no better way to say goodbye than to thank you for everything that you did for me, every experience I had and every person I met, because I know now more than ever, that I can do anything that I set my mind to.

So thank you.

Thank you for welcoming with open arms a really excited (and scared) Mexican boy.

Thank you for being my first exchange experience.

Thank you for being the first place I lived by myself.

Thank you for allowing me to realize what true independence is like.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn to be patient.

Thank you for showing me your beautiful society.

Thank you for teaching me how to survive cold weather.

Thank you for showing me what a good work/school-life balance looks like.

Thank you for teaching me how to deal with culture shocks.

Thank you for opening my mind to new cultures and languages.

Thank you for teaching me your beautiful language.

Thank you for allowing me to practice and improve my French.

Thank you for teaching me that I can learn from my mistakes.

Thank you for allowing me to discover a new hobby; chess.

Thank you for teaching me that Lagom is more than just a word, it’s a way of living.

Thank you for teaching me that fika is not about the food, but about the people you’re with.

Thank you for allowing me to step into the unknown and discover new things, places, people.

Thank you Emmy from Hemmakväll for always being there when I needed to talk.

Thank you Leah for always welcoming me with a smile and being a good person.

Thank you Yasin for always having a good attitude and being yourself.

Thank you Moritz for showing me what a good friend is like.

Thank you Hannah for showing me that friendships can also be built in a short time.

Thank you Ines for being so cool even if I make a mistake.

Thank you Lisa for giving me confidence in the photoshoot.

Thank you, unknown person from the second floor at JIBS for watching my magic tricks and talking with a stranger about life for like an hour when you were studying for the exam.

Thank you for allowing me to connect with new people in many different languages.

Thank you, Kunskapsfabriken, for being a very beautiful home.

Thank you Loreleigh and Briana for believing in me to be a writer.

Thank you to the whole team of EDIT for being a wonderful magazine.

Thank you for the life lessons you gave me.

Thank you for being a safe space.

Thank you for teaching me how to manage my time.

Thank you for teaching me how to cross a city walking.

Thank you for teaching me the beauty of discovering new places.

Thank you for the beauty of not knowing what you will do tomorrow.

Thank you mom and dad for making this possible, I love you.

Thank you to everyone I met.

Thank you for everything I did.

Thank you for everything I learned.

Thank you for everything

Thank you, Sweden

And don’t worry, we’ll see each other again. I’ll call you.

Writer: Braulio Monforte

International