Hej då Sverige
Over the past year, I’ve been blessed to be an exchange student studying at Uppsala University. I’ve gotten to take interesting classes, meet memorable friends, and absorb a years worth of Swedish culture that quickly became apart of my daily life. Uppsala was once a foreign land to me. However, after experiencing the highs and lows of this city, university, and culture over the course of the year, Uppsala has become home.
Looking back at the year in blog posts, I’m quick to notice the steady theme of A) “This is awesome, such unique experiences!” and B) “This is awesome, but where has the time gone?!”. After initially getting settled in, the months couldn’t have passed any quicker as it feels like the greatest yet fastest year of my life. It’s almost as if I only said goodbye at SFO a few weeks ago, yet the memories made and adventures experienced seem far too many to fit in the short 10 months since arriving. I enjoyed each week as it passed, and never thought June would actually come. However, as my final days in Uppsala finally came, it hit me like a train that the end has arrived and I finally have to say goodbye to Uppsala. Slowly friends began to leave, classes ended, and I collected my ‘lasts’ of a year full of things I could have never pictured back in the states. Remarkably, I have survived a year abroad, and I am sad to say goodbye.
Although it sucks big time to say goodbye, I remind myself for what’s ahead and stay excited for all I have to look forward to. Call me an optimist, but I trust God has other things ahead of me. I am in awe of the memories and experiences Uppsala seemed to be oozing since I first arrived, and I still can’t believe that any of it just happened. In a way it feels as if it was just an extended holiday, or a dream where the excitement doesn’t end. While the last day in Uppsala is now behind me, and I don’t know when I will be back or when/if I will see any of my friends again, I look forward to the next step. Although I may not know what lies ahead long term as I begin to ponder the world beyond graduation, I know what’s before me today, and I can only hope the years to come will be filled with awesomeness, just as this past year in Uppsala has been. For now, as I write for the first time outside Sweden, I know I have many things to look forward to in the Summer that lies ahead. These include (in no particular order): live baseball games, Gilroy garlic fries, Hailey in America, a full Spencer house, Skye mastering the potty, Mexican food, In-N-Out, reliving my 21st in America, getting IDed, playing catch, Sol Food, Kirby, attempting to drive the Merc, catching up with old friends, and so much more.
As for now, I lie in my Munich hostel looking back at a year I can hardly believe just happened. Although it will be weird getting back to life in America, I am excited to be back home in California in TWO WEEKS. Until then, I will be traveling thru Germany and Czech as a last hurrah to top off this year and tap off my bank account. HURRAH!
The Final Countdown
The anticipation and excitment for and during this past week does not translate to words, but I’ll do my best for the Spencer family (AKA the few who actually read this blog) finally made their way over to the land of the midnight sun. It turned out to be everything and more I had been waiting for since I first set foot in Sweden, and a recurring thought during the long cold winter that had passed. The only problem was that the week went by too fast. Needless to say I enjoyed spending time with the family once again, and showing them around my Swedish home, or should I say it was fun to show Sweden to my goofy family. Surely we turned some heads on the Stockholm Metro as we sung “Uppsalalalala” to various tunes. Other highlights included showing them Uppsala, watching my dad’s face calculate the high Swedish prices, happy hour on the mini-deck till the sun finally set, and our many fika breaks throughout the day (even at the First Pressbyrån of Stockholm). On one of the final nights they were in town, we took a gorgeous dinner cruse around the Stockholm Archipelago where we saw thousands of nearly untouched islands with picturesque Swedish vacation homes dotting the shores. We proceeded to take hundreds of pictures here, which nearly all could be turned into a postcard. Unbelievable. Although the week went by in a flash, perhaps the longest hour I’ve spent in Sweden was spent outside the arrival gate at the airport as I waited for them to walk out. Eagerly waiting in my decked out Swedishized self, the reunion with Mom, Dad, Hailey, and Dena was priceless, and really put my whole experience here in perspective as I got to see my family for the first time in nearly a year.
Now that their trip has sadly come to an end, I am now faced with soaking up everything about Sweden I love before I leave this great country in a WEEK. Classes are finished, final exams are nearly over, and now begins with the unavoidable task of saying goodbye to friends and classmates who have shared this remarkable experience in Sweden with me. Although I am sure I will get to see many of my closer friends here one day in the future, I know this exchange year in Sweden will not be able to recreate itself in the same capacity it has revealed itself this past year. However I am confident going forward, although it wont be the same, that I will take what I have learned here with me and apply it to my life back home. SO, I take each day as a blessing, and for now I am enjoying Sweden before I start my long journey back home to the good ol USofA. 
Copenhagen and Back
With class once a week, and my time in Europe coming to an end, I took the opportunity this past weekend to get to Copenhagen, Denmark. Excluding Iceland (it’s too far away), I have now completed my Nordic tour of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. I even got to cover the wanna-be Nordic country of Estonia, but that doesn’t really count… It has been unbelievable to have covered so much ground while here and experiencing the many unique cultures, people, and traditions I’ve encountered. I am quite glad I have been able to see and experience a year in Sweden, while taking side trips here and there to get away and see the world. I’ve found that Swede’s and just about all other European studying in Uppsala look at me and all other non-European students like we are crazy, as we try to see every square inch of Europe we possibly can. For many residents of Europe, they know Europe isn’t going anywhere and choose to stay put in their respective town or exchange country for the most part. However those of us who have coughed up the money to sit on a plane for 10+ to get to Europe, we’ve taken every opportunity (as our schedule and wallet allow) to travel around Europe primarily because we don’t know when we’ll be back. With a little over one month left in Europe, and with a few more travel plans in sight, I am happy with what I’ve been able to see and experience, even tho I know theres much more to see. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to come back.
Anyway, Copenhagen was an awesome getaway to a city very similar to Sweden with a unique charm. Back in Sweden’s glory days, they owned Denmark, Norway, and Finland, but those days are long gone. However they are many jokes between the modern day peaceful countries. Traveling with my Swedish friend, we enjoyed poking fun at their oddly translated words and their funny language with words that require coughing up a hairball. But the city itself was awesome. Even in the rain and wind, I enjoyed walking around sightseeing till my feet were killing me, then I’d walk some more. Highlights included seeing the highly photographed Little Mermaid and her growing crowd of admirers, climbing the city hall tower for a breathtaking view, and simply roaming the colorful docks and cobblestoned streets. I even enjoyed hoping back to Sweden for a day trip to visit my friend in the other University town of Lund. On the return train ride back to Uppsala, I got pass through the picturesque Swedish country side with green pastures, small vacation homes, and countless lakes dotting the landscape. Not a bad way to travel, I think.
Back in Uppsala now, and I am now counting down the hours till the Spencer clan arrives in Sweden tomorrow. Looking forward to spending a week with them in Stockholm, and showing off my home of the past year. I am also starting to say my goodbyes to my favorite places, people, and things in Sweden as many of us are getting ready to leave in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, my first goodbye was to my sturdy bike that made it 10 months thru the snow and rain without any problems, but couldn’t make it the final weeks with a bad tire that isn’t worth getting fixed at this point. You will be missed dearly.
Valborg i Uppsala
It came, and it went. Perhaps the single most anticipated event in Uppsala for students has passed, and looking back at the week’s worth of festivities feels like a blur. Hundreds of thousands of students from all over Sweden and beyond poured into Uppsala for the student holiday that is Valborg in Uppsala. Elsewhere around Sweden, Valborg (the last of April) is a much smaller celebration with family that includes bon fires, champaign, and strawberries to celebrate that Spring has finally arrived. However in Uppsala, traditions have run wild and the student life has turned this one day holiday into a week long party with things I won’t be able to experience anywhere else.
Such things include getting sprayed head to toe in Champaign, in what is known as the ‘Champagnegalopp’. In the states, you need to have won a World Series or Super Bowl to partake in the spraying of champaign. However in Uppsala, this is a yearly tradition open to all. Following the traditional hat wave and speech by the chancellor at the library, students are set free to head to the nations to buy some Champaign, spray sed Champaign all over your friends, and dance like a crazy person in a sea of restless students on a dance floor made of broken Champaign bottles. Unfortunately, no one told me wearing my rainbow sandals might be a bad idea there. Oh well, a little battle wound couldn’t stop me.
Actually, on Valborg, it seemed nothing would stop you from the day long party, not even sleep. This meant Collin and Co. woke up with the sun to stake out a seat by the river to watch the annual boat races. Well, I wouldn’t call it a race, more of a parade of hand made boats down the river, with the finnish line being the sloped waterfall. Seeing that the boats were made of foam by non engineering students, a surprising amount of the boats floated, and some even survived the waterfall! Themed boats included spongebob, snus, duct tape, lobsters, USSR ship, and my favorite – a North Korean submarine equipped with missile (that was ‘launched’ just before the waterfall drop).
The overall vibe in town was one I had never felt before as students lined the streets and parks of the city creating crowds I would only see at a music festival, except without the music. This was a massive party, partly celebrating the arrival of Spring time, and partly to simply get out and have a good time. The quiet university town seemed to be transformed by night as DJs, bands, and random iPod speakers filled the air around town. BBQ, fresh strawberries, champaign, or more likely a brew were the menu of choice as I joined the thousands of others to ensure you could not see a foot of grass in the huge student park. I am also proud in the fact that relaxing in the park and joining in the festivities led to my first sunburn *GASP* in quite a while. Looks like my pale Swedishized winter skin forgot what the warmth of the sun felt like… oh man. The day continued with a similar theme, and ended with massive bon fires around town.
Such a day of festivities in Uppsala could not be summed up in one day. Although Valborg was the highlight, the days before were filled with parties, BBQs, bon fires, and relaxing to prepare for the student holiday. The days after, the town felt like a ghost town as many needed the following days to recover from the Valborg festivities. I, however, continued the celebration at the 5 course Majmiddag (May Dinner) the following day at my nation, Östgöta. It will be remembered as my last gasque together with my friends and fellow students at ÖG as we all enjoyed a fun (although incredibly tiring) post Valborg celebration.
Over the course of the Valborg festivities, I got to celebrate with many of my closest friends I’ve made here in Uppsala. As Valborg was a big bash to welcome in the Spring, it also was a sign that my time in Sweden is nearing the end, and I will soon be leaving the place I’ve called home, and the friends I’ve enjoyed spending my time with. It is certainly a bitter sweet moment as I do not want this time to end here, yet I am so anxious to see my family, friends and home in America again. I am happy with how the highly anticipated day of Valborg turned out, and I am excited to share more with many of you when I get home. For those who can make it, the Spencer family is throwing a welcome back party for me and my sister at my house on June 23. Hopefully see you there!
For those who can’t be bothered to read my attempt to explain Valborg in words, the pictures probably tell it better:
Religious Life in Sweden
I couldn’t help but share this one…
Before taking my ‘Religious Life in Sweden’ course, or even coming to Sweden for that matter, this is what I imagined Sweden’s (and the rest of Scandinavia) take on religion was. This couldn’t be more dead on in the very secular secular part of the world that is Scandinavia. As many of my Christian friends here are fellow international students, or missionaries from the states, I have definitely noticed many of the Swede’s I’ve met care little about any form of spirituality. Its pretty interesting, and I look forward to learning more about the religious climate in Sweden during the remainder of my course. I am happy however, that I have found my niche in a Christian community in Sweden, so I am not faced with the ominous and uncomfortable stare from a Swede as often. ha. If your interested, give satwcomic.com a look, I’ve enjoyed their cartoons that pretty much nail the relationship between the nordic countries and the rest of the world. good stuff.
Springtime…Snow?
I sit here in a perplexed state, as I look back at a time when I longed for snow to fill the streets of Uppsala. By November last fall, I was all prepared for a chilly winter with loads of snow covering the city. Then I waited, and waited some more, until I finally realized it was going to be a mild winter here that I settled to be OK with. There was a few months of snow here, which was a beautiful yet cold, and I appreciated it, and also appreciated as it slowly melted away. By March, most of the snow in Uppsala had melted away and many of us prepared for the long awaited springtime. However, once again mother nature was not going to provide the weather in Sweden I had only heard and dreamt about. I sit here today looking out my window on April 14, and I am looking at blizzard painting the city white once again. What happened to springtime?! For now, I suppose I will have to cope with the lame weather today, only hoping that I will get to experience the sunshine, clear skies, and green landscape that I expect to be arriving to Uppsala once again, before I make my journey home. 
Regardless of the crummy weather of late, I have had a fairly relaxing week getting back into the groove of Uppsala life after my trip thru Ukraine. Fika, Pub nights, pot lucks, class, and the occasional baseball game online at obscure hours has filled my time the past week. On Easter Sunday, I got together with friends and spent the day cooking a delicious ham dinner that put us all in food comas for the rest of the evening. Reminiscent of our thanksgiving dinner together last fall, this was another meal where much of our day was spent waiting for the ham to cook several more hours than anticipated. However,it will be days like those I will miss the most, when the day is spent with good friends, good food, and good conversations while our stomaches growl and we are continuously check how much longer ’till the roast is done. Following our meal, we were blessed with a beautiful sunset seen from the roof of the building. At these times, when our bellies are full, and the sun is shining, life is good. Hard to believe its soon coming to an end.
Слава Україні!
Glory to Ukraine! That’s essentially what I learned at my last meal in a Ukrainian Nationalist Restaurant in Liviv. It was the polishing touch to a whirlwind week long tour of Ukraine this past week while visiting my sister, Hailey. To go from the highly progressive western country of Sweden to the former soviet country of Ukraine is one of the biggest culture shocks I have ever felt. However, I did not let that bother me, as I was there to see my Peace Corps Volunteer of a sister who has living in the foreign land the past two years. Just like our epic Spencer sibling Hungary/Poland Christmas tour we had months before, this trip provided a relief for the both of us, and experiences and adventures together we will never forget. In short, our trip consisted of seeing the capital Kiev, as well as Odessa and Lviv. Although we did not make it to my sisters site in eastern Ukraine, we saw and experienced plenty of things I will not soon forget. Such things include…
The Train Rides – Between each city, we took wonderful 9 hour train rides that ran thru the night. 3 in total. OK, maybe wonderful isn’t quite the word for to describe it as I often shook around at night and felt as if the carts were about to hop off the train tracks. Thankfully Hailey eased my Ukrainian train ride experience gradually into the cheap lower class carts – platscart. Here I attempted to sleep in a wall-less cart with dozens of smelly or partially drunk Ukrainians in a bed that made me wish I was shorter. Ug. Truly an experience I am ok with doing just once. (Note: picture below was taken BEFORE we left, there is no way I was that happy after that sleepless night…)
Peace Corps Volunteers – Because their aint no party like a PCV party. Much like our hostel when we traveled thru Krakow, Poland on New Years, our hostel in Odessa, Ukraine was full of other fellow PCV. Before I knew it, I felt like I could blend in easily with the crowd as much of our conversations were either: a) talking about how good the food is here, b) how we miss/love America over Ukraine, or c) talking about how much we got payed or reimbursed for our flight home. We had a blast together as I feel like the only time I see other PCV is when they are all on a break together, having a good time. And yes, we had a great time together.
Odessa April Fools Day Festival – This was partly why we had so much fun together in Odessa. It was like Halloween in April as everyone was dressed in crazy outfits and crowded the streets. There was even a parade down the main drag featuring bands, Euro Cup promotions, and various random countries being represented with cultural costumes following each flag. It was quite entertaining, especially to see the Swedish flag go by and notice how Ukraine somehow got the Ancient Romans and Swedes mixed up. Hmm…
Euro Cup Construction – The fact that the Euro 2012 Championship that is being held in Poland and Ukraine is less than 2 months away has not fazed Ukraine. In the major cities, they were frantically tearing up roads, airports, and sidewalks in efforts to prepare for the anticipated crowds. This meant getting around town became a bit harder, and a bit funny at times as massive beautiful churches sat next to a gutted street full of construction workers ‘hard’ at work (See below). Good luck on getting everything ready in time! Or should I say, good luck getting around Ukraine european soccer fans!
Overall, Hailey and I had a great time together, and I wish I could have stayed longer. Kiev impressed me with its massive and beautiful cathedrals, Odessa provided some craziness among the April Fools Fanatics, and Lviv charmed me as an old city loaded with Ukrainian culture. Im glad I got to explore the country, and I am thankful to be with my tour guide, translator, and sister. Now the countdown begins when more of the Spencer clan joins me in Sweden next month. Woot Woot!
Famous in Sweden?
Who knew I’d be famous in Sweden? OK, maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but my name and face are printed in ink on newspapers all around the country! I haven’t gotten my hands on the actual copies, but the fact that I made it onto two newspapers in Sweden within a few weeks of each other deemed it necessary to publish here to gloat and show off to the rest of the world! There both in Swedish, but thats besides the point, check it out! Run it thru Google Translate if your so curious…
Apparently, if you want to know about waffles, I’m your guy. It was a brief interview with a local newspaper while I was working at my nation, Östgöta Nation (Home of the $3 waffle buffet), asking me and my fellow international workers how we liked Swedish waffles compared to back home. This was just in time to be published in the local Uppsala Newspaper for Våffeldagen (Waffle Day). Yes, just like I mentioned the cinnamon bun day, and the semla day in previous months, this country has yet another day that celebrates sweet pastries. Ridiculous? I think so. BUT, it got me mentioned in a Swedish newspaper, and this much closer to Swedish stardome. Haha, right… Picture spotted in the paper copy, but still on the hunt to find it… Found it!
I don’t know much about what the article is about, but all I remember is that a man from a newspaper took my picture while I was yet again working at my nation, Östgöta. (Looks like I pick the best days to work!) This time, he came from from a newspaper that is published in Östergötland County, the region of Sweden my nation is named for. After digging thru the internet for the article, I finally found it! Although it will be a bit harder to read and see the full article in paper, it was cool enough to see me and my fellow worker pose awkwardly working behind the fika counter. HA!
Springtime Joy
The planets must be aligning, or perhaps its just the feeling you get after completing an exam, but today I write in a joyous state. The sun is shining during a warm soon-to-be spring day here in Uppsala, and people are out and about soaking in the much missed sun down by the river. Slowly the gravel on the roads and paths left from the winter are being cleaned up, and its finally feeling like spring here. I have found spring is a pretty big deal in Sweden. After the long, cold, dark winter they have each year, I can really see why Swedes long for the spring season to come. As I’ve been told, spring in Uppsala is the best time of year. Although it might not technically be spring here yet, I’m enjoying what I’m seeing so far, and I’m excited to experience more of Uppsala in the spring, which is apparently the best time of year.
Ok, lets rewind a few weeks. Its been a pretty busy past few weeks, and I am now noticing that much of my time has been spent at my nation, Östgöta. In a nutshell, my time at ÖG the past few weeks has consisted of working, a Viking themed fika, a workers dinner/party, a Harry Potter themed dinner party, cleaning day, fikas, and simply relaxing at the house. I have to admit that of all the things I’ve gotten to experience here in Sweden, the student Nations are one of the things I will miss the most. It has become a second home, a hang out spot with friends, and a place to simply relax. Needless to say, many memories from Sweden will come from my experience at my nation.
Harry Potter Themed Party, Staff Dinner/Party
The other week I got to spend some time with a friend from home who is studying abroad at one of the other universities in Sweden, but was able to visit Uppsala for a day. While it was fun to be a tour guide again, and show her the sights of Uppsala, it was even better to see a familiar face who is in a familiar situation as I am in. While I have gotten into the routine of hanging out with a wide variety of friends from all over the place, I forgot how nice it is to simply hang out with someone you relate with, just because you both also call Novato home. We had a good time, and enjoyed relating similar stories of our experience adapting to the Swedish-ness of our new lives here.
In addition to the other things I’ve been up too the past few weeks, I can happily say that I have managed to go to class too. To be honest it’s been a challenge for me to stay focused and stay on top of my studies here. With the ability to travel, hang out, and do a million things other than class work, I have to remind myself that it is STUDYING abroad. eh. Fortunately I did not give up in my ‘International Environment and Sustainable Development’ class and spent the two days prior to my exam locked in the library with fellow course mates as we tried to make sense of it all. It’s an unfortunate way to end the past few weeks where things have been so fun, but I had to study eventually, right? Well, I took the dreaded exam yesterday to bring me to the satisfaction and joy I am feeling today. Finally I get to truly relax, forget about my classes and course work, and enjoy the warm weather and impending springtime.
Welp, that just about sums up my life the past few weeks. After my exam yesterday, I get a whopping 3 day break before my next courses start – ‘Religious Life in Sweden’ and ‘Swedish Art and Music’. They actually sound really fun, but I still think a break is in order, so I am taking off for Ukraine later next week to continue the ‘Hailey & Collin’s Orphan European Experience – Pt. 2’! Can’t wait to see her again and travel somewhere that is sure to be different from Sweden. Woohoo! Oh and I’m excited to announce that I quit procrastinating and finally bought my flight back home. After some final traveling around the rest of Europe in June, I will finally be state side on June 20.Look forward to seein ya’ll then, if not sooner! 😀
Along the river
Humanitarian Action
OK, time to write about something totally unrelated to Sweden, but something that has been at my heart.
Unless your immune to the world of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and whatnot, you may not have heard of the latest ‘trend’ of the ‘KONY 2012’ movement that has gained tremendous attention and criticism within the past week. If this is the first you have heard of it, I highly encourage you to google it and read up on the movement started by the non-profit Invisible Children to capture the warlord Joseph Kony of the LRA. For many of you, you already know I have a history of being active with hands-on humanitarian work on several mission trips to Mexico and New Orleans in the past. I also have taken this as an area of focus and interest as I study in my Global Studies major and Peace Studies minor to hopefully turn that passion and knowledge to get into the humanitarian aid field some day in the future. Having the opportunity to take a Peace and Conflict module last semester here at Uppsala University, I got to research and write a conflict analysis about the very subject that has taken center stage the past week due to cleaver advertising and marketing by Invisible Children. Needless to say, after doing the depressing task of writing about the inhuman, immoral, and simply disturbing acts committed by the LRA and Joseph Kony, and the ongoing conflict between the LRA and Ugandan Government, I was happily surprised when ‘KONY 2012’ hit my Facebook newsfeed last week. Although there clearly have been many skeptics and criticisms responding to the ‘KONY 2012’ movement, I saw it as an opportunity not only to inform the public about what has been going on, but to remind us how easy it is to ignore or simply forget human suffering, even those that have been going on for over 20 years. I am happy that people are taking action to the ‘KONY 2012’ movement around the world, even here in Uppsala, and I hope people see it as an opportunity bring help to an area that has been largely hidden from mass media.
SO, I have taken the motivation from this ‘KONY 2012’ campaign, together with my history of a desire to help hands-on in areas I am passionate about to continue to bring help in areas of forgotten need. I wish I could say I am hopping on a plane and doing humanitarian aid in Africa, where the ‘KONY 2012’ campaign has shed light on the LRA, or bring a helping hand wherever the latest disaster has occurred. However, I have chosen to return to New Orleans, Louisiana this summer to give back to a community that continues to rebuild following the Hurricanes that devastated the area nearly seven years ago. Having been left behind to be forgotten, the community and families in New Orleans continue to slowly rebuild. Having witnessed progress and new life in the area on past mission trips, work still needs to be done. So, this July, together with around 40 other high schoolers, college students, and adults, we will be returning to New Orleans to continue hurricane disaster recovery, and show that we have not forgotten about them. While working long days in the ridiculous southern heat in the summer may sound crazy, I have found the work we have done in the past, and continue to do this summer, is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, as I get to serve the kindest people with the largest hearts.
As I have had to put past mission trips on hold due to work, and fundraising my own money to prepare for my current trip, I have found God has reignited a passion in my heart to give back and return to New Orleans this summer. While I have, and continue to have, a unique and once in a life time experience during my year studying in Sweden, I am excited to go back to New Orleans to continue the rebuilding of a community. Unfortunately however, I have found these life changing experience both in Sweden and New Orleans do not come free. While I have managed to live frugally here and have used my hard earned life saving to make my year in Sweden a reality, I am turning to my friends, family, peers, and loved ones to make this next trip possible. Hopefully, with your help I will meet my personal goal of $1,000, which is just a small part of the overall cost that will cover airfare, hosing, food, and the materials to help rebuild and repair homes to those who can not afford to do otherwise. Small, or large, if you are able to help me out financially, it would be greatly appreciated. How you may ask??? Well…
The easiest way is making an online donation through our secure PayPal online form. You can find the Donate link on our New Orleans Group Blog, appropriately titled ReNew Orleans. Find that big orange “Donate” button on the top right, and possibly some answered questions at the blog HERE! At the PayPal page, you will be donating to my group “ReNew Orleans” hosted by St. Raphael Church, and can pay by credit card or existing PayPal account. Please note that on the final checkout screen it will ask if you would like to donate to a specific person. Here you can gladly tie your donation to me by writing Collin Spencer in the text. For those who can’t afford to donate at this time, I simply ask for your prayers for myself, the team, the community of New Orleans, and that our work will bring happiness and joy to a forgotten community.
If you have any questions regarding the trip, donating, or just want to catch up, feel free to drop me a line or shoot me an email. Finally, a huge THANK YOU in advance to those who can help support our team, as it will be greatly appreciated in the rebuilding of homes, families, and the community of New Orleans.
Hurricane Katrina and Rita Memorial….. Welcome sign found in the Lower Ninth Ward
My Swed-ish Adventure 