After School (#1/3 this day)

I have lost my voice thanks to my cold so I am glad I don't have to say something here, just write.

Aha, my first school day wasn't really my first school day. Just a paper hour where I got papers and info. Didn't really meet any students. But WOW, what a place! It's beautiful! Creative and inspiring. I'm sure I'll really enjoy this. Got my schedule where I could choose 1 out of 4 different time-setups. I got the one where I have almost all the lessons this semester in the morning and get home around 13.00. After this I will have time for training and studying and other stuff. I also thought that maybe I'll look for apartment in Manley, where I was today meeting My and her friends. That means I can spend some time at the beach surfing after school! :D

Tomorrow I need to buy a Vodafone stick to my computer to be able to connect to the internet wherever I am. It's complicated  without. Like now for example, I write some blog posts and I have to post them at the same time.

Now I will organize my stuff and wait for Malin to come home from work so that we can make some dinner!   



My schedule to be this semester;

Monday, Studio Practice 8.30-12, Academic Meeting 12-13, Symbols and Distribution 13.30-17-30
Tuesday, Frameworks of Design 8.30-13
Wednesday, Finishing skills 12-13
Thursday, Typography and Context 8.30-13
Friday, own studies

(Some of these lessons will start later in the semester and some will end earlier than the others)

My first Sydney adress

There was her hand, pulling me up with a lovely smile and grabbing my other heavy bag. Across the street was her home and she invited me into it in a way that made me wonder if I had lived there before. We just clicked. Welcome home to Sydney, sort of.

Here I sit early in the morning in the area Glebe on a mattress in her one and only beautiful bottom floor room with a really high ceiling and a damn fireplace. Hi. I have unpacked almost everything and the Norrland surfing girl is still asleep. Feels like we know each other already. So easy going. I have the worst cold than ever but I feel so alive that I think I don't care about it. Even though I can't get out running as I had planned, also because of my knees. My first mission after writing this is to get myself some breakfast before packing and preparing my little school bag and myself for a big day. I'll look for the closest store and leave 10.26 with a bus called “city”, taking the train from Town Hall to North Sydney, follow the crowd and run in the last stair I can find, take a little sneak peak on the discrete hand made un-touristy map that Malin draw for me and continue across the street. Apparently the school isn't at all in the top of the sky scraper but at floor one or something so I must have glorified the whole thing a little. Sorry for that. Anyway, in a couple of hours I will spend three at Billy Blue with my little school bag on my Freja-back and I can't believe it.

I'll definitely have to write again afterwards.

Tough start

Hi guys!

Sorry I haven's updated in a couple of days, It's been hard with the internet connection and a lot of other stuff, like CSN. Right now when I'm writing, I have no internet either, so I'll post this as soon as I do. Well, Friday I thought was my first real Sydney-dag but the Jet Lag decided that I was supposed to sleep away the whole day and so I did. My came the same evening. It was amazing having that wonderful sun-person stepping inside my hostel room! We went out eating wonderful china food and then I had to sleep again. My crawled up in the other bed in my room. Next day I FINALLY put my fee  in the warm Bondi-sand before I ended up with fever, a soar thought, headache, ache in my body and a cold. Sleep again and I couldn't go the party My went on the same evening. Next day My and I was on the same level = TIRED as old ladies and there and then we decided to do the stores on Oxford street. We walked really slowly and after each stair we had to stop for a while. There were beautifully designed dresses everywhere we went along the street, so I ended up buying one at a vintage store as I realized I would never ever see anything like it again. At another second hand I found a KAP (=swedish word for like treasure). A Rip Curl wet suit for 175 kr!!!!!!!!!!!!! They're normally like (?). Anyway, the shopping day ended up with My and I sitting at a lovely and charming book café.

After that we got our HEAVY bags at the hostel and My dropped me off at Starbucks. From there I sort of never got up and especially not with the help rom a train and a bus as I had planned. I wasn't even relieved when I saw a monkey-sort-of-animal in a tree outside, in the middle of the city, indicating I was sitting in a pretty cool country. I had decided with the swedish girl I would be  staying at, already attending Billy Blue, that I would come around eight. The bags was suddenly way to heavy because of my fever and my knees that I had just “broken” totally after carrying all the bags in the stairs. My phone was “SIM inactive” when trying calling for a cab and I ended up crying at a stone stair after chasing a taxi by myself, my knees and bags and being dropped of with his questions in my head; “So you don't have your mum and dad in Sydney?” “Not any siblings?” “Friends then?” “Totally alone?” “And why do you carry so much stuff?” “You said you don't know the girl you will stay with?” “What? You come here studying and don't have a job?!”. I felt extremely positive after that drive. Never felt smaller. The girl I waited for was unfortunately 45 minutes late from work.

I realized when I sat at that stair crying even more seeing happy loving couples just “haha”:ing everywhere, exactly this moment is one of those tough ones that would come, and that I had looked forward to manage on my own, so therefore I didn't call anyone in my low mindset but managed it anyway. On my own. But with just a little help from the wonderful girl I would start living with just a couple of minutes later.

Timedifference: 10 hrs

I’m here, I’m here!

Cold.

After spending 15 hours in Abu Dhabi and showing my passport to the guy before entering the plane I realized that I was now only a flight from my new hometown and tears of joy and sacredness started falling. Now I understood it. When standing in line to get to the plane I spotted an interesting woman talking beautiful French with a kid. Sometime you just pass somebody that you would want to know more about. I got onto the plane and saw the woman again. After sitting down and the airplane doors were closed, she needed to switch place since her 2 year old son had got a seat for he’s own. Luckily I had two free seats to the left and the airplane hostess guided them there. They sat down and she told me that she had spotted me at the airport and found me interesting! Like the Swedish expression ”som grädde på moset” it ends up with her telling that she freelances as a graphic designer and early on worked as a photographer and us changing e-mail. Sometimes I just love flying!

I slept for 11 hours without a plan really and woke up by a food-wagon next to me. Didn’t hear what she said but I said yes and suddenly I sat there with no breakfast at all but more like dinner. My new found friend told me it was dinner. Aha. It was 5 o’clock, Sydney time. How was I supposed to sleep in Sydney?

Took quite a while to get to the hostel at Kings Cross station and in 2,5 hours about 5 Australian people walked with me to show different locations I was looking for, GAVE me small money to be able to call, said welcome to Australia and offered me to help me to carry my bag. I felt very, very, very welcome.

Spoke with a nice Englishman on the bus going the same direction and decided to get some food together 2 hours later. We did and met up under the well known Coca-Cola sign and bought take away 12 in the night. Sat down on a bench, talked and watched people.

I woke up at a good time, 8 in the morning, hugging my Daniel pillow and didn’t feel to warm. Welcome, first Sydney-day! Internet time is not for free on this hostel and it’s not like on the pictures, I’ll skip uploading a picture of the hostel here. I’m glad I haven’t pre-rented an apartment to live in when pictures apparently do not always tell the through. On the schedule it says; shop food, eat food, shop shampoo and sun protection, call CSN, fix my stuff, buy a telephone card, see Sydney and MEET UP WITH MY!!!! <3

In Abu Dhabi

WOW, I gained internet acess in the exact spot I'm sitting in right now, a city called Abu Dhabi. Don't ask me what the country is called in english, but Förenade Arabemiraten is the swedish word.
I am now sitting in a small waiting hall that exactly look like a space ship. It's cool!
This was how my browser looked like; 

Some arabic typewriting. Maybe I'll learn more about it at Billy Blue.

I am feeling good at the moment, but I have never done anything harder than standing there at Arlanda Express seeing the doors closing in front of Daniel and I. Hope I won't experience that again. I barely can't think about it. But we lived through it and here start our adventures!

At SAS before landing in Brussles I got a bottle of champagne from a nice father-guy next to me. Good start! I landed this morning after maybe two hours of sleep with "stick in legsen" in Abu Dhabi with a flight from Brussles. Brysselkål. (Bryyhseel-khool). One week ago the flight company Etihad Airways decided to change a bit in the schedule so that instead of boarding for Sydney this morning I had to wait 15 hours in the Förenade Arabemiraten-place. Kul!

They where BEAUTIFULLY dressed!

 I think that the company almost made it up to me with the amazing food and service though. But after that small amount of sleep and no breakfast (you guys who know me better) I just sat there and cried quietly when I couldn't find a quiet and calm place (rebuildings everywhere) anywhere, to settle down. I realized after my first chewing of my breakfast that I hadn't looked everywhere either. Found a place that became "my own" Freja-place after a while. It's in one way amazing to know that I can take care of myself!

Now the other half of Rain Man waits for me. A big warm hug to all of you. I really miss you already.

Fly me to the moon

  Here I'm sitting at Berghs with 

                                               
          

in my ears, planning the final documents to be printed before takeoff. Everything is packed, ready to be carried across the planet. I've just made up a date with My Helger Friday where she will take me to anywhere it is possible to lie in the sun for at least a bit. If I'm going to paint and draw and design I need sun. Just look at my winter-hands!  

Elephant hands

Here we go!

This is a film about Billy Blue, the founder, and a little insight in my school:

                             
                            Billy Blue Graduation Animation from Leila Khiev on Vimeo.

Now I will be with Daniel to a 100% and I'll see you again Friday. In Sydney.

<3

Motivation

Moving abroad for a year or more is actually really tough. Most mornings I wake up feeling great about all the challenges in this coming adventure. But some I feel smaller than ever, and scared. Not scared of anything special, really, just of grasping the whole idea of leaving the life I have built up and start all over. That demands strength. At the same time I become filled with adrenaline; what a freedom to get the chance to experience this in my life! It's just plain freedom. What ever will happen it will come out as positive in the end. A swedish saying; "om livet ger dig en citron – gör citronsaft". The missing of people, the time it takes to get to know new ones, to feel home, the loss of inspiration that will of course occur once in a while, and the feeling of being the smallest person ever. All this together will make me grow in all possible ways to enrich my life. I only live once, and I gladly take the paths challenging me the most. 

Also, how strange it may even sound, I'm looking forward to me and my boyfriend Daniel being apart for a couple of months, more correct like seven long ones. We will give each other the freedom to be all by our selves and experiencing our own dreams that do not at this particular year cross but will walk side by side. Daniel, you couldn't possible give me anything more beautiful than this. Whatever dreams you may chose to follow in the future I will be there to support them. 

One thing I will keep with me and will help me feel strong even if everything around me changes, is my workout. Also, I hereby write for everyone to see that my goal is to run 10km three times a week. It'll take the time it takes and I will combine with some other stuff too, like for example learn for real how to surf. This is the right time for finally learning it, with me basically living in THE Surf-Country. 

Meet up with your colorful people close to your heart before you go

I really find it wonderful taking care of my relationships and spend valuable time with these lovely people that I know, even though I don't meet all of them very very often. I decided to visit all of them and hang with them, like a tour of friendvisits, before I take off. I can really recommend this if you're planning to leave your country for some time. To meet my grandmother, friends and relatives has now made me ready to take the step. It made me fulfilled to travel to Norway, Örebro, Linköping, Norrköping, Nyköping and Lund to see the one's coloring my life. But I'm so glad there is Skype to be able to still hang out once in a while. I have made usage of a lot of my traveling time to draw and paint and read and think and illustrate, and I've come up with a lot! (will show you on my website-to-be). I've used water color, become better at drawing hair when drawing portraits with graphite pencils and made some patterns for fabric/wallpaper. I have recently started to mix different illustrating styles with inspiration from other illustrators. There is no limit for what you can do really! A reading-tips for you designers who have managed to not heard of it, is Cap&design. Suddenly you've killed -or if you prefer, taking advantage of- three traveling hours! Oj!

To-Do-List

I have prepared enormously for my adventure to help me relax before it and avoid to feel worried. If anyone of you guys plan to move abroad, here follows a looooong check-list way to long if you're not in the target group for this list. At least, this is the things I've done. 

So, this is a To-do-list with all the things I could have possibly thought of before I leave for my adventure. Print it out if you feel like you'll need it some day. (Not in a special order.) 

• Look for matching scholarships, write, print papers, post it!
  

• Look for e-books to download
  

• Make sure to get/apply for CoE (called in Australia) from your school to be, and pay the deposit fee
  

• Recommendation letter for job
  

• Recommendation letter for living
  

• Print papers that could be good to show when I look for a place to live
  

• Apply for Visa
  

• Make a copy of passport
  

• Make a list with important numbers, like passport, credit card and blocking number, insurance, addresses, family members, embassy,
  

• Print insurance papers
  

• Apply for CSN
  

• Buy flight ticket – look closely for the cheapest one
  

• Start packing a long time ahead, to make sure you don't pack anything unnecessary
  

• Collect paper to be printed (of you don't own any) and print them some days before you leave
  

• Confirm your flight tickets /Online check-in
  

• Book hostel before you go. I got the advice not to decide for an apartment before you are in the new country since it is easy to be tricked.
  

• Weigh your bag carefully before you go
  

• Make contact with people of you can, before you go. Make people know that you're going and your friends may probably know someone.
  

• If your bank card takes a charge when you take out money, I suggest you chose a bank with now extra fees, like ICA banken, if you come from Sweden. Also, when you are in your new country, a good tip is to also get a card from a bank in your new country
  

• Exchange money
  

• To get extra money before you go, and to get rid of unnecessary stuff, try to sell stuff you will not need anymore
  

• I have decided for no one to give me a ride to the airport, I would cry much worse and also I more easily see this as my adventure, I can do it for myself!
  

• Write your flight times down at a paper and save it in your pocket/ the “purse” you have under your sweater with all the other important documents
  

• Make sure you don't need a health certificate in order to be granted a Visa
  

• To avoid as much as possible expensive medical visits, make sure you for example check your teeth in your home country etc.
  

• Air-compressor-plastic bags
  

• One backup for the documents on your computer to be saved in your home country and one small one to be taken with you to the new country.
  

• One USB-stick with the most “private” documents/papers
  

• Digitalize your life! Documents, inspiration cutouts from newspapers, cd's, movies, everything, and get rid of the rest (länk till Zen). Photograph them
  

• What will you do with all the post you get?
  

• How'll you do with your phone?
  

• Look/read about areas in your new town that will suit you to stay in
  

Welcome to my blog!

I'm going to sort of Volar Libre from now on, and my adventure starts now. I will move abroad in a couple of days where I will walk along the Pacific Highway to a school full of inspiration and colors, in which I will make my mind even more colorful by learning about Communication Design with mostly graphic design, embedded with some packaging design, illustration(!), print, typography and so on. My adventure takeoff starts at The Original Backpacker's Hostel 3 nights before I continue. This will be one of my life's greatest adventures. 

Some of you maybe wonder about what I hopefully will be abel to work with after Billy Blue. It could be everything from graphic design, art direction, photography, illustration, advertising, print media, magazine design and publishing, print media, copywriting, typography, finished art, packaging design, book design, information architecture to interactive graphic design. This is my courses;

Year 1

Semester 2 (when I start)
Frameworks of Design
Typography and Context
Symbols and Distribution
Studio Practice
Year 2
Semester 3
Introduction to Design Research
Design Research and Ideas Generation
Interface, Representation and Sequence
Design Usability and the Community
Semester 4
Advanced Design Research
Advanced Media Integration
Interactive Spaces
Advanced Design Strategy and Application
Year 3
Semester 5
Culture of Change and Innovation
Design Studio Management
Independent Design Practice 1
Design in Practice 1
Semester 6
Design and Business
Design in Practice 2 for CD
Positioning the Design Practice

Independent Design Practice 2

Sydney