Who You Are Matters
I grew up in a small town in Sweden called Hällingsjö, located just outside the city of Gothenburg. I lived with my mom and dad in a house right next to a lake and I spent most of my days playing soccer on the local team and fishing on the lake with my dad. It really was a great place to grow up, but at the same time it was quite an isolated community and there wasn't a whole lot going on. After an unexpected turn of events, however, I found myself moving to Istanbul, Turkey with my family. As you can imagine, it was quite an overwhelming experience for a 15 year old Swede to move from a town of 2,000 people to a busy and charmingly chaotic city of 15 million or so inhabitants. Although challenging at first, the years I spent in Istanbul still remain among the best in my life so far, and it was this experience that set me on the path that eventually led me to move to the US.

Right now I am just hustling to get through my last semester at USC so that I can move on to start a career in real estate or banking, preferably here in the US. Being an international student certainly makes finding a job and a visa sponsor a challenge, but with some grit and a lot of luck I hope to secure a job soon. I am relatively confident that this goal of mine is my own because my parents have never really tried to push anything onto me.

I am very much like my dad in the way that I always leave things to the last minute and show up at least 30 minutes late to most social events. I once was three hours late to my friend's party for no particular reason. My mom is the exact opposite though, and unlike me, she wouldn't be writing this blog post at 11:58 pm on Friday night!

One of my role models is my buddy Max. He is one of the most sociable and genuinely nice persons I know, and his answer to ideas and challenges is always: "Sure, let's do it. Let's just get it done." I wish I was more like that - a do-er.

As for a wild animal that resembles who I am, all I could think of is an owl. I would not have a problem with sitting in a tree most of the day contemplating life and the universe. I also have a tendency to stay up all night and sleep all day, which I think is what an owl does.

Lastly, I remember when I was a kid, we used to pick dandelions on our way home from school and make them into rings (they are hollow and you can stick one end into the other), which would then be combined into a pretty good looking necklace. If you've ever done it yourself, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Comments

  1. Kim GJanuary 13, 2018 at 5:25 PM

    I think its amazing that even though you were overwhelmed with moving from Sweden to Instanbul, you decided to move again to the U.S. I've only ever lived in one place so I commend you for willingly moving to a new place. I do wonder though, which place you liked living in the most?

    When I was younger, I too loved picking dandelions but I never thought of making them into accessories. If I had though, I would have probably worn them proudly.

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  2. Cynthia JiangJanuary 13, 2018 at 8:48 PM

    That's so awesome that you were able to live in Istanbul for a few years; in terms of city size and culture, how did it compare to Gothenburg?

    I really love your answer to which animal that resembles who you are; I, too, can see myself in the owl, particularly the section about staying up all night and sleeping during the day. Furthermore, I wish you all the best in achieving your goals; I have no doubt that you will, and I'm definitely sending you all the best!

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  3. UnknownJanuary 13, 2018 at 9:51 PM

    I enjoyed reading about your path from a small town in Sweden to a crazy city in Turkey and finally coming to Los Angeles. I can't even imagine what it would be like to move to such a different city as a teenager but it is great to hear that it was a positive experience for you. I like your comparison to an owl because I also enjoy sitting in peace among the trees but I am a little different than you and an owl because I do love my sleep.

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  4. Katie WongJanuary 14, 2018 at 2:07 PM

    I find it really interesting that you moved from Sweden to Istanbul to LA. I don't know if I would be able to just pick up my stuff and move it across the world. I commend you for being able to do that are such a difficult age growing up. In addition, reading the part about you making necklaces out of dandelions made me smile, because I used to do that as well.

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  5. Matthew KwongJanuary 14, 2018 at 2:44 PM

    I wonder what it feels like to grow up in such a small town then experience such a drastic change when you moved to Istanbul. Your choice of spirit animal is very unique. On another note, I didn't know you could make dandelions into necklaces - how interesting!

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  6. AlanJanuary 14, 2018 at 6:19 PM

    It was interesting to read about your transition from a small and secluded town in Hällingsjö, Sweden to a densely populated city in Istanbul, Turkey. As I was reading your post, I could feel and see how this experience made you grow more as a person. It’s amazing to hear stories about people who travel across the world to come to USC to pursue their passions and careers. Picking an owl as your wild animal is a well thought choice. I think a lot of college students can relate to being an owl. Lastly, I admire your confidence in finding a career in real estate and I wish you the best of luck in finding a job in US.

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  7. JacquesWRIT340January 14, 2018 at 6:46 PM

    Hi Niko! I really understand you talking about your transition from such a small town to a metropolis like Istanbul, because the same happened to me, more or less, moving from Pisa to LA. I really like to play soccer too, and I also do things at the last moment: I am not writing this comment at 11:58 on Sunday night only because i will be out tonight and so I have to do things in advance

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