Umea South Scandic Umeå

... love that part.

I joined a club called the Buddy Program, and it's basically just a program where international students can hang out and learn about each other. Tomorrow my group will have a team building/game day, then at night I can either head to a bar with them, or go to my friend Justine's house for a girls night with some of my classmates! Then Sunday I am going to my new friend Evelinn's house (Swedish girl) and she's going to teach me how to make ...

... of utter exhaustion. I met with an American girl (Christina) who took me out to fika, a coffee/tea/cake hang out, showed me around town, took me grocery shopping, and made me tilapia for dinner. It was great to be taken care of away from home!

Also got a chance to meet with my friend Lionel (from Congo) once again, who doesn't understand my hibernation habits and thinks my sleeping overload is a sign of ...

... already European, because they keep talking to me in Swedish/German/French - which I will take as a huge compliment, as compared to when I was in Greece, they automatically spoke to me in English. The little bit of Swedish/French I do know, they are very impressed, they say my accent is very good, which also makes me happy, since it is one of the main things I focus on when learning a new language.

My bad decision ...

... Hällnäs, Bastuträsk, Jörn, Älvsbyn, Boden 2) Boden, Murjek, Narravaara, Gällivare, Fjällåsen, Kaitum, Sjisjka, Kiruna

... Unless, of course, you only take the good. Here come The Top 5 Best Things About Sweden!: 1. GENTLE AND SAFE - Most Swedes would never want to fight or hurt anyone. Most don't get road rage or swear angrily at others. It's such a safe country I could hardly imagine anything bad ever happening. 2. BICYCLES - Most people live in apartments or houses with puny yards, so the cities are compact enough for most people to get around by bike. Sailing ...

... is Almighty, Him who is "power." It seems only natural that if people worship something, they will then emulate it. I don't know if this makes logical sense to anyone reading it, I don't know if it makes logical sense to me, but it's something to think about. So, maybe that's why many relgious types really crave money. What are we worshipping? And, if we keep trying to have power over one another on this earth, how can we all get along? later, Modern Oddyseus.

... Oddyseus. with a ton of help from Sara Lidman's "Fåglarna i Namh Dinh" "We read so often in the Western press about our land being 'poor.' And sometimes we wish this was true. Then maybe we could live in peace. But, unfortunately: our country has enormous natural resources, above and below the ground, even in the sea." - a Vietnamese man, speaking to Sara Lidman "He who works the land with his hands year-round must be the one who owns the soil." - a Vietnamese saying

... based, capitalist system. The country's poor are then off**ed jobs for the least amount of money possible (often less than enough to live on). Businessmen get rich, the country's politicians get rich dealing their people's labor, and the U.S. trades and gets even rich**. P**haps 10% of the country also makes it to a cushioned upp** class. Meanwhile, the economy is now open and ripe for Am**ican and European countries. Soon, all the country's land and resources and ports ...

... I'm not doing chants and puzzles in the hostel, I'm often at my other job. I was totalling up the hours I'd worked at my other job, when I explained to Victoria that I still had to get paid for some of them. "They DO pay you there, don't they?" said Victoria, concerned. In a reflective voice, Anders remarked to his girlfriend, "We don't pay him." "They pay me more than nothing!" I barked. They pay me almost nine dollars an hour. I'm working as a laborer ...

... it was me who was wobbling. It was like I was on some sort of drug, but one that wasn't enjoyable. The girls told me that "snus" has not been proven to cause cancer. (It's just a matter of time, I'm sure.) However, it does burn holes through your lip, and it's several times more addictive than cigarettes. "Oh, man, I gotta get me some more snus!" Oh, no, I'm addicted! I'm going to go out on the streets and start grabbing Swedes by their shirts and throttling ...