Work, a late first.

Some how I until this summer, if you don't count the 3 depressing Saturdays I distributed newspapers before giving up and a few evenings babysitting, managed to never have a job. But this summer I decided it was time to get my act together and get a job. So for the past 3 weeks I've been working at an addiction center. It may be seen as an odd place for a high school student to work, and may be it is. Anyhow it's been a very interesting and enjoyable experience.

For those of you that are not aware of what an addiction center is. It's a place where heroin addicts who belong to the methadone program come to receive a medicine called Methadone (which is used as a replacement for heroin) that they drink out of small plastic bottles. And alcoholics come to receive medicine such as Antabus (it makes you sick if you drink alcohol after taking it). A condition for this treatment is (of course) that they don't drink or do drugs. To prove this they must leave supervised urine samples and/or alcohol tests. The longer you are clean the less frequent the tests become. They also receive counseling and certain other medical care.

Although I did not administer any tests or distribute medication, part of my job was to sit and chat with the patients as they wait for their turn. Most of these individuals have lived extremely harsh lives on the very outskirts of society and for some of them this daily or weekly chat is vital social training on there way back into society.

Speaking to these people and reading about them in their files is so extremely interesting. Their lives have been so harsh and extreme that it is almost ungraspable.

But tomorrow is my last day so I think I might just bring muffins!

Oslo #3

I've found some pics, so here goes:


This is me, Anna, Serra, Dipali, Alex and Jonathan on Aker brygga (Christian is taking the pic)


This is me tired in the sun on the grass in front of the castle watching the parade.


This is me posing on Aker brygga


HUNGRY SWEDES STEAL FOOD!!!


A fine example of a good old fashioned lompeslap! (This was our new won friend Magnus!)


A neat sign we found on a tattoo parlour.

Oslo #2

People always say that you get to know people on a different level when you travel and live with them. Our trip to Norway tough us that this was very true, in more ways than we could imagine!

Here's some of the stuff we learnt:

• Lompeslap
• Hannah is always on top
• We like rocks
• Christian loves trains (and Jonathan)
• Sharing all is mostly good
• Don't talk about the sheets (some of us haven't quite learnt this one)
• Apple pie is best served in a thermos
• TIDEN GÅR
• "Sugar Rush" is the wrong rush
• Anyplace can feel like home if you've had enough to drink
• Två säten räcker långt
• Braces are dangerous

We also have some quotes:

• "There's a time for fuck fuck, but now is not the time"
• "De händer bara i 25% av fallen!"
• "In this case that's a good thing"
  

17 may in Oslo!

This weekend I'm in Oslo with my friends Anna and Christian to celebrate the Norwegian national day.

On yesterday at 14:30 we got on a train from the Stockholm central station to Oslo and at 21:00 we arrived. The Norwegian railway is so crap they can't go faster than 80 km/hour after the border! When we got to Oslo we meet Christians boyfriend at the buss station, he came on a buss from Gothenburg. Then we dragged our very heavy bags (more shoes than days!) to Anna's apartment which is totally lovely and very central! Since central Oslo is pretty small nowhere we've gone to has been very far. Central station to Anna's house is about like walking from Slussen to Skanstull.

Today we went and sat in the VIP area in front of the castle (Anna's mum got tickets of the Swedish ambassador) and watched the parade where all the schools in Oslo and their brass bands participate. They had some very cool "stick twirling" girls. Then we say the Russ parade. Russ is the Norwegian graduating students. They have these cool overalls that they write all over and sew loads of patches on! Then we walked round Oslo and took loads of crazy pics. Now we are getting ready to go out and barbecue.

I'll post some pics when I get home and load them over! See you soon. Love Hannah

University Fair

Promised to keep you posted on my uni application etc.

Today a delegation from 10 uk universities came to visit our school as part of a 10 cities in 10 days tour they where doing. First they introduced them selves and had a 1h information lecture in our auditorium on :

• why we should chose to study in the UK
• costs of studying in the UK
• life as a student
• how to apply

Then was the actual fair bit where we could go around to different class rooms and talk to the uni reps. There was reps from:

• Bristol
• Bradford
• Royal Holloway
• City
• Plymouth
• Essex
• Leicester
• Reading
• Edinburgh
• Southampton
• Warwick
• Sheffield
• Hertfordshire

So now I've spoken to all of them, collected their prospectuses and signed the "please send me info" slips. I'll get back to you on if they where any good as soon as I've read them all. They are all at least 150 pages (no very Eco friendly).

Over and out!

Back in Sweden!

Back home now after quite a few hours traveling! It makes me feel very much part of "the new generation" when I realise i don't mind a bit to fly on my own but taking a train totally stresses me out!
Well its pretty late and I need to wrap some gifts so I better get going. Talk to you soon!

Off to the UK

Tomorrow I'm off to the UK for a great 9 days of fun and family. As well as catching up with all the relations, I'm going to visit my friend Tillan who went to my class last year and is currently studying outside Nottingham. Should be way fun! So today and tomorrow morning I have a few things to do:

• check how my phone works in the UK
• make a packing list
• put out all my stuff
• go to mum's and collect any stuff that is missing
• buy something for Tillans family (could be done in UK)
• go to the bank
  

• apply for a summer job through Landstinget
• check ams.se etc. for summer jobs
• call Julie
• call Rizzo
• sigh up for a camping trip thingy
  
• buy a gift for Anna
• plan outfit for Anna's party
• remember Anna's necklace

So as you can see I've got quite a bit to do. But it should be fine I have ~5 hours today and tomorrow I don't have to leave till 13:00. Well I'd better get going, there is no time to waste!