Today a funny thing happened....

A little girl asked me why my skin is brown.

It was one of those moments when the kids are getting to know you, you're actually having fun coaching them, you can tell they like you, and then boom they start asking personal questions. My spurofthemoment answer? Cuz people are different.
Seemed to work.
Follow up question: where are you from?
The Caribbean, how about that?!!
Wooow

This was during a water break. So the session continues and later I only had to deal with more innocuous inquiries such as what was my favourite colour. But it really makes me stop to take stock of how much of an influence I have on the kids I work with, the things they pick up from me other than soccer, the things they might think of me as a person, how I make them think of things.... New team for Spring, it's gonna be an interesting season.

Welcome to Spring

SO happy it's brighter and warmer and soon I'll be outside kickin' some ball! ;-)

International Seed Bank

I know i'm a bit behind with this one: the Global Seed Vault located on the Spitzbergen Island territories of Norway located in the Artic Circle. The vault was built to house, supposedly indefinitely, plant seeds and samples for species from around the world in an effort to avoid permanent loss of these species. While I applaud the idea and the fact that it was actually implemented (there are in fact many smaller "repositories" around the world), it does make you think about the fact that we are gradually losing crop species. Plant, fruit, and vegetable species are gradually becoming less diverse, and even becoming extinct. Yes extinction is not reserved only for animals.

Not surprising its the fact that such an endeavour would be undertaken by Scandinavian countries, the nations with the best living standards in the world. Those Prime Ministers took part in the ceremonial "turning of the sod". But guess what? Norway paid for the whole thing! Millions of dollars. And countries can place seed deposits for FREE. Other international organisations help in fundraising etc. for countries to prepare their contributions. The Norwegians are also paying for the upkeep of the place. Where do they get all this money.......

Anyways, Trinidad should get it together right away and send up some of our own specimens. I feel like the fruits I was so used to as a child (not THAT long ago), seem to be less and less common. Or even fruits my parents would talk about, that only on a lucky day would I see now, far less have the chance to try them. Topi tambo, chataigne, pommecythere, peewah, pommerac, series (sp?), so many different mangoes, sour cherries, dongs! wow the memories haha. The list goes on... Its sad really but at least we know theres a global effort to save such things.

On the topic of seeds: maternity leave in Norway is 10 months, 100% pay. And you can come back to your same job after. Just some info i picked up in conversation....

...and you wonder why soccer isn't taken seriously

While Major League Soccer languishes in their off-season and you hear nothing of their teams, the action rages on in other leagues around the world, as well as the prestigious UEFA Champions League. Well actually, it's not "nothing" in the news, we have heard about David Beckham a bit, the touted saviour of American soccer. But really, in what way? And has it been any good for the sport in this country?

I think it can all be summed up in a comment made by Alexi Lalas, President of the L.A. Galaxy Beckham's current club, in a telephone interview on the Fox Soccer channel. The presenters contended that Beckham professed to want to promote soccer at all levels in the U.S. but has so far been largely absent from the soccer community and would like for him to come on their show. Response from the great Lalas? "if there was a choice of whether to have him (Becks) do an interview with you or go on 60 minutes, I would have him go on 60 minutes."

Admittedly I was somewhat shocked that he would say something like that after the presenters made quite a good case that soccer fans here just want to talk to him, to know that he is here for soccer not for Hollywood, and that he is in fact interested in giving back to the fans. But a few seconds later (yes it took only seconds) I thought well, there you have it! Here is a man who has played at the highest level possible, now president and GM of a club, saying you know what? We would prefer to reach more people who care about Beckham's celebrity couple status, life with Posh, how much money he makes, his tattoos etc, in other words "the drama", rather than those people who actually care about him for what he is, and what he is primarily known for worldwide: being a professional soccer player.

Sorry to say that Lalas became speechless after taking calls from listeners, average fans who wanted to know why Beckham isn't even IN America at the moment, who wanted to know more about his football/soccer life as opposed to seeing him on "E! True Hollywood Story" or "Fatherhood" and the like, and who seconded having him be on said program for even 10 minutes. Apparently Lalas felt that the presenters were full of BS until people called in to back them up, and eventually could give no good reason for Becks not making himself available.

How do you like that...as if you didn't already have enough egg on your face from creating such a hype about how much Beckham would do for American soccer, a player who from the start was injured and never figured in but a few minutes of the season, a player who from the start was speculated upon whether he was coming here for soccer or for Hollywood fame (why not join an east coast team?) Now here you go feeding the critics by having Becks seemingly make a larger proportion of non-soccer related appearances, and then by making a stupid statement like that.

Now don't get me wrong, I think Beckham is a good player, certainly not at the top of his game anymore though, and that he can indeed improve the visibility and popularity of soccer in the U.S. He's not the best but if people here are excited about him then great! But at least be here so those people can see you.

However! It is certainly NOT all Becks fault. I have indeed heard about him recently, and it was during his bid to regain a spot on the England team, training with one of the top clubs over there. When asked why Becks was not in the U.S. Lalas said well it's the off season and there is nothing club-related going on at the moment. Umm, does anyone else see a problem with that? MLS must be the only sport in this country that COMPLETELY drops out of the news in the off season. But all is not lost. At least this year we have the Spice Girls Reunion to entertain us in the meantime.

the old guy, the black guy, and the woman

The old guy says "here I am risen out of the ashes," the black guy says "Yes we can!" and the woman...well, maybe the woman wishes she could speak as well as the black guy so she got a willing attack dog to do it for her and when that doesn't work she cries.

Now believe me I am completely impartial, I've said before that I find this race most fascinating. By the way, anybody watch Glenn Beck? You don't have to agree with him, but he's interesting, unless this stuff really gets your blood boiling and you want to get up and punch the TV. Of course you can always change the channel to... let's say FoxNews maybe? haha

Anyways it seems like people aren't sure if they like the old guy even though he is the supposed front-runner. Is it that the "donkeys" are shooting themselves in the foot by running the black guy and the woman? Can you actually picture either of them in the oval office? I mean would it be better if he was called something like, O i don't know, Brian Ogilvie? And she if she didn't have her attack dog? Or if she stopped tearing up? Of course it seems the dog has been kenneled of late, but the waterworks, jeez. Does it help them now that the Mormon has dropped out?

Is it in fact coming down to choosing the lesser evil? To the innocent bystanders like myself, that's what analysts seem to be saying. Are people going to choose the black guy or the woman? And THEN: who would they choose if it happened to be the old vs the black guy, or if it was the woman vs the old guy? Some say that party lines may not matter after a while.

Whatever happens I'm certainly learning alot about alot.

stuck in a mental rut

Here I am Carnival Tuesday spending a cold, dreary day in Connecticut. But its OK, I mean...when people was jumpin in Panorama, I was snowboarding in Pennsylvania after all. And when some of those same people going Champs in Concert, I plan to be snowboarding again (before I forget what I learned) in Massachusetts. Unfortunately I didnt have my camera so I am waiting to be sent action shots from said trip haha. While I had a good time in the fake snow, the weekend also contained disturbing highlights of the narrow thinking processes of some of my fellow Trinidadians.

At some points I thought "wow trinis too full of themselves"; at other times I thought "o you poor things"; others "ok now that is damn stupid!"; or "how small-minded can you be?". It became quite exasperating after a while, as you might imagine. Now I might generalise in writing this post however I am very aware, and warn any readers, that my comments do not apply to all.

Many trinis have this sense of false pride, they like to think they are above things, that they are better, condescending, if you like. But it plays itself out in the most trivial ways: they are fighting over material things in an effort to prove themselves, things that have become comoditised to the rest of us. Like fighting over whose cell phone rings louder, or showing off the perceived prestige of the store where they bought a pair of jeans. Damn fools. I'll take the exact jeans from the "cheap" store thank you very much.

I have to say the thing that really topped it for me was finding out that men wear winter jackets in Trinidad, the ones with fur on the hood no less. Can you imagine?!?! Music videos must have a HECK of an influence. And here I had someone asking me for a light jacket I was going to give to Salvation Army: "I could wear that at night! People will wear that in Trinidad!" I was in shock. Response? "I don't care if people wearing it, I won't be the one to give it to you to encourage that nonsense"

For some reason I thought that in general we were becoming a more enlightened people. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, being fanciful. I hereby state that I was jerked back down to earth by observing people wanting to come to AmERica to say they were "in the cold" but not actually wanting to experience all that that may entail, people waving their fingers in disdain at certain cell phones but then not knowing what an iPhone is (or even walkie-talkie service for that matter), people who just come here to "take out PITures" so they could go home and say they went AmERica.

Damn! I'm anonoyed.....

Election 2008

Aright I'm sitting here watching a republican debate on Fox (it's the middle of the night and there's nothing else on) I must say it is quite a marvel to take in everything, all the campaigning, debates, the drama! To be honest I didn't pay this much attention '04... I'm trying to remember if I had a TV back then.. hmm. Anyways, it really is enthralling especially when I think of the recently-concluded elections in Trinidad: such a circus!! Elections are called, the date set and then the mudslinging begins! Complete with the town meetings/campaigns, the ridiculous ads on ALL the media, the election songs etc etc. I tell you, I stopped listening to the radio streams from home because of the elections, these calypsoes would come on and I'm thinking "what kinda dumb song is this?!" lo and behold as I naively listened on, "Damn is ah election tune!" I understand there are quite a number of TV ads taken out by said candidates here in America that I have somehow managed to avoid, though I assume they would be more dignified than the ones from my own country.

It makes SO much sense to have "round one" so to speak, to decide on who the best candidate for the party would be. That's great! They get to air their views on relevant issues, people get a fair chance to size them up, and most of all, the election isn't stuffed down your throat. You don't get fly-by-night candidates who say things in the moment to get your vote in a few days; you get candidates who must take a stance and defend an opinion over a period of time lest he discredit himself by stating contradictions because he didn't have a firm position to begin with.

The next thing that fascinates me is the actual process by which a candidate, and ultimately the President, is selected. I am referring here the "the primaries" or "caucuses", which have the potential to be somewhat complicated when translated to the National Committees of both parties. I have to say though, this process is a precursor to the Presidential election. After doing a little research I would say the primary/caucus is to the national convention as the electoral college is to the Presidential election. There's that "electoral college" phrase first highlighted (for non-americans anyway) during the 2000 Bush debacle. What the hell is it? And how can a lower popular vote have similar weight to a higher one? And in the case of caucuses, how can you send unpledged delegates to the Convention after having the caucus? Some things, I have to admit I just don't get it.

One thing I've settled on in watching the election drama: down with Huckabee, a President with a lisp would never do, just drives me up the wall.

Firsts

First of all Let me wish you a most productive 2008 (whatever that may mean to you), stress free and full of enjoyment.

The First person I thought about for the New Year was Johan, my other half, although I had spoken to him only an hour earlier when Trinidad was ringing in the new year. He makes me laugh.

The first out of the ordinary thing I did for the New Year was to pee outdoors, seeing as I couldn't find a port-a-potty in a place where there was a large number of people (quite a strange occurrence in America), it steamed. Trinis might find this hard to get their heads around but thats what happens when it is cold.

The first thing I ate in the New Year was Crix when I got back home. (for any non-trini readers, this is like our National cracker haha) It was quite satisfying sitting in my chair with some crix and hot tea.

This first annoying thing to happen in the New Year was to realise my internet was screwy. COULD NOT believe it! (Don't worry, it came back pretty soon and I had my crix to pacify me in the meantime)

My first act on the internet for the new year (after checking tomorrow's football schedule) was/is to write this post. I do believe in making resolutions. After all why celebrate the new year if some part of it isn't celebrating a new beginning. So I resolve to revive my blog in 2008.

I also resolve to worry about things less, to lime more, and to learn to snowboard.

Happy 2008!!

Seriously....how misguided can people be?

Life in Foreign can get QUITE incredible at times, when I try to think about what might have happened at home given the same circumstances. I mean, the things people try to do here for the sake of being forward-thinking. Imagine some place in San Francisco providing a facility, with clean syringes, and staffed with nurses, for drug addicts to go shoot up! All under the premise of supervision preventing deaths from overdoses! You know? If anything "goes wrong" there's nurses on hand. It's also meant to provide a clean environment to prevent spreading disease by needle-sharing.

Check out this article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/16/BA78SQEG7.DTL


Umm... forgive me if I'm thinking too much ahead here but aren't drugs of that sort illegal? And isn't anyone thinking of using this funding (cuz this stuff certainly can't be free) for additional rehab/detox centers? Maybe I just can't wrap my little mind around this one... or maybe I shoulda waited to write this one, cool off and think. Maybe there are benefits. Maybe they do prevent OD's. Maybe they do get addicts to come in to detox after a while. Maybe, well no, I CAN see how it actually would prevent passing on diseases through dirty needles. But still, this is really the only avenue our great minds could have found to combat this problem?

C'mon now...

is there nothing better to spend money on?!?

Ok so its been two months since my last post and its been REALLY busy and at the same time alot of time wasting around here without the structure of school in my life any more. So I dont suppose this was the post I expected to mark my return to blogging but this is what happens when you end up wathcing history channel late at night:

Does anyone realise how much money is being spent on MARS EXPLORATION?!?!?! BILLIONS AND BILLIONS and may I say BILLIONS of dollars!! Now I don't mean to be cliche but there are still in fact starving people on THIS planet that maybe deserve some attention.

"well you know, there may be some water on there that may support life"
"in the future when we get there, we plan to make it more like earth by warming it up with greenhouse gases"
Yep thats what the man said: "we're doing it here right now!" go warm up Mars with carbon emmissions.


All the while I'm thinking all this money being spent on a fantasy, a theory, for the sake of curiosity! Following in the wake of Galileo, trying to touch the thing in the other end of the telescope. yeah sure its one of THE unique traits of human beings to be curious, but seriously! how we prioritise sometimes............

Reflections

This post has obviously been long in coming but it's one that i have been thinking about for quite some time. My perspective on things has inevitably changed soemwhat since graduation as I look back on my "life in foreign" and how i've developed as a person, my likes, dislikes, skill set, aspirations. Moving from Vermont to South Dakota (god bless those people) to Connecticut. Getting into coaching. The most striking thing for me is noticing how i have managed to let go of things that , previously, I would have felt set me back when compared to others; things I would have tried to keep to myself, or even those which i felt may reflect badly on my own character. I got here playing football and these revelations I must owe to football as well (coaching included). To think the girl who used to play football with the fellas in aranguez savannah went abroad to play on scholarship, completed her MBA, and is a decent coach on the side is a nice little story....

Reflecting on how how far I have come, places i've been to, people i have met, the wonderful friends i have made, I realise life is so much about what you make of yourself, your ability to keep moving forward, and to let go of hang-ups. People won't judge you for things you can't control, or for your past, or having a different background if you are positive, give your best, and show good character. I remember times back home when we were really scraping through at the end of the month; I would no longer be ashamed to share that. Here I am coaching kids who live in 6-bedroom houses with a couple acres of backyard and a pool, they care that i have developed myself in the field and am a good coach to them here now. It would be quite a change of environment and culture shock but I would love to bring some of my european friends on a visit so they could see where i grew up, on a street without a sidewalk and with cows at one end and the field where i learned to play at the other (especially after having visited some of them in their well-coiffed neighbourhoods hehehe)

I also realise that in my case I have been fortunate for people to get to know me in a vacuum so to speak, because people do judge you. No I wasnt about to write a blind, feel-good post. I've experienced the side glances some coloured folks still get, the impression people have about west indians being backward, about my accent, the education system, the annoying caribbean people and wannabe's who create a less-than-savoury stereotype. So anyways, the vacuum: I've had the chance to have people get to know me for me and what I was able to share with them about Trinidad, without too much negative influence. And the many people i've met who know another trinidadian have only had good things to say. I suppose we might be a rare species, us Trinis, I wont call names of other islands hehehe

So five weeks of summer coaching over with now and I cant wait for Fall season to start. I have people asking for advice about their game, about their playing future, I have kids who I coached in the past running up to me, happy to see me. Its the best feeling ever.

Here's to the next chapter!!

Till nex time...
(i'll try to get back to more regular posts now)

i'm not dead

...just realising that's the name of Pink's last album...
anyways, thanks to those people who have been checking in now and then, and to the couple of new visitors I have had. I do apologise for not having written in so long. Things have certainly NOT gone half as smoothly as they did last year when I worked at this same camp. Here I am into the fourth week and I only just got internet in my room. But thats the least of my problems. This morning I slept in last being told I had the morning off and my assistant would take care of things. Only for her to call me at 8:25 to say ummmm we're you told it's not this morning it's tomorrow morning you have off?
well fuck me. And thats kinda how its been since the first week. Just not run correctly for days in a row. Thank god last week and this week the kids have been great. Definitely going for a couple of drinks tonight!!

Back online!! woohoo!!

Vermont

What does Trinidad and Tobago and the state of Vermont have in common? The outsider's perception that everybody is smoking weed all the time. Isn't that great? Thanks alot Bob Marley. Other than that, I cant think of much more there is... it woodsy? Well its not quite the same look, plus that would be vermont in general, and only a few parts in Trinidad, maybe tobago would be a better comparison.

On the other hand there are MANY things which are immensely different:

1. FRESH air!! In case you didn't know, Ver-mont comes from french for green-mountain. When you go up there and everything is open and green, you KNOW and FEEL the air is fresh and clean. And not just away from the towns that its cleanER, but that its clean throughout. Meanwhile, as I said here, Trinidad is right up there with countries producing the most carbon emmissions. Lovely!!

2. Big dogs and Pick-ups. Everyone in VT has a big dog and a pick-up truck haha, no kidding. BUT these people actually need these things whereas trinidadians just playin de ass. Huge vehicles to show off, and big dogs? also to show off. steupssss....

3. Huge properties and wildlife. Who thought I would ever say that sighting deer would be an almost mundane occurence LOL Well!! The fox I saw bounding across my friends property with a crow cawing in the background, was quite exciting! All I needed to top off my visit up there was for the elusive moose to come meandering out of the woods, as I was told they do ever so often. You have to be real living in the bush to spot any such wildlife in trinidad (manicou etc don't count, lest I get into all the racoons and skunks I see right outside my building).

4. Surely I must mention driving at the speed limit. Of all the states I have been to, I don't think anyone sticks as close to the speed limit as they do in VT (highways not included) Kudos to them :-) In the meantime people exceed the speed limit just in getting out of the driveway in Trinidad, so stupid it makes you laugh.

5. The "hippie" culture. Self-proclaimed hippies. It's a different sort of laid back than in the Caribbean. Must be the weather. Difficult to describe... like wearing nice "home clothes" to go out...or sitting wherever on the street/in a park as long as it looks dry and it's sunny out. LOL I guess you have to know a Vermonter to know.

All in all it was a great few days I spent up there, DEFINITELY one of my favourite places to visit. I need to track which seasons/months I haven't been yet and plan a trip then.

Till nex time....

Hail!!

No not hail anything or anybody, the thing that falls from the sky hail. Supposedly there was a hail storm not too far from here yesterday. Did I see it? nope. Was hail forecast for here? Yes. There was spectacular lightening. There was wind. There was some rain. No hail. Again disappointment. I live too close to the sea, but thats only now. What about the other years before now? Can you believe I've never seen hail? And it's even funnier to think that people only a few miles away say "oh yeah it looked like it snowed yesterday!" I'm like "damn!!" Even small hail I think would fascinate me, not tiny like freezing rain, although I think technically freezing rain is a type of hail. And even THAT fascinats me anyways! lol Watch how it'll be my bad luck to experience a really bad hail storm the first time I actually do see it (shaking head). What a waste of time that year I lived in South Dakota....

i'm baaaacckk!

No I have not abandoned my blog, as someone so pointedly asked me. The problem has become my time/coaching schedule: it is weird being able to now sleep in (the mornings the dumpster doesnt wake me) and then coaching/playing in the afternoons and nights. That is just a recipe for laziness, when other people being productive, I home playin de ass, and when is time to relax in the evening I now heading out. Well you know who will never have a shift job.

What makes it worse is that since Memorial day weekend I have had to get up early on the weekends to go coach, this will include this weekend. This getting up early unfortunately spread to other days of the week. Thus I get up early, lie around trying to go back to sleep, and eventually get up horribly late. I tried telling myself its good practice for getting up early at camp, but really, I DON'T need to practice from all now :-S

On a good note, my u-11 girls team won their league! Moving up a division in the Fall! Guess who is a hero of a coach?? Yes yes they are all going to kiss my feet at the end-of-season party LOL It's been a great time with this team, I feel quite proud of them :-D A few are even coming to residential camp so that'll be fun, I've been threatening making them do chores for me anytime someone makes a smartass comment LOL They're great kids tho, such a good-natured and enthusiastic group. And the parents have been nothing but keen and appreciative.

Ok I'm going to try to be active now seeing as I managed to be up at a reasonable time today. Hopefully I will get some more inspiration soon, probably after my trip to Vermont next week :-)

Till nex time

so what happened to the bike?

*taken with permission from the blog of said friend

"....At night, when I came back, all that was left was the cut-open lock. My bike was stolen!!! I was too tired to get mad, but I just thought “blæææææææææææææææææææ” Frick-it! I figured I’d never see my bike again..

I went to the police and reported the crime (yes we do that here in Norway…). The police lady said I’d receive a letter in a couple of weeks that said that they’d left the case.. Oh well.. I checked with the insurance people and started moving on from my loss. Still cursing the stupid people who stole my ride…

BUUUUUUUUUUUUT!

Yesterday as I was walking to school I saw a man riding MY bike I’m BROKE and want my bike back, so I called out to the man (in a smiling, friendly tone)

“Hi! Excuse me?!”

- uhmmm, yes?

- I just wondered, where did you get that bike?

- Uhmmm…I borrowed it from a friend in Skien..

- Humm.. that’s weird..That is actually my bike… It was stolen last week..

- Oh.. woops..

- Can I have my bike back?

- …

To make the story short: He, an old “druggis”, gave me my bike back!!! ! I thanked him for his cooperation and he walked away.. expecting a few hits in the face from his “friend” in Skien!

I got my bike back!!! And! The best of the story: The thief had brushed off all the stickers (okay, that’s not cool) but he also brushed off the rust, tightened the loose breaks, putting on new “dirt-stoppers”, and putting “5-56” on the rusted nails and such!!!! LOL! MY win! "

See what I mean? I need to go live over there for a while!

falken sykkelregister

I've been meaing to do this since the scandinavian post as I was chatting with one of those friends and this came up:


Her: ....and took the bus home from [ ], just to discover that my bike was stolen!!!
Trini to de bone says:
your bike was stolen?!?!?!
people steal things over there?
her: yes
Trini to de bone says: damn
BUT
been lots of raids of East-Europeans having large trucks and just stealing every bike, so it must be one of them
so u mean u can get it back somehow?
I'll report it to the police
they left the lock, so I'll bring it as evidence
i'm sorry but this is hilarious!
u live in a country where u report a BICYCLE theft to the police
thats fucking AWESOME!!
and then each bike has a registration-number, so I'll report that and they'll look for it
a registration number!!!?
it gets better and better!!
the suck-part is, that I've been thinking about getting an extra insurance on my bike, but I postponded it until [we moved] so i wouldnt have to go through the address change

WHAT?!
of course we do
it's a theft
u MUST see my viewpoint on this?!
i guess....
but still
we put an whole lot of money in it, soo...
this is just amazing
you skiped that extra insurance part?
yeah i was laughing too much
you get a sticker on your bike and it will be registered in an official thingi..
a registar for bikes
no way!
heck yea!
this is killing me!
seriously: can I blog this one?

Can you imagine?! I couldn't stop laughing through this whole conversation LOL She have de lock as evidence! LMAO!!! I jes picturing myself goin in the police station in trinidad an tellin them my bike get tief LOL LOL LOL And the insurance!! She have insurance! I wanted to be a smartass and ask if it was collision insurance HAHA But i can understand how annoyed she must have been so i didnt push it.

I was so completely amused by the thought of such a system, I was thinking "MAN! I GOTS to go spend a whole year over there!" Another friend, when I asked her, said O yeah if you see a bike you dont touch it in case its evidence or something. Somehow I thought of getting on the trams via ANY open door and people going automatically to dip their farecards at the boxes throughout the tram. Its the idea of doing the right thing I htink...having such a different mindset... knowing that small things can have a ripple effect. And expecting quite rightly that good will come back to you if you do your part. Planning with confidence to report your stolen bicycle!

I just realised i never got an update on this... i hope she does get it back after i laughed so much!
Till nex time...

What's next?

Hello Hello!

It seems like now that I am OUT of school I have LESS time! hehe, nah its just more sleeping, more taking it easy, more doing things on my own time. But I must apologise for not including blogging in the "things on my own time". I even got ideas for topics but havent gotten around to sitting here and writing.

Since graduation, the inquiring masses want to know "so what are you going to do now?" Well that is my own damn business!! just kidding ;-) Ok, as an international student, I have to apply for "Employment Authorisation which enables [me] to accept employment in [my] field of study and commensurate with the degree level completed." All dat to say I cant take a job e.g. as a pharmacy clerk or something. So i'm waiting for the INS to complete that, suppose to take a couple months. In the meantime, I am enjoying the free life :-D

Planning to visit some friends/family in the next couple weeks. Also a concert, a soccer game, and of course still playing. Too bad you can't travel overseas while that application thing is going on (I'll have to get a visa all over again to come back). Looking forward to summer camps again. By the time that's over I should have the Employment thingy. So yep... just floating along at the moment hehehe....

In the more immediate future though, I'll try to blog some more.
Till nex time....

Obituary

Unfortunately my "return blog" has to be about my dog Toffey, who sadly fell ill and passed away last week. Soundin nice eh? haha. He "passed away". De damn dog dead. The story is he get sick, stop eating only drinking water. Then I suppose they (my mom or my nephew) found him on the side of the house not moving and realise he dead. I was happy to hear they didnt throw him in the river which runs maybe a 150 meters from my house. Instead a friend who come all the time to lime by me, dig a hole in the yard and bury the dog. Apparently they had a lil service an ting, my nephew cry, awww. I'm sorry but I had to laugh when my Mom say they light a candle! LOL Somehow she is always the one there when the dog dead (my father is visiting in NY at the moment). The one before was the same thing: come and put her head through the burglar-proof in the front and stay there and dead and my mother was all sad. So the nex summer when I went home I get a nex dog, Toffey, to keep them company as I up here. He was truly a fun and happy dog, yuh know the dogs with the smile? And he had a lil dreadlocks, two strands, one on each side coming from just behind his ears, it gave him character. Unlike the previous dog, he would never run out when the gates was open, and would furiously guard each one, having his own lil way between the plants to get from one to the other. And most of all, when I started goin home only for Xmas, he would remember me :-) He DAMN WELL better had after I keep him in my room in de night through the cryin when he was small! So here's to my dog, now I feel sad as I'm writing this and reflecting....

I wonder if I should really get them another... I could probably arrange it from here, but then is them who go have to take it if he/she cry in the night in the beginning... and then the nex time I visit, the dog eh go know me! Pressha! Hmm...I have to think about this one...

Till nex time

The Scandinavians in my life

ok as promised, I am back after the hectic week last week, all graduated and everything now :) Now I've slept late for 2 mornings and have a bit of focus back now to do this, not to mention the pressure is on as some of the following people are actually looking out for this post:

a small sample

Hanna, Aase, Maria, Jennie, Anne, Stine, Sandra, Lilja, Rut, Hildur, Tove, Amanda, Erik, Andrea, Annika, Sara, Thora, Sigurros, Therese, Johanna, Sofia B, Camilla, Maja, Sofia H, Linda, Cecelia, Malin, Pernilla, Sofie, Hilmar, Hans, Siv, Henning, Magnus.

Isn't that cool?! A small paragraph! Consisting of Swedes, Icelanders, and Norwegians, in the ratio of 10:3:3, I suppose reflecting the general ratio of swedes. Over the years there has been varying levels of intimacy, which is just a fancy way of saying I knew/know some of them better than others :-) And to be honest I wish I had gotten to know more of them alot better. Anyways, they have all in some way had some influence in my life, again some more critical than others but I will proudly claim the ability to recall a moment of fun, a laugh, a drink, a smile, with each of them.

From the beginning, its been good. Really rough at times but that is to be expected with any new experience: my coming to school here and then rooming at close quarters with a Norwegian. Turned out to one of the best things ever to happen to me. What a great friend! Took some figuring out, but then... they all kinda take some figuring out. In my first year there was also a Swede: a most non-typical swede as I came to realise after another couple years, she was real impulsive, and wasnt too level-headed. Later on I met another who had some of the same qualities but not as pronounced. Still good-natured though.

Second year two more Norwegians and two more pleasant, friendly, and thoughtful people. Then I got to Bridgeport (current location) where began the cascade of Swedes and Icelanders, starting with my coach who happened to be another non-typical swede. Although I can't quite explain how, even though I know another 30 of them now, I know he's just different, maybe too Americanised or something, I still find it amusing to hear him speaking swedish.

So what's "typical"? well I already touched on a few characteristics not the least of which is being good-natured, they dont go around being aggressive or in a bad mood. In general, if you see that then theres a problem. More or less straightforward in their approach, they say what they mean. BUT the thing I MUST really mention is that of those that I have met: these must be the most patient people in the world! Probably a function of the above, they take alot of shit from people, yet seem to always take their time to try to figure things out, not necessarily letting things slide but always keeping cool. Amazes me. Also good listeners.

Such a level headed approach to life must be difficult to maintain, but as I mentioned, I have also met some that didnt fit the mold. They say variety is the spice of life hehe and damn sure! the 2 or 3 exceptions provided entertainment and stress alike. Impulsive decisions, statements, and unexpected actions (all of which were magnified since none of these are associated with nordic people therefore unexpected x 2) brought laughs as well as uncomfortable moments. All part of the experience I guess.

I remember covering different cultures in an International Business class, one of which was the Scandinavian. Theoretically, they are supposed to be quite a reserved people and I think they would agree to that description...to some extent...with a big HOWEVER at the end. Like anyone else, they like to have fun, and most can drink like Vikings of old, a trait which most are proud of. lol. And you know what else? After you get to know them, and they you, quite an affectionate people in their own way, not all cold like one might think. In fact I consider some of my closest friends Scandinavians.

Ok well its pretty late now, and I've covered the major traits. I know some would have liked me to do a separate post for each group but really, what does it matter? unless I was going to get into a description of each person. I love you all! Never met one I couldn't get along with.

So here's to a great people, good friends and most of all to my next visit! skål/skál!