Futures, Options, Extension Services, and Food Waste

I would like to be here right now:

New Hard Drive...YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Last weekend I finally got a new external hard drive...best.day.of.my.life. Not only does it actually keep my photos and music safe, it is also astronomically better than my last one. I finally updated my photos on Picasa, so check out the new summer ones!

The House

What else has been going on? I spent Tuesday and Wednesday of this week in Wayne, PA for a Sodexo Wellness Council Meeting. It was basically a strategy session (aka top secret) for the company, surrounding the idea of wellness: nutrition, fitness, and mental well-being. It was incredily interesting, and a great opportunity to meet people from other sectors of the company. It was nice to take a field trip, but I have so much to catch up on. I need to have all of my projects completed by next week - stressful, yet exciting. I am really happy with the way that most are turning out, and I hope that I will be able to get as much done as possible tomorrow and next week. I cannot believe that it is almost time to go back to Colorado!

The Potomac River

Last Friday I toured both the Capitol and the Kennedy Center. I also went to the Lion King with Tony and his parents at the Kennedy Center - AMAZING!

New Favorite

This is my new favorite video: http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/veganvideo.html

Watch it...I promise that it is amazing!

I finally bought a new external hard drive this weekend. I have reorganized all of my music (that took six hours), and the photos are next. Expect some D.C. photos to be up sometime this week!

Yes

Now, THIS cartoon is funny. When I first saw the cover of the New Yorker, I felt like it was missing something, and it was: the connection to make it satirical and unmistakably satirical. It needed something such as, "With visions of..." on the top, followed by a statement on the bottom such as, "dancing in the Republicans' heads."

Of course, the main thing that I did when I saw the original in the New Yorker was count my blessings, one being, of course, that I am not a Republican.

Photos from the past month...

Quick trip home

Sleepy panda at the National Zoo

Quintessential D.C.

YTF Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ...creepy (but good) Mexican Restaurant

Arizona flowers

More tourism...

Today Tony and I hit up:

1. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival - an annual event that highlights a country, state, and 'thing.' This year the selection was: Bhutan, Texas, and NASA. It was pretty cool! We saw some Bhutanese dance, listened to a session on ecotourism, visited the booths, and checked out a model of one of the rocket engines for the 2020 trip to the moon.
   
2. The National Air and Space Museum
3. The National Archives - the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Marbury v. Madison, & the Magna Carta (Mrs. Steen would have been so proud)
4. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

We also experienced a DELUGE of rain that I am pretty sure was one step under what was experienced by Noah!

I finally caught up on some much needed sleep this weekend and am ready for another busy week. Tomorrow I have a lunch meeting with people from the Chicago Climate Exchange...so cool!

Also, this is super awesome...

"57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan"

http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/19/57-health-benefits-of-going-vegan/

Nutrition

All of the following nutritional benefits come from a vegan diet full of foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, and soy products.

1. Reduced saturated fats. Dairy products and meats contain a large amount of saturated fats. By reducing the amount of saturated fats from your diet, you’ll improve your health tremendously, especially when it comes to cardiovascular health.
2. Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide energy for your body. When you don’t have enough carbohydrates, your body will burn muscle tissue.
3. Fiber. A diet high in fiber (as vegan eating usually is) leads to healthier bowel movements. High fiber diets help fight against colon cancer.
4. Magnesium. Aiding in the absorption of calcium, magnesium is an often overlooked vitamin in importance to a healthy diet. Nuts, seeds, and dark leafy greens are an excellent source of magnesium.
5. Potassium. Potassium balances water and acidity in your body and stimulates the kidneys to eliminate toxins. Diets high in potassium have shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
6. Folate. This B vitamin is an important part of a healthy diet. Folate helps with cell repair, generating red and white blood cells, and metabolizing amino acids.
7. Antioxidants. For protection against cell damage, antioxidants are one of the best ways to help your body. Many researchers also believe that antioxidants help protect your body against forming some types of cancer.
8. Vitamin C. Besides boosting your immune system, Vitamin C also helps keep your gums healthy and helps your bruises heal faster. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant.
9. Vitamin E. This powerful vitamin has benefits for your heart, skin, eyes, brain, and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. A diet high in grains, nuts, and dark leafy greens is full of Vitamin E.
10. Phytochemicals. Plant-based foods provide phytochemicals, which help to prevent and heal the body from cancer, boost protective enzymes, and work with antioxidants in the body.
11. Protein. That protein is good for your body is no surprise. It may be a surprise to learn that most Americans eat too much protein and in forms such as red meat that are not healthy ways of getting protein. Beans, nuts, peas, lentils, and soy products are all great ways to get the right amount of protein in a vegan diet.

Disease Prevention

Eating a healthy vegan diet has shown to prevent a number of diseases. Find out from the list below what you could potentially avoid just by switching to a healthy, balanced vegan way of eating.

12. Cardiovascular disease. Eating nuts and whole grains, while eliminating dairy products and meat, will improve your cardiovascular health. A British study indicates that a vegan diet reduces the risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Vegan diets go far in preventing heart attack and stroke.
13. Cholesterol. Eliminating any food that comes from an animal and you will eliminate all dietary cholesterol from your diet. Your heart will thank you for that.
14. Blood pressure. A diet rich in whole grains is beneficial to your health in many ways, including lowering high blood pressure.
15. Type 2 diabetes. Not only is a vegan diet a weapon against Type 2 diabetes, it is also "easier to follow than the standard diet recommended by the American Diabetic Association." Read more about it here.
16. Prostate cancer. A major study showed that men in the early stages of prostate cancer who switched to a vegan diet either stopped the progress of the cancer or may have even reversed the illness.
17. Colon cancer. Eating a diet consisting of whole grains, along with fresh fruits and vegetables, can greatly reduce your chances of colon cancer.
18. Breast cancer. Countries where women eat very little meat and animal products have a much lower rate of breast cancer than do the women in countries that consume more animal products.
19. Macular degeneration. Diets with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens, carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, can help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration.
20. Cataracts. Much the same way macular degeneration is headed off by a vegan diet, cataracts are also thought to be prevented through the intake of the same fruits and vegetables. Produce high in antioxidants are also believed to help prevent cataracts.
21. Arthritis. Eliminating dairy consumption has long been connected with alleviating arthritis symptoms, but a new study indicates that a combination of gluten-free and vegan diet is very promising for improving the health of those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
22. Osteoporosis. Bone health depends on a balance of neither too much or too little protein, adequate calcium intake, high potassium, and low sodium. With a healthy vegan diet, all four of these points set a perfect scenario for preventing osteoporosis.

Physical Benefits

In addition to good nutrition and disease prevention, eating vegan also provides many physical benefits. Find out how a vegan diet makes your body stronger, more energetic, and more attractive.

23. Body Mass Index. Several population studies show that a diet without meat leads to lower BMIs–usually an indicator of a healthy weight and lack of fat on the body.
24. Weight loss. A healthy weight loss is a typical result of a smart vegan diet. Eating vegan eliminates most of the unhealthy foods that tend to cause weight issues. Read more about weight loss and a vegan diet here.
25. Energy. When following a healthy vegan diet, you will find your energy is much higher. This blog post in Happy Healthy Long Life describes how NFL tight-end Tony Gonzalez started eating vegan and gained energy–while playing football.
26. Healthy skin. The nuts and vitamins A and E from vegetables play a big role in healthy skin, so vegans will usually have good skin health. Many people who switch to a vegan diet will notice a remarkable reduction in blemishes as well.
27. Longer life. Several studies indicate that those following a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle live an average of three to six years longer than those who do not.
28. Body odor. Eliminating dairy and red meat from the diet significantly reduces body odor. Going vegan means smelling better.
29. Bad breath. Vegans frequently experience a reduction in bad breath. Imagine waking up in the morning and not having morning breath.
30. Hair. Many who follow vegan diets report that their hair becomes stronger, has more body, and looks healthier.
31. Nails. Healthy vegan diets are also responsible for much stronger, healthier nails. Nail health is said to be an indicator of overall health.
32. PMS. When switching to a vegan diet, many women tell how PMS symptoms become much less intense or disappear altogether. The elimination of dairy is thought to help with those suffering with PMS.
33. Migraines. Migraine suffers who go on vegan diets frequently discover relief from their migraines. Read more about the food-migraine connection in this article.
34. Allergies. Reduction in dairy, meat, and eggs is often tied to alleviation of allergy symptoms. Many vegans report much fewer runny noses and congestion problems.

Too Much in the American Diet

The typical American diet not only consists of too much food, it also relies on too much of unnecessary food products or toxins. The following list explains how a vegan diet can eliminate these problems.

35. Animal proteins. The average American eats twice as much protein as necessary for a healthy diet and much of that is from red meat. Getting protein from beans and grains is much healthier and reduces the risk for osteoporosis (see above).
36. Cow’s milk dairy. The human body is not designed to digest cow milk and cow milk dairy products, yet the idea of milk being healthy is pushed through advertising. As many as 75% of people in the world may be lactose intolerant and many people suffer from undiagnosed milk allergies or sensitivities. By eliminating cow’s milk from your diet, you are improving your overall health.
37. Eggs. Many nutritionists believe that the number of eggs in the American diet is too high. While sometimes disputed, it has been shown that eggs can raise cholesterol levels.
38. Mercury. Most of the fish and shellfish consumed has mercury in it. While some fish have less than others, it is almost impossible not to be putting mercury in your body when you eat fish.
39. Sugar. Most people have heard that Americans consume way too much sugar. Relying on other sweeteners that are not synthetic, processed, or derived from animal products is a healthier way to eat. Many vegans do not eat processed sugar due to the fact that most of the cane sugar is refined through activated charcoal, most of which comes from animal bones.

Other Benefits

In addition to the health benefits above, following a vegan lifestyle and diet also provides these benefits as well. From helping the environment to avoiding serious bacterial infections, learn other benefits to eating the vegan way below.

40. Animals. Many people begin a vegan diet out of concern for animals. Whether opposed to the conditions of animals intended for food or eating animals in general, going vegan will help your conscience rest easily.
41. Environment. Growing plants takes much fewer resources than growing animals. By eating vegan, you can help reduce the toll on the environment.
42. E. coli. E. coli comes from eating contaminated red meat and is the leading cause of bloody diarrhea. Young children, those with compromised immune systems, and elderly people can become extremely ill or die from E. coli. Eating vegan means completely avoiding the risk of E. coli infection.
43. Salmonella. Another gastrointestinal illness from animal products, salmonella food poisoning is closely related to E. coli. The most frequent way people contract salmonella food poisoning is through contact with raw eggs or raw chicken meat from chickens infected with salmonella. Again, going vegan means eliminating this risk altogether.
44. Mad cow disease. It’s safe to say that most people would want to avoid contracting a fatal, non-treatable disease. One way to ensure you don’t get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is by not eating animals infected with mad cow disease. While the incidence of mad cow disease is not reportedly so high in North America, it does exist.
45. Global food supply. Feeding grain to animals meant as food sources reduces the amount of food that is available to underdeveloped nations. Many people will go hungry while that same food they could be eating is given to animals raised for slaughter. Eating vegan ensures that you have removed yourself from the participation of this imbalance.
46. Hormone consumption. Eating animals that have been given hormones to speed growth (a common practice in the meat industry) means those hormones go into your body. Not only can this disrupt the natural balance of your hormones, but some of the hormones given to animals have shown to cause tumor growth in humans.
47. Antibiotics. Antibiotics are frequently given to feed animals, which can lead to bacterial resistance. Many of the antibiotics used to treat human infections are also used in feed animals.

Healthy Eating

A vegan diet can be a much healthier way to eat. Find out how to combine the vegan diet with other ways of eating for an even more healthy way to go or discover ways to keep your vegan diet healthy but more convenient with the resources below.

48. Raw. A raw diet lends itself to veganism by the very nature of its design. Find out how to combine live and vegan diets with Raw Inspirations.
49. Organic. Eating organic and vegan is super easy to do. Use some of the recipes from this blog for help with meal ideas. The posts have slowed, but you can always search the archives for some great ideas on how to live and eat organic and vegan.
50. Fat-free. Vegan eating is typically pretty low in fats anyway, but the FatFree Vegan Kitchen shows you how to make some delicious vegan food that is always fat free.
51. Gluten-free. Due to allergies, Celiac’s Disease, or whatever your reason you avoid gluten, find out how to combine the best of gluten-free with vegan cooking in the Gluten-Free Vegan blog.
52. Eating out. Eating out isn’t usually associated with eating healthy, but a vegan diet ensures there will be a lot less of the bad things in the food you choose. Find eating out options around the world for vegans here.
53. Lunch. Maintaining a vegan diet means you are likely to take your lunch more often than most people. Vegan Lunch Box offers recipes, tools, and ideas for carrying great vegan lunches every day.
54. Dinner. Coming up with new dinner ideas is challenging for everyone–regardless of what type of diet you follow. Check out this amazing selection of vegan dinner recipes accompanied with mouth-watering photos of each preparation on Dinner with Dilip.
55. Dessert. While not all the recipes on My Sweet Vegan are for dessert, you will find a large selection of sweet vegan recipes with the most delicious-looking photos.
56. Wine. Pairing vegan food with wine may be challenging for those who rely on the old standard of "white with fish and red with meat." Read this article for ways to compliment your healthy vegan diet with a tasty glass of wine or this blog entry for specific pairings of wine and vegan food.
57. Fun. These ladies know how to kick it with vegan cooking. Post Punk Kitchen offers some great recipes with a ton of fun infused in them. Be sure to go through the archives for more yummy food ideas.

Yay DNC!

Today I received my weekly update on the course I am taking at the DNC in August. This was my favorite part:

"Both Republicans and Democrats are trying to hold the most environmentally friendly conventions to date. In both Denver and Minneapolis, some of the new changes include recycled-fiber carpet around the stages and booths made from sustainably harvested wood, energy efficient lighting, banners printed with soy-based inks, biodegradable plates, water made from petroleum-free containers and composted food. There is even an option to ride bicycles from hotels to the convention hall to minimize carbon footprints. According to press reports, the DNCC is taking an extra step that might disrupt some delegates' eating habits. Indeed, the Democrats have issued guidelines for food catering that include a ban of fried food. Instead, the guidelines say every meal should be nutritious and include "at least three of the following colors: red, green, yellow, purple/blue and white." So far, Republicans have not taken a similar stance on fried foods and students participating in the Republican Convention seminar will be enjoy all the fried food and meat on the stick that they want at the Minnesota State Fair, which will be happening throughout the first week of our program."

One more reason I am not a Republican!

Arizona, Etc.

Oh no...I am getting very lazy about this blogging thing again. Actually, I am really busy, but still, I should be better about it. I cannot believe that this is week three in Gaithersburg. It seems like I have lived here much longer! I am very well adjusted. I can navigate the buses and the metro; I know the fastest route to Trader Joe's; and I found a gym, today, YAY! I should note that the gym I joined (thank you, special student summer rate) is actually a health club. I have no idea why it costs less than the regular old city rec center, but I am not complaining. It is adjacent to my office, has three levels of amazingness, a pool, and tons of other fun stuff. Yesterday when I went to check it out, I stuck my hand in the pool to check the temperature. The guard came over and asked if I wanted anything, so I asked him if the temperature was 82 degrees F. He said, no, it was always 84 degrees F but that he was getting ready to check it anyways (he was testing the water chemistry...always a good sign). You should have seen the look on his face when he discovered that it was INDEED 82 degrees F. HAHA!

Everything is going well with work. I am busy, busy, busy! I have Friday off, which is excellent because I really need to catch up on sleep. The only complaint I have about my office is that it is SO COLD! Ahhh! I wear my fleece from 9:00 to 5:00 pm and drink hot tea by the Nalgene bottle. My favorite part is lunch because I go outside where it is HOT! Speaking of hot, it has not been incredibly hot here or humid. I think that I brought nice Colorado weather with me. Also, tonight I saw lightning bugs! Lightning bugs were always one of my most favorite parts of visiting Nebraska in the summer. I guess that they knew that I would not be visiting there this summer, so they came to me!

And why am I so tired? Well, I do get up rather early, but I have been trying to go to bed earlier too. More likely it is from my crazy weekend! This past Friday to Saturday I was in Scottsdale, AZ for a YTF meeting. It was SO WONDERFUL to see all of my friends and to meet the new crew that I missed meeting in January. We accomplished quite a bit of work too! It was 115 degrees F there! The hotel we stayed at was beautiful, and I got to spend Sunday afternoon in the pool after the meeting was officially over...yay for late flights! The downside of the late flight was that we (my YTF buddy Tony, interning in D.C., and I) left Arizona at 8:30 pm, had to stop in Vegas where our flight was delayed an extra two hours, and did not arrive back in D.C. until 9:00 am on Monday morning. Needless to say, I was late to work even though I went straight there. That, coupled with not much sleep over the weekend and an all-nighter last Thursday, made me tired! I am glad that I have Friday off to catch up!

I think that we are going to see fireworks downtown D.C. on the Fourth. I will put up pictures from AZ as soon as iPhoto decides to shape up because it is misbehaving again...will it ever end?

Photos Galore!

I retrieved my photos off of my hard drive and they are up! There are a bunch of videos at the end of the Sweden/Norway set. The problem is not fixed, but at least I was able to get the data off.

Ireland & Norway (finally!), plus the new move

Okay, I am finally back in the USA, but no longer in Colorado. Yes, I am in Maryland now! The week at home flew by WAY too fast. It was fantastic though! I got to see my roomie, have dinner with Tara and Colleen, spend a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa, have the ENTIRE Mazza family over for dinner, bake too much, visit the Ragans, and attend Grandpa Don's 90th Birthday Party! I also got my laptop and ipod fixed, went to the gym, and went canoing on the lake. Thank goodness for my messed up sleep schedule (from the eight hour time shift), otherwise I would not have been able to accomplish so much!

I moved to Gaithersburg, MD last Wednesday. My flight from Denver was overbooked, so I volunteered to take a later flight and earned a free ticket...yippee! I was thankful for my smart packing decision of limiting myself to one big suitcase, one small, and a backpack when I arrived because I had to navigate the buses and the metro. The girl I am leasing from picked me up at the closest metro station, which was super nice and much appreciated! I like the house I am living in - it is not super far from the office and the commute only involves one bus change. It is a safe area with a grocery store, parks, etc. nearby. I have been very lucky because this week was "cool" (relatively...hot for Coloradans) and not incredibly humid. I know that the time will come though!

I love my job thus far. My boss is great, but will not be around much because he travels quite a bit. His secretary is incredibly sweet, and has been great about showing me around and making introductions. I have my own cubicle and phone line, which makes me feel quite important. The one problem I have is that I cannot use my own computer (I have to use a Sodexo laptop in order to be on the Sodexo network), and I miss my MacBook all day long! I will never go back to owning a PC. Anyways, Thursday and Friday were a whirlwind of introductions, getting lost, and attempting to figure things out. I know that I am going to forget my ID card (required to enter every single internal doorway) one of these days and be in huge trouble! We are in the process of hiring another person for the Corporate Citizenship department because right now it is just Arlin (my boss), La'Shaune (his secretary), and me (haha). I attended two presentations of potential hires each day. I also made a lot of copies, had a conference call, a webinair, and received training on a new database that I will be working on next week. I have several projects to complete over the course of the summer and I love them. Several involve collaboration with people from other departments, so I will be able to see what other areas of the company are like.

Today I also went to Trader Joe's...YES! I am not going to lie, the fact that there is a Trader Joe's in Gaithersburg was a huge motivator for me to brave the humidity and move here. Haha. For anyone not familiar with its glory, Trader Joe's is a smallish grocery franchise, that features tons of organic and natural stuff, including, of course, tons of vegan deliciousness. I finally figured out the bus route there today and was not disappointed. I found cherry chocolate chip soy ice cream! Yippee! I also confessed my love of the company to the cashier guy (beginning with New Year's in Tucson, 2007) and I think he thought I was a little crazy. PS - apparently we cannot get these stores in Colorado because they sell their own brand of wine in-store, which violates state liquor laws. I say that is lame.

But let's backtrack a few weeks, to May 26th through 30th, to be specific. Where was I then? IRELAND! I LOVED Ireland! I miss that place! It was very green, true to its name! I flew into Dublin from Göteborg on Monday afternoon. I appreciated the fact that the Dublin Airport was in fact, in Dublin, unlike most of the other Ryanair Airports. I checked into my hostel, which was located right downtown. I stayed there Monday night and Thursday night, and it was one of the best that I have ever been to. Anyways, the first stop on my agenda with Trinity University in Dublin to see the Book of Kells. Wow! That was incredible. There was a great exhibit about the Book and its history. Plus, I actually got to see it. It was much smaller than expected, which made the ornate text and obsessively detailed illustrations even more incredible. The book, or I should probably say books because there are four volumes, dates back to 800 a.d., so it is amazing that it is still here today!

Trinity University

After The Book of Kells, I walked around and explored a bit. Dublin is a very multicultural city. I was really surprised by the amount of Polish restaurants and grocery stores; I wonder why the large influence? Everyone was incredibly nice and smiley, which was welcome after Sweden (the smile part and some of the nice)! I did not realize that the official language of Ireland is still Gaelic - most of the signs are in both Gaelic and English.

On Tuesday, I set off in the rain (yay Irish weather) to join a day tour. I liked this particular tour because we were in one of those fifteen passenger vans instead of a huge bus. Our guide took us to tons of amazing sites around Dublin. Our first stop was Four Knocks Passage, an ancient tomb. It looked like a little grassy hill at first, but then we saw the secret entrance. This particular tomb was over 5000 years old, which older than the pyramids! Our second stop was Mellifont Abbey, the first in Ireland. Only the very skeleton of the foundation remains because most of the stones were moved a long time ago for use in other building projects. How sad is that? However, one can still see the general layout. We went to see the high crosses at Monasterboice next. These HUGE crosses are probably ten feet tall and pure stone. They are covered with engravings of scenes from the Bible. I have no idea how they have managed to stay standing for so long! We had lunch at a cute little pub before our next activities. I had cabbage and potatoes - my very favorite! Afterwards, we moved on to the Hill of Slane...and ventured back out int the rain. There are some ruins of an old monastery on the Hill, but it is famous because this is where Saint Patrick first came to proclaim Christianity. I saws tons of cute cows too, which made me very happy. The final destination for the day was the Hill of Tara. This place was awesome! To the uninformed person, it looks like a bunch of small hills with some adorable sheep frolicking around. However, it was actually the meeting place of the ancient kings of Ireland! The kings were crowned there and the high king was chosen as well. There are also several underground chambers and burial places, hidden in the hills.

Monk washing up building at Mellifont Abbey

I set off for Galway when I returned to Dublin after the day's tour. I arrived after dark, so I only checked into my hostel and made plans for the next morning. This hostel was not anywhere as nice as the Dublin one, but I put up with it for two nights. Wednesday morning, I decided, was Cliffs of Moher day because the weather was supposed to be nice. I had to choose a big tour due to the absence of any small ones, but it turned out great. The guide was a tiny old Irish man, and he was hilarious! I would have paid much, much more just to go on a tour with this guy! The whole time he told stories about drinking too much, leprechauns, and faeries, and hitting on all of the girls in the bus (which was enormous by the way). It was great! He also drove on the "wrong" (for Ireland) side of the road for a bit "to make the Americans feel at home." But really, I learned quite a bit about important things too. We drove through the Burren, which is this weird, flat rocky landscape. All of the rocks have deep cracks, and tons of wildflowers and plants grow in them. There are also ancient remains in some! There are quite a few ancient tombs in the area, and really important artifacts have been found. Plus, it is incredibly beautiful! We drove along Galway Bay, saw a few castles, a lot of sheep, and horses. We went to a faerie ring and heeded warnings from entering...faeries kidnap people there. Oh yes, and we also saw the Cliffs of Moher:

The Cliffs of Moher

Let's see...INCREDIBLE, right? The weather that day could not have been more perfect! I took a million photos at the visitor's place, then crossed the "Do NOT Cross" area and took two million more. That was a really good decision because the view was much better. I was very careful and stayed away from the edge. I compared my photos to the ones in the gift shop, and have to say that many of mine are better. Yes, I will brag about it because I am self-centered.

View of Galway Bay from the Cliffs of Moher

On Thursday I walked around Galway a bit. It is a university town, rather small and very cute. Oh! On Wednesday night I also went to watch some ceili dancing...that was super fun! Anyways, Galway was great. It is a really cute little down. Across the river running through the center is Claddaugh Quay, the place where the Claddaugh ring was first made. I bought a new ring while I was in Ireland to replace the one that I lost on my first day at CC (that was devastating because I had been wearing it ever since I bought it at my last dance competition). I headed back to Dublin Thursday afternoon to stay the night before my early morning flight on Friday. I took the bus to Galway and back...good choice...we passed though so many cute little towns and I saw a ton of the beautiful countryside!

Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin

I returned to Sweden on Friday afternoon (and to my DISGUSTING house) to study up for my Monday final in Economic Geography of Asia. I enjoyed that test...seriously. I spent the weekend packing and getting everything in order for my departure the the USA. My final was a three hour, six-essay ordeal in the afternoon on Monday. Dad and Kenyon arrived in Stockholm the previous day (Sunday) but I left them to fend for themselves because of the exam. I took the train up to meet them on Tuesday morning - yay! It was so nice to see part of my family again! We covered so much ground in the next week that it was crazy. Our Eurail passes were awesome and we all agree that taking trains is THE way to travel! I even like sleeping on trains, and Dad and I devised some rather good strategies for taking decent photos as the car speeds down the tracks. The run down:

• Tuesday (June 3) - meet Dad and K, travel to Gävle, night train to Lulea
  
• Wednesday - explore Lulea, night train to Kiruna
• Thursday - Kiruna (furthest Northern city in Sweden), stayed in a great hostel, and our first experience with the midnight sun (it was sunny at 2:00 am...I kid you not)
• Friday - train to Narvik, Norway...this boarder-crossing journey is famous for its beauty! We saw reindeer, a moose, gorgeous snowy peaks, Abisko (famous from my Swedish workbooks), and the amazingly long Tometräsk Lake. Santa was also on our train, seriously...he was visiting from Japan. For some reason, the scenery completely changed when we crossed the boarder in to Norway and everything became super gorgeous. We stayed in Narvik Friday night at a great hostel, even though the sauna was locked, much to Dad's dismay.
• Saturday - hike in Narvik, great views of the amazingly beautiful fjord there, Dad and K went to the World War II museum, bus to Tronheim, walked around Tronheim and enjoyed the summer festival, train to Åndalsnes (adorable little town, right in the middle of several fjords...I am moving here), which was an incredibly beautiful journey, stayed at the most adorable hostel ever
• Sunday - Dad rented a car so that we could drive over the pass that we went over on Friday's train...we stopped and took way too many photos, saw so many amazing waterfalls, adorable lambs (I tried to pet one and failed), over four feet of snow at the top and skiers, the Geiranger Fjord (we took a boat trip in this one...wow!), trolls galore, and almost had a scenery overload. We stayed another night at the amazingly cute hostel because it was just that great.
• Monday - train to Oslo, which was late...so we missed our connections and ended up getting back to Göteborg, Sweden after the last train for Jönköping had already departed. We were able to get on a bus in the middle of the night, and arrived back three hours before my five am fligh
• Tuesday - I went back to the USA (Jönköping to Stockholm to Frankfurt to Denver) and Dad and K went to Copenhage

Wednesday - I wake up at 4:00 am and bake three cakes, two batches of cookies, and pancakes before 9:00 am...yay!


I am having issues with my external hardrive, which is also where all of my photos are stored. I do not even want to talk about that. In the mean time, about a third of the Sweden/Norway photos are up and hopefully more will be soon. I think that the photos speak for themselves.

Photo Mess of Insane Proportions

The good news is that all of my photos made it though the crash of iPhoto, which I used to like, and now I am not so pleased with. The bad news is that they are a huge mess and are going to take hours to reorganize (I have over 4000). SO, I think that I may have to wait until I am home next week to clean them up. Sadly, this means that I cannot put up photos from Ireland for another week or so...and I took some really fantastic photos there! Maybe if I pack really quickly tonight, I can work on it, but we shall see...

I also just remembered something else fantastic about Ireland - almost everything there is LABELED vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc! I cannot even describe how cool this is! I was absolutely raving about it in one grocery store to the checker lady, and I think she thought that I was a little bizarre, but it is a BIG deal. I usually have to spend a ton of time meticulously checking everything...plus, in the EU the preservatives/additives are numbered, so I have to check the numbers to see if any of the animal derived ones are included. I suppose that this might be a little more helpful than the vague US system (ex. "Natural Flavors" - what the heck is that?). ANYWAYS, it was super awesome. Oh yes, and I even found vegan fig newtons...which I have not had for four years.

I have my Economic Geography of Asia final today. It is a five hour essay test, which I think will bring back memories of AP exams in high school. I also need to pack EVERYTHING because I will be returning to Jönköping right before I fly home next week. I think that I might go to jympa as well because it will be the last time I can go. I am super sad about that. I love jympa. I have a feeling that this may turn into an all-nighter, depending on how long the packing takes. I am taking a SUPER early train to Stockholm tomorrow to meet Dad and K though! EXCITING!

I am working on laundry yet again, and need to get back to studying. I also need to stop eating frozen cookie dough...I made it last week because I had some ingredients that I needed to use up with the full intention of actually making cookies. Well, that did not happen because the only thing I like more than fresh cookie dough is frozen cookie dough, so yes, big mistake there.

Greener Than Ever

I am back from Ireland...and quite sad about it, to be honest! Ireland was INCREDIBLE! That place is so gorgeous! The people were so nice too! I had almost forgotten what it is like to walk around and have people smile at you. Swedish people are so reserved it is ridiculous. You smile at a Swedish person and they look at you with this expression that says, "Why are you smiling at me you STRANGER?!" Yes, that is a very sad, and very true fact. Anyways, it was also nice to be surrounded by English. Even though the official language of Ireland is Gaelic, everything is in English too (or just in English). I appreciated the fact that I knew what was going on around me 100% of the time. But most of all, I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IRELAND!

I took MANY amazing photographs, but am unable to access them at the moment. My computer decided that it would be fun to lose half of my entire photo library last night, and I am still working on fixing that problem. I still have the photos, backed up on my external drive, but I am in the process of burning them all to DVDs as a precautionary measure before I start trying to fix the problem. Last night there was reason to panic, but now I am feeling more in control of the situation. If I lost my photos...over 3000 of them...oh boy, I do not even know what I would do.

My CC email + gmail configuration from heaven is also not cooperating, so I have to use stupid Outlook Express to access my main email account. That sad excuse for a program makes me want to rip my hair out. Otherwise, it was a lovely day today. I went to the gym for jympa, but I neglected to drink water beforehand and it was not very enjoyable. I need to study for my final on Monday, but I have so much other stuff to do! I will get to it though...I need to solve this photo project first though, so that I can stop worrying about it.

I will post about the Ireland trip as soon as I fix the photos and get some of my other tasks accomplished. I am really excited to see Dad and Kenyon on Tuesday AND super excited to be back in Evergreen in a week and a half!

Time is flying...

I cannot believe that it is already Saturday! I am working on laundry (the project always takes a minimum of three hours) and papers. I leave for Dublin on Monday morning...SO EXCITING! Seriously, I have wanted to move to Ireland for practically my entire life, so I am seriously hoping that it lives up to my expectations. I wish that I could bring my fantastic rainboots, but I know that there will not be room in my backpack and it would probably make me go over the weight limit. Ryanair has really strict policies for carry on luggage, concerning size and weight. They charge people quite a bit to check bags, so I always make sure that I can carry on. Luckily, I have my gortex hiking shoes to brave the wet weather.

This week was quite busy...again! I am so thankful that I somehow managed to motivate myself into starting and finishing my final for Economic Development last weekend because there is no way that I would have time to do that this weekend. I am almost finished with that class, which is a really good feeling. We had our last lecture two weeks ago, but we have a group paper due along with the final on Friday. I already turned in the exam (on Monday...this must be a record for me!), and the paper just needs a final edit. I wrote it with two of my friends from class, and I am happy to say that it turned out pretty well. I think that it was my first time writing a group paper since elementary school. It turned out to be a little higher than elementary work, quality wise...haha. The teacher (not a professor) is grading these as pass/fail, which really distorts the incentives to work hard. My group did though - we looked at the influence of investment in education and R&D (research and development) on South Korea's GDP growth, made our own model, ran a regression...it was intense.

I had my last lecture for Economic Geography of Asia on Thursday. I have really enjoyed that class...for the most part. The lecturer for the first and last two lectures was the head of the Economic Department at JIBS. He is also a good friend of Mark, one of my professors and thesis advisor at CC, and was a great lecturer. He may visit CC in the fall (he comes to our school every now and then). I have the big final for that class on June 2, and then I am done! I think that one is going to be a little challenging because it is an essay test - eight or nine questions and five hours. I have a feeling that it is going to bring back memories of AP essay writing...THAT seems like a long time ago!

The big, nasty Swedish 2 final was yesterday. I definitely failed it, but I am feeling okay with that reality. It was an incredibly difficult test. Though I prepared for it, I would have had to memorize the dictionary to get a high score. It was rather ridiculous! Most of the others in my class felt the same way, so I know that I am not the lone slacker (about half opted not to take the exam at all). I do not get credit for my Swedish courses from CC anyways - they were 'extra' - but I am glad that I took them. I learned quite a bit of Swedish and it was important to me to learn at least some of the language that I am continuously immersed in.

One of the major accomplishments of the week was FINALLY confirming a place to live in Gaithersburg this summer! I feel so much better knowing that is taken care of. The house that I am renting a room in is quite close to my office and not very far from Trader Joe's, which was pretty much a requirement...haha. I am getting very excited to start that adventure! I have been working diligently on a few different Sodexo and Relay projects...trying to get them finished up before summer. I am also SUPER EXCITED for my week at home! I have lists and lists, and yes, more lists of all of the things that I want to do. It will be wonderful to be back in Evergreen! I have also received a large amount of pre-reading for my course at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August. That is going to be a phenomenal experience! One of my professors is writing a book on the 2008 Elections and we get to read the rough draft copy. How cool is that? The course is really intriguing because one professor is a staunch republican and the other is a democrat. We mix the glory of CC teaching with an internship at the Convention, plus other group work and such. I cannot wait! Now, if Hillary would stop being such a sore loser and drop out instead of making comments about Kennedy being shot in June to Obama, everything would be great!

Also, because I am obsessed with vegan news, Opera is going vegan (and gluten-free) for three weeks! I not one for celebrity gossip, but she has a major influence on people, so this could be really good! I hope that the health effects, as well as the environmental, social, psychological, and economic benefits get some fantastic press!

Last Full Week

First of all, I could not be more delighted that the lilacs are blooming! I have been collecting a bunch every single day and my room smells amazing.

I realized this morning that this is my last FULL week in Sweden. Wow! Where has the time gone? I was completely wired last night and did not go to sleep until after 5:00 am. That was rather inconvenient, but I discovered that it is completely light outside at 4:00 am! I am really excited to travel up north with Dad and Kenyon in a few weeks to see the midnight sun. I think that Northern Sweden in the summer time could be the perfect place for Relay!

Last week was rather awful, so I would prefer not to talk about it. I started and finished my home exam for Economic and Institutional Development this weekend and am really glad to have that out of the way. The first part was regurgitation, but the second section actually required critical thinking and I sort of enjoyed it. How sad is that? I need to finish up the group paper for that class this week, but there is not too much more to do for that. I cannot take my final for Economic Geography of Southeast Asia early, so I will have to endure that on June 2. I have really been enjoying that class because it is so much better than the Economic Geography course that I took last quarter. The one thing that bothers me though is that we do not discuss current events. Last week there was not one word said on the earthquake in China or the cyclone in Burma. I could not believe it...I mean, people know about that...right? My last class Swedish, is on my hate list at the moment. I am still irritated about my presentation. In addition, we had to take the essay exam on Thursday and I know that I did poorly on it. I was extremely tired and my brain completely checked out. Oh well. I do not get credit for that course from CC anyways (thanks a lot, CC). I still have to take the nasty final for that class on Friday, which I already know is going to be three hours of awful.

It has been kind of chilly and rainy here, but the sun is out today! I have not been able to walk on the trail along the lake due to massive amounts of bugs! I feel like a windshield in the Midwest when I brave the journey. My alternative is walking on the path along the road, which is much less enjoyable but bug free. I hope that we have an extremely short cold snap to fix that little problem! It is really a bummer because I have to walk from home to downtown at least two time a day, but more often three or four. I have become so used to walking here that it almost seems strange to me to think of driving! I suppose that I will not be driving much this summer anyways, so it does not matter.

The other day when I was walking into town and picking up trash, I had this really interesting thought. I try to pick up trash wherever I am walking if I am not in a hurry, even though it makes me grumpy that I will completely clean up an area and it will be gross the next day. Anyways, I was thinking about the TYPE of trash that I always see: candy bar wrappers, cigarettes, soda and alcohol bottles, bags from fast food restaurants...and thought: is there a correlation between IQ and littering? I mean, everyone knows that littering is wrong and usually a little enforced criminal offense. However, people still do it. Furthermore, the type of people who litter are also the ones stuffing themselves with soda and hamburgers and all other types of junk, along with alcohol and tobacco. That sounds pretty idiotic to me. When was the last time that you saw a soymilk container on the side of the road? I have never seen that! I think that someone should do a study on this topic because I hypothesize that there is a definite correlation.

No Love for Swedish

I am absolutely wiped out today. I have been so tired for no apparent reason for three days. I think I need to go on vacation...again...haha. I wish that I could say that yesterday's Swedish presentation went well. I worked really hard on it and felt pretty proud of myself. However, my teacher felt otherwise. She was so picky on the comments after every person's presentation, ex. "You pronounced 'x' war like 'y' in the second minute of your presentation." Wow, pardon me for not having Swedish as a first language. Today, we had to take an essay exam and then endure a few hours of class. Then, we received the presentation grades. Let's put it this way: I am pretty sure it is one of the lowest grades I have received ever. Right down there with the test on the human skeleton in fourth grade that I failed on purpose. Granted, it does not count for a massive percentage of my grade, but I felt that it was quite unfair. Everyone was graded really harshly, which should make me feel better, but it does not. I guess that it is just one more reason why I cannot wait to go back to CC!

Many of the people that I am currently forced to cohabitate with really make me question the future of the human race. I mean, honestly, I am one of the younger people living here - technically, I should be one of the less mature people...right? Apparently not. However, I am still immature enough to be passive aggressive and offer a list of tips for these individuals on my blog:

1. Dirty dishes left outside of your room will not be removed and cleaned. It does not matter how long you leave them there. Dishes left in the kitchen will not be cleaned by others. Yes, it is earth shattering, but do your own dishes!
2. If you break glass, you must clean it up. Broken glass is dangerous and it poses a risk for other people who may happen to use common areas, such as the kitchen.
3. Trash should be relocated from the kitchen, hallway, etc. and taken to the dumpster outside. It may come as a surprise, but we actually live in Sweden, not Italy. Trash does not relocate itself, though it may seem that way, judging from the excessive amount of trash outside.
4. Food should not be left on the floor, counters, table, or anywhere besides a cupboard or refrigerator. Does it come as a surprise to you that there are insects migrating in droves? Do you wonder why your living environment often smells similar to a dumpster? This tip is your solution.
5. I will refrain from giving dietary advice. However, if you choose to cook with grease, take appropriate precautions and clean up after yourself afterwards. Besides clogging your arteries, grease also clogs sinks. It also makes counter tops and stove tops disgusting.
6. Clean up after yourself in the bathroom. I will not go into details, in order to keep this 'clean' (pun completely intended). Also, mirrors are designed to be reflective. If a mirror is covered in spit and toothpaste, it no longer serves this purpose.
7. Stealing food is wrong. People do not appreciate it.
8. If you are going to have a party, please party elsewhere. Being loud, obnoxious, and intoxicated does not foster healthy neighbor relations. If you choose to forgo this advice, please refrain from singing drinking songs...in high pitched voices...and screeching.

I could list more, but I probably sound like a full-blown pessimist, which is not actually the case. But sometimes, it would be nice to be able to prepare a meal or walk outside my room without the risk of contracting a disease.

Tomorrow I am going to go and find some lilacs!

It's almost here...

You know that feeling when you wake up and want to say, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" That will be tomorrow for me. Yes, it is the big, nasty Swedish presentation. I have a final draft (the last one was pretty much loaded with errors), but I know that I am going to totally freeze up tomorrow. Here is what it looks like:

I dag, ska jag prata på Stafett För Liv. Stafett För Liv, eller bara Stafett, är en promenad. Folk promenerar att befordra pengarna. Alla pengarna befordrade far till Amerikan Cancer Förbunden. Pengarna far till cancer forskning och att hjälpa folk med cancer.

Stafett är speciell därför att det är tolv timmar. Folk promenerar under kvällen och de promenerar i team. Teamen har tio till fjorton folk. Folk byter som promenerar. Stafett starter circa nitton. I början, är det en ceremoni med en anförande. Vi erkänner folk som har cancer. Stafett starter. Circa tjugo, har vi en cermoni heter “Luminaria.” Eftersom det är mörka, vi satte eld på stearinljusar i säckar. Säckar har förnamnen av folk som har cancer och förnamnen av folk avled frän cancer. “Luminaria” är mycket emotionell men det är viktiga att minns. Vi promenerar tills solen kommer upp. Det halv är jätteglada därför att vi är hoppfull. Stafett avsluter circa sju. Vi kungjorde som befordrade mesta pengarna. Folk går hemma och sover! De är trötta!

Under Stafett, vi promenerar och gör andra saker. Vi spelar sporter. Banden kommer och spelar musik. Vi äter mycket mat och dricker mycket kaffe och te. Men, vi sover inte! Det är vanliga kalla därför att Stafett är utifrån. Vi måste springer omkring att vara varm! Det snöde i den forsta år!

Jag startade Stafett i min skola under min forsta år med min kompis. Jag och min kompis, Caitlin, gillar Stafett! Jag startade Stafett därför att min mormor och min kollega hade cancer. Jag tyckt att jag hjälpte inte men jag kunde. Jag kan hjälpa befordrar pengarna för cancer forskning därför att forskning är hur vi ska finna en bot!

På maj tredje, hade Colorado College dess tredje Stafett. Vi befordrade tjugo-nio-tusen dollarna eller circa ett-hundra-sjuttio-fyra-tusen kronor. Jag är stolt som en tupp! I fredags, hade jag min egen Stafett i Sverige. Jag promenerade frän åtta till tjugo eller för tolv timmar. Mina fötter var mycket trötta! Jag tror inte jag kunde promenerade för tolv timmar!

Stafett För Liv är i tjugo länder men inte Sverige. Jag tycker att Sverige behöver Stafett. Det är jatteglada att promenera med kompisar. Också, det är för en bra orsak. Cancer är ett stort problem i USA och här. Stafett För Liv är ett metod att hjälpa.

I was so tired today for no apparent reason! Maybe Relay is finally catching up to me. Haha. All I felt like eating was soup and it was windy out. Bummer. I was feeling pretty sorry myself on the bus home (I cannot believe I took the bus, but my foot hurt like heck and I was totally dragging my body around), which was totally unwarranted...so then I thought of ten reasons why I need to turn my attitude around:
1) I am not in Myanmar.
2) I am not in China either.
3) I have a sweet summer job.
4) The lilacs are almost blooming.
5) I am going to eat soba noodles when I get home.
6) Bridge is back in Evergreen.
7) I saw a cute snail this morning.
8) I am not Hillary Clinton AND she is totally going to lose.
9) My apartment next year is going to be awesome.
10) I downloaded "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi today and I will probably have to listen to it on repeat.

PS - Grandma S. wins a million kroner for figuring out the topic of the presentation!

Relay By Myself and a 180

I really need to get better about this blogging thing. I actually enjoy writing on my blog quite a bit, but whenever I sit down to update it, I think of a million other things that I have to do and I get distracted. Welcome to my ADD. Haha.

So what happened this week? I had a full schedule of courses Monday through Thursday. That was a little tough, especially coming off of all of my traveling and fun times. I actually had to remind myself more than once that I was in Sweden to go to school. Ha. On Thursday I basically had an "academic Relay" - Economic Development from 9-12, Swedish II from 1-4, and Economic Geography of Asia from 5-8. Considering that I left my house at 8 and did not return until after 9, I do believe that it was slightly insane. However, I made it and reminded myself that this type of a schedule is what I have been working off of for several years. I had some great guest lecturers in both Economic Development and Economic Geography this week...yay! I appreciate people who know what they are talking about! I had a real reality check in Swedish called "you do not actually know any Swedish, Courtney." Okay, so I do, but missing two lectures for that course was sort of rough. I have a five minute oral presentation IN SWEDISH on Tuesday. My teacher (who is really fantastic, just tough) unpleasantly surprised us by saying that she expects at least 75% of that to be memorized. How do I curse in Swedish again? Just kidding. In case you are wondering what my presentation will be on, here is a draft:

I dag, jag ska prata på Stafett För Liv. Stafett För Liv, eller bara Stafett, är en promenad. Folk promender att berfordra pengar. Alla pengar berfordrade får till Amerikan Cancer Förbunden. Pengar får till cancer forskning och att hjälpa folk med cancer.

Stafett är speciell därför att evenemanget är tolv timmar. Folk promender under kvällen och de promenader i team. Teamen har tio till fjorton folk och folk byter som promenader. Stafett starter circa nitton. I början det är en speciell ceremoni med en anförande. Vi erkänner folk som har cancer. Då Stafett starter. Circa tjugo vi har en cermoni heter “Luminaria.” Eftersom det är mörk, vi satte eld på stearinljusar i säckar. Säckar har förnamnen av folk som har cancer eller folk avled frän cancer. “Luminaria” är mycket emotionell men det är viktig att minns. Då vi promender tills solen kommer upp. Det halv är jätteglad därför att vi är förhoppningsfull. Stafett avsluter circa sju. Vi kungjorde som befordrade det mesta pengar. Då folk går hemma att sova! Jag startade Stafett i min skola på min forsta år med min kompis. Vi tyckte att det kommer att lyckad på Colorado College. På maj tredje, Colorado College hade dess tredje Stafett. Vi berfordrade tjugoniotusen dollarna eller circa etthundrasjuttiofyratusen kronor. Jag är stolt som en tupp!

I lordags, jag hade min egen Stafett i Sverige. Jag promendade frän otta till tjugo eller för tolv timmar. Jäg var trött men glad! Stafett För Liv är i tjugo länder men inte Sverige. Jag tycker att Sverige behover Stafett. Det är jatteglad att promenda med kompisar. Också, det är för en bra orsak. Cancer är et stor problem i USA och här. Stafett För Liv är ett metod att hjälpa.

I wrote it last night and it needs a little bit of work. In case you are wondering, no, I did not use an online translator. That was just me and my dictionary.

On Friday, I spent the day "Relaying" in Sweden! My goal was to walk from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and guess what? I DID IT! YEAH! I was actually feeling pretty pessimistic about the whole thing when I started on Friday morning, thanks to a massive blister on my heel that I had the joy of receiving two days prior. But guess what else? After walking for twelve hours, your feet basically go numb and you do not feel things like a dumb blister that much anymore! I have to say that the weather was absolutely gorgeous: sunny and at least 25 degrees. I wore my super hot running tights, CC shorts, and, of course, RFL shirt. I choose to wear the original. The really fantastic thing about this whole event was yesterday. Why? Well, I will admit that I was feeling pretty crappy when I finished walking on Friday night...obviously...and I was expecting the worst on Saturday morning. But, I actually felt pretty darn good yesterday! I was a little bit sore, but well enough to walk to school, write a group paper, walk back, etc, etc. It was totally amazing! I did not take any photos during my Swedish Relay because I forgot my camera, and I also did not calculate the distance for most of it. I will estimate that I walked over fifty km though...and because I walk at least five km per hour. Anyways...

The forest section of my walk to school

On to the "180 part." Wow, so one time I went to Portugal and Finland, and then I came back and I said, "Sweden, what the heck happened to you?" I have really enjoyed Sweden since I arrived and have always felt that it was a beautiful country, but all of a sudden this place is amazing! For one, it has been sunny and practically hot for the past week. I have spent all of my time skipping around in my CC shorts and sandals. Also, everything is GREEN! There are blooming trees everywhere and flowers and I discovered lilac bushes about to bloom on my way to town today. Yes, lilac bushes, my absolute FAVORITE type of bush! Plus, it does not get dark here until after 9:30 pm now, so I have plenty of daylight! I discovered that there are teeny tiny lizards in the grass too...but they are lightning fast and really difficult to find. Sweden also has the biggest bumble bees that I have ever seen in my life. Seriously.

Can you spot the bee?

I should probably get back to my reading. Then, I am going to start practicing for my Swedish presentation. It would be funny if I did not actually have to get a grade on it. I am so excited that Bridge is going to be home in Colorado today and, of course, Happy Mother's Day to Mom and Grandma and Grandma!

PS - Cinnamon does really work to get rid of ants!

Helsinki, Relay, and Why My Room Smells Like Cinnamon

It is Wednesday and I am just now getting around to posting about the weekend...too much to do! I am enjoying the absolutely gorgeous weather in Jönköping - everything is GREEN and there are flowers everywhere! The lake has been especially lovely. Every time I walk past it, I am struck by how incredibly clear the water is. I have been told that it is the cleanest lake in Sweden, and I believe it. It makes me feel like going swimming!

Last Thursday, Kavishna and I set off for Helsinki, Finland. We took a morning bus to Stockholm, which took forever! It was nearly five hours...I am seriously starting to hate buses. I love using public transportation, but when I have to sit still for more than an hour or two, I start to go a little crazy! We boarded our ship in the afternoon, a bit after we arrived in Stockholm. We took Viking Line this time, a different company than the cruise line that I went to Tallinn with. I think that this ship was a little nicer, but it still lacked things to do! Unless you want to smoke, drink, or buy things from the tax-free shop, prepare to be bored out of your mind! I do like going outside on the top deck of the ship though! Cruising through the archipelago of Sweden is always lovely!

Sweden's archipelago

When we docked in Helsinki on Friday morning, I was ready to get off that ship! We decided to go to our hostel first to drop off our gear because it is always better to sightsee without all of that extra weight! Our hostel for Friday night was at Helsinki's Olympic Stadium. The city hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics. Our hostel was actually the old athlete dorms that have been converted for tourists. It was a little dated (obviously), but really cool to stay at the Stadium. The facilities are still used for a variety of events and team practices, so there was always something going on while we were there.

We walked around the city quite a bit on Friday. Helsinki has some interesting buildings - the style seems to be BIG and impressive. There are gigantic statues of famous people everywhere. I liked seeing all of the parks! We visited the Helsinki Cathedral, which is the most photographed building in Sweden, and the Uspenski Cathedral, which looks very Russian. There is a neat indoor/outdoor market right by the water too. Helsinki must be a famous shopping destination because it seemed that that the city was dominated by mega-stores and malls. I did not want to shop, so I was really excited when we stumbled upon the University Botanical Gardens! The outdoor gardens were beautiful! I also went inside the greenhouses. My favorite part was the 'Water Lily' room; the lilies honestly had a diameter of at least four feet!

Inside the University greenhouses

On Friday night, we decided to go out to an Indian restaurant for dinner. I had not had Indian food in forever, so I was really excited. Unfortunately, I would have to rate it as 'just okay.' We were the only people in the restaurant because we went out late, so the service was great though.

On Saturday morning we took the ferry to Souomenlinna, an island about fifteen minutes from Helsinki. The island is actually a fort, originally built when Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was occupied by the Russians when Finland was under their control, and now belongs to Finland itself. I loved the island! It is a touristy place, but there are also about 900 people who live there year-round. There is a stone wall surrounding the perimeter and various building scattered all over the island. Outside of the town center, many of the buildings and passageways are built into the hills, so one has to look twice in order to see them! It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed being close to the water. I also say the biggest jackrabbit ever....it was at least the size of Maisy, if not bigger!

Fortress walls on Souomenlinna

Before we caught the ship back to Stockholm, we also visited the Rock Church. The church is literally built into a pile of rock in the middle of the city. It is the strangest looking thing! From above, it looks like a UFO, due to the green metal room. We also came across a rally for the legalization of marijuana. There were people walking parade-style down the mainstreet of town with signs and music...the smell was really intense! I could not believe how many people had their children in strollers at the protest!

We boarded the ship back to Sweden on Saturday afternoon and arrived back in Stockholm on Sunday morning. I was back in Jönköping by early afternoon...just in time to respond to an overflowing inbox of emails. I have quite a bit of school and other work to do in the next few weeks, so I am ready to take a little break from traveling.

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I am happy to report that Relay For Life at Colorado College went incredibly well! I am so proud of everyone who participated and of the stellar planning committee we had this year! We have raised over $28000 and the money is still coming in! I am still planning on doing Relay-Sweden this Friday, May 9th. I am going to try to walk for twelve hours, during the day, but we will see if I make it!

Oh yes, and why does my room smell like cinnamon? Well, I seem to have a major ant problem. I am attributing it to the disgusting state that many of the people around me live in because my room is nice and clean, and I do not keep any food in it. I found online that ants are supposed to hate cinnamon, so I sprinkled it along the base of the wall where I think they are coming in. I am hoping that it will work because I hate being an ant killer. If not, at least I love the smell of cinnamon!

Portugal...the post with actual information.

Well, first of all, I should probably apologize for taking forever to actually update this blog thing. I was only home for one, yes one, day last week between Portugal and Finland, so I am going to use that as my excuse. Luckily, I have a stellar memory thanks to my love of blueberries, so this update will be exactly as it would have been a week ago. Better late than never, right?

The Portugal trip started at lovely hour of 1:45 am on Thursday, April 24th, which is when our bus to Nyköping left. That four hour bus ride was pretty much awful because the bus was packed and also smelled like sweat. I blame the people who like to backpack 'hippie style' through Europe, aka 'Great idea called let's forgo showers for two months!' Not so great, in my opinion. Anyways, we arrived in Nyköping in time to catch the bus to the Stockholm Skavasta airport. The airport is actually fifteen minutes from Nyköping but an hour from Stockholm, which goes to demonstrate the level of intelligence of the person who names the small airports in Europe. Our flight was scheduled for 6:40 am, and we were ready to go by the time we got on that plane! Unfortunately, the pilots had other plans called, 'How about making everyone sit on the plane for an extra two hours why we wait for some fog to clear in Portugal that would clear during our three hour flight but we will wait for it to clear before we actually leave Sweden because who would not want to sit on our dinky crap plane for five hours instead of three?' I am also really confused about Ryanair's planes: they are Boeing 737s. I thought that Airbus had the plane monopoly in Europe? Ryanair is definitely a British company, so logically it should fly European planes. Anyways...

View of Porto from atop Muralha Fernandia

We finally got to Porto! It was hot and lovely! The airport in Porto is brand new and quite nice too. We took the metro into the city and set off in search of our hostel. The Residencial Cristo turned out to be a weird hostel/hotel combo with stuffy rooms that smelled like mothballs. The lady at the reception was a total weirdo! She talked to us like we were three and used this fake British accent. The worst part is that she would talk forever! We decided not to spend much time in that place except for sleeping (Thursday and Friday nights).

After checking in and dropping off our stuff, we walked around Porto! The city is very rustic. It reminded me a lot of Mexico - narrow streets, kids and dogs everywhere, disorganization, slight feeling of chaos...it was great though! Porto is right on the Douro River. The city is famous for its Port wine (get the name?), which, unfortunately, we never had a chance to try. The place just radiates a feeling of history! There is a church on every corner. The buildings were a mix between newish (on the two main shopping streets) and decrepit. Portugal is predominately Catholic, and it is easy to tell. There are little alters in alleyways, saint statues everywhere, and a lot of the businesses have names such as "Holy Spirit Bank." I loved the big marketplace that we found - a big building with vendors selling fruit, veggies, nuts, gross animal stuff, flowers, etc. There was even a "health shop" vendor! What did I find there? Mini soy milks (chocolate and vanilla...yay!) and caramel soy pudding! Yes, I finally got to try it and it was delicious, though next time I am going for the vanilla.

Church - downtown Porto

We got a lot accomplished on Friday. We walked around Porto during the morning and saw quite a bit of the city. We visited the Muralha Fernandia, a huge fort in the middle of the city (it looks really out of place!) that used to house all of the important government buildings within its walls. There is also an immense cathedral and a huge statue centerpiece. The fort is on top of a hill, and the view of the city was great! We also went on the 'Six Bridges' cruise up and down the river for an hour. It was so nice to be on the water! The cruise itself was sort of a tourist trap because none of the operators spoke English (so we had no idea what we were seeing) and it was supposed to include a visit to a wine cellar, which never materialized. Nevertheless, it was fun to be on a boat and a beautiful day.

Kavishna and I on the river

In the afternoon, we went to the beach! YES! There are no actual beaches in Porto, so we had to take the metro to Póvoa de Varzim. The annoying lady at our hostel told us that it was about thirty minutes away, which actually meant an hour, which meant that I had to wait an extra thirty minutes to see the ocean...that was really difficult. But, we finally got there! The town itself is really cute, very touristy, and much more 'modernized' than Porto. Of course, I did not care about much of that because I just wanted to jump in the water! The beach was actually made out of gravel and the Atlantic was on the chilly side, but I did not mind at all!

Yay sun (and this photo does not even show my German-bus battle wounds)

On Saturday, we took a morning train to Lisbon. The trip was about three hours. I loved it! I enjoy taking trains because I love to look out the window! We passed through so many adorable little towns. I saw tons of olive groves, vineyards, and sheep...the sheep were the best part.

Our hostel in Lisbon for Saturday and Sunday nights was right in the city center. It was great! The people running it were very friendly and gave us a lot of information on what to see, how to get there, etc. It was great because we were at a major disadvantage without knowing Portuguese! We walked all around the city on Saturday and saw: the Castle, Sé Cathedral, and tons of other cool things! Lisbon is much more modernized than Porto, but there is still a 'old' feel to much of the city. It is right on the coast too.

Lisbon from above

On Sunday, we took a morning train to Sintra. Sintra is a town about an hour or so from Lisbon, just up the coast. I LOVED Sintra! It is a town built right into the side of a mountain. There are multiple palaces, castles, and tons of cute little houses. The place is incredibly tropical and so GREEN! There were flowers and plants everywhere. It is quite touristy, but still has that 'unspoiled, natural' feel, which I prefer over a city any day!

We toured the Sintra National Palace first (free for students!). It was beautiful. My favorite parts were definitely the view and the gardens...of course. I liked this tour because we actually got to see the whole palace, not just one area, because it is no longer inhabited. Then, we got on a bus and took a rather scary bus ride straight up the mountain to the Moorish Castle. This place was so neat! It dates back to the 9th century and was constructed when Sintra was occupied by the Arabs. The place is surrounded by walls and has ancient churches, towers, food storage holes, and water cisterns. Apparently, it was also an archaeological dig site. I just loved it! It was in the middle of the forest and had a great view of the city too!

Tower at the Moorish Castle

After Sintra, we took a bus to Cabo de Roca, the most Western point in Europe. We hopped off the bus, took a photo, and hopped back on because the next bus was not for two hours! It was beautiful though! Green hills, tons of flowers, and cliffs above the ocean!

Cabo de Roca

Our last stop was Cascais, the most famous beach in the area. It was very crowded, but fun nonetheless. I jumped around in the ocean, re-sunburned my hands, and had a great time!

On Monday, we took a train back to Porto. I wish that we could have spent one more day exploring the towns around Lisbon. We stayed in a hostel on Monday night on the other side of the city, which was neat because we got to see a different area. I found this huge, creepy graveyard while I was walking around. There were only a few graves because most people were buried in these huge stone house-like structures (actually, they held whole families...mostly the men...of course). I think that they were nicer than most peoples' homes in Porto! I also saw this funeral procession. It was actually sort of funny because the people at the front were really sad and crying, people in the middle looked respectfully downcast, and then there was a group at the back smoking and chatting! They were definitely part of the activity though.

I walked around in Porto a bit on Monday, but was quite tired from all of the crazy adventures! Our hostel was not really a hostel, but more of a cheap hotel. It was kind of icky and everything was pink, which upped the gross factor. I am glad that we only stayed there for one night! Luckily the people at the reception were better...haha.

Our flight back to Jönköping was early Tuesday morning. It was only a half hour late, thankfully. We had a long bus ride back to Jönköping and crashed. It was quite the fun time! I ate so much yummy fruit on that trip including pineapple! We enjoyed how incredibly cheap Portugal is compared to Sweden, and also discovered that barely anyone spoke English. It was okay though, Portuguese people are quite nice! (Except for the drug dealers, which get rather upset when you say, "No." I learned how to spot the dealers pretty quickly though, and we were able to steer clear.)