It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going  to heaven we were all going the other way- in short the period was so far like the period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparision only.

      I promised a friend that I would write and sum up my year in Canada. The idea was that in hindsight everything would seem different, and it sure does. When I first left PG in the middle of April I wrote a list of my favorite 100 things, and then I did it again a couple of months later while I was visiting in Victoria. The lists are different and interesting but they don't seem to matter anymore. I can't possible sum up my experiences on a list, no matter how long.  Main point is: I miss you too much!

      Writing this is strangely difficult; I don't know where to begin or what to write. I guess one thing that I can most definitely state is that I miss all the great friends I made and that they would be at the top of my list if I did write one. All the things I learned are also something I will always appreciate. Obviously I learned some things in school and on top of that I have all the cool stuff I got to try out like the snowboarding. Most important though are the things I learned about myself. All the traveling I got to do and all the exciting places I had the opportunity to visit was great, but that almost goes without saying. I do brag about surviving the cold weather too sometimes.

       So, being back at home is just what it sounds like. I'm home. It is both good and bad; in many ways I feel like I've changed too much and that my surroundings didn't keep up with me. It's like I've outgrown my own life. I just can describe the feeling, it's too complicated. I love living alone again, I truly do. And having all my old friends around me again is fantastic. There are new babies and new houses and all sorts of new grown up stuff around me and I'm still getting used to it. I guess I just grew at a different direction and I have new perspective now.  It sounds so pretentious but there's no other way to describe it.

      School is going well. I can't say that it's amusing but it is interesting. Work is just fine too. So, basically I spend most of my time running between school and my two jobs, but I like being busy so I'm not complaining. Well, sometimes I complain, like this week when I have this pain-in-the-butt home exam to write.  The only thing that drags me down is my constant thinking about ways to get out again. I so badly want to go away again, to do something completely new and start all over again. So, I bought myself a plane ticket to Tunis. I'll be gone for a week at the end of October with my fabulous friend Sara. It's not the great adventure that I'm longing for, but it is an adventure, just big enough to take the edge of the urge.

      Also, I might get a Canadian visitor in November, super exciting! And I have some American gold at home (also known as Skittles). More good news: my friends that are hiding out on the west coast are coming my way for a visit! And last, but not least, Sweden is getting their own piece of the NHL action when Ottawa is playing Pittsburg in Globen. Who do you think will be there...?! Me! That is, if I get the night off, I have been pushing my luck lately, asking for a lot of time off...