I'm alive, I'm fine, I'm happy! And I need to update since my friends actually yelled at me for visitng my blog every day without anything to read. But starting to work means big change and new habits, and I've barely opened my laptop for weeks... However, to the important thing: I LOVE it! I love the office, the people, the architecture, I love to just be there and take it all in. So far so good. I have already been taking part of interesting meetings and projects, I got to go on an ArchiCAD course and even got to go on a study trip to Hamburg. I really look forward to the rest of this one year long chapter of my life. It sounds corny, but I feel in love. You know, when you can't stop smiling and think that everything is just amazing. And for the first time since... can't remember when... I go to sleep early and wake up early, because I can't wait to go to the office. Now I know it has only been three weeks and everything is still very new, and I am probably going to get tired of it more than several times, but I promise myself to never stop appreciating that I get to work in a profession I love. And as long as you appreciate and value that, it's hard to not also be very happy about it.

In recent years I have been from one end of the world to the other, but there's nothing like motherland. It was two years ago since we were in Sarajevo, and yet it felt like an eternity ago when we stepped into the apartment and ate our first portions of home delivered cevapi. A very special feeling. Unfortunately, a rainy June is not quite what we are used to and the summer feelings was still not there, but we still enjoyed everything we've missed so much.

Time for a new half-hearted attempt to revive the blog and upload my holiday photos. I really want to, but it's hard doing anything, whatsoever, when I'm in my lazy vacation mode. Except going on vacation. I would not mind going back a third time. Like now, right away. It's the first time in a long time that I've come home and not missed Stockholm, although it has never been nicer and hotter (what's up with the heat?!?). It's like I've missed summer in Bosnia and Croatia extra much and want to make up for not going last year, I can't get enough. How can you ever get enough of the Adriatic sea, the food, the people? Conclusion: Never ever spending a summer without that again.

HELLO BLOG READERS! It's amazing that you're still there! I kind of disappeared without any heads up because I had a lot to do before I went on vacation, and I have thought about just not updating at all as long as I am in my vacay mode, but the blog deserves better. It's when you've had a lot to do that life should get documented!

I came home from my stay in Bosnia and Croatia a few days ago. Have never gone as early as June 14th to Bosnia, and will probably never do it again because I now have way too much free time left until I start working on August 18. Can you have too much free time during the summer? Yes, you can. When all your friends are either working or have left the country, free time gets really boring. The only solution I see to this "problem" is to go back, and that's exactly what I'll do in a week. Spontaneously, wonderful and very wise if you ask me.

More about my vacation in future posts. With pictures of course. After school ended one thing happened after the other - birthday parties, my brother's graduation, finishing school, exhibitions - and suddenly, I was on a flight to Bosnia. It was only after a few days in Croatia with proper rest that I relaxed completely and realized that I'm on vacation for real. Now it feels so strange to be at home with nothing to do...  I need another round of vacation.

I have ignored the blog to avoid having to deal with this "long time no see"-post. How do I start it? How do I summarize the recent month? Do I even remember everything? Should I just ignore it forever snd stop posting? - No! I'll deal with it now, and start updating more frequently again. I have, after all, a lot in stock. Here we go:

Long time no see! As you know, the reason behind my absence has been my final project, and now it's finally over! This day seemed so far away and suddenly it's here. But not without blood, sweat and tears. It's only now that I've been sleeping properly for several days and become accustomed to the feeling that there are no musts or stress that I feel like myself again (note to self: never stay up for whole nights again) but I still can't grasp that the third year is almost over and that I basically have a bachelor's degree in architecture. BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE! It feels like I just started yesterday! Am I supposed to suffer from separation anxiety now? The new architecture school on campus is scheduled for completion 2015, when I return after my year of working, which means I've spent my last late night in this old building. No, I still haven't realized it yet. 

As usual, during an intense period at the university, it feels like I've been in a weird bubble and afterwards I have to wake up from that state and jump back on the train called real life. I've been trying to keep up with other things during the project as well. The floods in Bosnia has been a big distraction, which also gave me perspectives and reminded me that the project is the smallest problem in the world. While it has been heartbreaking to follow the situation through media, it has also been incredibly moving to see how people engaged, spread the word, donated money and supplies and helped to each other to help. Like a small bandage on a huge wound, a bandage that is too small to heal the damage but symbolically gives some sort of consolation. Bosnia is still in great need of help and will be for a long time. In addition to people's property and infrastructure being destroyed, now there is also the risk of diseases spreading and landmines from the war that have been moved from secured areas by the water. I don't really know what I feel about going there in two weeks. Although Sarajevo was spared from the floods it feels awkward to go there on "vacation". I must do something, but whatever I do it doesn't feel enough. And I don't really know much about the state and atmosphere in Sarajevo right now. It remains to be seen.

Something else that has been stealing my attention is the political situation in Sweden and the EU elections. I hope you voted. And if not, I hope you now realize how important it is to vote after so many racist parties received growing support across Europe. The Swedish Democrats' numbers doesn't shock me, however the rest of Europe scares me the more. Still, I've begun to feel a little apathy towards the population that votes against humanity, it's like I've become tired of getting upset because it feels hopeless, like I don't even take them seriously anymore - which is very dangerous. That is why I am so happy and moved that I constantly get reminded of that there still is a much stronger power against them, and the socialist and humanist parties are growing in Sweden. I 'm still surrounded by ethnic Swedes that gets more upset than I am over the racist parties successes. You are my cure for hopelessness and you still make me feel safe in my beloved Sweden. Thank you. And now, in September, you have to vote, vote, VOTE!

I wonder if I can squeeze in some more heavy topics in this post, when I'm already going. But this is what has been on my mind lately, might as well get it out. I have actually had time for some fun stuff too the last month, despite all the work, but that I will bring up in future posts. I'll finish this post by pointing out the obvious: It has become summer!

The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina was bad before, now it's catastrophic. Flooding in the country and the rest of the Balkans has destroyed buildings, roads, bridges, knocked out electricity and some people have drowned. Help is needed. The best I've found through social media so far is to donate to Djeca Djeci, but you're welcome to come with other suggestions of organizations and initiatives undertaken to help the victims. Since many of us are going to Bosnia soon it would be helpful with info about what can be done on site too, no matter how long you're there. Where do you turn to help?

You can also support the Red Cross that are in place in Bosnia and Serbia, text AKUT to 72900 to donate 50 SEK.

Just one more month and then it's over. I only have a few weeks to get everything together, both in and outside of school, and then I can breathe and dance barefoot in the grass. Or not, because the pollen is killing me. If you are one of the lucky ones who have not noticed, it has been extremely high levels of pollen recent days, which for me is a bit of a death sentence. I've given up on the idea to lay in the sun because it ends up with me needing an inhaler to breathe. Right now it's raining though. God bless the rain.

The summer has never been such a questionmark as it is right now. It's the first time since I turned 16 that I will not work a single day the whole summer, and yet it's the first time I don't have a proper vacation planned. I have a one way ticket to Sarajevo which I bought in January, and that's about it. Maybe I will stay only a week, maybe more. Maybe I'll go somewhere else later or chill at home in Stockholm. Who knows, maybe unplanned works fine for me too? Ha ha.

Not only that, I feel that the work with the candidate project finally is going well after having a bit trouble. Don't know if I've mentioned it before but we had four options to choose from; a bathhouse, housing in Tyresö, a preschool in Södermalm or an art museum in Uppsala. I chose the art museum. I have realized that it is not the easiest thing to draw a whole museum of over 3,000 square meters, but it's fun. It's so fun and satisfying that every day I feel so grateful to have chosen architecture as profession, I never want to do anything else.

In recent years I have been bad at organizing a proper birthday celebration for myself, this time of the year is always stressful and all bigger plans fails, just like this year. Luckily, my nearest crowd still counted on celebrating me and therefore I could still gather everyone for a dinner. We ate Lebanese food att Tabbouli, super delicious and super cozy down in a red cave. But the best was, of course, my company - my god, what amazing people I have by my side. I could go on and on about how talented and ambitious they are and what great inspiration they all are to me. But the important part is that they are so genuine and nice people in every way, and wonderful friends. I'm so lucky.

Hong Kong is truly a unique city and very different from the cities I visited in the past. Although I can't compare with other Chinese cities since I haven't been, it's clear that East meets West in this city. It's a mix of everything and contrasts everywhere. It's also one of the most compact cities in the world. There's 7 million people on an area that felt as big as Stockholm, since a big part of Hong Kong is mountains and forests. It is literally a concrete jungle next to a jungle.

Last week's anniversary date didn't include our traditional ice skating in King's Garden, so we made up for it yesterday. For those of you who don't know or didn't understand it from last week's post, it was at this place we decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend. It would be typical to say "feels like yesterday", but it actually feels like we are four years better than when we were here the first time. The pictures, however, looks pretty much the same, with the obligatory kiss picture.

As I have told you earlier, I have a need to save and document everything (maybe that's why I still have a blog after 6 years!). I also have a box at home where I save everything from postcards and letters to pictures and tickets. For me, tickets have a special value that a photo doesn't, because even if the photo is a capture of a moment, the ticket has been in my hand at that particular time and place. Moreover, on the ticket there's usually a date, time and venue. As a gift for my boyfriend, I collected many of our tickets, everything from the train ticket that I had when I went to him for the first time, in 2009, to concert tickets, match tickets, museum tickets and other train tickets from all of the many cities we visited together. It was very appreciated. However, I'm counting on that it will hang on our shared wall one day, otherwise it would have been harder to give away these very valuable small pieces of paper.

 

Throughout my years in school, when it comes to essays I have always chosen topics that have something to do with myself. I have written a number of essays about Bosnia and Bosnian politics, history, religion, war, about nationalist propaganda in the war and national identity among Bosnian-Swedish youths vs. ethnic Swedish youths. The latter was mine and Karin's last project in high school and is still the work that I got the most out of, ever. In architecture school the subject choices haven't always been as free, but when I've been able to choose more or less freely I always choose something that has to do with a place where I 'm going or have been. I wrote about Rome before I went there and I wrote about New York before and after my visit.

My tip to you and to future me: If you don't know what to write about, choose a topic that has something to do with yourself. This way you really get something out of it and you might be able to contribute with the knowledge you already have. Think about your background, your current situation, at your future wishes or destinations, on something that you are passionate about. It feels more meaningful and you get knowledge that you can really benefit from.

Few people in Sweden have missed the events in Kärrtorp, both last week when protesters were attacked by nazis, and yesterday when 16,000 more people gathered for the demonstration 2.0. There were also alot of demonstrations in other cities around Sweden to show support, and even outside the country. To see so many people made me incredibly proud. This is why I love Sweden, this is Sweden in my eyes. Despite the fact that it stills happens things that require demonstrations like these, and even though there is a xenophobic party in the parliament which is growing, I have strong confidence that most of the population will never let racism and nazism take a greater place in this society. It's important not to let racism get normalized, which is why demonstrations such as these are of great value - also to remind narrow-minded people what my beloved Sweden really is.

If you're gonna party American style you can't do it without the red cups! Unfortunately, we weren't on a typical American college party but I still have a few years before I get too old to cross that of my checklist. We atleast got to pre-party with some nice Americans... which later turned out to be not so nice. And we tried out San Diego's nightlife... which turned out freakin' awesome! I don't know if it was because it was summer, but the Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown was really packed with young people the whole evening, and everything at street level seemed to be either clubs or bars. We tried a few places during the nights we went out, don't really remember what they were called and didn't take as much photos as usual, but I have a few to post!