from the Department of Intercultural Relations

I've got a brilliant idea and I think it's going to take off. It's going to be a little sheet, one that can fit in your wallet, of useful Swedish phrases for use in social situations. But these are USEFUL phrases, not like the verbs and nouns and possessives that us International Students (the 1500 of us) learned in our preliminary Swedish classes. These will be ones specifically for when you're out on the town, when you are wanting to meet some real live swedes, perhaps when you would like to get to know their culture a little more intimately. A slurred pickup line in English is nowhere near as impressive as the Swedish alternative!

I got some Swedes to come along to our shindig at Ulrikedal last night and they were very helpful and creative in thinking up ideas. We started off pretty innocently with "You have beautiful eyes" and "Do you want a drink" but things quickly - and in hindsight predictably - went off the rails. Well, at least now we all know how to say "Do you have a big penis, because I only have normal sized condoms".

After much fretting and research, I have decided to join Sydskånska nation. Reasons include that it's pretty close which will be handy in winter, they are very much into music, they have a choir, they have a film night, there are some pretty kewl peeps there. Dougal has joined Smålands and was working there last night, showing the natives the proper way to pour a beer. And a damn fine beer it was too: I've gotten used to wading through two inches of beer head before I can actually drink it. I hope I get to work as well.

I think I've also found my songwriting mojo again. It's just the question of getting a guitar. I've got the dosh, but this Global Environmental Justice subject has scared me off wanton and frivoulous consumption. Plus there's about 5 in my corridor anyway. I'll just have to beg Brad From Oregon or maybe I can explore some other means of creative expression for the time being.

I'm flying to London tomorrow to see my old friend Nitz, who I met when she came on exchange to Australia back in 04. She's coming directly from a ball to pick me up, so she'll all be dolled up! I'm looking forward to it, a lot. A bit ouch on the hip pocket but since, after six months menial labour I have qualified for Youth Allowance, it makes it a bit better. Thanks John.

I was wrong before - nothing fixes up a bad mood like gympa! Not even a cup of tea and a good lie down can beat the rush you get starjumping and grointhrusting along to such classics as "Mambo Number Five" with 100 other people whilst being screamed at in Swedish! I hope it's not just the novelty that's keeping me going, so I have written up this list and stuck it on my door:

REASONS TO KEEP GERDAHLLEN' IT UP
1. Can justify hectic social lifestyle and attendant vices
2. Have already paid 420kr
3. HOTT BODY
4. Possibility of winning first arm wrestle
5. Excuse to wear leggings
6. Endorphins, etc
7. Can expand Swedish vocabulary
8. Starves off inevitable winter depression
9. Alternative way to get tousled, desirable "sex hair"

so now I'm about to head off to the library to start some reading. I've been here for almost a month so it's about time to get down to studying. I have already read an article on the Narrative in Film which was downright horrid - all adademic gobbldygook, sentences three lines long, having to read the same sentence 4 times over, using big words, etc. It's a bit of a reality check actually. But two years of Law has set me in good stead to get through it.