This is it for a while

As you might have noticed I haven't got much written here lately. The reason is lack of time and also that I have a traveling diary where I write more frequently. So for a while I'll just leave this blog to rest. /Jake

Sydney!

Here I am folks, in the big city called Sydney :) I came here on friday, the trip was quite long but went quite smoothly. So far I've been introduced to the staff and got familiar with the facilities and it feels like I've come to the right place :) I'll be working in the ground around the temple (gardening) and on Thursday I'll start once I've gone through all the equipment and safety details.
This weekend there was a spanish festival in Sydney Darling Harbour which was very nice. Spanish music, salsa and a really nice athmosphere. We've also been to the beach to eat some fish n chips and it's was rally nice! The weather here has been very nice since the day I came here, probably around 20-29 degrees every day :) I'm trying to upload pictures but at the moment it doesn't seem to work, but if you want to see some, go to www.resdagboken.se and search for jacke86 and there you'll find something. There I also have a diary on what's going on in Sydney, but unfortunatley it's in swedish.
I also have to say that I'm not able to access facebook and orkut since they have been blocked by our server due to some application it uses. So, please just send me an e-mail instead, I love e-mails :) Anyways, hope you're all doing fine, I miss you a lot! /Jake

Visit from Malmö

This weekend my brother Robin, his wife and my nephew & niece came to visit us. As usual it was very nice to meet them, especially since my niece and nephew are very funny and talk a lot like children do. Today I went to play golf with Robin, but the truth is I was only a caddy since I don't yet have my own set of golf clubs + I need some exercising before I can play. Anyways, it was great coming out for a long walk to get some fresh air :) It was also Robin's birthday so when we got back we celebrated him with some cake and presents. I've also spent 3 hours on cleaning his car both the outside and the interior and I think it looks brand new now :)

My trip to Australia has been delayed since my visa is not yet granted, and also some of the other youth who I am going to work with are waiting for their visas...so I was hoping on leaving next week but it seems I will have to wait for some time more. It kind of sucks because I don't have much to do, so to get the time going I either read, clean, sleep or watch TV. Another reason why I don't like to wait is that I start thinking a lot about Australia, and maybe even start to worrying about how things will be...well I guess that's me in a nut case. Hope you're all having a good weekend! /Jake

Australia

As usual it's been a while since I last wrote here...but I've got great news, I'm going to Australia in September! It's been a long process with many forms to be filled in but now everything is almost done. I'm just waiting for my visa and then I'll be ready to go. Australia is a country that is probably as far away from Sweden one can get, and sometimes this fact has really scared me, but I know deep inside this is what I want to do. I feel it in my heart, and I've felt it for such a long time it's just stupid to fight against it for longer. One year at the university made me understand that you can't fight against your own will. And I've also realized that there is no reason to listen to what other people tell you to do when you already know what you want to do. I think that is a big mistake many people make. The only one you disappoint when not fulfilling other peoples' wishes is yourself. So, everyone who reads this, follow your dreams and you shall be happy! I just want to thank some special persons who've supported me in this decision and who've been there for me when I needed it . You know who you are and words can't explain what you mean to me. Lots of love, Jakob

Slip sliding away...

is one of my favourite songs by Paul Simon. I'm listening to it right now and it reminds me very much of my present life situation. School is finally over and the only thing left for me now is a couple of exams...The only problem is that I don't want to study anymore this year. My motivation is suddenly down at zero and I feel exhausted. The summer is already here. I only have a couple of days to study for my exams but it's not going too well. I just wonder how I'm going to get my focus back and stop wasting my time. In a couple of weeks I will start with my summer job at Avis. Then my plan is to go to Australia in september. That's the only goal I have in my head right now. I just hope that I can finish school and say "I did my best". It's true what Paul Simon says, "You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away".

I should

try to write more often here, but obviously I have to be in the right mood. The last two weeks have been very exciting, and I've traveled around in Sweden, also to Denmark, and last but not least to Norway. The 5th-9th of April there was a Nordic Bahá''í Youth Conference in Lillehammer which I went to. It was a great conference with an interesting theme, good program and nice entertainment. I also got to meet one of my friends Lisalee and we had the opportunity to work together as security guards during the conference. Working as guard was nice but also demanding due to night shift. It worked out fine though and I had a great time!

When I got home again I had to study for two tests, but I have to admit I was a bit short of time. The first one which I had on the 12th probably didn't go so well and the second one on the 13th (friday) went better but of course I managed to make 2 small errors which might be just enough for me not to pass. It's not the first time I write these test, and rewriting them over and over again is not that fun...so I hope for the best. School this year has been twice as hard as I'd thought from the beginning. So I'm not so sure if I will continue on this programme. But we'll see what happens. See you around. /Jake

A sign of winter

The winter has finally come to Linköping, and while the snow is still here I just have to go skiing. There is a place 10 min from where I live (at the golf club) where one can go skiing. So yesterday I went there to ski. The conditions where perfect, sunny weather, -7 C and perfect tracks. It's just so nice to come out and breathe fresh air. Lately I've been sitting too much by my new computer and now I start to regret that I bought it in the first place. It's mostly a waste of time. Well, hopefully I'll find something that is better for me to do and something that brings more joy to my life. The search continues...