Well okay, here in Sweden it's just past 7 o'clock in the morning, and I couldn't really sleep due to some muscle pain after yesterday's (the day before yesterday? o.O) workout. So.. here I am, just feeling like I have to get rid of some thoughts that's been circulating in my head for quite some time now. Unfortunately, you're the unlucky ones that have to hear me out since this is the place I chose to throw all (well hrrm, at least some) my thoughts at. STARTING NOW!

Well the whole thing is about a decision I made a few days ago, something I've had in mind for quite a long time though. With a very close friend passing away recently, I've had some serious trouble with handelling my feelings and keeping my concentration up at school. I've usually been an A-student, really ambitious and all that stuff, but the last month or two I've barely showed up at school at all. I've missed a lot of stuff and I'm now so far behind that it's gonna be really hard to catch up and keep my grades, if I can manage to catch up at all. I haven't made any clear desicions yet, but it's leaning towards the option that I'm gonna take a year off and then start fresh next fall.
No school means a lot of time, hence the question "whaaaat on earth am I going to do until next fall arrives?!"


Fear not, for I know the answer:

I want to go to another country and work as a volunteer, probably at a school (teaching English) or at some place where they run some sort of nature care-project. The countries that I've particulary been looking at are Ghana and Mexico. I really want to go to both places, but it costs quite a lot to be there during a longer period (we're talking 8-12 weeks at each place) so maybe I'll have to narrow it down to either just one place or fewer weeks at both places. We'll see.
This whole volunteer-thingie is something that's been in the back of my head for a long time actually, but I didn't plan on making something out of that thought until I'd finished school and all that. I had (and still have) plans on joining the military to be able to work with the Swedish Peace Force in other countries and stuff like that.


So, why these two countries?

Mexico is a country that I've always wanted to go to someday, and both my parents have talked about going there soooo many times but it just never happened.
If I go to Mexico I'll work at a school in Mexico City, teaching English and helping out with other things. Since I already know their language pretty well I'll be able to benefit much more from this trip than the other ones going there with less language skills. I'll be able to teach better (they barely know any English at all in these areas) and maybe best of all; I'll be able to develope my Spanish an awful lot. I've been to Spain twice, living with families that didn't know any English at all and I learned SO MUCH even though I was there only one week at a time. Just imagine what 8 weeks would do for me!

Ghana, then?
When I was in primary school, my class rasied money in order for a school (or an orphanage or something like that, I don't remember) to be built somewhere in Ghana, and therefore just the name of that country remained in my brain. Whenever I think of Africa I think of Ghana in particulair.
It is also a country that, unlike many other African countries, doesn't have French as its official language. That's good, 'cus I'm very.. limited when it comes to French. Quite a lot of people speak English, and I would very much like the opportunity of studying an African language such as Twi or Ewe.
Like in Mexico I would teach English in a local school and/or work with orphans.

I'm gonna call my school today and try to talk to someone about my plans and how I should do everything, hopefully I'll be able to decide what to do before this week's over. All I know is that I haven't been this enthusiastic about anything the last couple of months wich indicates that this may be something that could help me to move forward to a better state of mind and all that.


I don't think any of you managed to get through all this, but it doesn't matter really. I've got it all out and it sure feels better :)