Hi lassies!

I finally found out how to write a message (it helps if you finally carefully read Beate's intruction e-mail). At the moment it's midnight and I am sorting out the Scotland pictures I printed so I can start making my photobook/scrapbook. Meaningwhile I'm listening to Coldplay and eating Dutch drop (liquorice), what contributes to my happy mood.

Almost two weeks ago Lisa and I went back to the Netherlands. I was very fast used to being back home again, except for the fact that it happened me two times that I realised all of a sudden that I was cycling on the left side... My blue Elsje bycicle made it home safely by the way. I enjoy it a lot cycling through the Netherlands again! And Amsterdam is even more beautiful and friendly if you haven't been there for a while. And very colourful after gray Aberdeen.
It's really nice to be able again to stand on and carry my sisters again (i.e. doing acrobatics). I'm only not in shape any more after half a year Scotland :( Yves and I are also delighted to be reunited. Life is beautiful, but it's even better if you are in love :)

The Saturday before we left Lisa and I gave a goodbye party. We were afraid it wouldn't be so nice without you guys, but it turned out that we had made more friends --> successful party. Within a week I had my welcome home bonfire party; also very nice (Marieke came!). I like parties, but I think you already noticed :)

I feel sorry the ones who have to work in this extremely hot weather. I'm just hanging around and I go now and then a day to uni (I pretend having a lot to do there). This weekend I spent with my sisters and Yves at my parents' boat, which was very pleasant.

This Friday Yves and I fly to Romenia for a holiday of almost three weeks! His parents are Romanian, so he speaks Romanian as his first language (and I just started to learn it; I can already count till 9999, but with only counting you can not have a really nice conversation I guess). We can stay with several relatives and friends, and in a summer cottage of one of them in the mountains (hiking!). If I am abroad I really like to see how the ordinary man lives.

Well, I think I have hold you up long enough.
Enjoy summer girls!

love,
elsje

Hot as hell

Hi girls,

Finally I got arond to write something on the blog. You know how it is when you're busy - places to go, people to see ;-) No, really I've just been plain lazy lately. Maybe my laziness is due to the fact that it must be like 100 degrees celcius in Denmark (or I'm going through my menopause, I'm not quite sure which one it is). It is hot as hell, and since I have a job, where I'm sitting in an office all day, it is particularly melting. Unlike Marianne I have no air condition, and since the sun shines through my window all day, I'm thinking about asking if I can sit in my bikini so my skin can breath just a little (I bet all the old men at the office would approve). I'm working in the legal department of a large hospital in the town where I live, and it's a good job to have during the holidays.

After I got home I spent two weeks in a summer cottage near our capital with my parents, sister and boyfrind, and it was really nice. Afterwards I've been touring round Denmark to see all my friends again. They have practically all split up with their boyfriends within the last month, so I have been listening to a lot of sobbing. I think I'm going to Germany in September to visit an old friend of mine, so if anyone wants to get together down there (or in Holland or somewhere) it would be really nice. My boyfriend is seriously thinking about taking that job in Norway, and if he does I will definitely come and visit all you Norwegians (and if he doesn't take the job I will come anyway). Today I'm going to clean my sister's new flat (together with my sister of couse). She also just split up with her boyfriend and had to move out. Ah, it's too hot to work...

I miss you all terribly. Sadly I never truely appreciate good times when I'm in it, but now I come to think that I spent 4 incredible months with all you guys. Thank you for all the birthday greetings you sent, and Sarah: Congratulations with your graduation and I hope you have a wonderful trip to South America. Pms, Signe

Hi ya,
I'm back from a great Scotland-trip with my parents and I got a teint - we only had sunny weather - and we've seen a lot of Scotland.
Now, I'm back in the library, trying to work on my thesis. It could be better, but it's going ok.
I've been swimming at the beach (yes, the beach in Aberdeen!) two times until now and it was very cold, but we really enjoyed it.
Right now the garden-gnom and I are staying in Lisa's old room, but we'll be moving next week.
Thanks for the history lessons - I really miss them here...
And thanks for the pictures - Helsinki really looks as if it's a nice place.
I hope you all are fine and enjoying the summer.
Best wishes,
-Caro-

pictures

hi guys,
I finally got round to putting some of my pictures online. I did take quite a few... ;)
I also made a nice sunday stroll with my camera yesterday, so I put up some pictures, so you get a glimpse of what my home town is like :)
Enjoy the week!

-Marianne

Hi everyone!

Thank you Sarah for the history lesson, it's like being back in Aberdeen :)

It's so hot here too, for the last couple of days, it's been 31 degrees. It actually makes me glad to sit in a nice air-conditioned archive working ;) Tonight I was walking back home and a thermometer on a building said it was still 27 degrees. So no one ever again think that Finland is a cold country... Hehe, except in the winter ;)

Nothing new here. Working from 9-16 and after that I study for my exam in August... Not much motivation left to study after a full working day, so I'm not that confident about how the exam's gonna go... :-/ But I'm hoping they'll ask the "right" questions!

Oh well, I'll head to the couch to watch re-runs of Sex and the City now. What an exciting life I have... ;)

Have fun and take care!

Marianne

Hi girls all around the world

Back at work and I just realised that I didn't posted a little message on the 11/07. Maybe you did not had a clue, but yesterday, on the 11 of July it was the national day of Flanders. On that day in 1301, some flemisch pesants in the region of East-flanders defaited the more richer army of french talking people. The flemisch community picked that day because it is a symbol of how poor pesants defaited a well trained army on horses. If you want something bad enough, it might succeed... So far, the little history lesson. I hope you are missing my history lessons a little...

Today it is even warmer in Flanders, 31°celcius. I am just melting. I am spendin my last days mostly at work and in the evening at Philip's place, before leaving saterday.

Lett me know how you are all doing;
Greetings from the crazy flemisch girl

ola (that is orkneysh for hi, or is it not??),
elsje and i are at the orkney islands right now. and it is really nice. my friend leonieke is here as well. sarah, because you recommended peedie hostel, we booked via internet. sunday night at midnight we arrived at the hostel, but they were full... and the woman didn't know anything about us. it turned out that i booked the other hostel...how stupid?! But that one is not too bad, so we're quite happy.
today i went for a bike ride on my own. and ended up at a farm with a nice cup of tea and selfmade shortbread... it was so nice!
well my time is running up, but just in time to say:
i miss you all, hope everybody is doing great!
pms lisa

Hallo;

(This is dutch for HI, like you allready noticed...) How are you all doing? Life is busy in Belgium, like i underlined a few times in Aberdeen. I am in the process of searching for jobs and doing several assessments, mostly for "recruitment firms". I think that a job like that would be something for me, with a lot of interaction and verbal communication. I won't jumps to conclusions and will only be sure when I have a contract lying before my nose ( a realy flemisch expression!)
For the rest, I am really curious how you are all doing. Signe/beate/.., how is work going? Helena, are you in Amesterdam for the moment and for how long?
I will be leaving next saterday (15/07) unitil 06/08, but after that, people, do not hesitate and come and visit me! and explore the splendidnes of Flanders, where the poppies grow....

I am gonne leave you all on this monday afternoon, with again 28°celcius (you should think that we are in Spain) and give you a virtual hugh

Big kisses Sarah -xxxx-

Hi folks,
hope you're all fine out there! Back in your old lives slowly fogetting about Aberdeen? But I'm still here enjoying Scotland although it was much nicer when you all were still here :-) At the moment I'm staying with Lisa & Elsje - thanks to them that I'm not homeless during July. There is not very much going on here. I had a nice holiday at home and there will be even more holiday during the next two weeks. I'll be travelling around Scotland with my parents until I finally have to finish my dissertation. I'm really looking forward moving in my new flat in three weeks although I'm really enjoying my time at Powis Crescent - it feels a little bit as if I'm still on holiday... I hope you have a nice summer and working is not too bad.
Cheers, Caro

(Ex) Aberdonians Galore

(Ex) Aberdonians Galore
Hi girl,
I finally find the way how to write a message! Life is so busy for the moment. Every morning I am looking for jobs and doiing all kind of practical stuff and in the afternoon, I work as a student; i Am at work now and almost finishing my shift, so it is quiet. I am a little exited, because tomorrow, I have an assessment of a whole day and the job seems really interesting, so wish me luck!
Seen Philip back was so fun, but we fall quickly into the old routine. He has to re-pass a lot of exams, so we can't go on holiday together. I passed, by the way, not with great marks, but with enough. I have my graduation ceremony this sunday and the whole family is comming along...
So girls, I am gonne leave you and shut down the computer and enjoy some of the fine Belgian wether (Temperature didn't drop below 27°celcius for a week now, It is way to hot...)
big kisses, Sarah