Dolphins

This post used to contain pictures, but due to new storage limitations from WordPress, I had to fix the problem and decided to create a new blog that works as an archive for all the posts from my two years in California. This full post can be found here.

June Gloom continues and I am not too happy about spending my last few days in California with cloudy weather. It is not very cold, but it would be so much more enjoyable with burning sun. I spent a couple of hours at the beach today after I ran some errands. First I went to the library to print the liability form for tomorrow’s scuba dive tour. Then I went to the post office because I can not make an online shipping label, but they couldn’t help me. So I will have to call technical support because something is wrong with the website. My third stop was the bank to close my account. Everyone there were so helpful and friendly and I could even change all my stupid coins to real money without any troubles. My bank account is closed, I have some cash now, but that will be nice to exchange to Swedish Crowns once I am back home because of the exchange rate right now.

The weather wasn’t nice, but I decided that I wanted to be at the beach anyway. And I am glad I went. I finished my book, the third Guild Wars book, and started on the third Fifty Shades book. I felt like it was time to finish that series now. As always I was looking out to the water too and saw dolphins today again! Many more today and they were playing and some of them were even surfing on the waves. I love dolphins :).

IMG_20150615_162929I got a pretty good video of several of them, but I have to pay to be able to upload videos and I don’t have enough to want to pay, so this picture will have to do :).

I came back to the house at 6pm, took a shower and hung out with the boy for a bit before eating dinner. I also played with the dog. I really don’t understand why tug-o-war is that fun.

Tonight I have done some more fixing. I sent an email to the international center at Cal Poly and asked what it means to be on the Dean’s List and if I will get any proof of that for future job applications. And speaking of grades, spring quarters grades were posted today and I did really good this quarter too. Two A’s and one B+, exactly like winter quarter. My overall GPA after a year at Cal Poly is 3.597 (of 4). As an engineer I am very happy with that! I sent another email and asked about what I need to do if I want to apply for a master at Cal Poly. I decided today that that is what I want to do. I feel like one year at Cal Poly wasn’t enough. And I don’t wanna start working yet, so why not get more loans and get a master and stay another two years in California? I think it is a good plan. If I can get scholarships or financial aid from the US, then I hope the 2 year rule doesn’t add more years to it. So that means that I could get a real job right away after. I hope this will work. I would start the City and Regional Planning master next fall if everything goes according to my new plan.

I also canceled my cell phone plan, changed my uber account to my Swedish bank account, and I think that was it. I don’t think I have anything else I need to take care of before leaving now. That’s a relief. Just repacking a little bit.

I don’t like this waiting time. I know that I have one fun thing to do tomorrow, and the beach and the dolphins always make me happy. But I also kinda just want to be done with this and be home. I hate waiting. I am ready to go home now (at least for a while).

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

This post used to contain pictures, but due to new storage limitations from WordPress, I had to fix the problem and decided to create a new blog that works as an archive for all the posts from my two years in California. This full post can be found here.

I am home again after a fun few days in Glendora. I have to say that the five hours on the train home went by very quickly. I had a big comfortable seat, a lot of space in front of me so I could have my legs straight out, the seat was adjustable, and the view of the ocean was stunning. I read the whole time and actually finished half a book. But as soon as the water was close I just couldn’t read. I just sat there, watching the glittery water, the surfers, and the dolphins. It made me realize that I wanna end up in California one day. This is where I am at my happiest, where I love myself the most, where I am the best version of me. I have no idea how it will happen, it will probably take time, but one day I wanna make California my real home. The ocean is a great therapist.

Mondos Beach up ahead Mondos Beach where we surfed the other week.Beautiful view from the trainThe view was like this a big part of the way and it was incredible! Sometimes the train was so close to the shore that you just saw water down below.

So, yesterday was Thanksgiving, my favorite American holiday. I love food! We went to one of Lori’s friends and spent a few hours there. It wasn’t the close family and then us, but different groups of people so we all fit in which was great. The food was amazing! And one of their cats loved me and he was beautiful and I just wanted to take him home with me. But I don’t think anyone would believe that I am depressed or anything else and need a cat for medical reasons…

After we were done eating my stomach hurt a lot so we just sat in the backyard talking for a while in the amazing warmth of Los Angeles winter. It was 90F yesterday, crazy, haha.

Today we had to leave the house early so I could make it to the Union Station and go home. 5.5 hours later I was back in SLO, and it was really warm here too. I waited in the sun for the bus for 45 minutes and read. Revenge of Seven is really good, but it is the second to last book in the Lorien Legacies series which is sad. It is a very good story. I came home, unpacked, and started Black Friday (online) shop. Today was the day to buy stuff from everywhere so now I have all my Christmas gifts figured out and I also spoiled myself with some clothes from Hollister and Abercrombie. I need more tops because I use the same all the time. And it was 50%, even 70% on some things, so I don’t feel bad. I kinda feel that I wanna buy a new suitcase as well. I am starting to have second thoughts when it comes to my challenge of packing 23 days in a carry-on bag and a backpack. I won’t need much clothes, so it might work. But Kohl’s as this crazy-ass sale on Samsonite luggage this time of year and I know for sure that I will need another suitcase when I leave, so I might as well buy it now, when it is $160 instead of $320. And if I buy it online it will be an extra 20% off. It might be worth it! I will think about it and consult with my mom first, she is smart and always gives me good advice.

I was planning on going to bed early, but that is always easier said than done. I will now though, and then continue to read. I so look forward to Winter Break when I will be able to read as much as I possibly can. Can’t wait! 13 days left. How did that happen? Where did the days go?? Am I really going to paradise for more than three weeks, in less than two? UNREAL!

Bishop Mountain from campus On my way home to my village. I live very far away from campus (1mile), but it is still on campus. This view is ahead of me every day when I am walking to my classes. Bishop’s Peak. I am gonna hike that one day!Poly Canyon VillagePoly Canyon Village (PCV); home sweet home!

Kanelbullens dag

This post used to contain pictures, but due to new storage limitations from WordPress, I had to fix the problem and decided to create a new blog that works as an archive for all the posts from my two years in California. This full post can be found here.

This Saturday was amazing. We were supposed to start it by playing beach volleyball at the PCV court but it was so windy outside it wouldn’t be fun, so I cancelled. At 11am we went to the beach instead, me, Kelsey, Tobi, Coby, Evan and Julia. We did the right thing. In SLO it was too hot, over 100F. Out at Pismo Beach it wasn’t even that warm. It was okay to lay in a bikini, but it wasn’t super hot. So we spent five hours there. We played beach volleyball (no wind out there surprisingly), went into the cold water (17C /65F), and lay on the beach tanning. It was an amazing day. I didn’t get burned and the water was so much fun. It was cold, but after a while your body got numb and all the big waves made it easier. We also saw several dolphins pretty close to the beach and also some seals. I still get very excited when I see dolphins.

Oh right, I almost forgot. I also tried skin boarding, which is when you are standing on the beach and ride on a thin board out in the water when the wave is just on its way back to the ocean. It is very very hard and I fell on my butt the second time I tried. It didn’t hurt, but I got sandy and had to go in the water again.

Dolphins at PismoDolphins to the right and left in this picture. A surfer in the middle.

Before we left Pismo at like 4pm, we stopped by this awesome place called Old West Cinnamon Rolls. I got a cream cheese frosted one and coby a walnut and we shared so we each got a half of each. So good! I remembered when we were sitting there that it was ”kanelbullens dag” (the day of the cinnamon roll) in Sweden yesterday. Then I googled it and it turned out to be today. Awesome! Not Swedish cinnamon rolls, but still delicous.

The day of the Cinnamon RollAn american cinnamon roll.

Back home we all chilled for a bit. Taking showers and I ordered a new bikini in which I will be able to play beach volleyball in. The ones I have will probably fall off if I go all in. I think it was worth it.

Then me, Kelsey and Lauren went downtown where we met up with Rachel when she got off work and we had a roommate date evening at Firestone Grill. They have the most amazing pulled pork sandwhiches. THE BEST EVER!!!

Roommate date at FirestoneMy amazing roommates. Left to right: Me, Kelsey, Rachel and Lauren. Roommate selfie

Our next thing was to go grocery shopping. I got everything I needed except pasta, but that was probably for the best anyway. I don’t have a scale here, but I am afraid that I’ve gained weight. It is hard being healthy here, but as soon as I start working out it will probably be fine. And speaking of, I just signed up for TRX classes twice a week for te whole quarter. It cost $40, but I think that will be worth it. It is every Tueday and Thursday between noon and 1pm, when I am out of class, so I didn’t really have an argument why I shouldn’t sign up for it. I love TRX and that would be a good motivator to get me to start work out again.

After grocery shopping we went to the room above ours to a party. It was fun for a while, but I got tired. So I stopped by another room on the third floor (which is my floor) to hang out for like 30 minutes before going back home. I won’t be able to get up early to go to the gym, but whatever. I feel good about myself just signing up for TRX. There were only 4 spots left. It will probably be extremely hot tomorrow as well, so I will probably just hang out by the pool. Even tonight it was hot, we were al sweating in shorts and tank tops. In the middle of the night! It was around 30C. Ridiculous.  I like it though, I get tired from it. But the oppurtunity to be in the ocean in October doesn’t come too often.

I love my life here!

New tattoo, where?! Shit, my calves look gigantic on these pictures… Anyway, I wanna get another tattoo. Any input, calf or ankle (the same foot as my first tattoo)?TarantulaWhen we came home from Albertson’s and we were gonna park the car inthe parking structure, there was a big tarantula walking around in there. And I was just telling Kelsey at the beach today that I never saw a single one in San Diego and that she probably wouldn’t see one here in just a quarter. Oh, I was wrong… I’m guessing it was about 2-3 inches (5-8cm).

Goodbye Ponto

This post used to contain pictures, but due to new storage limitations from WordPress, I had to fix the problem and decided to create a new blog that works as an archive for all the posts from my two years in California. This full post can be found here.

Last time I played beach volleyball on Ponto. It was a sad morning. But I enjoyed it and played pretty well. Six games in total, and two of them were with Johanna. She is too Swedish to ask a random person to ask still. I said goodbye to a lot of people, got a lot of hugs and sweet words. I’m gonna miss them! As soon as I’m back I will play with them again!

I saw one dolphin today. But that is better than none. Hopefully I will see a lot of them at least on the whale watching tour on Maui.

Now I will try to throw some clothes away and then we’ll see what the rest of the day offers. I’m hoping for a trip to the beach to watch the sunset!

Bvball @ Ponto