a brief recap

Recap:
This is no livejournal, so I will not post anything that deals in any way shape or form with typical angst, but its flowing nice and strong here in Helsinki(or elsewhere, depending on how you look at it).
Three days in Stockholm reminded me of the differences found between two countries so closely tied together by history, shared economic planning and welfare systems, but widely diverging views on immigration.
The first day walking around Stockholm, there were protests re: Iran. I hear that such protests have occured in Finland, but nothing to this extent. Iranians filled the square in a sea of green, chanting in Swedish and demanding investigation into the clearly fraudulent elections held on the 12th of this month. Another Tiananmen this most likely will be, but I was taken back by the fact that there even were so many immigrants. Swedish immigration policy has been far more open than that of Finland, to the extent that 1 out of 9 people in Sweden is either a political or social refugee. There is no way of escaping the significance of this fact. In terms of immigration, this is a stagerring number. From countries of 8 million or more this puts Sweden third, first and second being the United States and Canada. Multiculturalism has its shortfalls(see Denmark) but it is refreshing to see nonetheless, being the "cosmopolitan, emissions producing freak" I adhere to the label of.
This I am further reminded of anytime I go to the store. It has less to do with the people in Finland as it does with the variety of things I can buy. I recently shipped in 2 gallons of hot sauce from the states.

I spent midsummer next to a bonfire with Alina, Ulsa, Tuomas, and Alison. Accompanied later on by two drunken elderly Finns, it was exactly what I wanted.

I am not working nearly enough this summer, which is fault of my asshole Indian boss. That said, I am now working three nights in a row, which is sorely needed on my behalf.

And I brought my bike with me from the US, which is great because I no longer need to take public transportation anywhere.

So this is all.