Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

It's funny how there are moments in everyone's life where one finally understands the meaning of that saying. Most of the time it doesn't take an actual life or death situation to help you understand it, sometimes random small things that you come across in your daily interactions help it along! A random start to my entry, I know, I just felt like it needed to be said.

Since my last entry, I have continued my travels around Europe and made a (carbon) footprint in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Oslo, Norway. Amsterdam was an amazing trip as it was really relaxing and laid back - and not for the reasons that you're thinking! The hostel we stayed in was absolute shit, for many reasons that I don't even want to mention, but we ploughed on! The city is very beautiful and we got to see loads of the old architecture and structure when we took a boat cruise down its many canals. We visited the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museums and a few other places. I also had an epiphany and decided that I needed to go into the business of making canned preserve. Yes folks, Darran wants to sell jam and Mateusz is going to help with the marketing "Hooooomemade Jaaaaaaaam" anyone? Rachelle Mac - summer roomie and great friend - came to London for a visit and I dragged her along to Holland with us all...I'm pretty sure she appreciated it! It was great to see her again and exciting to think of all the fun we're going to have this summer in our sexy flat on Gilmour St...whoo!

I jetted off to Oslo a few days later, and although I was really tired from Amsterdam and work, I am very happy I made the trip! Oslo was one of those places I wanted to go and visit from day one, it could be because of my odd love of speed skating or because I enjoy the name of the city, I don't really know. When I was booking my trip I couldn't find any reasonable accommodation as the city was all booked up for some massive relay race, a miscalculation on my part. I decided to couch surf instead and found reasonable accommodation with some guy named Terje - it worked. I spent my day and a half roaming the small city, taking in great artwork at the National Gallery and Contemporary Art Museum, soaking up the Nordic culture at the Viking and Historical Museum and being a 'local' - as much of a local as a brown man can be in a Scandinavian country - by taking in the local (very pricey) cafes, shops and pubs. I highly recommend Oslo and will come back to visit some day to do a proper tour and visit of the entire country, and maybe make a hop over to the other Scandinavian countries as well. We'll see how things go.

This week was a little battle in itself. Friday was supposed to be a big day for myself and my flatmates, it was supposed to be our court date for nonpayment of our council tax, similar to property tax at home. The reason for our nonpayment is clear, we're students, which gives us an exemption, however the council authority did not believe us or Leeds University of our student status, even after documentation was submitted supporting our claim. As a result we all received a summons. Mike was on the case in connecting Leeds and the Council and I made a small gesture in putting our MP into the mix as well. We (well, mainly Mike) successfully got the court date postponed to the middle of August with a reassessment of our case occurring in the interim. Whoo hoo!

With work over, our court case on hold, my travels done and with only a few more pages to go on my last paper, it's evermore clear that I'm going to be shipping off back to Canada quite soon. Hmm...I think I'm going to need to start packing tomorrow...ugh!