Stand Up For Journalism Day and I am the reporter.

Saturday morning brunch date with B2 at Corner Bakery Cafe in Crystal City. Sweet venue with a low-key ambience and good music. Food is eaten. Coffee is still warm. And Saturday, for us at the moment, does not mean day off. It means keep on working and keep on writing.

Today, November 5, the European Federation of Journalism encourage all and everyone to think about the importance of journalistic work, as this day is designated Stand Up For Journalism Day. How convenient that this is the day when I am the reporter who has to finnish one story and write an outline for another. Keep up the journalistic work for the journalism student.

Today is all about producing. Do not disturb. I am on deadline.

Friday night is... guacamole night?

I once had a boyfriend who said that "Friday night is drinking night." Well, at that time I listened to him. I was 19 and my life as it was, was a party. It still is, but these days, life is festive in another way. 19-year old me was great. But you know what, I like 25-year old me even better. She actually is a whole lot smarter. And thank God for that.

However, tonight, my 25-year old brain called for some complete relaxation and absolute nonsense. So I went grocery shopping - oh, how I love walking around in a grocery store when I don't really have to buy anything. I came home with a couple of avocados and a Cosmopolitan. And that was my Friday night.

Absolutely wonderful. Guacamole and rubbish reading. Exactly what you need sometimes, be it a Friday night or any other night. Satisfied and relaxed, now I am going to bed.

I want to LIVE here - now and later.

I walked out from the gym (a pretty good workout, by the way, that pull up is close, so close!), faced the sun and the beautiful colors of fall and got that wow-feeling. The one that is like a punch in your chest, in your heart. Do you know it? I hope you do. Because it is a feeling of content.

Everything was so beautiful. Everything felt so perfect. I came from my gym. I was waiting by my bus stop. I walked to my home. This is where my life is and this is where I live.

Can I please, please, please stay here? "Where do you see yourself next summer?" "Well, I anticipate doing a paid internship somewhere in the United States of America and I look forward to use everything I will learn from this first great opportunity of being an intern here in DC."

It is said, that what you say to others will also become true. Now I have told you what I want to do.

The golden Friday.

Friday? Again? Really? Where did all the other days go? For a power walk into the past, I guess. Time flies and weeks pass by. I have spent a couple of hours after class in the school cafeteria, rather lonely, reading about consumer relations and public relations. As interesting as it is, I am now relatively tired and will head off to my second home - the gym - to try to wake up.

So are the days of our lives. The present one kind of similar to the previous one. Still completely different. Whenever I get in to that I-am-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-over I try to find the small things that make each day count.

In Sweden, there is a saying that you can "put a golden edge" on something. Handing out chocolate to your students is definitely a gold-edging-gesture made by a professor. That peanut butter cup sure made my day a lot more golden. Different from the day before. Different from last Friday.

Still interesting. Always moving.

The inner voice congratulates me.

"What is your purpose?" our professor asked and furthermore told us that one needs to pay attention to self. Listen to that little voice inside that sometimes screams out of fear and sometimes shouts out of joy.

I am paying attention to self, that is why I am here. I am doing this, leaving many loved ones behind, because it is something I have to do. For me. That voice inside me gave me no choice.

At first, it told me that I should be a reporter. "Go find yourself an internship at a magazine or a big newspaper. That is where you belong," it said. And I listened. I went. Here, to where I am now. And the voice was not so sure anymore. It had found another road for me to walk.

"You should do public relations. You should work with humanitarian matters. Oh, that is really what you should do. I believe it is your purpose," was its new message. And I listened. Once again I listened. Because that voice is very persuasive and I do trust it.

And let me tell you that I know am scheduled for my first internship interview at a humanitarian organization and the voice - oh, the voice is shouting out of joy!

Today's venue.

Just an ordinary day. On my desk: notes from fundraising event, newspaper, internship applications, resumés, cover letters, research on Halloween and a grande cappuccino. Ordinary day, yet slightly better than simply così, così.

You do what you have to do to make your days a bit more exciting. Have a lovely one, everybody!

The secret seven.

According to Professor Yoest, it takes seven times of hearing a message to be persuaded.

I am wondering if I have to hear the message from someone else or if the secret seven repetitions could just as well be said by myself. Suppose that the equation does work with me as both the sender and the receiver; is it true?

If I tell myself seven times that I can do it, will I believe in it? If so, it would mean that I could do it. Because everything we believe, we can also do. I see no harm in trying. I could use a little boost in these times of work and stress overload. Being the public relations student that I am, I will try to come up with a really good message and I will do my best to persuade myself.

If I succeed, well, then it really does mean that I can. On two different levels. Are you following me?

It is about time to pump it up, that good old self-esteem of mine.

When you need to call the cops.

In Sweden, my country of birth, we call the police if something happens. Just like that - The Police. Here, in the US, I have learned that you have to know exactly which police to call. Do you have a problem on the metro? Call the Metro Transit Police. Do you see a suspicious bag around the Pentagon? ("If you see something - say something.") Call the Pentagon Police. Are you being assaulted when spending your Sunday at the museum? Call the Museum Police.

If you face a problem on campus - call the Campus Police.

And you know what, the Campus Police does have work to do! The other week, they sent out an e-mail with a warning of a potentially dangerous student who last year had been violating a teacher. His picture was attached and everything. I didn't really know how to react to that.

The police thing is simply so non-Swedish and something that takes a little time getting used to. The mentality regarding security is so different from my own frame of reference, but the more time I spend here, the more I try to understand how people think and why.

I have not quite figured out the police thing yet, but at least I know that I have to know which police to call in order to get the help I am looking for.

Have you been robbed in New York? Call the NYPD!

I wish I could read all day.

I have spent most of my morning reading the newspaper. In addition to The Post, my Swedish favorite to keep track of what is going on at home and the French favorit that I read for language practice. What a nice way of starting a day, right?!

I wish I could cuddle up in a comfortable chair, with a cup of coffee and just read all day long, but that is not going to happen. The ToDo-list is getting longer every day and I just have to be productive. However, I believe this long morning of reading the news was something that I needed. For inspiration as well as to soothe a stressful soul.

Breathe in and breathe out. A cup of coffee or two and I will mangage to juggle all the different tasks.

Have a good one, you all. At least, the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day of fall!

I give you PA Tuesday.

Tuesdays are long days. But not only that. They are also heavy days. Tuesdays are Pack-Ass Days - i.e. days when we bring along with us basically everything we own and then carry it around for the whole day. Computers, heavy textbooks, reporter's notebook, food, fruit, gym clothes, shower stuff and other necessities.

This PA Tuesday has been going up and down. Tired and with heavy bags - down. Professor giving us chocolate as a Halloween treat - up. Professor telling us about important event in American history as well as analyzing the current situation - so very much up! Professor giving us a huge assignment - falling down. Sweat dripping from the nose after 40 minutes of interval training - yep, up. Waiting in the cold for the bus for an hour - so very much down. Walking home from the bus stop with heavy bags - down.

And now I still have some writing to do before I can cuddle with my pillow in my oh so lovely bed. Some days are just not better than others. Even though this one did have a few highlights.