I know I'm the worst at bloging, it's been months. I haven't written anything in my diary since my first week either. I've just been experiencing New York City and living and hopefully the memories will stick around in my head and heart. During these months I've noticed a few differences between New York and Sweden...

Things I've noticed here that don't happen in Sweden (besides the obvious stuff like "people speak English here.."):

-if you sneeze someone WILL say "bless you". Doesn't matter where you are or who you're with, a random stranger in the subway/restroom/street/danceclass will bless you.

-Guys will also bless you. In the street. Because of your "pretty eeeeeyes...". Usually said with a creepy pedophile voice and so often it feels more like harassment than compliments.

- When it rains here you better have a wetsuit. Umbrellas don't really work, it's like the water comes from all directions at once. Every time it rains it's also super windy and your umbrella will break. Don't get upset - getting soaked makes more sense than trying to walk through the crowds with an umbrella anyway.

- It ALWAYS smells like the peace&love festival here in summertime. Garbage and piss.

-Speaking of garbage, they don't really use trashcans or containers for trash, every evening there are mountains of garbage bags on the sidewalks that the garbage trucks pick up at night/ early morning. It smells..

- People say they're sorry. For everything. All the time. You bump into someone, you say "Oh I'm sorry". Someone bumps into you, YOU still say "Oh I'm sorry". Everyone is always sorry.

- It is socially acceptable to talk to other people, even if it's not a person you know from before. Much unlike in Sweden where you get weird looks if you comment on anything to someone you don't know.

- There are cockroaches. They come out at night and run around the streets and freak you out. Sometimes they show up randomly in your apartment. Uninvited. They're super quick and extremely disgusting.

- There are rats too. I know there are rats in Sweden too, but you don't really see them. Here you do, they live down in the subway and run around there eating garbage (?)

- Aaaaand there are a loooot of squirrels. They're cute though! They live in the parks and are bigger and greyer than the ones in Sweden and they're very curious and not shy.

- And speaking of animals (where did this animal theme come from?), there are fireflies! I bet they're actually disgusting if you look at them closely in daylight but at night and from a distance it looks amazingly beautiful and magic.

- leaving the animal theme behind and speaking of something else, cashiers in stores are really annoying. They don't even look at you. They mumble the amount of money you owe and give you the receipt and start scanning the next customer's groceries.

- Also you never have to pack your own plastic bags in the grocery store. They do it for you. And they're not afraid to waste bags, the bags are so thin they usually have to double bag the groceries and they pack like two things in each double bag.

- There are a whole lot of "lazy people stuff" to buy in the store. Ready made cookie dough so you don't have to mix the ingredients yourself. Eggs in "bottles" so you don't have to break them yourself.

- Grown men in costumes use kick bikes/ scooters for transportation. They are not considered children's toys here.

- It's freaking hot. Swedes like me are melting in the 35 degrees that summer offers here!

That's just a few differences I've noticed during these months of everyday life here in New York :)

Hugs and kisses, Lisa