Artipelago visit

Today my grandmother, my brother and I all went to visit Artipelago. Artipelago is an art hall in the outside of Stockholm. They use many different medias. They range from sound recordings to mixed media. The art pieces are distributed all over the area. In the image above there is one of the pieces which we were debating what it was and came to the conclusion that it looks a lot like an ear. On the way to the actual building there are many paths you can walk through the forest while looking at amazing statues and listening to the many sounds.

Ghost walk in Old Town

I had a really fun and interesting "ghost walk" in the old town of Stockholm. Lots of history and scary stories. I learned a lot and had fun.

celebrating midsummer

Midsummer in Sweden is very traditional and a big holiday. We eat herring and smorgosboard, sing and dance around the may pole. This year I celebrated it in the city because we sold our place in the archipelago. 

Photographic museum

I usually love to visit the photographic museum and I go there numerous times every summer. This year, however, I was not so impressed. They only had black and white photos on sea lions and pinguins from Patagonia. I'm only going to visit once this year

Getting more material for the girls

I went shopping for fleece and flannel so I can make more washable pads for the girls in Mathare. I found a lot. The snaps are really expensive though. My mom is going to order a big pack on the internet. I'm glad we are having a sewing machine here in Stockholm. I can make more pads now when the weather is cold and rainy.

CASL in 8:th grade

This year has been both good and bad when it comes to my CAS work. I think I've been very active in all the areas. I did two school plays, visited Turkey and had a great time. I've earned my second dan black belt in tae kwondo and participated in tournament and was the assistant coach for the ISK team. I've trained MMA all year and was also in the MS A-team in Volleyboll. We won every game except one. I've been active in both Oakland school in Ongata Rongai and Destiny school in Mathare. I've made fundraisers to pay for new rooms in Mathare, and will soon be able to build new toilets. I've worked hard for the Swedish society, but was very disappointed when they would not give me money for my project. The project I'm most proud of is the washable sanitary towels for the girls in Mathare. They are having so many problems every month with this, and most of them don't even go to school that time of the month. I feel so good to help them with this problem and it is fantastic when they enjoy the designs that I come up with. Due to this, I also learned how to use a sewing machine. This summer I will try to fund more projects in Destiny. I think I had a very active year and I worked hard. I had a few disappointments, but overall I think it's been a very successful year. It is not over yet.. over the summer I'm going to Cambridge to study drama and medical science. I hope I can post some updates on that on my blog! I'm generally happy with my work but I've had a few disappointments but that only taught me to try again and work harder to reach my goals. Next year I plan to work even harder, but focus on the school, my training and drama. I've learned that doing services for too many only leaves me tired and doesn't always pay back. I'm planning to focus a bit more next year!

Sewing, sewing and sewing.

My mom taught me how to sew the pads and it's actually quite fun. I was always unsure about using the sewing machine, but it turned out to be easy. Now I'm trying different patterns and ways of sewing and I'm starting to feel quite confident. We gave Dixon almost a hundred new ones to give the girls and soon we will leave for Sweden, but we are going to need plenty more when we get back. We are also buying some materials in Sweden (like snap buttons - they are really expensive here.) Dixon also said that the teachers wanted them as well. I think we need to make at least a hundred more! We are finding new cool designs and play around with it. I'm really happy that the girls in Mathare love them and really like the designs!

Accomplishments on the pad project, so far...

My mom has been sewing a lot of new pads. I help to cut - but she is the boss of the sewing machine. We buy fleece baby blankets from Nakumatt and that makes a more fun and colourful design. It is really important to use flannel and fleece for the absorbent and liquid resistant features. As the core, we use 2-4 layers of flannel and the outer layer is fleece. They are really good! I can't wait to get back in August and continue the work!