Premature

It's probably a little foolish to begin missing things in Gothenburg before I've even left, but apparently I'm going to do it anyway, so it's probably best if everyone just humors me for now!

I've been thinking a lot about trust here, and how I'm definitely going to miss it once I'm back in as Caroline might say 'the cynical uk'
Here hardly anyone bothers to lock their bikes up, they park them in the designated bike areas but don't bother to lock them to anything. Or they just lock the back wheel to the frame which I'm sure everyones knows would be completely futile in London (and not just London I know!) It was so maddening to me when I first arrived but I guess I've gotten used to it now?!

They also have these things at the supermarket where you scan your items with a handheld scanner and just hand it over to pay at the end. I saw these in Switzerland recently too and couldn't quite believe it. I am one of those people who gets followed around Tesco by security because I look shifty even though I'm not stealing anything! I can't imagine them saying oh 'here check your own items out with this machine and we'll just take your word for it' obviously we have self service but still it weighs everything and they are always manned anyway. (Do I sound like I'm trying to steal stuff? ha - you see I'm even sounding shifty writing about it, no wonder security follow me!!)

Not to mention School- so much trust at school. Being able to access it 24/7 for a start is kind of mad to me. Drinking beers at studio parties and even being able to sell beers and pretty much operate a bar out of the cafe is all pretty new to me!
But not just this - the workshops are not health and safety crazy- and that isn't to say they're not safe. I feel like we go a little insane on all this H&S and Politically correct crap back home. My little sister for example has school sport day every year and they decided to stop having winners so no one would get upset! They just ran in a continuous loop for a certain amount of time and then all got a medal. You think I'm kidding? seriously so stupid - where's the preparation for the REAL competitive world?
Anyway I digress (as always) but yes the workshops- if you want to use them after school you just need 3 students and then you're given a key and trusted to stop at 10pm (they say 10pm because if you got up at 7am by 10pm you might get tired and complacent and have an accident) You can also use all of the equipment, no traffic light system here! you get inducted and then the circular saw is all yours. It's funny though because there seems to be no accidents here and not long after I arrived I was hearing tales of belt sanders and fingers and surgery back home! Maybe a little trust goes a long way?

It probably sounds really odd but it really has a big impact here. I feel like in general the Swedish people have a lot of trust. They trust the high taxes that I hated when I first arrived, they trust the government and they trust that the decisions they make are for everyones benefit. Of course there are exceptions to all of what I just said and I don't claim to be any kind of expect but just speaking to people and from my own experience that's the impression I get. Somewhat of a contrast to how people in London/England feel right now, and opening my inbox to find an email regarding the proposed fee increase at Camberwell to 9000 is another stark reminder.

On a lighter note though, technicians and tutors can apparently go to other Erasmus schools to see how they operate so I joked with the technician here who said he might go to Camberwell that he should come and encourage them to trust us a bit more!