My hostel is wonderful. The surrounding makes everyone open and social, and it’s the first time in a week I’ve had actual contact with people beyond the usual “Where are you from?” stuff.

I’ve met a goofy fellow american named Terry, a girl who speaks Hebrew, and two girls from Slovania, and they have all felt very friendly and warm to me. Though I’ve spent very little focus of writing on it, my stay in this hostel has been truly wonderful, and I regret how quickly I will have to depart.

Consequently, the old children’s cartoon Sylvanian Families bears no connection to Slovania, it seems.

My last night was spent staying up late into the evening talking politics with a man from Spain. He was well travelled, and had spent time living both in Scotland and in New York. We spent much time discussing the beauties of Scotland (I finally had someone who understood!), and he informed me that if I thought Scotland was beautiful, I should definitely visit Norway.

He thinks that the most significant difference between the cities he has lived in has been the underlying atmosphere and attitude of the people. The Scottish, he says, have a very different attitude from the Americans in New York, just as they are dramatically different from the population of Spain (I don’t know what city). He felt of all of them, New York was the most dangerous, and he constantly lived with the fear that offending the wrong person would get him killed. I wish that didn’t seem like a given for me. I guess that’s just how I feel in all cities.