- - - Yep, once again I thought it pertinent to get a post out there that was half written but never finished. God, why do things get left behind? - - -
A few weeks ago my bicycle started to fall apart in a few very unfortunate ways. At first the sensitivity of the brakes became as tangible as last night’s half-remembered dream. Then the gearshift pooped out (remember the theme song to Friends? It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear…). To top it off, the front wheel started to ‘fall’ off. Please note – my bike gets a heavy workout everyday, at least 40min of action.
With winter coming on (and after a few misses at the intersection) I figured it was high time to fix the problem(s). Now that it’s fixed (except for the gearshift) and I’m back on two wheels, which have the capacity to stop, I’m beginning to realize what a luxury that is: to stop. No longer do I have to worry about inertia or gravity. When I squeeze on my brake levers, I stop. So simple, yet oh-so necessary.
Then I thought to transpose my new ‘to stop’ revelation on the Swedish educational system. I don’t think students in America ever have the luxury to ‘stop’ their studies without some sort of slap on the wrist or, more likely, a kick to the wallet.
Swedish university students get a monthly ‘allowance’ from CSN (an acronym that I’ll try and find the meaning of later). The allowance is partly free and partly an interest free (or low interest) loan from the government that every Swedish citizen is promised for up to 6 years of study. Pretty nice.
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