Couldn't think of a good title so I just wrote the above instead. I've got loads of work to do and I have spent the last two days in the library. I will be back soon with some proper information but for now I am quite busy.
Nice to be back in Leeds in again though.

I'm still trying to organise a job. I have had a good time the last week because I have been doing lots of interesting things. I went away to York for 3 days with my Mam and I really enjoyed it. I bought another keyring to go on my backpack (which has many keyrings on it). I now have an MP3 player so I can also carry my beautiful music everywhere with me. Yesterday I walked all over Durham and took lots of pictures because I just felt like it, I won't be back here for a long time.

I have been thinking a lot about refugees and asylum sekers. I think it's a disgrace how they get treated in this country. If Iwas being persecuted and threatened with death in my home country I would expect to be helped by other countries not to be told to either 'f*** off' or 'ok we'll take you in but we'll lock you in a prison for a while'. Asylum Seekers live below the poverty line and only get about £30 a week to live on which is much lower than average benefits in this country. Also they have to face the humiliation of paying with food coupons, so they can stand in a special cue in the supermarket while everybody stares at them. They also get spit at and have abuse shouted at them in the street by ignorant people who don't have brains and believe everything that newspapers like the Daily Mail say (we are being flooded by immigrants, they are stealing our jobs etc.) Also it is important to note that refugees often end up doing shit jobs that nobody likes and that they would be willing to work but the government won't let them.

There is so much hysteria about illegal immigrants too. We wouldn't even have this problem if the government would relax immigration laws in this country and stopped immediatly believing that anyone who flees to Britain must be a terrorist, person who wants to live on our benefit system forever etc.

There are a lot of complaints that asylum seekers always use fake documentation. The reason they do that is that they can't escape their home countries without it.

I think it's time for people to stop blaming refugees and asylum seekers for all our problems and start to think for themselves about things. It is important to be able to put yourself in someone elses shoes and imagine what it would be like to be treated in the way which we treat asylum seekers and refugees.
Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. If you don't help others when they are in need then maybe one day nobody will help you when you need it.

I went home because I got really fed up and bored. My friends said they were going to meet me etc. but they were busy with family resposibilities (not their fault or anything, I'm not trying to blame them) which was annoying. I was starting to feel really low being in a flat by myself so I thought I might as well go home and spend quality time with my family since I haven't been home for 3 months.

I have some work I need to do because I have a load of stuff to hand in in May so I need to get cracking *I'll do it err.. later*

I am also looking for a job for the summer, which everyone seems to be doing. I would like to work in a Youth Hostel over the summer or maybe be a travelling fundraiser. If I don't hear a reply from either of those jobs then I will have a walk around Leeds and ask everytwhere if they are looking for people. So the stress of finding a job has begun. *should be more fun than a barrel of monkeys*.

I also might have to show someone round our house so we can get a fifth tennant but I don't know how to get there (the guy with the car is probably going to be busy as well) and how to arange a viewing so that's really annoying.

But luckily nothing major's happened and life only has small annoyances at the moment so that is something to be thankful for. This week I will probably post one of my 'the world is in a state because...' ramblings, so everyone can look forward to that (if you like that sort of thing).

Love from
Vickie

I had a wonderful weekend in Wales which cheered me up a lot (see previous post). Breacon Beacons is a beautiful place. We stayed in thsi nice cottage-like place which had heating and good facilities and stuff, which was a lot more comfortable than the last walking club trip which involved sleeping in a barn.
Anyway on saturday we walked through a large bog for most of the day which was enjoyable because it was challenging but the only thing was that the scenery wasn't too exciting. On sunday we walked up this mountain and it got quite foggy and a bit rainy but it was generally good. The view was nice and we saw lots of sheep! I got on with people a lot better than last time so overall it was a brilliant weekend.

I was a bit worried about being alone in the flat over Easter but I am actually enjoying it because I don't get woken up by drunk people screaming at each other at 2 o clock in the morning etc.
I'm going home from thursday to monday because I haven't seen my parents and my Grandad since february! I'm not staying too long though *mutters negative thoughts about Durham*.
I'm also going to sort out some volunteer work with refugees and asylum seekers tonight so I feel very purposeful at the moment.