I'm struggling with being comfortable when writing! Hi! Until now I have mostly focused on the input parts (reading and listening) of the English language. Assumingly/presumably this is the reason why I'm feeling overwhelmed at times. Another reason may be the lack of reviewing. But in this post, I will focus on my writing issues. I often hear -"write about a topic you like" or something similar, but even if I have a few topics I like, I don't feel comfortable when I'm about to start. It feels unnatural. A few weeks ago I started to get out of my comfort zone regarding speaking. Since then I have spoken between 3-5 timas a week, and I can FEEL SOME PROGRESS. I think this is important to feel. When writing you have much time to think out the words you want to communicate, but when speaking you have just a small amount of time. This is way I think writing is important. So I really need some help on this. Is there anybody that have been in a similar situation and have tips, I would be grateful. All suggestions are welcome! Writing a journal is not especially fun when nobody makes corrections. You could make the same mistakes over and over again (without knowing it). (I also don't fell very comfortable reading books, even in my own language) Jörgen from Sweden

Translation!

How do you say "A powerful and flexible, yet easy to use tool for creating online gap-filling exercises as well as drag & drop, dropdown and multiple choice quizzes." in Swedish?

Questions! "They arranges a tennis tournament in July every year." does this sound natural? (I writing in my blog) Do you say: "on the picture below you can see...", or IN the picture......?

My first trip to New York (part two) At this first visit, I had made a reservation to the 9/11 memorial. Even if it´s connected with sadness, we wanted to show our support for the people affected by the tragic incident. The next day I had booked a table at the rotating restaurant "The View" at Times Square. The buffet was good, and for dessert there was a lot of different sweets and fruits, to choose from. It tasted very well! We also went to "the top of the rock", at Rockefeller Center. (Of course a great view!) As a part of the sightseeing tour we visited the John Lennon memorial in Central Park. One place we liked a lot was Bryant Park. This small park, with a green area in the center, offers tables and chairs. Many people reading books and playing chess. There was also the opportunity to play table tennis. But you have to schedule a time! Here is also a french restaurant. We looked at the train station Grand Central. There were musicians playing great songs. At Coney Island we ate hot dogs from Nathan´s. They tasted very good. Then we walked around the area, looked at the amusement park and the beach. The best steak we had was at Peter Lugar in Brooklyn! We got a big plate for two! (Maybe 20 pieces...) Also "Pastis" restaurant served us a great meal. It was NY strip steak with french fries and bearnaise sauce. For dessert creme brulee. Yummy! The best shopping was at "Century 21", as they offer a lot of different articles, for an affordable price. In China Town we liked the intensive pace, and the culture, too. We also liked musicians playing in Washington Square Park (a very nice park), and in central Park, too. In Greenwich Village I visited a music store. It ended up with buying a record with the Beatles. This area is nice and calm, with lushness. We also visited "Red Rooster" in Harlem. The owner, Marcus Samuelsson is from Sweden! But unfortunately he wasn´t there on this day. We visited also Wall street and Columbus Circle. A very nice and busy place! On the last day of our trip, we had our breakfast outside from a carriage. New squeezed orange juice(the best one!) and a bagel with egg and cheese. /End

My first trip to New York! (Part one) One day I looked in map book, and then I came to think of, I have never been outside Europe. Then I saw New York. It´s a long distance, so it´s a nice and a big adventure, hopefully. You hear about NY all the time on TV, and read about it in the newspaper. It´s a very popular destination! And as I have become more interested in English, I decided to go. I traveled with my mom. First, we went to a travel agency. They gave us information about different hotels and things to do there. My longest flight this far was when, me and my girlfriend were traveling to an Island in Greece. It was 25 years earlier... When a plane takes off I always feel a bit nervous in my stomach. On the plane there was screens that allowed you to watch movies and listen to music fg. We got food at least two times, and the food was good. When we arrived at Newark airport and got off the plane, we were looking at the letters: "Welcome to the United States of America", and that was a great feeling, and felt really big! The local time was around 4-5 pm, I think. Our travel guide told us to drink a lot of water and go to bed early. This because the Jet lag(the time difference) A new feeling appeared when we arrived to our hotel. I could use my English at the reception desk, and so I did. It worked well. Our room was good. When we have had a look at it, we decided to get something to eat. It was raining so we picked a restaurant nearby the hotel. I ate a hamburger with french fries. Our breakfast favorite became "Pret a manger". This organic food chain had it all; oatmeal, orange juice, hot chocolate, croissants, bagels with cream cheese and more. It tasted great! We both liked it very much. After having our breakfast we walked around in the city. We looked at skyscrapers and tried to make us comfortable. In our trip there was a sightseeing tour included. It was a good start, even if we were a little late and our taxi arrived just in time... We traveled north from midtown, to Harlem, via Metropolitain Opera. On the way back (from Harlem), we drove on the right side of Central Park. We saw two famous museums, before coming to the exclusive shops at fifth avenue. Then we continued to downton and battery park. Here we jumped off the bus to see the statue of Liberty. But the ditance was quite long from there. A few days later we took one of the yellow ferries to Staten Island to come closer and have a closer look at it. (before the trip I bought a pretzel. It tasted very good!) End part1

A spectacular table-tennis match! I remember a battle I was having in 2014. It was in the semi-final. (In the quarter-final I had a matchpoint against me, but my opponent smashed the ball right into the net). I was feeling very weak that day, but I forced myself to fight. I was so passionate about table-tennis. (Sometimes I felt weak due to stomach problems) In the semi-final I lost the first two sets by 11-4 and 11-5, respectively! I really had no chance at all! I was completely lost! All I was doing was picking up the balls from him. He was hitting the ball very fast and powerfully. I had to react very quickly. I remember I was thinking: This must change. It can't go on like this the whole time? And I was right. He began to miss his shots more frequently. Somehow I managed to win the third set (with) 11-9. I took the fourth set 11-4 . In the fifth, deciding set, we were going back and forth. It was 9-9, and his turn serve. I won 11-9! (Later I won the final, too)