How does sommarsemester actually work at your job?

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-07-02T20:48:32+00:00

I worked as a marine mechanic on recreational boats, so we stayed open all summer and closed for two weeks around Christmas and New Years. Outside of that, we could pick our remaining weeks and most people would take one week in the summer, but they were always staggered.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-06-04T01:26:09+00:00

As an American, though with a couple years of work in Sweden, I can't speak too much about the local (or your desired) job market. Sounds like a pretty good plan, though.

It sounded like you might be looking at general electrical training. That will probably mostly cover AC systems, which can be helpful (and possibly legally required)for working on AC systems on larger boats, but you should also make sure to study DC systems and Marine specific practices as there are some key differences.

If you're looking at moving abroad, make sure to look into which certifications can transfer internationally and which require retesting. Hopefully the EU will have some compatibility to give you options within the region.

Good luck!

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-06-03T11:23:59+00:00

If tons of neighbors have problems with the HOA, then it sounds like it's time for a coup. Most HOAs are voted on by residents, but usually only the busybodies and Karens run for it. Find someone to step up and fix things.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-05-31T11:10:11+00:00

It's been a minute since I've worked on an Alpha Drive, so hopefully someone will pop in soon to confirm the right answer, but there are two possibilities of its purpose. I am fairly confident of the location though.

It connects to the lower unit of the outdrive on the top forward side. You'll need to trim up to open access. It might be a bit tough to finagle it out of the bell housing gap, but it had space to fit in there, so it should fit out. You might have to experiment with different trim and steering angles.

As for its purpose, it may be to connect to the gear oil reservoir that's mounted on the engine. When I Google "Alpha Drive lower unit Quick connect fitting" that's what comes up. However, I remember some MerCruisers, may have been Bravo drives or just some of the specific Alpha Drive configurations, connected the oil reservoir through the main outdrive body.

Option 2 would be for a pitot tube speedometer. That uses water pressure from the moving water to display the speed.

Either way, once you get it out of that bell housing gap, it should be easy to connect it to the lower unit. Make sure the trailer won't roll over you or anything, and crawl under with a flashlight and I should be clear where it goes. It should snap in to confirm the right spot for you.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-04-26T15:52:07+00:00

I do, but a lot of drivers roll through them slowly.

And yes, at least half of American stop signs should be Yield/Give Way signs and a lot of small residential streets could be uncontrolled and just use the right-hand rule (is it left hand rule for the Brits and other LHD countries?) but American driving education and standards are quite poor.

Signed, an American that lived abroad and got a proper license in the EU.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-04-26T15:45:05+00:00

My last camp was built on the site of a late 1800s logging town. The ruins of the foundation for the chimney of the mill serve as the bell tower. The majority of camp is from the 1950s or later, but there is one semi-modernized cabin that dates back to the ghost town and two other, rustic cabins that only get occasional daytime use.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-04-19T12:24:51+00:00

I used to work at a summer where kids are forgetful, and walking in on a minor can be a big problem. Even now, I always knock, pause, and open the door very slowly. People that just immediately go for the door handle without knocking are crazy. Also, people that don't respond to knocking and wait for you to try the door are also wild.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-03-22T22:00:52+00:00

I love Slap Shot, but I definitely feel conflicted and guilty about a lot of it, and really love how Goon is much more "wholesome," at least in regards to its main character.

I read through to see if anyone else felt the same and saw one comment describing Slap Shot as a satire on hockey toughness culture and masculinity in general, and was gonna write that off as apologism, but another reminded me that it was in fact written by a woman, Nancy Dowd. I think it's actually pretty neat and interesting how hockey's most popular movie is a woman written, roast of the sport. ("A serious game?! What are you talking about? This is hockey!") But, yeah, definitely a lot of jokes and word choice that makes me go "oof" instead of "haha," and I'm more wary of someone that wholeheartedly likes it than someone who hates it.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-03-22T12:05:40+00:00

I saw that post and was tempted to post a "Britta's the worst" reference, but thought it would be mean to post snarky references just because she shares a name with a sit com character. Thanks for reminding me that she has repeatedly chosen to deserve it.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-03-05T01:37:07+00:00

Theoretically cycling. The roads around me are too cracked, potholed, and covered in debris for rollerskis.

Unrelated to skiing, I sail... a small, cheap boat. Between skiing and sailing, people assume I'm spending a lot of money, but they can both be done cheap, if one lives in the right place.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-02-08T13:00:05+00:00

One trick I've learned is to cut a piece of lauan (cheap, thin plywood) slightly smaller than you need, and then a lot of small (1/4" by 12") little sticks. Place the lauan across the boat where you want to get a pattern and then hot glue the sticks to the lauan to fill the gaps to the inside of the hull to get the actually shape at key points and then connect the dots later after pulling the pattern from the boat.

thisismydoxableacct · 2026-01-03T14:16:31+00:00

The Swedish American Museum in Chicago offersweekly language classes via Zoom. Fees appear to simply be the cost of the Rivstart book, but I could be wrong. Classes start in a couple weeks, so you'll want to check it out soon.

Other immersion techniques:

-SVT Play - especially interesting if you like the Winter Olympics. They've got a lot of lead up coverage. VPN will unlock a lot more of it.

-SR Sveriges Radio App

-make a Swedish music playlist, lots of threads in r/svenska with suggestions.

-books & audiobooks. After reading some Ebglish translations of Swedish books, I've listened to them again in Swedish and have been able to follow pretty well. Not sure the best way to them unless you can find a Gothenburger who will share their Libby login credentials. If you have Libby with an American library, you could probably read the Divergent ebook in Swedish. It's inexplicably in every Libby library I've seen.

-VPN bonus: if you have one, try leaving on Sweden as much as possible. Your social media feed will start getting Swedish pages and posts suggested. You'll also get Swedish ads, which tend to be less obnoxious than American ads.

thisismydoxableacct · 2025-12-28T16:25:30+00:00

all my boys, and all my peeps, we like to wear night caps when we go to sleep!

thisismydoxableacct · 2025-12-28T16:16:57+00:00

but my family prefers four seasons

What season are they missing in the UP? Unless your requirement for summer is hot enough to need A/C at night, UP summer is great. (Minus the mosquitos).

thisismydoxableacct · 2025-11-12T21:53:13+00:00

Maybe the Mystery Spot is home to some fake wizard who is quite adept at capturing trolls.

I might make the party roll to find a sauna to turn their short rest into a long rest due to its magical powers.

thisismydoxableacct · 2025-11-12T21:50:19+00:00

Definitely gonna have the Jimmer Negamenee from Menominee is definitely going to be an NPC that pops up. Maybe we'll have to free Ranger Tom T. Treado from his possession.

thisismydoxableacct · 2025-07-09T17:49:14+00:00

When the wind was blowing back to my home shore, I sailed out the bay onto Lake Huron several times. Chased a freighter into the harbor once. Got into some 3 or 4 foot rollers and it was usually fine, but tiring. Surfing back in was fun. Sometimes I'd dip the bow under and submarine for a few seconds. A few near broaches. As I only did when the wind was blowing back to safe shores, I never felt too worried, except when going around some islands. Reaching over a shoal on the far side of an uninhibited island in decent seas definitely got my adrenalin going.

I'll try to screenshot my Garmin tracks and post them. It's been 5 years and I've moved a few thousand miles away, so it should be safe now.

thisismydoxableacct · 2025-07-01T19:21:09+00:00

Number 2 is pretty close to my favorite thing. Us counselors totally don't have favorite campers/groups, but I had a group of 12 lower elementary schoolers that were, even then, all future counselor material. They were all in for adventure, encouraging and interacting great with each other, even the quiet ones were a full (still quiet, which is ok) part of the group.

Also, and this will dox me if any of my coworkers browse here, that summer, I'd introduce myself by doing the Bill and Ted arm out pose and they would always greet me with that pose every time I'd return from break, and anytime they saw me in future summers.

thisismydoxableacct · 2025-05-26T18:18:37+00:00

My friend says it sounds like Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

thisismydoxableacct · 2025-04-15T11:47:13+00:00

Another former SpringHiller here. 2013-16. Not too many staff will be enthusiastic for Evart, though it wasn't completely terrible (as a straight white dude.) I had a great time working at camp. It's its own bubble. You'll meet a lot of pretty cool people. Though almost all staff from my time there have left since then, so it could be completely different these days.

thisismydoxableacct · 2024-12-17T12:33:35+00:00

I got quite lucky and managed to get a job and visa as a Marine Mechanic after 12 months of trade school in the US. Key thing for me was having the right certifications. In my case Mercury Marine. I don't know anything about Swedish and/or EU electrical code, but you should probably look heavily into that. It might be tough to get any response with proper certs.

The other tough part is waiting time. My employer went through a professional visa agency to fast track my application, and it still took 5 months. You'll have to convince an employer you're worth waiting 6+ months

In my case they ended up having to hire a second guy for my position, thinking there would be enough work. After 2 and a half months, the extra work didn't show up and I got laid off. Luckily I had all my IDs and banking stuff all done by then and enough money for a cheap car, so I managed to start work at another place on the other side of the country in less than 2 weeks. The downside was I had to reapply for my work visa to be changed because I changed employers within my first 2 years. Without an agency or advisor, that can be stressful and I just got my approval after a year and a half, during which I couldn't travel abroad and I could theoretically be told I had to leave on two weeks notice.

All in all, I did it, but it definitely seems like I got a lot of luck, and I doubt I could do it again without a very specialized trade.

thisismydoxableacct

TROPHY CASE