The myth of crossing paths II: the hostel

Annete from Norway is a photographer with a degree in human rights. She has worked in immigrations for her country, the UN and has applied for a job in the Red Cross. She rents her appartment in Oslo and is currently using the money to roam Spain surfing. She rarely smiles but when she does her face lights up. Jenny from outside Liverpool has come to Spain to teach English to young kids and learn the language - she can't speak a word of Spanish so far. She will be volunteering to work for Greenpeace and she'll be joining a Spanish lessons class - that should help create a social circle in Madrid. She has worked as a librarian and is typically British in her modesty. Jarrod and his sister are half-American, half-Croatian visiting relatives and touring Europe. He is staying in San Francisco and he used to work in a boat fishing for squid. He likes to doodle in napkins when he tries to explain something. Ben is from Edinburgh and has finished a law degree - he will get a job in the City in a few months. He is funding his travels from a loan he will repay while working - 'he will have no life then anyway'. He tends not to believe all those stories people say about the places they travelled. Richard from Melbourne is working in the university and has taken five weeks off to travel Europe. He can be both sociable and quiet - but avoids looking you in the eyes when talking to you. Colin is from New Zealand and is temporarily staying in the hostel while looking for a job as a computer programmer. It's the only person who has to take care of a suit. Leena from Finland is 21, speaks no Spanish and little English and is travelling with her Europe bus pass. Last time she was in the continent she spent three months in Amsterdam - mostly getting high. Melissa is from Texas, USA and has managed to remind me that Americans are usually superficial. She is good-looking, arrogant and cold and uses all the expressions expected from a 'bimbo'. She had KFC at least once - in Barcelona.