Itchy .......


Today I rode Mary's bike to Skansen which is an outdoor museum that I will explain after i first explain the bike ride. It was really a wonderful way to travel. There are bike lanes all throughout Stockholm and they are well used. On the way to Skansen, I crossed several bridges and went to 3 islands not including the one that I am living on. I saw many sights along the way and share with you just a couple of sights from my ride. The cherry trees are in full bloom and many people gathered under the cherry trees and visited with one another. Every once in awhile someone would shake the tree and tons of blossoms would rain from the trees. In this same park there were street musicians and a band playing while people danced. It was very fextive and full of music from every direction.

Skansen is the world's first open air museum founded in 1891. In this park (I would call it), there are buildings representative of Swedish heritage and history that were actually brought in from all over Sweden. There are farm buildings, community buildings, shops and restaurants. There are also animals indigenous to the country. It was a beautiful day here. I met up with the students in the afternoon instead of taking the train to Sollentuna and then taking the train back to Stockholm. The students spent the morning making Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes in their Home Economics class and then arrived by train to Skanken. It took a little effort for me to find them, but I did. A good time was had by all in this beautiful Open Air Park / Museum!

Beautiful Thursday at School

Thursday was an incredibly beautiful day - again. It was really hard to stay inside today so whenever we weren't giving presentations or going to class we went outside. The entire school had the same philosophy and so the outside was full of students playing soccer, skateboarding, playing on the swings, and the younger students in the sandbox. The playground here is huge with many different areas for soccer, swinging, climbing, basketball, and now they are installing a skateboard park with rails and a ramp. So, some of the similarities and differences I see between the schools? The students here have more opportunities to get freetime exercise throughout the day because they are on a schedule more like a high school's and if they don't have a class they can hang out or go outside. It's funny, the students have a lot more freedom during the day but consequently everything is locked up and requires a key. It takes a key to get to the teacher's lounge. So, even though the students think they have freedom, things of value are locked up and off limits. A teacher would never leave her classroom unlocked if she was not in the class. Another difference is that their grades and performance have high stakes in middle school because at the end of 9th grade they apply to "gymnasium" - or high school and their performance determines which school they can get into. So, it inspires a bit more self motivation in some. Another thing is that the school provides lunch at no charge to all students so they don't bring lunch from home and there are no sweets allowed or served. They say that no candy rule has been implemented just in the last few years - and the reason is that the school environment should be healthy. Yesterday the lunch was some sort of a battered fish and tartar sauce and it was very good. The day before it was Swedish meatballs - which are small meatballs without a sauce. Similarities at the school include teachers that really care about students and understand them. It seems to me that it is a positive school environment - just like the middle school in Steamboat. Teachers all seem to be enjoying their work with the students. A happy and welcoming place. One difference that Tim Bishop could take note of is that they have this amazing cuppaccino machine in the teacher's lounge free to all teachers. It is delicious.

So all in all everyone has adjusted and adapted very well to their new lives. I am feeling that I am going to have to pry them away from Solentuna at the end of this adventure but there is too much ahead of us for me to even think of that now.

Here are some photos from the day. I started the day riding this train from Stockholm to Solentuna. I walk to the school from the train station about 15 minutes and then I have an early morning photo from outside the school. The school has a tv monitor in the hallway with any special information such as visitors in the building that day. Then I have pictures of the cafeteria and then what the students do after they eat.

First day of school in Sweden

Here are some pictures of the first day of school. We had a welcome dinner at the school after going to classes all day and then we all presented our personal powerpoints to the families, alumni students and alumni teachers. I was overwhelmed with the depth of connection that our two schools and communities have created. I met so many teachers from Solentuna that have been to Steamboat and I was impressed with how many of the alumni students came to meet us. I have some of their pictures included below.
I give thanks to the original developers of this program. I know this includes at least Jeff Ruff, Lisa Ruff, Lisa Lorenz and of course Bob Harris. They have created lifelong friendships and ties that just keep getting stronger. I feel like a link in a long line of a friendship chain. It is a unique and special feeling. As you can tell, I was greeted today by many and was told of their matches and lifelong friendships. Ok, now back to the students..... But before I do that, little do they know how this experience will stay with them and make them part of a community friendship that will last forever.
I was so impressed with the students' presentations this evening. They presented in front of about 50 people with poise and confidence. They all did a stellar job! I think that they have inspired many in the audience to come visit. In the pictures they all started to tell each other to close their eyes to protect them from my flash so that is why they all have their eyes closed. The very last photo on the bottom is the group from last year. It is special for me to see them as one of them lived with me last year as my son Evan's match.

Last day of Easter vacation

Today is the last day of Easter vacation. We finally go to school tomorrow (Tuesday). We have a full day tomorrow with presentations and dinner with alumni. The weather still continues to be absolutely amazing. I didn't realize that I should bring sleeveless shirts to Sweden in April. The Swedes are amazed with the weather as well. Sorry to all of you in Steamboat - I hear the weather is terrible!

I don't have current pictures of the students as we are basically on "holiday" with our families which means something different to each family. I have heard that Bella went to the archipelago and Norma went shopping in downtown Stockholm and I will find out tomorrow what everyone else has been doing. The families all got together last night for a lasagna pot luck but since Mary lives a bit away from Solentuna we did not attend.

I was walking in the park this afternoon and Maria (last year's exchange teacher) was running by and stopped to say hello. Small world! So, basically I have been working out at the gym, picnicking in the park, and walking around the neighborhoods of Stockholm. By the way, the dollar is very weak and I am amazed at the prices of everything. $6.00 for a gallon of milk, $5.00 for a quart of orange juice. Energy bars for $3.00, vitamin water for $3.00 each. I will be back with more to say after we spend the day at school and give our presentation. See you later!

April 22, 2011

Today I had a busy day. I went to the garden plot with Mary's family and as you can see it is more than just a garden plot. It is basically a little yard - just not attached to their apartment. There is a group of garden plots clumped together on the side of a park. It is about a 5 minute walk from the apartment. Mary's husband Magnus worked on the fencing while her son Malcolm worked on sawing a log and helping his father. I worked on my pleasure reading (something I haven't done for a long long time) and napping. Mary's two girls (ages 8 and 10) played with a friend. I then walked over to my new one month gym and did a spin class in Swedish. It was not very difficult to follow. The teacher talked the entire time and I have no idea what she said. Basically she must have said sit, stand, pedal harder, and increase the resistance. Maybe she had more to say but I will never know.

In the evening we met up with the entire group for dessert and visiting. It was the first time I saw the students since we arrived. They all had stories that went like this: I slept for 16 hours, I slept for 17 hours, etc. I guess I didn't miss much. They played pool, wrestled with each other, and watched a movie. Lots of smiles to be found on all their faces! The last picture of them watching a movie was taken about midnite - they were all exhausted. We stayed up late and celebrated a birthday at midnite - it was a special celebration to welcome a new decade to my life. I will always remember ringing in my new decade with 9 Swedish families. Enjoy the pictures. The house is Elin's where we all met up in the evening. The yard is the garden plot. The little red house is the garden shed. All the garden plots have them.

More photos day 1

Sweden Day 1

We arrived in Sweden one hour early at 6:30 am on April 21 – I guess that would be today. As a matter of fact, all of our planes were early. Customs was a breeze and actually it felt like a tourism welcome experience. It was nothing like going into Mexico or coming into the US – my only experiences going through customs in the last 20 years. We were greeted by our host families with fanfare and enthusiasm – even though they all jumped out of bed quickly when they heard they had to arrive one hour early to the airport. If Brad Weber is reading this you are probably thinking that life isn’t fair since you had a 5 or 6 day delay last year due to the volcano – and you are right – it isn’t fair. Sorry.

Traveling with the 7 students was entertaining and fun. I learned that Mitch is very good at Spanish and was able to help Hanna and Bella get their homework done on the plane without even taking his out. Koby and Brody bounced their way through the airports literally with either a basketball or bouncy ball in hand at all times. Colleen gets the “most comfortable” award with her Sponge Bob Square Pants attire. Norma had the most sought after apparatus – a nice camera – especially by the future International Photographer – Mitch. Hanna’s ipad was a close second.

When we were departing from Newark, the students were all plugged into the free movies at their disposal and had all the shades pulled down so they could see their screens better. Upon takeoff, I encouraged them to open their shades and look for the Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building. Lo and behold, Mitch and Colleen had great views of the Statue and Manhattan. Yea! We all tried to sleep on the overnight flight but the only one who was successful was Bella (and Colleen on the Newark bound flight).

We all went our separate ways today to spend the day with our families. I arrived at Mary’s apartment in downtown Stockholm to find Lars in the home. He had arrived a day earlier due to coordination with some other travel plans. He had made it by public transportation from the airport to Mary’s by himself the day before – quite impressive for a 14 year old. He has since united with his family.

I had a traditional Swedish breakfast of cheeses, meats, breads and coffee followed by a walk with Mary and her 3 children ages 6, 8 and 10 all around the city. It was a beautiful day with no jacket required. It was a nice change from the snowy day I experienced the day before I left Steamboat.