The final weekend has come and gone and now forms a but a permanent memory. A trip to the Archepelago on the Baltic Sea. A splattering of approximately 30,000 islands - remnants of land scraped flat by receding glaciers. A place for summer houses - reached only by ferry or private boat. One step on one of these islands and all stresses of your day to day life disappear. The next step on the island and you realize that your only task is to decide how to recreate.
The travels there were not without some excitement. I was to meet the group at the train station near where I am living in Stockholm as the group was boarding the train in Sollentuna. About 10 minutes from our meeting time the trains stop running and we have no way to communicate with each other as I have no phone and was not with Mary at this point. So, I wait at the train station realizing that the announcement in Swedish is probably saying that the trains are not running based on the fact that there were no trains coming and going. I finally borrow a stranger's cell phone and call one of the mom's in the group to find out that the group has now been picked up by car to be delivered to the ferry and I need to get to the ferry by train and bus when the trains start again. This nice stranger spoke with the mom to write down my directions and then these strangers found the right train for me when they finally started back up (about 45 minutes later) and lo and behold I met the group at the ferry after my adventurous train and bus ride. We all missed one ferry but still were able to catch the last ferry for the evening.
We arrived on our island Uto and to my surprise there was civilization there - Restaurants and shops. I had it in my mind that we were going to be on a primitive island but this was not the case. We stayed in a hostel but it was a very nice facility with 4 students per room and I had a room that I shared with one of the mom's that had a beautiful balcony overlooking the water.
We had a campfire in the evening and ate hamburgers and roasted marshmallows. The picture of the big yellow house is the hostel.
In the morning we went sea kayaking around a small island. This was not a play in the water type of trip. We truly went sea kayaking. Some students had a single boat and some doubled up. I was in a single kayak paddling my heart out to look like I could keep up with the 14 year olds' energy. You will not see many pictures of mine from this adventure because I had no time to get my camera out. Per, Elin's dad, took plenty of photos and video and gave each student a memory stick so parents - you will see this adventure when your children arrive home - make sure to ask them about it. We then had a nice lunch of fish n chips in a beautiful restaurant 100 yards from our hostel. We also had dinner at this hotel and I have a picture of the national dish that we were served - Swedish meatballs and potatoes. Note the lack of a vegetable. It has taken a bit to get used to but they don't serve as many vegetables here as we are used to.
The afternoon consisted of beach volleyball, fishing, running, and generally hanging out. I rented a bike with one of the parents and toured the island on a one speed bicycle. The evening consisted of walking along the shoreline and watching some of the boys not catch fish. The next day we were up and out early as we had to get to Grona Lund - opening weekend of the amusement park! We took the ferry across the sea (about 40 minutes) to be met by some parents who drove us to the amusement park in Stockholm. The students then enjoyed the beautiful spring (or should I say summer) day in the amusement park. By the time evening arrived, we had tired the kids out about as much as you can tire a teenager.
Monday morning I met 8 very tired American students at 8am to take them to visit a local high school. We had an enthusiastic tour of the high school media department that included digital photography and film making. We watched some of the music videos that the students created and I was blown away by all the technology. Every student and teacher had Apple computers.
The contrast of the educational system and the American system will be posted as a separate blog but basically - imagine a society where the schools get enough money to focus on achieving results and the teachers get raises and the students ALL get free healthy lunches (no one brings their own lunch). Imagine a country that provides university to all students at no cost to the parents! Imagine health care accessible to everyone! The taxes aren't that much more than ours, either. Don't get me wrong, they still have their problems as a society - but the general climate and culture has much less stress here.
Last night was our farewell dinner. We had a nice barbecue in the backyard of Ludwig's house. We had hot dogs, sausages, salad, and potato salad. It was a lovely evening yet bittersweet. It marks the end of one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The joy I have received of watching 8 eighth graders experience a different culture. The joy of watching 8 students eat different food, participate in different activities, and meet new people with a sense of wonder and adventure. To watch them interact with the younger brothers and sisters! To show them a boat as old as the Mayflower! They have made me laugh at their creativity while waiting for a bus or a train. I am also impressed with their eagerness to present their powerpoint presentations to first graders who don't understand the English yet are the ones who ask the most questions. We have been welcomed by everyone and have been treated as royal guests. The families have opened their homes and their hearts. The school has used us a a resource to share with us their interest in American history. We have discussed the Boston Tea Party and the Oregon Trail. Most of all we will come home with friendships that will last a lifetime.
