Where to begin...?!

"I think I am in the right place." This thought entered my mind last night on my 16 km bike ride home after meeting members of the youth group Back Up. While admiring the 10 p.m. sunset I caught myself trying to put my emotions into Swedish so I could share them with the youth at the next meeting. "Jag... cyklar... hemme... och.. för dett först... (time?)... (felt at?)... hemme! Tack sa mycket!!" (~ I biked home and for the first felt at home! Thank you very much!)

Yup, the youth got me back on track. They are doing community service by making sure that other youth on the streets of Norrköping are safe. Accordingly, they ´work events´ such as parties, weekend nights, and other gatherings of crowds, at which they take the role of a middle man between the police and other official security folks and youth that are out partying. Michele, one of the two employees running Back Up, told me that some of the youth just completed First Aid and CPR because they often come upon passed out folks whom they put into recovery position, as well as people with injuries due to their fighting, etc. The Back Up youth are given permission to take away alcohol from other youth and poor it out if the drinker is underage (18 generally speaking - there are weird exceptions e.g. an 18 year old can drink in a bar but only a 20 year old can buy booze at the store... or something along those lines). Back Up is asked by an increasing pool of organizations to help out with safety. As a result the youth now work at the city pools during the summer, football games, swing by the movie theater at closing times, and other places. During the school year they help out at schools. Obviously the youth are given training to do their work. They are an eclectic bunch that feel a bit like family and laugh a lot. I am stoked to be given the opportunity to shadow some of their work and eager to help out however I can. Tomorrow I get to go on one of their Friday evening shifts. Needless to say, I am thrilled.

Back Up is relevant to my future job here, also. The program that I am helping to develop will be phase one (wilderness therapy) and phase two (adventure therapy) of a three phase program (with Back Up being phase three). While phase one and two will be residential (albeit in the woods), the youth will be living at home with their families while they volunteer with Back Up. The organization offers them a place to meet, a vital role in the community and supports them in their personal and professional development. While sitting at their weekly meeting yesterday - making out a couple of Swedish words - I realized that I have never worked with youth in a city environment. Guess I am not only learning Swedish here.

Yay, Sverige!

Hund Vaelkommen

Yay! Found a place in Soderkoeping where I can buy hourly wireless access. To celebrate I write a second note for today and share a couple of photos. Check out the moose picture below (Moose for Dinner post) and enjoy the one here... I can even take my hund into the shopping center - as long as I can carry it. Good thing Beef only weighs 50 pounds!!

Not That Easy

So, I thought that I would blog and post photos from the Söderköping bibliotek today. But hey, life isn't quite so easy! There is no wireless at the library either... :(

Looks like I´ll have to continue finding solutions and engage with my environment ongoingly and that I won´t just get to settle down just yet. I may check out a job opportunity at the Mangelgårdens Vandrarhem. Wish me luck!

New Old Keyboard (written on 6/16/09)

So, I moved to Sweden. Others may have realized earlier that that’s quite the move. I realize it now. There are different keyboards here. I believe they are the ones that I grew up with. Or better, I have learned to type on. I am old enough not having grown up with a keyboard. However, my US American laptop is oddly misplaced here. (I can relate). Same is true with my phone. It apparently doesn’t work here. So I had to buy a new one. Turns out we struggle communicating. My phone and I, that is. Of course it came in Swedish. With a Swedish användarhandbok and a begränsad tillverkargaranti. And no English translation. It took me a while to change the phone’s language. However, as soon as I dared to call a friend in the US, I heard a long, long, message. Once again, in Swedish. No clue what the automated lady voice said. But a connection eventually was established. I heard the announcement of an answering machine in Minnesota. And suddenly felt far, far away from my creature comforts.

Luckily, my new friends here welcomed me with gifts: A “new best friend” (a furry white moose with very bendable legs), a couple of local beers (one is in the freezer getting cold for me as I type), a box of Moose Droppings (Swedish chocolate), and lots of maps to get and stay oriented. Couple all that with a home, adorable kids, a dog (we’re getting there), family meals and lots of conversations.

Tomorrow I’ll brave the big city again and hit the Migrationsverket. That’s where I’ll learn which passport to use to move closer to getting a personnummer and access to all the amazing Swedish benefits. Wish me luck, please, I may need it.

But first, I’ll take that beer out of the freezer, enjoy it and read some more. Here’s what’s on my bookshelf: Sweden – a pocket guide. Facts, figures and advice for new residents. Integrationsverket.

Moose for Dinner (written on 6/14/09)

I am completely enthralled by the beauty of this place. There are incredible forests around here… Even in the so-called “populated” “south” (everything south of Stockholm is considered south – check out a map, that’s crazy). Love the biological diversity that’s surrounding me. There are larches, birches, firs, pines, poplars, and everything else that I can imagine… Greens and blues as far as my eyes see.
We also learned some rules yesterday: If you want to treat yourself to dinner in a restaurang in these small communities you better get ready by six pm. We ended up touring the island following Fork-and-Knife signs until 8:30 pm to no avail. But… we saw a moose in the process. This, of course, was an absolutely incredible experience for all of us. Both my parents had never seen a moose before and I had only seen a couple from afar in Canada several years ago. Yesterday evening we saw one about 8-10 yards from our car! And the girl (I believe) literally posed for us till we got her photo taken. What a beautiful moment. If I didn’t already live here, I’d do so pronto!! Oh, and, yes, we had rice and lentils and cheap beer for dinner at our little cabin in beautiful Tyrisloet. Come visit.

Photo will follow when I have my sh&*(t together...

Letting go of the pooch and the US - for a while

My last few days in the States were definitively bitter-sweet. I am uber-grateful that I get to leave with a vision and a dream for the days to come. I couldn't do it otherwise. When I arrived in the US of A seven years ago, my plan was to improve my English. Check. I was gonna stay a year. Check x 7. In the meanwhile I have a second home and what feels like family in Oregon. I also adopted Buford, an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie/Husky mix. Best thing I have ever done. He has to wait for some blood tests in Oregon while frolicking with the boys. Getting him to Scandinavia will complete the move that has kept me busy for the last couple of months. Now I sit in Newark International Airport, have two humongous bags checked in and a few too many carry-ons gathered around me. Everything is under control. My last hour on American ground is about to start. Seems like the ideal time to start writing a blog.