Whithersoever thou goest

Anya and I each had solo ventures today. For Anya, it was her first day of school.

Anya is starting the International Baccalaureate program at the Kathedral (emphasis on the first syllable, sounding like COT ee drahl) School. There was an orientation that started at 8:30 (a whole hour later than her start last year in Bellevue). Then there were only two classes of 120 minutes each: math and English. Math has about 15 students in it, because there only a few who take it at the “higher level” or a full 2 year program. English is also “higher level,” but it has about 30 students. Lunch is free, but it is served at another school, which is a 4 block walk from campus. Her last class ended at about 5 pm–but not every day. Her weekly schedule looks more like a college schedule, with block of two hours on a few days–like Fridays–between classes. She’s ready for the greater autonomy, and I think will do well developing her own capacities in managing schedule and things. The parents in Sweden have little role at this stage. There were no packets for me to fill out and sign, or syllabi to confirm that I’ve read them with my child, etc.

I went into Johannelund in the morning to get some things done. Here are highlights:

• I have been approved to take “Swedish for Academics” the the University of Uppsala, starting next month. I got my application approved and authorized with the official Johannelund stamp. Its in the mail now. I’m not part of the Uppsala University, but Johannelund has some formal agreements, so I am hoping that I’ll be accepted in a program that typically fills up with graduate students and new faculty at the university. There is a placement test, so the work I did with my tutor in Sammamish will be built upon.
• I unpacked my new laptop from Johannelund.

• There was a morning fika (coffee break) where our staff was invited to the neighboring church. I introduced myself in Swedish! Here’s the English translation. “My name is Beth Elness-Hanson. I’ve been in Sweden for two weeks. I will teach Old Testament. I come from the USA, from Seattle, Washington.” It was a big step to speak in front of about 30 people in Swedish, but I was glad I stepped up. They all applauded. Later Jim complimented me and said that others were pleased to see my effort.

I also received a text from my friend, Oscar, saying that he would not be able to come to Uppsala, but could I meet him at 2:00 pm in the Stockholm train station, as he was returning from Gothenburg. I agreed. (I’m only .75 FTE the first year, which give me more time to become oriented and work on Swedish. This gives me a bit of flexibility to take off for Stockholm in the middle of the day.)

After biking home to drop off my things, have a quick lunch, and put on rain gear, I biked in a light rain the 25 minutes to the train station. I boarded just a minute before the train departed for Stockholm! Whew!

I met Oscar and his two friends, Gunnar and Ragnhild. They had been teachers for 9 years in Morogoro, Tanzania, where Oscar lives and works. I know Oscar from our days at Lutheran Bible Institute in Issaquah, WA. I gave updates of the faculty and friends from our days there.

We had a nice fika together on a scenic balcony.

I took the train back with Gunnar and Ragnhild. We talked more about their volunteer work in their retirement. They have been giving Swedish lessons to refugees in their home church. I got to hear some of the joys of people who are eager to learn, but the challenges of having to wait for almost a year before they were able to access educational opportunities.

Gunner and Ragnhild got off at the stop before Uppsala, but I’m guessing our paths will cross again.

It was sunny when I biked back home, for a nice supper with Anya and Kristina. We reviewed the day, some Maasai stories, and some of our favorite books we’ve read.

There’s time for some more Swedish before I go to bed.

With blessings,

Beth

I accidentally hit publish instead of save on yesterday’s blog, so it went out before the end of the day’s activities (and not proofed–thanks Jean and Marv for a correction).

I stayed at Johannelund after the faculty meeting and worked on Swedish in my office until time to meet my new boss, Kjell, the Rektor, and Hans, the Direktor. They took me out to dinner in Uppsala, showing me around some of the city. Here are some of the views:

The castle is the highest ground in this amazingly flat land. However, the king set up cannon which points to …

The cathedral is the center of all the arch-bishop stuff in Sweden. This means that Uppsala is the center of the Church of Sweden.

To the left of the view of the cathedral, is the view of …

Uppsala was the home Carl Linneaus, one of botany’s famous scientists, who developed the binomial nomenclature system. He is known as “the father of modern taxonomy.”

There is a Linnaeus Garden too:

We had a nice dinner at a riverfront restaurant. I had to try a very Swedish dish:

Ikea’s meatballs are cardboard compared to these. However, my Swedish dinner partners said they were “American-sized” meatballs, as typically, meatballs here are smaller.

We then walked down the riverbank with some great views of the cathedral.

It was great to be out as well as have a nice evening with my number 1 and 2 bosses here.

Thursday was spent in another day of faculty meeting discussions.

It was another full day of Swedish. I’m feverishly trying to listen for words I know. I pick out some. Yay! But most of the time, I’m lost. Sigh!

Today, Anya met with a student who is one year ahead of her in the International Baccalaureate program at the Cathedral School, established in 1246! She got a lot of questions answered, so she feels ready for school tomorrow!

(Och Catharina, grattis på födelsedagen!)

With blessings,

Beth

Today was the first day of faculty meetings. I’d say 99% of what was said is in Swedish. So, I’m trying to pick up words in the tsunami of Swedish. It might be light trying to take a drink from a fire hose!

There is much that I don’t understand. Jim sits next to me and gives me a summary of what is important or what I need to know. Whew!

Today I met my boss, Kjell, who was warm and friendly. It was the first formal day of the start of the school year. We all went to a small convent about a 50 minute drive southwest of Uppsala.

We had an employee “retreat” day at a Lutheran convent where 14 nuns have a small retreat center for women. Today, it was co-ed.

They are connected to a beautiful old church, where we also had afternoon vespers with the sisters.

The sisters excel in hospitality, both with their friendliness and their food. We arrived to a morning fika with fresh made rolls. Throughout Sweden, bread is adorned with cheese together with jelly or marmalade. Lunch was delicious with all their home grown vegetables. Dessert included berry krem, served with milk.

Afternoon fika was amazing!

We actually did more than eat! We had a time of introductions and reviews of summer travels and activities. There were some announcements and discussion of upcoming changes in facility and programs. I’m the new kid on the block, so I was invited to give an introduction. Most of the sessions were in Swedish, where I can usually track the topic, but not the details. Jim was giving English translations for George, a Tanzanian on staff, and me. That actually helped confirm my understandings.

The interesting thing was that all our talking sessions were held outside. What a great time to be outside together. I’m glad that I had my sunglasses along!

There is a wonderful sense of community here. I felt it during my interview. I experienced it again today. The conversations at fika and meals were warm and meaningful. I was even on the verge of tears as I had lunch with a couple women. One has special needs children and shared some of her story. One has an ill father. They went beyond my “widow announcement” to enter into a bit of my story. They weren’t afraid to share in the uneasy stuff.

It was a good day.

With blessings,

Beth

This morning, Anya got up early to time the bike ride to her school, and then she met me at Johannelund. It has been that on most weekdays, Anya and I go to Johannelund in the mornings. Anya helps out in the library, while I work. The morning fika (coffee break) is a good time to start to get to know others on the staff.

We head home for lunch, and then I work from home, getting my head around the curriculum and systems. There is always Swedish vocabulary to learn. Here was a new word for me, “spetsfundigheter,” which basically means quibbles, as in the logical quibbles of the Sophist philosophers.

Right outside my temporary office is a little seating area.

Anya and I took a turn at cooking dinner, so we are getting more comfortable with the kitchen. I now know where the garlic press is found and how to operate the stove.

In the evening, there was a gorgeous sunset. I ran out to take a picture, but everything is so flat! It was hard to find a clearing with much of a view.

With blessings,

Beth

“Vi delar huset” means “we share the house.” This phrase was in my Swedish lesson review, but now it stimulates a response.

Jim and Kristina have been gracious host for Anya since 2 August and for me since 4 August. They have taken in relative strangers for a month-long commitment! I had never met Kristina before, though I had med Jim on two other occasions. At the beginning, they did all the cooking and cleaning. Anya and I have taken up some of this task, but we are still partially guests.

They have designated one half bath to Anya and me, but there is one shower in the house. At first, there adult son was here before school started, so we were 5 to the shower. It takes a graciousness to open their home and provide quite a bit of orientation to newbies to the Swedish culture and to a new city.

I have been so impressed at the laughter in this home. At the dinner table tonight, there was much laughter, but at least one occasion when we are laughing so hard it is almost embarrassing.

They have been such a blessing. Somehow, I pray that we will not only remain in good stead for the rest of the month, but that somehow, we can be a blessing as well. I can’t imagine how that will ever happen, but that is my hope and prayer.

We had some more connections with folks at church this morning. They had a nice “fika/coffee/tea” time afterwards, though they apologized that the summer fikas are not very good.

I spent more time that I typically can with Swedish language learning. I really need to learn this language, and I can’t learn it fast enough! Onward!

With blessings,

Beth

Anya loves Stockholm! It is a beautiful city with a long history and at least 70 museums! Today was our day to visit the city.

We biked to the train station in Uppsala, which takes about 15 minutes, and locked up our bikes in the sea of bicycles. Round trip tickets for 1 adult and 1 student is just under $40 and takes about 40 minutes each way. The train was very full on the way into town at about 11 am.

Stockholm is beautiful. We walked along the waterfront and saw the mounted guards and a mounted band!

We explored the city on foot, as we had done last year in May, when we came for my interview. Different from last year, this time we ran into many Pokemon hunters.

Eventually, we came to one of the main walking streets lined with stores.

We both supplemented our limited wardrobe to tide us over until more things arrive in the crate. Anya found some athletic leggings on sale for pole vaulting, and I found a reasonably priced sweater/jacket that is suitable for inside on cooler days.

Anya also discovered a couple new favorites stores. This book binding and imprinting place is now her favorite, and she bought a nice fountain pen.

There was a great thrift store too. When we are in our apartment in September, we may come back and pick up a few things here.

After a reasonable Thai lunch, we walked over to Gamla Stan, Old Town, which was full of tourists and more Pokemon hunters.

My wonderful Swedish tutor back in Sammamish, WA, is from Stockholm. She gave me a tip of a nice street in Gamla Stan that isn’t overcrowded with tourists. We enjoyed the beautiful old architecture from the 1600s and arched walkways with glimpses out to the sail boats on the water.

We found a store that had old maps and checked it out. There were maps from the 1600s too! Last year in London, I purchased an 1806 map of Africa and had it framed. There wasn’t an African map here, but there was a beautiful, hand colored world map. For $1,500, I could have taken it home, but I passed.

We made a loop coming back on the crowded tourist street, so we stopped in for fika. I had a bowl of chai (yes, a big bowl, which I’ve never seen before).

Anya enjoyed a piece of lemon meringue pie. There was much to choose from.

We had a window seat in this funky little bakery/cafe. I took one of my favorites pictures of Anya, and she agreed to let me post it.

We walked around some more and eventually headed back to get the 6:11 pm train back to Uppsala. Then, we biked home and arrived to an empty house. Our hosts are attending a wedding today. So, I was asked to walk the dog.

Halfway through the walk, I realized that I forgot a plastic bag for any poop. Fortunately, the dog didn’t poop, which would have made the walk very complicated.

While I’m not one who really enjoys cities and crowds, I ended up enjoying the day. There is something magical about Stockholm, and it is good to enjoy it with Anya.

With blessings,

Beth

I’m trying to make good use of the time while I’m waiting for important things to come together. The faculty member that I’m replacing 3/4 time this year is still 1/4 time. I’m slated to team teach with him and share his office. He isn’t around and his office space for me isn’t cleared out. What my role will be in the first team-taught course has not been defined. So, I’m working on reading the texts in Swedish.

The rector (like a president and academic dean rolled into one) has not been around, so I don’t have information from him. There are some big gaps here, so I’m trying to think through what are the issues to clarify. We were supposed to meet next Tuesday, but that is the annual faculty day away at a retreat center. The next two days are faculty meetings, so I’m not sure when these things will be nailed down.

Yesterday, I cooked for us all, as we have been on the receiving end of the cooking. This meant a trip to a grocery store. The is one close to work, so it keeps things handy. It is not very big, but generally I found what I needed for Persian soup.

This seems pretty typical, except for the Lululemon bag used for groceries. I had a security cable which I used to lock down the basket. I’ve been told that bike theft is not uncommon here, but usually it would be the non-attached accessories that will disappear.

Friday afternoon, we went to the immigration office to realize that the “earliest appointment on Friday” was actually for Friday the 26th, two weeks from today. This means that I won’t get my “personnummer” or tax-ID for perhaps a month. As a result, the plan is to get a pay-as-you-go SIM card for my unlocked GSM iPhone, so that at least I have a way to communicate by phone in the interim. The monthly bill phones require the personnummer.

With the brief visit to the immigration office, we saw many who are undoubtedly refugees. Jim and I were talking about the difference with my situation of going through a process after already having received approval and those who have come through very difficult circumstances and their whole lives rest upon others’ decisions.

On to get a SIM card and more Swedish language learning.

With blessings,

Beth

Anya came with me to Johannelund to volunteer in the library for the morning. The librarian’s daughter is the same age and also helping out in the library. They are cordial, but both seem a little hesitant to speak with each other in a second or third language.

I am still getting my head around the programs, curriculum, and systems here, so I spent the morning reading and translating some of the materials.

The few tea drinkers are glad to have another tea drinker at break time.

Anya and I went home for lunch. I worked from home on developing a recommendation of about a dozen book in Old Testament for purchase for the library. Then, I started plowing through the Intro to the Old Testament textbook, translating the word or two I didn’t know in every other sentence. These are important vocabulary words, but ones that weren’t part of my introductory Swedish grammar. (I can hear my tutor, Catharina, saying, “There are always more words!”)

Anya biked to the downtown area, as the new pole vaulting team in the track and field team was practicing. She was so excited to go and to tell the stories afterwards. I’m glad she’ll have a fun and challenging opportunity to be physically active and also meet other people. One other vaulter is from France. Anya estimates that she is 22 years old in a neuroscience PhD program. The other two are Swedes and less talkative, so Anya hangs out with the French young woman.

With only four vaulters today, she said it was tiring; there was little time to rest between vaults. All the equipment is brand new! But it also is different with longer poles and a different amount of flex than what she’s used to. It was an adjustment, but she is feeling good about getting back in the groove. They practice 3 days a week.

Dinner is always full of laughter in this home. I don’t know if I have been in a family where they laughed so often. They are witty people, but our beginning Swedish and cultural questions adds to the laughter.

No pictures today, but I’ll be looking for something to share tomorrow!

With blessings,

Beth

I didn’t sleep well. I don’t have any rational capacity if I wake up in the middle of the night, so my brain was busy thinking through all the unknowns. I couldn’t get back to sleep for a long time.

Kristina was able to hear a bit of my overactive mind issues during breakfast. I think she clued in Jim. So, after Anya and I arrived at Johannelund, Anya was in the library helping with cataloging, and I was presented with a new temporary office.

After morning coffee/tea, Jim stopped by to talk through some of the big picture and some of the details. I’m still quite in a bit of limbo, but at least the head of the department, Jim, is very generous with time to help explain and give some context. There are still many unknowns, but some few mosaic pieces are slowly being put into place to begin to shape the picture.

I worked on some tasks and a bit of orientation with Moodle, the online platform used here. I had only a bit of experience with it, so I’ll ramp up some skills when my brain is in low gear.

In the evening, we were invited over to neighboring colleagues. It was a nice meal and beautiful dessert.

Much of the conversation was in Swedish. The rate of speech was so fast. At times it is discouraging. At times, they felt sorry for us and switched into English. I would love to have a tutor again. I think I would benefit from a more intentional approach to language learning than what I can do on my own and try to pick up from the crazy-fast conversations around me.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to sleep better tonight.

With blessings,

Beth