Home Sweet Home?

Hey all,

Here I am, finally back in the U.S.A. After almost 7 weeks of Sweden, to say I am exhausted is a complete understatement. This is my third day back, and the past 2 days I have averaged about 16 hours of sleep. I think the only reason I woke up was because I was hungry.

I am glad to be home, but it feels a little weird being home. I guess I had finally gotten used to not understanding most conversations and not having to flush after using the toilet. But, I am also very sad to have left Sweden. I have so many memories, friendships, and experiences from there. Vassaro was a unique experience that I will never find in the States, and Stockholm was one of the most beautiful cities I've seen. If I am not able to return next year, I will be severely disappointed.

Now, I have a few more days until I leave for my sophomore year of college on Wednesday. I have a lot of things of do to get ready, but constantly being tired is kind of getting in the way. I would like to thank you all for reading my blog, and I hope you got a good insight into the Swedish culture and lifestyle. Maybe if I go back next year, I'll start this up again. Until next time?

-Lukas

Stockholm

Hey,

I'm writing to you all from Stockholm. My time at Vassaro has finally come to an end. The Mystery camp ended on Saturday, and we spent the last two days cleaning all the staff cabins and moving the big boats out of the water into the boathouse for winter storage. It was a lot of work, and we were busy all the way up to when the ferry left at 1:30 on Sunday. On Saturday night, they had this really nice dinner for all the staff. It was like the Konfirmand dinner, with good food and great people.

It was weird to step off the bus and back into civilization. I found a place to stay with a friend, Anna, so I didn't have to spend any money on a hostel. She left a day early because she had to start her freshman year at the Royal Institute of Technology. The bus dropped me off right at the school, so she met me there and took me to her orientation dinner. It reminded me so much of Pitt orientation, with a bunch of people who don't know each other talking and eating and awkwardly standing around. I guess they thought I was a student, even though I had my U.S. Army canvas bag with me, so I ended up getting a free (and delicious) dinner.

On Monday, I spent my day doing all the tourist things. I started off at the Nobel Museum, which displays the history of the Nobel prize and the recipients. I thought it would have a lot of cool stuff, like lab equipment used by the winners of the chemistry and medicine awards. It was actually really lame, and it was basically 2 showing somewhat irrelevant and confusing short films and one hallway with some information about a few winners. There was also a really large exhibit about the freedom of expression. It was really strange, and I kind of expected a lot more. I wouldn't recommend it. The 0nly thing I liked was that they had the original penicillin mold that proved penicillin as an antibiotic. I spent the rest of the day visiting the Stockholm Cathedral, which was built in the 1200's. It's an amazing building and has been kept in fantastic condition. The Royal family even goes there every now and then for a Lutheran (boo) service. I also ran into the other 2 Americans while at the subway, which was neat. We hung out for a few hours and wandered into a rave store where I tried on some pretty fashionable clothing. For dinner, I met a few Vassaro people at McDonald's for a good meal. It was the cleanest McDonald's I've ever seen. Everything was also in really small portions, and they had hamburgers with extra vegetables. Plus, each food container had *all* the nutrition facts on it, something you would never, ever find in America. After dinner, we walked around for Stockholm, and then I waited for Anna finish her school activities. She said it was supposed to around 9, but it was 11:30 before she finally appeared. Girls...

On Tuesday, I continued more of my American tourist activites. I went to the Moderna Museet, which is Stocholm's modern art museum. Being a fan of art, I thought it was really cool, and it was a great collection including works by Warhol, Pollock, and Picasso. I really enjoyed it, and it is something that I highly recommend. After lunch at Max (which is like the Swedish McDonald's), I went to the Nationalmuseum, which is a collection of more historical and classical paintings. It had works by a bunch of Swedish artists and works by Degas, Monet, Renoir, Reubens, and Rembrandt. I didn't like it quite as much, because after a while, all the portraits of people start to look exactly the same. I then met Anna for dinner, and we had some pretty good pizza. Tomorrow, I'll complete my tour of Stockholm, and hopefully visit all the places I have marked off on my map.

Some final thoughts about Vassaro: It was probably tied with the World Scout Jamboree as my best scouting experience, if not better. It was so different from a regular Boy Scout camp, but I think that's what made it so great. The lack of strict regulations and people giving orders really made a huge difference. If you are a scout and reading this, I highly recommend it. The whole program is called the European Scout Voluntary Programme, and you can apply to camps all across Europe. It is not expensive either since the Boy Scouts covers half of all travel costs. It is an incredible way to spend 6 weeks.

I hope you all have enjoyed reading my blog. The next (and probably last) time I'll post will when I'm back home in the states. Until then...

-Lukas

One Week :(

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been really busy with Mysteriet and tonight I finally had enough energy to do something besides sit in the dining hall and eat.

Anyways, I survived the Konfirmation weekend. After staying up late on Friday night to prepare the dining hall to perfection, I was assigned to be a server for the dinner on Saturday. There were about 30 of us servers, and we were all dressed in white Vassaro t-shirts and dark pants. We walked into the dining hall in rounds, and we each were responsible for one table of around 12 people. If anyone at your table had any special food requests, you had to remember to bring them their food after you brought out the food for everyone else. It was kind of stressful, as I really didn't want to drop any food or mess up in front of 400 people. But it was really fun and at the end we brought out dessert singing the Vassaro 'theme' song, followed by a song that sort of taunted the Konfirmands that they're never going to be Konfirmands again and that they'll probably not see everyone again. All in all, it was a great 4 weeks with the Konfirmands. It was really neat to watch them become better and better sailors as the days went by. I have to admit it was difficult to say goodbye to them.

The mystery camp started on Sunday, and now the island is flooded with scouts. Where there were once meadows, there are now hundreds of tents. Work at Fladan is the same, but there is a lot more of it. The evenings are now always booked, and I'm so tired. All the time. I think its called the mystery camp because there is a mystery that all the scouts are supposed to solve. This time, it's to find this missing woman taken by the mafia, and the setting is the 1930's. There was this opening ceremony thing, but I didn't understand a word of it.

I can't believe I only have a week left before I return to the U.S. and A. I am looking forward to visiting Stockholm, and hanging out with people away from Vassaro. I really hope I can come back next summer.

-Lukas

Beginning of the end

Dear Diary,

These past few days have been ridiculously busy and I only think it will get worse. Monday was the weekly staff meeting. However, we (the international staff) were assigned to run it. We decided to make 4 stations for 4 countries (USA, Czech Republic, Austria, England) and have some games and food at each station. At the American station, we had a scavenger hunt along with some freaking good chocolate chip cookies we made. There were a lot left over, so needless to say, we went to town on them. The meeting went really well, and I think all the staff enjoyed their international night of fun.

On Wednesday, we did some secret Konfirmand stuff I'm not really allowed to talk about. It resulted in me going to bed around 3 a.m. I will say this: it was an incredible experience, and I really wish I could have been confirmed here at Vassaro. Not to be too sentimental, but I think it will be a night the Konfirmands won't ever forget. Anyways...

As for work, I've just been sailing and doing the usual stuff. Groups and staff are starting to move in for the 'Mystery' camp, so more and more people are starting to come to Fladan each day. I think with Konfirmation on Saturday, and the district camp all of next week, this may be my last evening off.

In other news, I found out that I might just be able to come back to Vassaro next summer. I originally thought that it would interfere with the work hours I need towards my pharmacy license, but I think I could do it without necessarily working next summer. I just have to find out now how to reapply to become a staff member again.

I can't believe I only have two weeks left in Sweden. And, to top it off, I'll only have 5 days home until I leave for college. This was a fast summer....

Lukas

Lukas

Business as Usual

Dear Diary,

Things have managed to stay pretty calm for the past few days. On Friday, I spent the morning sailing and the afternoon painting oars for the Lotsens. The Konfirmands left for their sailing trip and returned Saturday morning. It's funny how much different rules are here than at a typical Boy Scout camp. There is no way that they would let a group of 15 year old coeds go sailing and camping by themselves...

I watched the movie Wanted the other day with a bunch of other Swedish and international stuff. I thought it was a pretty good movie, but everyone else hated it. I guess no one appreciates the classic American filmmaking themes of excessive violence, cars, and women.

On Saturday, I spent all day painting and rigging up an extension to the flag pole at Fladan. It was pretty boring, and I couldn't finish it because we didn't have the right parts. Saturday night was the weekly Disco, which of course was held at the chapel. It was pretty great watching Konfirmands dance on an altar underneath a disco ball that replaced the crucifix. Irony at its best. It was a good time, but I feel like I should go to confession or something....

Today was pretty easy. I went sailing all day with other staff members. Sailing is much more fun to go with people who understand your language and know how to sail.

Another staff change happened today, as I had to say goodbye to friends who I probably won't see again. Life can be weird sometimes. Until next time...

Love,

Lukas

A Bubble

Hey,

I am writing now with only a week left until I must repeat the confirmation celebration preparations. It's hard to believe that was 3 weeks ago, and now my stay at Vassaro is more than halfway done. I think I've recovered from being tired, but with confirmation and the district camp coming up, it will be interesting to see how I hold up.

On Monday, I woke up around 3 a.m. feeling incredibly sick in my stomach. I didn't hurl, but I faded in and out of sleep for the next 4 hours. I took a half day off from Fladan, ate some Pepto Bismol tablets, and tried to sleep until lunch. I felt completely normal by lunch, so maybe it was something I ate the night before or it was a stomach bug. Either way, I was able to go out sailing with the Konfirmands for the rest of the afternoon. The weekly staff meeting had a track and field theme, with different teams competing against each other in such events as the high jump, long jump, javelin, and shotput. The teams were divided by working area, so it added a little bit more fun into it. Also on Monday, I was in charge of fika, which meant that after the staff meeting, I had to put out all the food and drink for everyone, and after everyone had left the dining hall, I had to take a tour of the island to make sure everything was locked up and in order. Needless to say, this took a while and I ended up going to bed around 2 a.m.

Tuesday was a much better day. In the morning, I started to make a new flagpole for Fladan. In the afternoon, I took a group of young scouts sailing. At first there was no wind (I mean absolutely no wind), so we had to row out into Garpen. About an hour later, the wind picked up and it started to pour rain. Meanwhile, 3 girls on my boat started to complain that they really had to go to the bathroom, and one of them even started to cry. So, I called for a motor boat, and for 5 minutes, I was sitting in a stationary sail boat, while it was raining, listening to 3 girls cry because they didn't go before we left Fladan. It was pretty bad. Fortunately, the motor boat came, picked them up, and we got back to Fladan safely.

Wednesday was still a better day. I guess somebody decided that we were going to celebrate all the major Swedish holidays over the course of the day. Breakfast was Christmas, with a group of cooks singing while we ate Swedish Christmas rolls that were really good. Lunch was Midsummer, which was a buffet that included such "delicacies" as pickled herring (something you have to try for yourself). Dinner was Easter, which was baked fish covered in asparagus. Fika was outdoors, and was a celebration of the 1st of May, with a barbeque and various games. As for work: In the morning, I was in a motor boat, keeping an eye on a group of canoeists from Holland and Austria, which was really easy. In the afternoon, I took a group of Konfirmands sailing, and we practiced anchoring in natural harbors. (In case you're wondering why the Konfirmands are sailing so much, it's because they are about to go on an overnight sailing trip by themselves). It was my first time anchoring, so it was interesting to learn something instead of always teaching.

And lastly, today, I helped take all the Konfirmands out on a day sail. There were only 3 Fladan staff including myself, so most of the Konfirmands had to sail by themselves. The morning sail was nice, and we anchored at an island for lunch. In the afternoon, the wind picked up to around 10 m/s (~20 mph), and since we were sailing against the wind the whole way back, it was a wild experience. Everyone did fine and got back to Fladan safely, although mostly everyone was wet from the water splashing into the boats.

The Vassaro experience is hard to explain, so I will summarize what another American said that I completely agree with: Vassaro is a bubble, a place isolated and free from the influences of society. Here, people do things because they want to, not because they are ordered to. It is perfect in every imaginable way...

-Lukas

Changes

Hey,

A lot has happened since my last post. Today, many people on staff left and new people arrived. It is kind of frustrating to keep meeting people and become friends, only for them to leave a week or two later. However, it seems like a lot of staff live in Stockholm, so maybe I'll see them during my stay there.

Thursday and Friday were spent cleaning up Vassaro. At Fladan, we had to cut down trees and bushes that were beginning to grow onto the paths. One tree was too thick for the bow saws we had, so I used an ax. It was pretty awesome, although I now have a few blisters on my hand. On Friday, after a long day of Fladan maintenance, everyone on staff had to help clear trees and bushes on one side of the road that leads to a bunch of cottages, including mine. So after two days of hard work, it was nice to relax with a few friends in the sauna.

On Saturday, I walked the Trapper Trail. It is a 3 hour long walk that shows the variety of traps once used by Swedish trappers. Besides having traps, the trail had many rope and wood bridges, as well as a zip line. It was pretty interesting, and some of the traps are pretty brutal. On Saturday night, we at Fladan had to do some Konfirmand stuff. I'm really not allowed to talk about it on a public website, but it was very special and as a result, we all ended up staying until 2 a.m. I think Vassaro tries to make Konfirmation very special in part because it's a very important part in Swedish culture and a lot of the Konfirmands will become future staff. Many of the funk here wear their shirts and sweaters from their Konfirmations.

As for sailing, the only groups we've had recently were the Konfirmands again, and a group of girl scouts from Belgium. I took some of them out in one of the Lotsens, and I'm pretty sure they thought I couldn't speak or understand any French, but I could almost make out their entire conversation. They had never sailed before and only one of them could understand English, but I think they had a good time.

I think next week is going to be busy, especially with more than half the Fladan staff having just arrived. I'm really tired and I hope I don't get sick, but I'm still having a great time...

-Lukas

2 Weeks

Hey,

It has now been exactly two weeks since I arrived at Vassaro. On one hand, it only seems like I just got here, but on the other, I feel like I have already experienced so much.

Anyways, since Saturday, I have done many things. On Monday night, there was a volleyball game between the Funk (us) and the Konfirmands. They made it into a really big deal, setting up bleachers and a sound system. I played some and it was a very fun time. We lost, but keep in mind the point judge was taking bribes in the form of food and candy throughout the game.

On Tuesday, I took 2 groups of Konfirmands out sailing, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It was fairly windy, and I really got to experience sailing in an ocean environment. It's pretty exciting when you're sailing against the wind and water is coming over the bow and spraying everyone. The morning group was fine, but it was the afternoon when things got interesting.

The afternoon group told me they were also sea scouts and had been sailing many times before. As we left, I reminded them that it was windy and how to stop the boat from heeling (leaning) if it gets bad. I sailed them out of Fladan, and let them take over on the open water. Big mistake. One of the kids took over and took us on a slight upwind direction, and as a result the boat began to heel. Heeling isn't a bad thing, as it increases speed, but too much can obviously cause capsizing. So, as the boat began to lean more and more, I started to tell him to turn up into the wind. However, he kept the mainsheet (the rope that controls the main sail) and the tiller in the same direction. At this point, water was beginning to come in, so I started screaming at him to let go of everything, at which he still did nothing. By the time I came over to rip the tiller and sheet from his hands, the boat had completely flooded. At this point, I still don't know how he failed to not hear me. My guess is that he began to panic and just froze up. I take responsibility too, because as the instructor, I should have been sitting closer to him and not have simply taken his word that he could sail in heavy winds.

Anyways, I continue. So, there we were, about 8 of us, standing up to our chests in water in a boat that was completely under water. Another staff on board, Adam, used the radio to call Fladan and they sent out Yxlo to get us. While we were waiting, it was a challenge to make sure nothing floated away, including the oars, floor boards, and people's gear. When Yxlo arrived, the Konfirmands were taken back to Fladan, and Adam and I were left trying to bail a boat submerged under water. It took about 15 minutes, but we finally managed to get most of the water out. We were then towed back to Fladan. I really wish some of the other passing boats had taken a picture of Adam and I standing there in the water, and all you could probably see was the mast of the ship. Looking back on it, it was pretty funny just standing there wondering what to do next. Fortunately, no one got hurt, and I think everyone learned a good lesson or two.

The next day, after a morning sail, about 30 of the staff, including me, went to a small Swedish village called Oregrund (there's a double do thing above the O, but I don't know how to do that). It's about an hour boat ride from Vassaro, and it was a good break from the island experience. While at Oregrund, you can buy candy, ice cream, and just have a good time. We stayed for about 2 hours, and got back just in time for dinner.

Right now, I'm getting pretty tired and the next few days are going to be busy, but of course, I am enjoying every second of it.

Another One

Hey all,

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I've just been busy doing things and hanging out with people. Since Tuesday, nothing too interesting has happened. I took some more groups out sailing and canoeing. However, starting on Saturday, all the groups started to leave, causing Fladan to have no bookings for 3 straight days. As a result, we've been partially busy painting oars, fixing boats, and doing random projects, not to mention just relaxing.

A few nights ago I went to the sauna with a bunch of people on staff. It was my first time at an authentic one (not like the ones in hotels and gyms). Bastu (sauna) is very popular in Scandinavia. It was even better because once everybody got too hot, you could take a few steps outside and jump in the cold ocean. It was weird because I expected to get dry once I got back inside, but the water was just replaced with sweat. It was a fun experience, and we all stayed there until 3 in the morning. I think it is common for people to go at least a couple of times a week.

Last night was the final dance to the dance camp that has been held here all wek. It was put on by the camp, and everyone went (mostly because the dining hall was locked and Fika was held there). There was free food and drinks, and a variety of music. It was different going to a dance where people don't dance freely. I learned some line dances and managed to enjoy myself.

Today, some more new staff came and a few of them now work at Fladan. I am now in the swing of things and unfortunately some things are becoming a little too routine, such as the 10 minute walk to Fladan. Otherwise, I am still glad I am here and I now know mostly everyone on staff. Until next time...

-Lukas

Update

I lucked out again today, as I have no evening work to do here. This morning, I took a group of 4 Belgian scouts out sailing. It was my first time ever teaching someone how to sail, let alone a group of people with only 1 person who could speak both French and English successfully. However, I think it went very well and I got to practice some French. The picture of the group, along with my fellow american Evy, is above.

After lunch, I had to help change water pump hoses on a few of the boats at Fladan. Basically, the pumps are used to empty the boat when too much water collects in the hull. While that was going on, the FS kids were raftbuilding and the Karate Club, a group of mentally disabled adults, were canoeing.

After that, I helped move about 30 canoes to a small bay in outer Fladan. The FS scouts were planning on taking a backpacking trip to the bay, and then planned to canoe back. It was quite a sight to see a motor boat dragging a train of about 6 canoes. Since that activity was actually planned for the evening shift, here I sit, drinking kaffe and updating the blog.

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post: In Sweden, the music program Spotify is very popular. It's like Pandora, but much better. It allows you to stream free music on your computer, like a custom radio station. The only downside is that between every 3 songs there is an annoying commercial and that the only way to use Spotify is to be invited by another user. However, each user can only invite 2 people. Needless to say, I'm trying to get an invite from someone here.

-Lukas

Back to Normal

Tja!

Everything is back to normal now. All the first period Funk and Konfirmands have left. It was kind of weird to walk into the dining hall for dinner on Sunday and see practically no one that I recognized. Even though I only knew the staff for 4 days, it is hard to realize that I will more than likely never see them again. The new staff are just as friendly and polite as before, and I am sure we will all become good friends.

Anyways, today was the first day of normal work at Fladan for me. On Sunday, I was trained how to use the safety boats (motor boats), since they are taken out whenever groups are sailing or canoeing within Fladan. This involved learning how to empty and pull up onto the boat a flooded canoe and Optimist (a small sailboat). This morning, the Kollor (a group of kids from the inner city) booked a full day sailing trip. I helped FS in their raft building, in which they took empty drums, spars, and rope and had to construct a floating raft. As you can see, I took some pictures. The weather today was sunny, windy, and basically amazing. Since both of those things took all day, and no groups were booked for tonight, I now have a rare 3 hours of free time. Tomorrow, I am to help take out a group of French-speaking Belgians (a language I can actually sort of speak) sailing around the island.

Anyways, here's some things I've noticed so far about Sweden, the people, and the culture:
-The weather is very inconsistent. It can be sunny and 25 (C) one day, and then raining and 10 the next.
-Everyone can speak English. It is all just a matter of how willing they are to speak it.
-English is not an alternate language, but a secondary one. It is hard to join in a Swedish conversation without feeling rude.
-When the Swedish swear, which they often do, they do it in English. It's very funny to listen to with their accents.
-Vassaro is not a Boy Scout Camp. From the rules to the lifestyle, everything is different. For example, Vassaro has free condoms.
-Swedes love to eat. And they have good food, too. A great combination.
-Everyone drinks kaffe. So far I've seen kids as young as 10 drink it.
-Fikas are something that need to be used in America.
-No one has heard of Swedish fish.
-They are very open in their friendships and relatoinships. Lots of hugging and such everywhere.
-They are socialists in disguise. I told a few of them this, and they agreed.
-Many are interested in politics.
-The Baltic Sea is not very salty, which makes for a very relaxing swim.
-They are not very patriotic. They never sing their national anthem. Some people feel that displaying the flag in public as being offensive to minorities. Strange...

That's about it for now. I'll write again in another few days, and I'll have more pictures too. Life is basically perfect now. Hej da.

-Lukas

My First Day

Hej,

I just finished my first day. Needless to say, I am completely exhausted. After my flight was essentially cancelled on Monday, I arrived in Stockholm on Wednesday. After 10 hours of flying, I had to take a train, two buses, and a boat to finally get to Vassaro. That took about another 6 hours or so. When I got to Vassaro, dinner had just begun. Also, I arrived just in time for preparations for Confirmation. For the past for weeks, a group of about 50 teenage Protestants have been here at Vassaro, preparing for their Confirmation. The next couple days are now devoted to preparing the island for the arrival of several hundred family members and the Confirmation dinner.

Today, I woke up around 7:30 and wondered around for a little bit and finally found the showers. At 8, the Fladan (meaning "shallow harbor") funk raised the Swedish flag to start the day. Since I am officially working at Fladan in a few days, I was told to shadow them for the next few days. Basically, fladan is the sailing and canoeing area. Groups can book trips from a few hours to a couple days in length. At 8:15, I had breakfast. Swedish meals are very good, but very different manners than that in the U.S. It seemed like a free for all, where everyone was reaching and grabbing for food spread across the table. Not much talking goes on, almost like everyone is rushing to finish. It was kind of weird, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

It should be mentioned now, that when I woke up, the weather was absolutely terrible. It was raining buckets and the wind was somewhere between 15-20 m/s. Due to that, my "boss" Tobbe (pronounced Toe-beh) cancelled the bookings for this morning, I couldn't take any good photos and us staff basically sat around at the Fladan house talking about politics and such for a few hours until the rain cleared. At Fladan, I met the other American, Nathaniel, who I had contacted through email. He has been very helpful in guiding me, and although he does not speak Swedish, he has taught me. There is also another American, Matthew, who I met and he is from Texas.

Around 11:00, Tobbe took me and Nathaniel out on the Yxlo (Eeks-lah), which is a motor boat the Swedish use for fires. This was still while the storm was raging. So, we all put on our full rain gear (everyone on the Swedish staff seems to have professional sailing off-shore suits) and we got in the boat. I was told to sit in the front, and Nathaniel told Tobbe not to kill me. I thought this was kind of odd, as I thought he was referring to waves splashing over the bow. I was wrong. Instead, once we left Fladan, Tobbe floored it, and the bow of the boat reared back on about a 30 degree angle. Almost instantly, the boat hit one of the roller waves, and the bow drops about 5 feet onto the water behind the wave. Since I was sitting, this meant that my butt bore the grunt of the drop. And, to top it off, it was a metal seat without cushioning. This went on for about 5 minutes, with me taking an absolute beating from the water and the drops. Even though the whole ride was about 10 minutes, when I got back to shore, I could barely sit in my chair for lunch. I was told that I would pick up on the technique for saving yourself from the bruising, but for now, I don't want to go back on that boat for a while.

After lunch, Fladan began preparing for Confirmation. We cleaned up Fladan house (essentially a staff area with work benches and tools), the boat shed, and the life jacket shed. That took about a few hours. The sun finally came out for a few hours, which gave us enough time to bail water out of the few dozen boats there, a long and boring job even with a powered pump. After that was dinner, and we continued to prepare for Confirmation. Our job was to go back to the island, in the pouring rain, and pick up all the candles around the island. After a much calmer ride in Yxlo, we returned just in time for evening Fika (spelling?) Essentially it is a break involving food that is very important to Swedish culture. There are Fikas several times a day, and Swedish unions demand Fikas as part of their contracts. I ate some interesting snacks and played cards with the other staff.

So now I sit here, and it is 11:30 at night. Tomorrow, I'll probably put up a new post with all the observations about Sweden and their culture. It's too much an too late to add tonight. But for now, I am having a great time, even though the work I am doing is nothing that I will do for a while. A new group of Confirmation candidates come in on Sunday, so in four weeks time, I will be doing this again. Tomorrow, I will probably have to bail out the boats again since it has yet to stop raining, and I have to help set up the dining hall for the hundreds of people eating at Confirmation Dinner. I also promise to have some photos, if the weather gets better....

-Lukas

Lift Off

Well, today's the day. After 6 months of planning and waiting, I'm finally leaving for Sweden.  My stuff is all packed, and my bag is about 5 pounds under the weight limit, giving me some room to bring souvenirs back home.

It's kind of weird to finally be leaving, I must admit.  It's one of those things that I've just been talking about, but now requires action.  It's not like I don't want to go though, it's just that I can't believe it's today.

Anyways, I'm leaving in about a half an hour for the airport.  From there, I have a red eye flight to Sweden, followed by several bus transfers to get to the island.  I don't know when I'll post my next update.  But I do know it will include some pictures...

-Lukas

One Week/ NYLT

Hey all,

I am now officially one week away from departing for Sweden! It seems like I've been waiting forever to leave and now that time is here. 

I just got back 

from National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) at Camp Sunrise.  Basically, it's a week long leadership course for Boy Scouts held at a summer camp.  I was a participant back in 2005, and this was my second year on staff.  It's amazing how much more you learn being on staff.  It really puts your skills (and patience) to the test, as the course is almost entirely led by youth staff such as myself.  I really enjoyed myself, and I'm confident the kids at NYLT learned enough to help them succeed as youth leaders back in their home troops.

One of the cool perks I had, since I'm over 18, was the ability to drive one of the adult's John Deere Gator.  It's the thing in the pictures I posted above this.  It's really useful for transporting gear around camp, and was especially helpful in hauling several full 5 gallon water coolers out to outpost campsites, where the participants spent 1 night camping and living as a patrol.  As you can see, the Gator handles well in various terrains (water!) and can even reach 30 mph.

This week is going to be a busy week. I have to buy some last minute essentials and start packing all my stuff.  I am relieved, though, to have found out that Patrik, one of Vassaro's administrators, will meet me at the airport to help guide me through the several subway and bus rides I need to take just to get to the island ferry. 

-Lukas

Sailing School Part 2

    
    
Yesterday, I completed my sailing class at the International Sailing School. I am now ASA Keelboat certified and now feel more prepared to teach young kids about sailing.  It was a great experience, especially because I was the only one in my class.  I attached some pictures of me and my instructor, Bill.  If you've ever wanted to learn how to sail or just want a refresher, I highly recommend the ISS.  They have great instructors, great boats, and have opportunities for people of all backgrounds.  

P.S. Go Penguins! Stanley Cup Champions!

Some Help

Hey all,

Today I got in touch with an American who's already been to Vassaro once and is coming back again this year for the first session.  In fact, I believe he's already left for Sweden. I asked him what things I should bring and what I should expect.  The first thing he immediately said was bug spray.  Also, the weather can range from 40 to 90 degrees, so he said I should bring a wide range of clothing.  He also said that scouts in Sweden are much more laid back than us.  We view Scouting as uniforms, merit badges, and awards, where in other countries, it is much more low-key and recreational.  

I also learned that the camp has an international staff night, where international scouts such as myself get a chance to leave the island and do something fun together.  Last year they spent a night in Stockholm, but who knows what's in store for this year. Apparently the international staff actually plan it, but I can't say I have much experience with activities in Sweden.

That's about all he told me, but it's definitely enough for me to start planning about what to pack and things I need to get.

-Lukas

Sailing School

Hey all,

Today I got my study materials for the sailing class I'm taking in a week.  I decided it would be a good idea to take an actual class, since I'm going to be teaching ocean sailing for 2 weeks and my only experience is doing the merit badge at Boy Scout Camp. 

My class is going to be about 4 hours a day for 5 straight days. There's a written exam at the end, so I actually have to pay attention to the boring stuff.  The boat that I'm going to be learning with is 27' Soling, so it's a lot different from the 12' Sunfish I've used before. 

As for the pre-class material, I'm kind of surprised by how much they expect us to read before class. They sent me a book with about 200 pages of terms and instructions for the basics of sailing. It looks like I'm going to be reading a fair amount in the coming week. I'm kind of anxious because I don't know what to expect and I don't want to make a fool out of myself.

Other note: the Pittsburgh Penguins lost game 1 to Detroit. Ehhh...

-Lukas

Vassaro on Google Maps

Hey all,

Just click on the link above to see a satellite view of Vassaro provided by Google maps. If you zoom out, you'll see it's not too far from Stockholm.  

Lukas

Background

Hey everyone,

For those of you who don't know me let me introduce myself. My name is Lukas and I am currently a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, where I'm studying pharmacy. I'm also an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.

I created this blog because this summer I'm traveling to an island in northern Sweden to spend around 6 weeks volunteering at Vassaro Scout Centre (see where the Eagle Scout thing comes into play?) It's pretty remote, as the only way to get on the island is by boat.  Essentially, it's a lot like your typical Boy Scout summer camp, with opportunities for sailing, canoeing, hiking, orienteering, etc.  The only things that really differ is that this camp is open to any youth group, and it's coed. If you're truly interested, you can check out their website: http://www.ssf.scout.se/stockholm/vassaro/vassaro-in-english/

I'm doing this as part of the European Scout Volunteer Programme (ESVP). Even though I'm volunteering, there's still costs for traveling. Fortunately, ESVP covers half of these costs as soon as I return and fill out some forms or whatever.  Also, Vassaro provides staff with about 40 Swedish Krona (SEK) a day to spend at the camp . That's actually only around $5, but over time I guess it can accumulate.  

I found out yesterday that I'll be working with 7 other international staff in addition to the Swedish staff.  I've been assigned to 'Fladan' (waterfront) and Programme areas.  Basically, I'll be teaching kids how to sail and canoe in addition to running various programs.  I consider myself lucky, considering one possible job is to empty and clean latrines all day.

That's about it for now.  I'll be posting more updates as my departure date (July  12) approaches and when I get to Vassaro (obviously).  In the mean time, check out some pictures I posted taken by someone else who went to Vassaro. It looks like quite an amazing place.

Lukas