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