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