Marknad!

And so with last night's snow and ice service, we began the historic market, or marknad. We spent some time exploring today. It was completely lovely to sit by a fire and look at hundreds of years of tradition all around us, including a fantastic choir who walked through the market in traditional dress. After spending some time outside, we went to the Ajtte museum to watch a film made by a Swedish woman about the Lakota in the U.S. There was a period of about forty- five minutes when I forgot that I was in Sweden and not in South Dakota where the film was made. In my opinion, the film did a very insightful job portraying what life is like for Native People in the U.S- At least from my knowledge anyway.

And So It Begins!

We have been feeling the growing anticipation of the winter market approaching, and it has now finally begun. Tonight marked the opening of the historic market and the more touristy part begins on Thursday. We gathered in the center of town for a "candlelight" procession, however, when we got there we discovered that the candles were in fact large torches making some of us feel like we were about to go plunder a village...We all felt as if we were going back in time several hundred years. I felt like I was planted right down in the middle of some Norse folklore. We walked together through town, finally ending in the forest, where a church had been constructed entirely out of ice and snow. The candlelit service which followed was so beautiful.Though my Swedish still is not good enough that I was able to understand the entire sermon, I am told that it was about tradition and how proud the people of Jokkmokk are that this market has taken place for so many years. The schedule of upcoming events for the week looks so incredible, and I'm not sure how I will be able to fit everything in. I don't want to miss anything. Tomorrow we will meet in the morning for our usual breakfast and then we will have some time to explore before we meet again and begin our official sessions together.

Some Thoughts

I don't like to post unless I include pictures, so here are just some general photos from Jokkmokk and my time here. ...I tried to post these thoughts and observations with my last post, but for some reason I kept getting the message that I was making a "bad request" whatever that means....



















We are learning so much, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and don't quite know how to process the wealth of information which gets projected on me. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful, but what do I do with it and how do I go about deciding what the meaning should be? We had the rare opportunity to have a very candid conversation with Nils- Gustav when we had our second "reindeer day." He told us how he does not think that democracy is the best thing for the minority and that he believes that the U.S would be better suited were they promoting gender equality in the Middle East, rather than trying to force democracy. This is fascinating and even a bit shocking to hear coming from the U.S where we are told that democracy is the best form of government, especially after watching Obama's State of the Union Address this week. (side note- I am again so embarrassed Michele Bachmann is not only from Minnesota but also from my district....but that's another matter...) Don't get me wrong, I do believe what Winston Churchill said when he stated, "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the rest." I am not trying to take a slam at democracy as a general form of government, but after talking to Nils- Gustav, I find myself wondering at what point democracy stops being effective for a smaller group of people, like the Sami.

The Sami culture is incredibly important to Nils- Gustav. He told us of how he has taught his children to speak Sami and has sent them to Sami school. It was clear that though he was obviously proud that his son is studying biology in Africa and his daughter wants to be a dancer, that he is worried they will not feel the same way about the culture that he does and they might not carry it with them like he does. He clearly feels very strongly that the indigenous people should have ownership of this land as they were here first. Yet, they are the ones whose resources are constantly taken away from them. I find myself comparing the Sami to Native Americans so often. In Sweden, the only people who are allowed to herd reindeer are the Sami, similar to the casino situation at home. There are so few Sami and even less still speak the language. Nils- Gustav at one point made the comment to me that though the Sami respect nature so much and conserve so many resources, they could still be doing more. What does that say for us? Living in a society which is quick to waste our resources and throw things away as soon as we deem them invaluable, I feel almost embarrassed to hear that a people like the Sami, who from what I can tell, waste nothing, feel they could still use less.

As of right now, the Sami are considered to be the property of the state, in the same sense that I am considered to be property of the United States. Were the Swedish Parliament to sign the ILO (International Labor Association) like Finland and Norway, the Sami would be granted more rights. Rights and resources would not be as easily taken away. Nils- Gustav doesn't understand why this has not been signed when because the document has been signed in Norway and Finland, life is better for the Sami living there. It seems obvious to me that this should be signed, just like there are things I see in American politics which seem obvious, yet they do not happen. What are we missing?

More Reindeer Games

Yesterday we had another great day with reindeer. We met Nils- Gustav Blind, a Jokkmokk native and Sami reindeer herder. We walked over to the other dorm where we were greeted with Nils- Gustav, complete with pure white reindeer in hand. Apparently this was one of the calmer reindeer, however you could have fooled me on that one. When the reins were handed over to our fearless leader, Eric, he subsequently ended up in a snow bank. We walked about a kilometer into the woods where we were invited to either sit in the sleigh and have the reindeer pull us or to lead the animal around the path. After seeing the reindeer snow bank incident, I was not brave enough to do anything besides sit back in the sleigh and let my friend Nate lead me around. Thankfully, the ride was peaceful and the reindeer seemed to be quite contented having evidently released his aggression on Eric.

Quiet Time in Jokkmokk

Being in beautiful, quiet Jokkmokk makes me begin to realize more and more that this is not a vacation and I will really be living here for the next several months. It's a nice feeling. During the day we listen to lectures about the Sami from instructors at the school and we finish at about 3. Afterward, we usually go in to town and come back to cook dinner together. The busy kitchen is always warm and inviting and makes us feel at home. More kitchen showers have been had and we can be found in the sauna every evening. (Yes, we do the full sauna experience and jump in to the show when we can no longer stand the heat....it feels so refreshing.)

Another favorite thing we are discovering about Sweden is the wall of "Godies" which can be found at every grocery store. Our program leader, Eric, worries that he may be bringing us home in diabetic comas, but we maintain that they will at least be happy diabetic comas.

We are able to feel a certain anticipation building for the Jokkmokk winter market which begins this weekend. We are told that about 70,000 people from all over the world will fill this town and people are already starting to pour into our living quarters. We are so excited. We are meeting new people all the time and are constantly learning so much.

I am constantly reminded of what a great opportunity this is. This group of people is truly extraordinary and we become more and more of a family every day. I have not laughed so much in a long while, and that's certainly saying something as I laugh a very great deal. We are living, learning, and experiencing all of this together. Who could ask for more? I am even starting to get used to the fact that it is dark by 3 pm. I even find it somewhat cozy.

The Frozen Tundra

Yesterday we packed up the hostel rooms which had been our home for the last five days and boarded our first bus which would take us from Umeå to Jokkmokk. The first bus ride was about 5 hours long and brought us to Luleå. We missed our connecting bus from Luleå to Jokkmokk by five minutes, causing us to have to wait about three hours for the next one. We arrived in Jokkmokk around 8 pm. Upon exiting the bus, we could immediately tell that we had traveled a good distance north just by the temperature. After a little exploration, it was determined that Jokkmokk is a small town, not unlike my home town of Paynesville, with a population of about 2,500.

The dorms are pretty interesting but also in my opinion, pretty great. Our dorm, "the old dorm" has the laundry facilities and a sauna in the basement. The best part? The shower is in the kitchen. Yes folks, you read correctly, where one might suspect the pantry to be is in fact the shower. I took my first pantry shower last night, though decided not to cook anything simultaneoulsy. I do have three weeks after all.

Today was spent in fantastic discussion of Hugh Beach's book, "A Year In Lappland." It's so fascinating and I'm loving every minute of this experience. It feels as if I have been here so much longer than just a week, and I could not be happier with the dynamics of the group. I am in the presence of some truly wonderful people.

Beautiful day

Today we ventured outside of Umeå to meet our first reindeer. We met Anna- Maria, a professional reindeer herder. The two reindeer we met are not part of her herd but instead have been domesticated and are treated somewhat like pets. Indeed, she referred to them as dogs at one point. It was fascinating to bring them into the forest and watch them dig for food. (Reindeer can dig up to 80 cm.) I only fell down the hill they were digging on twice. Well, ok maybe four times. After leaving our new friends, we journeyed a ways out to the coast where we unloaded our rented vans. (Major props to Eric and Krister by the way who were able to drive stick shift vans in the snow, ice and large hills- I struggle on flat dry ground! ) We found a place and after some work and a little competition to see who could make a better fire, we were cooking and laughing around a campfire. I could have stayed there much longer, but alas the sun was setting. Seeing that beautiful sun set through the trees reflected on the snow was truly a sight.

And back to the Universitet!

After plans fell through on Monday, back we went on Tuesday! After another beautiful walk through Umeå, we arrived at the universitet and were greeted by Krister who introduced us to the Sami Studies department. We even had our own private lecture (which was stopped halfway through for some fika time- Gustavus please take note....) about the Sami and learned a little of the language. (Though, this American isn't even close to mastering Swedish yet alone ready to take on Sami...) I am learning so much about the Sami everyday and consider myself so incredibly lucky to have these opportunities. After leaving the university, we proceeded on to the Gammlia museum, where we saw exhibits of Sami clothing, religious practices, migration routes and so much more. Again, the tour was halted halfway through to enjoy some more fika time. I fear that his multiple cups of coffee a day may become a habit, then again, I believe it already was.

Umeå Universitet

Yesterday the plan was for us to go to Umeå Universitet, but something fell through with our host. So, we gained some valuable time to explore the university and have some in depth discussion and analysis of the various things we have been reading. The university has about 30,000 students and is absolutely gorgeous!

Well here we are!

Well! The abstract departure day in January which I spent months preparing for has come and gone and here I am in Sweden! I am new to this whole blog thing but I will try to post pictures and posts as often as I can depending on what my class and study schedule is like and if and when internet is accessible.

This is me after the Sami church service we attended on Sunday. We were quickly invited to lead the congregation in Sami hymns. After the service, this Lutheran felt quite at home as we were served coffee and treats. :)








This is the village of Botsmark, where the church was located. It's so beautiful. Note how dark it is outside. Yeah, it's about noon. Even though I am more than accustomed to snow, I find it so beautiful.