Since Dec 23: in pictures

A few things have happened.

1 - Christmas morning souffle ala Josh



2 - Christmas dinner



3 - Hairy Scottish bovines



4 - Pub action



5 - Trip to Galloway




6 - Castle ruins


7 - Ryan Air


8 - Melly Hoo picks nose



9 - Ski camp at Åre







10 - New hair, new glasses, suspicious growth



11 - Easter drama





12 - Vallborgmässoafton



13 - Scout "hike"



14 - Spring and Nelli the puppy







15 - More suspicious growth




16 - Baby bunny





Various things not pictured:
Started a band
Teaching Old Testament to 4th graders
Got summer job as priestess of Bear Island
Peeled wallpaper
Made bagels
Removed Mealy Bugs from orchid
Planted pansies on the balcony
Painted bronze swirlies on office wall

Edinburgh

Although we had quite blustery weather upon our arrival Friday night, we have since enjoyed uncommonly warm and sunny weather in Scotland! It is hard to believe that this picture of the house where Becky and Josh's apartment is was taken in the dead of winter.

This is looking down the street from Becky and Josh's residence.


Our first day in Ediburgh we enjoyed the sunshine and took a long walk up to Arthur's Seat overlooking the city. From there we continued our walk through the old city on the historic "Royal Mile."








We walked so much that Mikael had to stretch a little outside of the Queen's Edinburgh residence, Holyrood Palace.



Does anybody need a new rugby sweatshirt, Scottish flag or kilt? I can pick you up one here and probably get a free sporran!



Sadly, the most elegant, luxurious, flamboyant, delectable, welcoming Indian restaurant we would have experienced during our visit to Edinburgh burned down the night before.



Yesterday afternoon and evening, B,J and I took a walk into the city to buy stocking-stuffers. You can see the Christmas carnival is in full swing under the monument to Sir Walter Scott. One of Sir Walter Scott's most famous works is Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe is important because its 1952 film adaptation plays on Swedish TV to ring in each New Year. Sir Scott also authored The Lady of the Lake which is of tantamount importance to Anne of Green Gables fans.






This is the Christmas tree decorating the interior of the famous Jenners Department Store, built in 1838.

Julbord, Lucia, and the Sin of Pride

I was going to wait to post my Julbord pictures until I had labeled them all, but I have better things to do than label various miscellaneous items of Swedish Smörgåsbordism. It is customary to go out for a traditional Christmas table with your co-workers in Sweden. Since I finally have co-workers, I was, for the first time, a privileged participant in Ansgars church Julbord (Christmas table). Since then, everybody keeps asking me what I think about Swedish Julbords. I say the same thing every time and it seems to work pretty good. There is an appalling proliferation of meat meat meat and an appalling non-proliferation of anything green or vegetarian. Strangely enough, Swedish people all seem to think this is totally normal and don't understand my chock. They could at least make that green-bean, mushroom soup casserole with the dried onion crunchies on top. There were some boiled potatoes, parsley garnishes, and a few brussel sprouts, but nobody really eats these. It it all about the meat - raw, smoked roasted, fried, sausaged, pressed, casseroled, marinated, squished, spiced, rolled, stuffed - meat (oh, and then lots of candies and desserts).










Notice the 28-point Moravian star with beaded points hanging above the nativity scene and Lucia choir at church this year? Yes, I did make that star out of paper and glue. I am quite proud that my handiwork is hanging in front of the sanctuary at church, but this pride has been quite a burden to my conscience and social propriety. Any time I am in the sanctuary with other people, I am prone to involuntary outbursts - I try to suppress them, but they just blurt out, somewhat akin to a turrets tic - "I made that star myself!" It is unlike the stars one can get here, so it merits me much acclaim when people know I did it. I was quite relieved when I overheard Daniel telling people that I had made it. Then I could get all of the acclaim without having to suffer these involuntary bragging spasms. But now people keep coming up to me and asking if the rumors they heard were true and if I really did make it and the whole thing has just gotten embarrassing. I want to to be noticed and praised, but receiving it is awkward and I feel guilty for my attention grabbing and pride. And here I go posting the pictures on my blog, only confounding the problem. But I just can't resist!









I know, lets distract me from my glory and degradation by enjoying my beautiful children from the daycare singing at their Lucia concert (but don't forget to notice the star... DANGIT there I go again!)

Snow in Hallstahammar

We have been blessed with so much lovely snow this winter. Last winter in Vasteras, it really snowed only one day and I was in a meeting. By the time I got out of the meeting, it was almost all gone. The snow helps so much in making the long dark winter in Sweden brighter.

A business trip

I have just single-handedly (with a little prep help, that is) conquered the Stockholm public transit system including trains, subways and busses to make it to an island in the Stockholm archipelago called Lidingö.



Here on Lidingö is an educational campus run by the Swedish Missions church. Today and tomorrow they are offering a course for the newly employed in the denomination. Technically, I am only halfway employed by the denomination because the church I work for is the result of a marriage between a Missions church and a Baptist church. After today and tomorrow at least, I will have a better understanding of at least half of the congregation! Here is our schedule:

12:00 - Lunch
13:00 - Introductory presentation
13:30 - "My path to the church"
15:00 - coffee
15:30 - Faith, congregation and church
17:00 - dinner
18:30 - SMU (Swedish Missions Youth)
20:30 - devotions
21:00 - cheese platter

07:00 - breakfast
8:10 - devotional
08:30 - diakoni and mission
10:00 - coffee
10:30 - what do we in the Missions church believe about... FAQ
12:00 - lunch/ dismissal

For those interested, the Swedish MIssions Church is the 19th Century parent of the Evangelical Covenant Church in America.

I hope to have the time to post pictures from my recent trip to Knaften and the exciting tales of my new job. For now, I need to find out where that lunch is going to be.

The Griznoovey Results of my First Mistake

I promised I would make a lot of mistakes at my new job, and I have already begun fulfilling that! This mistake falls under the often visited category of miscommunications. I thought I was supposed to start working today, whereas my employers thought we had agreed I would start next week. To milk this mistake for all it was worth, I have decided to spend my extra time with the Sanders family in Knaften! It was exactly a year ago that I was there last time, so it is high time to visit their Northern retreat and friendship facility again. Yeah! I will take the night train tonight and be there in the morning. Hmmm, maybe I should go and pack.

Another Fun Little Project

When we lived in Durham, my best place to read and write was in a beanbag we inherited from the Shivers. I was so comfortable that I could sit still for a long time and get a lot done. I have missed that chair, and have been wanting to make my own since we moved to Sweden. My one stipulation was that I had to do it for almost free. Finally, with the arrival of our new beds from Ikea, the old foam pads we have been sleeping on were available to be turned into filling fodder. I found some great material and a zipper at the second hand store and bought some faux suede for the border and some thread. Mikael helped me chop up the mattresses and now I sit here a lot being totally comfortable for a grand total of about 400 Swedish Crowns (about $50)!

Fall Outside Our Bedroom Window

How to Get a Job in Sweden

Tomorrow is my first day of work at my new job as youth leader at Ansgars Church in Västerås. I don’t know much about what I will be actually doing, except that I will get to hang out with awesome Swedish youth and their impeccably coiffed hair. I do know this much: I will not be delivering advertisements, working as a cashier or receptionist, cleaning floors, or wiping poopy bottoms (hopefully). I have the graced privilege to get paid to do that which I am educated for, that which is a life-giving challenge, something I am passionate for and that will be riotously fun! This is far more than I ever imagined would be possible for my first real job in Sweden. I am convinced I will make many mistakes, but I look forward to growing more and enjoying a new phase in my life.

Following is my analysis of how I finally got to this long-awaited place of employment.



Things I have tried in the last 15 months:

1 - Utilize my 6 years undergrad and graduate education to get a job teaching.

2 - Utilize my English fluency to get a job teaching.

3 - Utilize my education and many years experience in Church work to get a job in a local church.

4 - Utilize my general skills as a human being to get a job doing anything.

5 - Volunteer excessively at local churches to try to show my value and get a job that way.

6 - Submit to being called princessa bajskorv and being constantly sick while doing an internship at a local preschool in hopes of showing my value and getting a job that way.

7 - Attend local jobless program, update my resume, write a portfolio profiling my skills and experiences, and apply for any jobs remotely plausible.

8 - Watch 5 seasons of Alias, 2 seasons of Ugly Betty, 3 seasons of Project Runway, 3 seasons of The Office, 2 seasons of Heroes, 3 seasons of Desperate Housewives, and 2 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, et. Al. to distract myself so I don’t know I’m going crazy.

9 - Get the proper Swedish language credentials so I can go to university and get the proper Swedish teaching credentials so I can get a job teaching.


Did any of this work for me?

Nope. #6 was the only one directly influential. May Princessa Bajskorv’s memory live on in imfamy!


Things that actually worked:

1 – Pep talks by Zenita. Zenita convinced me last October that my Swedish was good enough to pursue the kinds of education and church work that I am educated for and helped me with my resume. Without her encouragement, I wouldn’t have had the immediate vision that anything could be possible for me besides retail or mail delivery.

2 - Russian employment officer who actually makes things happen. Danna got me the internship at the preschool and taught me that the way to succeed in the Swedish job market is to never give up and don’t get pregnant.

3 - Being called Princessa Bajskorv and being sick. Co-worker at preschool must have noticed my skill and resilience because she said something nice about me at Ansgars Church in February.

4 - Divine intervention at theological conference in Prague which I did not attend – My friend Josh attended said theological conference in Prague and met a pastor from Ansgars church in Västerås. Josh said he knew a girl named Laura in Västerås. Pastor Daniel said he’d heard about a girl named Laura in Västerås. Somehow it was established that I was educated in church work and looking for a job. Josh said nice things about me. Daniel returns to Västerås from conference and calls to ask if I would like to interview for a youth leader position they have had open. Interview results in 2nd interview which results in a job!


Summary of important elements for getting job in Sweden:

Have really awesome friends. (speaking of which, happy birthday, Josh!)






Try at least to trust God – an unexpected providential connection may be the key.


Get Russian employment officer – they get things done.


Be nice to children who call you dirty names. (notice on their alphabet chart that B is for Bajs!)


Don’t give up and don’t get pregnant.

Keep medicating to target inevitable depression.


Mobilize Bhutanese Refugee prayer force.