Last Thursday (July 1) we went to their big farm show. Elna had to work a tent for her job so I went around with Johan, David, Lars. They also invited one of their neighbor girls who is 16 but speaks English very well so it was nice to have her their to talk to. I enjoyed seeing all the tractors and test plots, but I don’t think anyone had as much fun as David, he was on cloud 9 all day with all the tractors and big machinery. There was a tone of free stuff! Some of the booths were giving away ice cream and strawberries, sausages, and a couple even gave away beer (which I thought was a bit different). After the farm show Lars made arrangements with one of their old friends that manages the farming operation for one of the big estates that I talked about seeing in my second blog. They farmed 400 hectares (which I think is about 1000 acres), where they grow wheat, rye, sugar beats, canola, and corn. They also owned a forest and harvested trees. But the interesting thing about this farm was all the small businessesthe owner had that branched off the farm. First they had a heating business where he used wood chips that they harvested to burn and send heat to about 300 nearby houses. They are currently building a second machine so that they can grow the business. Second they are also one of the few people in Sweden that has been approved as a vodka distillery. The name of it is Purity Vodka and it is the most expensive kind in Sweden. The thing I found the most funny about this was when we walked in to the distillery there was a big picture of Bill Clinton holding a bottle of Purity Vodka, ohh Bill! Then because it was such an old and big estate they had also renovated one of the old barns and host weddings and parties there. It was a full but good day!
Friday we just took it easy. I went with Lars to drop Johan off at soccer camp. They actually sleep in tents while they are there, a bit different from our sport camps but he and the rest of the boys seemed to be really excited! Saturday night they took me to a big Swedish concert. It is a tour of all of Sweden’s up and coming artists. There were something for everyone to enjoy (even me!) I learned that songs like the Final Countdown were preformed by a Swedish group. About 50% of the songs were in English, there was also a comedian that I think was really funny, however I can’t be sure because I don’t really know what he said. We went with some of their friends and it was a fun night!
The 4th of July just wasn’t the same in Sweden I have to say. We went to pick Johan up from camp. Their rule is that parents have to complete some sort of task or play some sort of game before they can take their children. This year we just had to play soccer against Johan’s team. Sadly to say the parents team lost pretty bad but it was fun to play. The best part is that I can now say that I’ve played in a European soccer game;) haha. Later that afternoon we went and toured one of the few big cattle ranches they have in Sweden. (It belonged to their friend’s sister). It was fun to drive around see all the animals. Most of the land actually belongs to their military and is used a few times each year as a training ground. The rancher then has to move his cattle. Up until very recently, I think last year, every boy was required to do some sort of military service.
Monday night the Anderson’s invided the other IFYE, Simon from England, that is staying about 15 minutes away and his host family over for a BBQ. They have three little girls ranging in age from 5 to 9. It was funny to see the kids get jealous of each other when Simon and I showed attention to the other family’s kids. We played soccer and spoons (another game that I taught them and we play almost as much as slap jack).
Tuesday was beach day! We had a great time and played some games down on the beach and went into the water a little ways. The water was only 50*F so it was still pretty cold. David (11) has had one year of English in school and when we arrived he was so excited he turned to me and said “Chelsy, Bitch” I stared back and said “What?” his mom started laughing and said “Oh no, that sign back there said BEACH” so he still needs to work on his pronunciation a bit but he tries! We also stopped on the way home and got some huge ice cream cones, the Swedish love ice cream I’ve learned!
It’s hard to believe that this is my last night with my first host family! Tomorrow (Friday) I will get on a train at 7:00A.M. (1:00 A.M. in KS) and head to Växjö where I will get on a bus and travel for 2 day to their national 4-H camp. I think it will be a fun trip and I’m excited to meet the kids and see Northern Sweden.
