the king and his kubbs

perfect summer days

Yesterday and today were such perfect, classic summer days. I started yesterday morning with a nice long run to my school where I ran the track in the scorching California sun. After a nice cold shower, I went to a swim meet to visit the summer league swim team that I used to coach and swim on. It was so nice to see all my little swimmers again, who are actually not so little anymore. One of my old swimmers even brought me fudge from home. I got home and worked on my painting, and then my papa and I went to Lowe's, where we picked up flowers and materials for Kubb! For the rest of the day, me, my papa, and my little brother worked on making Kubb, which I will explain later in this post. After a long day making the game, we finally got around the actually playing it. And for a perfect finish to a perfect summer days, we ended with a trip to Yogurtland and a movie on Netflix. I don't think my day could have been more perfect.


As for today, it was a nice day with my brothers and papa playing kubb. I also finished my painting!

This is what we saw in front of Yogurtland. We were thinking, what happened? Someone must've got hurt. Think again.

Ahh, so this is what they do on the job.

This is what I do when I got back to Irvine. I go to Yogurtland and eat out of Hello Kitty cups and spoons.

And this is what I've been working on over the past couple of days, with a comparison below. It is the view of Sweden from the road outside of the station.

kubb

Kubb, also known as "Viking chess," is a Swedish lawn game played during the summer months. It is like a combination of bowling and horseshoe, making it an interesting and fun game to play. The goal of the game is to knock over the king before the other team does, but one must knock over all 5 kubbs before it knocks down the king.


The game is definitely coming up with my to Whitman. How it will catch on, I guess I will find out. I decided to make it yesterday with my family. We used one 4x4 that was 8ft long and one 1 3/8 in dowel that was 6ft long. In total, it was around $15 dollars + manual labor rather than $50 off of Amazon. And as for paint, I used acrylic paint that I will then coat with an acrylic top coat.


I used this website for instructions:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20398029,00.html . So if you want to make a set, follow these!

The first step we did was make the decorative cuts on the king. In the instructions, this was not first, however, it is much easier to cut the king when it is attached to the rest of the wood for stability.

After cutting the king, we stripped the 4x4 to make it smaller for the kubbs. Then we cut the wood every 6" to make the kubbs. We ended up with 12, so we had 2 extra. To make the stakes, we used the scrap wood pieces that was stripped from the 4x4.

Shown here is cutting the dowel into 6 12" batons.

Next is sanding, sanding, and more sanding!

And now for the painting! I was going to paint flowers of different families onto each kubb, but after painting half a kubb, I realized it was too much work. And so, I've decided to paint half of the kubbs blue and the other half of the kubbs white. The king's crown is yelllo with two white stripes and a blue body. The body will hopefully be painted with different scenes from Sweden. I am thinking a maypole for one side, a windmill for another, trolls (?), and another undecided side. As for the batons and the stakes, I will decide those colors tomorrow.

This is the finished product! (unpainted, of course)

oh, the joys of being home

It is so great being home and finally relaxed, as I can finally do the things I cannot do while I am at school. It is also fantastic being back in the states because everything in comparison to Europe is so cheap. I walked to the UCI center today with my little brother and sister to have lunch. To my surprise, I bought 3 lunches for us for under $8.00. Frankly, it is so sad that I was in such shock. For the price of 3 lunches here in the states, I could not even but myself one sandwich in Europe.

There is so much that I have on my to-do list and currently doing list of things this summer that I will try to accomplish before I make my way over to Walla Walla on the 26th of August. 

1. I am basically reorganizing my life. That basically entails cleaning out my boxes, giving away old things, throwing away trash and papers I don't actually need but I thought I did, packing boxes of things going to Whitman, and things of that sort.


2. Make Kubb.

3. Paint, paint, and paint some more. I don't know the proper way of painting, but I love it. I just started to paint about two years ago, and somehow my family inherited more brushes and paints than we could ever possibly dream of. My brother also got an easel for Christmas. How convenient. I love making art, but I am just always way too busy at Whitman (or at least I make excuses) and I don't have the right materials there, so hopefully before the month is up I will be able to produce a few pieces. With my new pictures from my trip to Sweden, I have fantastic landscape pictures that I would love to paint. Currently, I am working on a piece that is a view of Sweden from the Research Station in Skogsby, Sweden. 

4. Read, read, and read some more.

5. Scrapbook. I am behind. I have graduation, Australia, and now pictures from Sweden to scrapbook. It takes quite a long time. May I repeat? A LONG TIME. 

6. Teach swim lessons. This is my only source of income this summer, and I am  desperately in need for a job and the money. From Sweden, I am basically broke because I spent all my money on hostels and food. 

7. Clean the house. Cleaning is always so satisfying. It is also therapeutic for me.

8. Run. 

9. Hang out with my siblings as much as possible before I am off.

10. Eat shaved ice. I have been craving it for about a year now. Asian shaved ice is one of the best inventions ever made. It is shaved ice, drizzled with condensed milk and topped with any kind of topping you like. I like red bean, and lots of fruit.

While I was cleaning things out of the house and looking at books to give away, I came across some old family photos. Crystal, I don't mean to copy your blog, but I would love to share them. I couldn't resist. 

This was us then... 

My cousin Hayden, Brendon, Jonathan, and Me. 

The three of us in American Samoa.

I will leave you to figure out who this is. 

Brendon and Me on a tulip farm in Oregon!

David, Me, Brendon and Jonathan. Man, do we look goofy.

Jonathan, Brendon, Me, and David

All of us at Christmas. Kerianne, Jonathan, Me, Brendon, and David.

And, this is us now...

Jonathan, Brendon, Me, Kerianne, and David.

Oh, time flies. That is why I must make the most of it. 

memories, reflections, and the sweetness of being home

Journey Home

After 27 hours of travel, I am finally home in California! My brother picked me up around 3 AM this morning from the LAX airport, so I am really thankful for him. I'll be seeing the rest of my family later this evening.

Just when I thought that my travels were going perfectly well this morning, they took a slight turn. Everyone boarded the plane in the Boston airport and was all ready to go with their luggage stored and seat belts all fastened, until an announcement was made saying that unfortunately the plane is going out of service due to mechanical difficulties involving the fuel. Fortunately, the plane never took off and I am not in the plane that would've malfunctioned in the air. So, for that, I am so glad. Everyone deboarded the plane, and we boarded the next plane about 5-6 hours later. The wait wasn't so bad, but I was just so tired and sickly feeling. I am home now, and that's all that matters! And I won't have to go on another plane for at least another month or so.

What matters is that I am home and able to finally relax now. I just have to battle jetlag, which I don't think will be too difficult. My brother's new apartment is very close to the beach and its gorgeous, so I'll take a nice long walk or run.

Reflections

After any kind of trip, whether short or long, near or far from home, I like to reflect upon my experiences and my favorite memories.

After spending 5 1/2 weeks in Europe, 1 1/2 in Ireland and Denmark and 4 in Sweden, I have most definitely gained valuable insights and knowledge that changes the way that I see both myself and the world around me. This was my first trip traveling alone, and I have to say it was quite enjoyable though stressful at times. For the most part, I was traveling with classmates, but I spent about a week alone and all the traveling on planes/buses/trains was alone. I definitely enjoyed being independent and learning how to do things on my own, but it was also nice to share the experience with a friend. 

Because of the course, I will never see flowers or insects the same. I have gained such a deeper appreciation for the entire natural world around me in a deeper sense than just the aesthetic nature of it. I enjoy being able to identify major families and the flower structures of plants, in addition to just admiring their beautiful colors and shapes. The interactions between insects and plants is just a whole new world that if not looked at closely, is so easily surpassed for its importance and complexity. It is amazing how each flower and each insect has its own niche and its own specific adaptation in the world. Everything fits together like a perfect puzzle piece.

Not only have I learned Swedish words like utfart, infart, glass, ost, and jordgubbar, but I've definitely gained an appreciation for the Swedish culture, as well as Danish and Irish culture. It is always a pleasure to learn more about the histories and lifestyles of people other than Americans. Most importantly, it broadens my narrow American view of the world just a little bit wider. I still have so much more to learn and experience.

I've also learned so much about myself and my own character. I have learned that I do like to be independent, but experiencing new things with friends or family is also something to treasure. Previously, I had thought that I really don't like traveling with others because I like going at my own pace. However, that isn't necessarily true. It is nice to have a traveling companion, someone to get lost with, someone to rely on, someone to go out and have fun with.

I've also learned that I cannot let go of my youthfulness as I get older.  I realized that I really enjoyed being around my professor's two younger daughters because it was so easy to open up and be my silly self. Kids, especially, are definitely an outlet for me and they keep my spirit in such a high. Many times I would just enjoy talking, and many times we had great fun playing soccer and just kicking around the ball. While studying for the final at the end of the course, I definitely felt an urge to go play soccer outside and burn some energy before I could continue studying anymore. That is one thing that I really missed last year at Whitman. No doubt, I had a great first year, but I was constantly surrounded my people my own age. Rarely, except my professors, did I really interact with younger or older people. It may have to do with the fact that I have younger siblings, so I just enjoy hanging out with them. Even though it isn't something really new that I've learned, I realize that I really love kids and the youthfulness they bring.

As for my favorite memories and experiences.. oh I have so so many.

1. Gazing upon the Cliffs of Mohor in Ireland with the wind blowing in my face was simply phenomenal. I've seen it in pictures, but to actually see the real rock formations is awe-striking. Oh, and to add on top of that, it was my birthday and I just had a wonderful day seeing the countryside of Ireland.

2. Eating ice cream on the harbor of Farjestaden while it was pouring rain. There were 6 of us huddled close together enjoying our treat. Biking back in the rain, basically getting drenched was quite an adventure. I loved being out in the rain.

3. Playing soccer with my professor's daughters and my classmates. I forgot how much fun playing sports was. I forgot how exhilarating it could be and how much fun it is to play as a team, pass, and score. Oh, it brings me back to the days of water polo.

4. Just everything about Midsummer. Collecting birch leaves and flowers, decorating the maypole, making a crown, dancing around the maypole, eating pickled herring, cheese, crackers, and strawberries, drinking brennivin with my classmates, and just enjoying each others company made it a great holiday. I would definitely like to celebrate this holiday again. 

5. Kubb! It can be frustrating, but every time you knock one of those blocks over and it makes that clink sound, oh it is so satisfying.

6. Squishing my toes deep into the sand in the ocean at Haga Park. The ocean, and water in general, brings me so much peace.

7. Running past the strawberry fields while the sun was starting to set over the ocean. The scent of the strawberries is one of the best; I never realized how potent the smell could be, nor how sweet. Every run I did was absolutely gorgeous. It'll be hard to go back to running here without the stunning view.

8. Brendan's rap about spiders. Enough said.

9. Watching my professor catch flys outside of Borgholm Castle.

Oh there are so much more and I can go on and on, but I'd rather not bore you to death.. if you even made reading it this far. 

But, oh, it is good to be home.

hellloooooo america

It has been a long day already, yet I still have another 8 or 9 hours until I get to my brother's apartment; then I go home the next day, probably in the evening. I left this morning from the hostel, saying goodbye to my new friends from California around 9AM for the Dublin airport. Its 10:20 PM in Dublin now, while it is 5:20 PM here in Boston and 2:20 PM in California.

It's good to be back in the states. It is a great feeling knowing I am back in my home country and soon will be home. Only one more plane ride. Only one more 6 hour sitting in the cramped airline chairs until I am home. Only one more take off and only one more landing. Only 8 more hours of killing time and thinking about life.

Oh, and as I was in the Dublin airport, I made a spontaneous decision to buy my expensive Claddagh ring. I splurged, but it is my souvenir and I love it. It is a traditional Irish ring given as a symbol of friendship, love, and loyalty; it is commonly used as a wedding ring. In the center of the ring is a heart that is clasped by two hands with a crown on top. I liked it so much that I bought, so I guess I am promising friendship, love, and loyalty to myself for a lifetime. It can be a symbol to stay true to myself always and forever.

According to wikipedia, the way that the ring is worn symbolizes the different relationship statuses between the wearer and the giver. When the wearer has the ring on the right ring finger with the heart pointed towards the tips of the fingers, one is free of any attachment. When it is worn on the same finger and hand with the heart pointed toward the base of the hand, it symbolizes that one is romantically involved. Lastly, when it is worn on the left ring finger it symbolizes marriage.

So, with the ring on  my right ring finder facing my finger tips, homeward bound I go!

Ring-a-ding-a-dong, ring-a-ding-a-daddy-o

"Ring-a-ding-a-dong, ring-a-ding-a-daddy-o, ring-a-ding-a-dong, whack fol a daddy o"

It is the 18th and I am going home today! I should be asleep, but I would like to blog about my day today before I go to sleep and wake up to catch my plane home.

I had such a perfect day today, minus the coldness and wetness of the weather. I woke up around 9 and had breakfast and started my day with a walk around St. Stephen's Green admiring the beauty of the flowers and landscape of the park. I had a few hours to kill, so I spent about an hour reading underneath a sheltered area with the wind blowing softly and the rain drizzling around me. For the most part, it was quite peaceful. The only bothersome part of being there was that it got quite chilly sitting for so long.

Around noon, I met up with a friend (that I had just met last semester through Theta) from Whitman who is doing a study abroad program studying English Literature in Dublin. It was so great to see her and hear about her time in Ireland. We ate at this quaint little cafe that had grass on the floors outside and grass attached to the underside of their menus. I had a great "healthy wrap", which is what it was called, with a ton of grilled vegetables. It was delicious and a great meal - much better than what I have been eating for the past couple of days which is mainly pb & j. Afterwards we decided to go to the Chocolate Cafe, where I had a fantastic Chai Latte and a small chocolate that came with it. Ahh, it was just amazing, although my stomach told me I had eaten way too much food.

We decided to do some touristy shopping afterward, and I got many of my souvenirs for my family. Shopping for my family is always so much fun, but it also one of the hardest things to do. To find things for everyone is more difficult than it may seem, especially because I don't just want to get them anything. I want to get them something that they could actually use. For myself, I really wanted to get a Claddagh ring, but 1. it was SO expensive and 2. none of the rings would fit my fatty fat fat fingers that God has given me. And then we separated ways and I will see her back at Whitman in about a month or so.

After some more shopping and wandering around the city touring the National Museums and Oscar Wildes home/memorial, I made my way back to the hostel, where I met these two Californian girls who just so happened to graduate the same year I did. It was fate. We decided to do the Musical Pub Crawl, which turned out to be fantastic with great Irish music. With a pint of Bulmers in my hands, I sang along to one of the songs that went a little like this: "ring-a-ding-a-dong, ring-a-ding-a-daddy-o, ring-a-ding-a-dong, whack fol a daddy o". It was a lot of fun singing along with the crowd.

I had so much fun hanging out with them, and it was a great improvement from my lone travels thus far. I am trying to find them on facebook, but stupid me, I forgot how to spell her name. Hopefully I will find them tomorrow before I leave or somehow find them on facebook.

Anyhow, it is getting pretty late and I should probably go to sleep right now. I should probably get somewhat of an early start tomorrow morning. Good night and peace out!

This is not the end of my adventures yet.

mishaps make the journey all the more adventurous

First, a tribute to Sweden.

The harbor at Farjestaden on the day of the annual market in the village. I just had to stop and snap a short here. Harbors, and water in general, are one of my favorite spectacles to photograph. 

Yes, this is yet another picture of the sunset from the Station overlooking the water between Öland and the mainland. Every sunset it different, and every sunset is magically captivating. 

The pollination biology class for our last dinner together at Heidi's house. It was the last supper before we all parted ways to experience new adventures. Theme of the picture? Be your favorite insect or plants!

Thanks to Katie R., I can describe who each person is. (left to right) Nate is just Nate and is too busy laughing at Heidi to pretend to be an insect or flower, Katie is Calliphoridae showing her scandalous hypopleural bristles, Brendan is Eumenidae, Arielle is Rosaceae, Ethan is just drinking from his teapot, Carly is a dinosaur?, Kathryn is Lepidoptera, Shelley is Asteraceae protecting itself from the rain, and Heidi is a busy bee flapping its wings!

Of course, we had to make a kite, representing the KAΘs in Sweden.


After a...
4 hour wait in the airport
2 hour flight to London
9 hour layover in the London airport overnight
1 1/2 hour flight to Dublin
+ several mishaps
It has been quite a long and bumpy journey to get here, but I am finally back in Dublin.


And I finally have internet where I don't have to pay money for it. Soon, I will be home sweet home; I cannot be more excited.


1. I really miss my Swedish classmates already. If you are reading this, I hope you are all having great adventures and good luck with your theses. I hope to see you soon at Whitman!


2. While traveling, I got really really homesick to the point that I wanted to change my flight to today rather than on Monday. Unfortunately, it was more than 600 euros to change flights, so I am here in the city. Now that I am here though, surrounded by many travelers, I am enjoying myself much more. There's something about being alone in airports/buses/etc. for long periods of time that makes me really want to just go home or be with a friend. Anyhow, I'll be home soon and adding these extra days until I go home makes me even more appreciative to be back with my family.


and now for my adventures...


3. On my way to Copenhagen on the train from Kalmar, I had to make a transfer at one of the stations. At the transfer stop, the train I was supposed to get on was running 30 minutes late, but since all the announcements were in Swedish I had no idea. So I unknowingly took the wrong train with my travel buddies that was also going to Copenhagen. I bought my train ticket a while back, but they had train passes. So, while I was not legally allowed on the train because I purchased my ticket from another company, it did not matter for them. I got kicked off the train at the next stop and had to wait for the right one. I was a little nervous, but it all worked out alright and the staff was really friendly about it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to let my buddies know, so when they got to Copenhagen and I was no where to be found, they started freaking out. Luckily, the trains infront of both of our separate trains was having mechanical difficulties, which allowed my delayed train to catch up to theirs. Anyhow, I found them in 7-11 and all was well.




4. I completely forgot that my peanut butter and lingonberry jam was in my carry-on baggage and that it wasn't allowed on the plane. When I went through security, it was just those two things that had to be taken out my baggage. I was sad to part with my almost full lingonberry jam and peanut butter, two of my favorite things. Thankfully, the security guard felt bad for me and let me spread it on the rest of my bread. I felt really silly, but hey it was worth it.


5. Last night was the long haul of my journey with a 9 hour layover in the London airport overnight. What was there to do? Not much but sleep, read, eat, sleep some more... as much sleep you can get in an airport. At one point in the night, security gathered all the stragglers like sheep into a single gate to spend the night. It was quite an interesting experience. So far, I haven't washed my face, cleaned, or anything since I was back in Copenhagen. I feel pretty gross, but I still have another 4 hours until check in at my hostel.


6. In the lounge, I woke up after zoning out at 5:58 AM. My gate for my 6:45 AM flight just opened up and so I walked over to the gate. The gate security checked my ticket, however, and said that I had apparently skipped over immigration security. He said I had 5 minutes to go through it and get back before the gate closes. I didn't know that I had to go through immigration; I don't remember going through it before when I was going to London before. Anyhow, I ran like a crazy woman back to immigrations, got my picture taken, ran through security screening again, and ran back to the gate. Overall it took about 10 minutes, and the whole time I was freaking out. Luckily, the gate was still open and I arrived just as everyone was finishing boarding the plane. By the time I got to the gate, I was sweating profusely and breathing hard. From playing soccer the previous few days in Sweden, my legs felt like they were starting to develop shin splints. Fantastic. What a relief it was to board to plane.


It's amazing what a journey traveling can be. I had no troubles traveling through Europe getting to Sweden, so I guess I am getting my fair share of troubles on my way back.

It is my last day here in Sweden, and it has been a long, gloomy, yet restful and relaxing day. We just wrapped up the end of our class today was a big identification quiz on insects and plants, course evaluations, and other things of the sort.


I'm finally, just finally feeling relaxed. Today is the first in a long time where I've really had time to relax and enjoy being still. It is such a great feeling knowing there is nothing that must get done or that must be studied in the near future. I am just at such peace right now.


As a treat, my professor gave us all magnets picturing the landscape of Öland. I am so excited to put it on our (me and my roommates, if that's okay with you) fridge in coho next semester! I cannot begin to say how excited I am to live in coho next year with our own kitchen and living space. This is what I have to look forward to as I venture away from Sweden.


For the next few days, I'll be venturing home whilst stopping in Copenhagen and Dublin. If all goes well, I will be living off of oatmeal, rice, soup, bread, lingonberry jam, and peanut butter, all of which I will be bringing from the station, for the next week until I get home. Oh, and I also picked up two great books in a series about magic and sorcery written in the 80's. It will be a journey, that I am sure.


Anyway, I'm off to eat our last dinner at my professor's house.

i think im in love..

I think I have fallen deeply in love... with the land of Sweden. The end is so near, and I don't want it to. I have 3 and a half more days left at the station in Sweden until I make my journey back home through Copenhagen and Dublin, the same way I came. Within those 3 and a half days, I hope to live it out to the fullest with the addition of a final, 2 project reports, and 1 very large identification quiz of insects and plants. I've probably said this for all the places I've been, but this place is truly magical and captivating. It is going to be hard to go back to the state, back to Irvine, where I am not surrounded by the Alvar, strawberry fields, wheat fields, cows and sheep, and a gorgeous sunset over the ocean bordering Öland everyday. I feel like a toddler whose blankie is going to be taken away from her. To part with this beauty that instantly brings you in a good mood and constantly reminds me of God's beauty is going to be difficult. 


As I was in the car for one of the field trips I was going on, I was thinking what if I just happened to miss my train and therefore miss my flight and uproot my whole life and just live here? It was a nice thought for a minute or so. Then I snapped backed to reality. 


However, I know I have a lot to look forward to. I know I have my family to look forward to. I have the ocean and a great place to live. I have places to explore in the future. I have Walla Walla to go back to and experience three more fantastic years with my best friends. 


I know that I will be back someday. Maybe it will be for research and maybe it will be for travels. Whatever it is, I am coming back. 


It's not hard to see why I've fallen in love instantly.

what a glorious morning to see the morning glories

What a glorious morning to see the morning glories, or in other words Convolvulus arvensis. Over the next few days, I will be doing an individual project on this species of the morning glory. I will be comparing the insect visitors to the plant between those flowers with a nectar guide and those that do not. The two types of flowers are found in the same population, in other words it is intraspecific variation. The nectar guide in the flower is a small pink ring guiding insects to the flower's nectar.

So for the next few days, I will be plopped down on the roadside for two hours at a time observing insect visitors.

I am excited about this project and I start today. Off I go!

castles and ruins

It's the morning of the 4th of July, and I am going to be celebrating it with a midterm, lecture, lab, and great food with my fellow classmates. America the beautiful, we will still celebrate your independence as we are so far away in the land of Sweden.

I will miss out watching the fireworks with my family at the middle school. They are always a treat. Maybe we will have our own little fireworks on display of a computer.

So here's a little tribute to America.

And now, a recap of yesterday's adventures to Borgholm Castle and the Ismantorp and Gråborg Ruins.

3 July 2011

At 11AM, my classmates and I embarked on another adventure in the 9 seated rental Mercedes. We made our way up to Borgholm Castle, an important cultural and heritage site of Sweden. It was first built in Öland in the 12th century, and its power has been passed from rivaling countries several times over the next few centuries. In the early 1800s, the castle caught on fire and it was abandoned. And now, it is a ruin of the fortress with fascinating nooks and dark passageways. In one of the windows where arrows are shot, there was a dead crow, giving the room a very eery environment. The ruins of the castle was fantastic and one can just imagine what it used to look like back in the day of chivalrous knights. 

This is a picture from the second level of the castle.

This reminded me so much of A Knight's Tale with Heath Ledger that I had to post it. I though it was hilarious and I wanted to ride it, but of course all of the activities cost money.

This, in fact, did not cost money. 

Afterward, we headed down to Borgholm (city) to the walking street filled with ice cream carts every 20 feet and several tourist shops and cafes. We stopped at a homemade ice cream cafe, where everyone ordered fantastic ice cream in such delicious flavors and gourmetish sandwiches. It was right near the waterfront, which had numerous boats lined up on docks. I would have loved to spend more time down there, and hopefully I will get a chance to before I leave for home.

As we were making our way back to the station, we wanted to hit the Ismantorp and Gråborg Ruins. Ismantorp was the first stop. Ismantorp is an old ring fortress dating back to 400-550 AD, which the outlines of 88 buildings made out of stone still present. In addition to the misty weather, the ruins were more secluded and we had to walk through a nature trail to get there, giving it an even more mysterious feeling. Walking in the fortress was very cool, and I could just imagine what the fortress used to look like with travelers going about their daily business.

The remains of the buildings.

This building was really neat because you could still make out the entrance. I made it a task to walk through the building like it was 1500 years ago.

And our last stop was to the Gråborg Ruins, which was near the place that our class had gone orchid hunting a couple weeks prior when a lightning storm came over us. The Gråborg Ruins was another ring fortress, however the remains of the buildings were no long there. It was a great big circle, outline with piles and piles of stone rock. Outside of the fortress remains the ruins of the small church.

It was a fantastic field trip to see more of Sweden and some of its culture and landscape. We even got lost on a side road that got more and more vegetation as we went on, until the road completely disappeared into grass and we had to turn our big ol' car around.

After ending the trip around 5pm, it was time to finally study for the midterm that I will be taking in approximately 10 minutes. Wish me good luck!

and finally, another post

Ahh, I just finished my portion of a lab report, and it feels like my brain is just about fried. And so here I am, blogging away whatever I'm thinking. It has been quite a while since I have written anything here. I've been pretty busy and frankly, just too tired to attempt to be interesting on this blog. 

We are close to be finishing the third week of class, meaning every is getting extremely busy but also ending so soon. I cannot believe how fast this course has gone by. I don't want to leave. I really don't. It is so beautiful here and I have gotten used to the peacefulness. I've even gotten used to the flies (Diptera!), at least to some extent. 

Since I have been m.i.a. for quite a while, I will do some quick (or not so quick) recaps.

24 June 2011 

Midsummer's Eve

In Sweden, Midsummer and Midsummer's Eve is a great national holiday. One of the most popular places where it is celebrated is here on the island of Öland, where many people own summer homes and only come down here during this time. It is comparable to Thanksgiving and/or New Years/New Years Eve (in that the "eve" is more celebrated than the actual day). The holiday includes the making of a maypole, which is traditionally covered in birch leaves and many different types of flowers. The holiday is basically a celebration of the fertility of the season, with the abundance of flowers and beautiful weather. And the maypole is a representation of that. Once the maypole is decorated and raised, traditional dancing and Swedish songs are sung. The only one that I can remember was about animals and we pretended we had ears and tails while dancing around out small maypole at the station. The traditional dinner includes pickled herring, rye crackers (shaped in a wheel), cheese, potatoes with dill, chives, many many strawberries, and of course brännvin. A game of Kubb followed, which I would love to take back to Whitman. It involves 6 long cylindrical sticks, 12 rectangular blocks, 2 stakes, 1 king block shaped  as a tower, and people divided into two teams. I had a fantastic time, and I would love to celebrate this holiday again. 

Oh, and I also had a midterm that morning, so what a great way to celebrate. 

This is the maypole that our class, along with my professors daughters and their friend made. It was beautiful. And its still standing, all dried up and brown in the yard. 

One of the villages that came together to put up a maypole. It was a great atmosphere; its not quite explainable.

Possibly the cutest four little girls I have ever seen. I hope they grow up to be great friends for the rest of their lives. 

And our happy pollination biology class.

1 July 2011

Algustrum Market

Yesterday we went to one of the Swedish markets in Algustrum. Many different kinds of things were being sold, including candy (candy booths almost every 20 feet), wooden kitchen utensils, comic books, ice cream, donuts, rugs, q-tips, tupperware, a poster of Justin Beiber, a Tintin poster, and so much more. The weirdest thing I saw at the market was a hot dog in a  bun with two scoops of ice cream on top. 

2 July 2011

That's today! We went out into the Alvar this morning with our friend, who is, as my professor would say, a walking encyclopedia. He is so knowledgable and has been working with the Alvar for a very long time now. It is very interesting landscape and beautiful once the knowledge of the plants and geography is revealed.

The Alvar

If you look closely, you can see a fossil. Can you spot it? The alvar and the landscape on Öland is full of fossils, as may were fossilized into the limestone rock.

Can you guess what this is? This is also found in the Alvar. Grazing is very important to the habitat and maintaining its biodiversity. It also feeds the cows and sheep.

And then I finished my lab report, which actually is not done yet. It still needs to be compiled with my partner, proofread, and all that good stuff. And now here I am, spitting out all that I have to say. And I'm about done. :]

And here are more pictures of the sunset at the station.