Park Hotell Luleå

Thank goodness for ESPN.com and sportscam otherwise I might have never "seen" the action of last night's game! I'm so excited for the Minnesota Twins! And the Vikings too! It's a great time to be a Minnesotan.

But then again, every day is a great day to be a Minnesotan! :)

Today was a great day. After a wonderful typical Swedish breakfast of pears, apples and bananas, followed by vanilla yogurt and granola, my new roommate, Rachel Hanson, and I headed out to rehearsal. A ...

Hello from Sweden! We made it safe and sound, and I am now at my Swedish host family's home, getting ready for bed!

To recap from the last few days...

Friday was our community impact day. I helped to plant flowers in the gardens of Xochitla. I planted some of the most gorgeous flowers I had ever seen in my life. They were called Col and looked like large purple roses with glitter. I really wanted to take one home with me as a souvenir. We planted ...

... was still bright sunshine and pretty hot. I was quite surprised!

I checked into my hostel, which was evry quiet and then decided to go and check out the UNESCO sight, Gammelstad, which means 'Old Town'. There is a magnificent church there and surrounding it are tiny houses that pilgrims built there so they could stay warm when they travelled to the church.

I visited the outdoor museum which was basically the farm with descriptions of ...

... Lopulta puolen päivän jälkeen pääsimme jatkamaan matkaa kohti länttä. Ajoimme Arvidsjauriin, joka on pieni saamelaisten paikkakunta lähes keskellä Ruotsia. Siellä kävelimme ja katselimme hetken menoa ja kävimme syömässä, taas vaihteeksi, pizzaa. Ja pizzat senkus paranee :) Lähtiessä teimme koukkauksen teurastamon kautta, josta otimme mukaamme palan poronlihaa.

Poroja näimmekin sitten matkan varrella, mutta jostain syystä ne näytti lähes j ...

Arrived by train near midnight in Luleå Sweden. Station waiting room locked. Had directions to a hostel from Inernet. Long walk there with heavy pack. Rang bell several times. finally a second floor window opened and angrily said Closed and slammed it shut. Dutch girls just ...

... for a plate of food: 2 buttered pieces of crisp bread, 4 small golden potatoes, a cup of black current juice, and freshly cooked fish wrapped in foil. In my heart I was really proud of him for trying, but in my mind I was thinking "Eww, fish." We watched the locals smash the potatoes on the bread, pull the skeleton from the flesh of the tiny fish, and then stack it all together like a BLT. I tried a fish-less version and ...

Hello everyone! Lulea has bloomed in the last few days, flowerpots are suddenly overflowing with pansies and begonias, and the trees are dripping with buds. Blue skies, blue water, all around. To celebrate the summer solstice, I baked a Swedish cake with strawberries and cream. Fresh strawberries here are much smaller than in the US, they are pure ruby red, have stems attached, and look like they could explode with sweetness at any minute. Too bad they were so expensive, so ...

... and Jordgubb Fruktdryck = Orange juice and Strawberry juice (SO GOOD) Mork Choklad = My chocolate, don't touch! Fruit juices here are so amazing. They seem to be blended whole and poured directly into the carton. The last sip of my strawberry juice is always speckled with tiny little seeds and chunky bits of fruit. It's thick, like a smoothie without the extra ...

... like afterwards....I just couldn't envision how it was done. The elderly couple was to have the top bunks, but Bruce got them to take the preferable lower bunks. The little compartment two bunks three high was a bit crowded, but I think we all got a good night's sleep. The train moves so smoothly and quietly with gentle rocking. The morning has come. More adventures await as we look forward to seeing the Doh family sometime in the early afternoon, God-willing.

this conference has been really good for helping me to realize some important things... one is that i really have to start believing that i belong in these settings, so much of success as a researcher is confidence. i bought some snazzy new clothes to help me feel the part, and tried to get a decent nights sleep each night, both which helped a long toward feeling more together and mature. the first day at lunch, i sat ...