As we prepare to leave.

So we are getting ready to leave Sweden in less than a week.  Its really amazing how fast the time has gone. Its about time to reflect on our time here and just how this experience fits into the rest of my life.  The truth is it really doesn't.  Its almost like we are living two lives.  One in the U.S. and one in Sweden.  When I first got here, it didn't feel like two years had passes between visits.  The smells, sights and sounds were all very familiar, fresh in my mind and almost connected to the memories I was making at that very moment.

While I'm here I can almost forget about my life in Seattle.  There are very few direct connections between here and there, between then and now and the two lives they have created.  The island has such a feeling of deep rich history all over the place, the subtle mixture of the new and the old, with the new having hints of tradition and history.

I often think about what life was like here fifty or one hundred years ago, considering the level of isolation there is today.

At night and during the earliest hours of the morning the sky, although dark is still filled with light.  There is still a halo of light from the sun that never totally sets, the lights of the far north night sky, the lights of sail boat silently drifting by and of course the light haze of the Gothenberg.  I can almost imagine what life was like before the city light and even the sail boats...almost.

As an Anthropologist, my quest for how people have lived through time and space is always there. I spend a great deal of time studying and playing with Paleo-weapons.  I pride myself on the acquired abilities to make and used a number of ancient weapons.  I spend several hours per week researching, creating and using weapons mostly for use in class...(if you are interested ANTH& 215: Biological Anthropology with Lab).

In several of my classes we throw the atla-tl at targets, being the instructor I'm expected to be good at it.  This takes a great deal of practice, because it is a very difficult weapon to use properly.  I try to get at least two hours per week practice, just to stay sharp.  

The atla-tl consists of two parts the atla-tl and the Dart.  The atla-tl is the thrower and the dart looks like an arrow that is between 5 and 7 feet long.

Coming to Sweden, one questions was what would I here to get in my practice?  Bring the atla-tl wasn't too difficult, it fit well in a large suitcase.  On the other hand getting a dart to fit into my suit case just wouldn't work.

I had the brilliant idea to make a dart once I arrived on the island. Knowing what is involved in this will take some explaining.  First, I need to make a stone point.  To do this I need a piece of obsidian, chert or flint to make the point.  I will also need a tool to form the point.  Most cases this is done with an antler billet (usually moose or elk).  During past visits I had seen chert and flint on the island so I knew that wouldn't be a problems.

The next concern for some reason was finding moose antler.  Before we came to Sweden I Facebooked my niece who lives in northern Sweden if she could bring me an antler...for some reason I thought she would be able to...no facts or suggestions of facts that this was based on.  I also thought (in one of the strange corners of my mind) that there has to be moose antler somewhere on this island, not based on any actual reality.

After weeks of scouring everywhere I could think of to find an antler, it looked like the project would fail...until one day my nephew Oliver wandered into the house holding a piece of antler...somehow he forgot he had this during the hours of searching everywhere on this island except in his room...why would he have a moose antler?

After all that hassle I was able to construct a working atla-tl.

My time on the island often time consists of ridiculous quests...most of which never ever escape my head...I do have a limited filter between the world in my head and the real world.  It is always interesting for my family to figure out what I'm up to next.  What will it be next time?  Only time will tell.

I truly adore this place and the people that make it so special.  There is always something to do...which sometimes is nothing and that is amazing.  As I return to my life in Seattle, I will put my island life on hold for two years...after which I will eagerly return.

My last words for this installment is: Go find a "island" of your own where the beauty can take your breath away, while giving you time to take a breathe.

SEE YOU IN TWO.

Astrid Lindgren

Really big kids

Really small kids

We went to Astrid Lindgren's World.  It’s about a 5 hour drive from the island and is in a part of Sweden I’ve never been to.  It is unlike any amusement park I’ve ever seen before.  If you don’t know Astrid Lindgren is probably the most famous writer of children’s book in Sweden…probably the most famous outside of Sweden is Pipi Longstockings.  This is an "old school" form of park, where there are no rides, only exhibits and shows.   The exhibits are recreations of the towns from her books in small child friendly scale.  

Tell me if you think anything like that would work in the U.S.  People moving freely in and out of these houses, free to touch, open and close doors and climb pretty much anywhere.    Unfortunately I don’t think they would last very long.  Why is it that people can’t let things look nice for the children? 

Room for rent

So I did something today that in the long run isn't too terrible...I suppose, in the short term on the other hand?  At least for the next week or so...it might be uncomfortable. We will get back to that in a bit.

I'm not sure if this is something common to all of Sweden or if its just the islands way of being.  The homes here are generally smaller and have fewer rooms.  It is not uncommon for several siblings to share a common room with no real personal space.  Also, most homes have multiple entrances each leading to a different floor, often times the different floors can be rented out as apartments.   The house we are staying in has three floors.  A basement, middle floor and upper floor.

In past year we lived on the lower floor while my wife's mother lived in the middle floor, occasionally her brother or other visitors stay on the upper floor. Although the house is not large it allowed for more space.

This year my wife's mother has rented out the top floor to a local man who works for the island utility company...On an odd side thing, all of the utility workers seem to wear Capri Work pants.

For our first four weeks we had the run of the middle floor and the basement. Although we didn't use the middle floor much (See blog posting "in the house where we live").  For the last week or so the basement has been rented out to a family...So we have been confined to the middle floor.  In fact, all five of us are living in one room, its not terrible small, but it really doesn't matter...There are five of us after all.  For the most part it isn't too big of a deal. At home we have a family bedroom, and more common than not we co-sleep (the family all sleeping in one bed).

When Elsa was a baby...And I didn't realize how creepy I am. 

Although parents don't admit to it, co-sleeping happens about 70% of the time with infants and estimates for co-sleeping into the older ages go into the 30% range.  There are a number of benefits to co-sleeping and it is suggested that it is the normal state for human sleeping.  If you think about most social animals sleep in a giant pile.

http://thebabybond.com/Cosleeping&SIDSFactSheet.html

With the exception of sleeping, i hate being in the room...All of our stuff is also packed into the room, it also serves as my office, the kids playroom, our sitting room and our time-out room for the kids.

This transition/corralling has been hard on all of us.  First, we had to remember/learn which door to go through.  I would like to say this was a bigger problem for the kids...but I can't.  Next, we had to learn what is ok to do on the deck and what isn't.  (The deck we have is directly above the grill patio for the basement floor.)   The boys needed to learn its not ok to pee on the deck...I guess something young boys will do when on a deck...it only took one talk.

This morning it poured for a couple of hours, we have several containers and buckets on the deck.  Vincent wanted to see how much water one of these buckets holds...of course dumping it all over the people below...that was somewhat problematic.  The slats in the deck nice and widely spaced, so much of the water drained rapidly.

I discovered the spacing of the slats when I went down to see just how much water was spilled.  As I brushed water off of the tables and chairs, I looked up and could clearly see my son looking down at me...Which brings me back around to two days ago when I changed out of my bathing and roamed around on the porch in only a towel for a couple of hours...Don't want to think about the what the perspective of the house guests was...They leave in a week...until then I can avoid eye contact.

Playing on the deck...A much nicer image of deck life.

Gothia Cup

Today we left the island to go to the city for the international football (Soccer) tournament, the Gothia Cup (which isn't actually a cup.)  It is said to be the largest youth tournament in the world.  Kids from 30 or 40 countries with thousands of players.  More the two hundred games over the week long event.

Today and tomorrow are the finals.  It's kind of a weird thing going to watch games and cheer for teams and people you have no connection to.  Cheers like "Go guy on the yellow team" and "Hey Ref. Common! The guy on the purple team totally fouled the guy on the Red team!"    Full investment is important. 

Yellow team vs Purple team

I did get into the games and by seeming random chance started to root for a one team over the other.  No rhyme or reason, it just happened and because I was cheering  for one of the teams my wife, kids father in-law and nephew also cheers for them.   We had a fair sized cheering block.  I wonder if the players on the teams wondered who we were and why we were cheering for them... I hope so.  

I ran into a team from California from a city very close to where I grew up. I wore my Seattle Sounders jersey which they recognized.   It turns out I cheered against them in one of the matches, the one they got eliminated in. I doubt I had much to do with their loss. 

I don't consider myself superstitious except when it comes to sport.  I know that if my team loses its because I didn't  cheer loud enough, wear the right clothes, stand at the right time or God forbid my wife tries to talk to me at the wrong time.   

In all honesty I really don't know what it is I'm cheering for.  My teams or teams I've chosen to root for are never entirely the same from year to year. They are made up of people I have never met nor will I ever meet.  They represent cities that most of the player did not live n prior to signing with the team and if they are traded.  If the player leave the team and join another team they will become an enemy and I will hope against hope they will fail.

My teams The Dodgers, Lakers, Kings and Ducks from Los Angeles,the Seahawks and Sounders from Seattle and the Stealth, Silvertips and Aqua Sox from Everett.   Of all these teams I've only been to see half them live, the other half have experienced through the magic of T.V.  

It's really odd thing. It's almost like cheering for a group of player I've never hear of playing for a team I have no connection to.  

Amusement and Theme Parks Sweden Style

To date I have been to three different amusement parks in Sweden,  The largest in Gothenberg is known as Leiseberg....All the trappings of amusement parks, thrilling rides, expensive food both junk and junk food labeled as sort of not junk food, over priced junk labeled as toys, loud carny games with shifty eyed people and over sized bipedal animals with strangely anthropomorphic faces...

I would say on the scale of parks it is a nice medium between non-Disney park and county fair.  If you know Southern California parks, it's like Knott's Berry Farms younger part-time employed step brother (?).  

I've been to Leiseberg several times over the years and we will be going there sometime next week, so you may get more on that later.  

On this trip we've been to two amusement parks I've never been to before.  Skala Sommerland which I will cover in this post and Astrid Lindgren's Värld which I will cover later.   

Skala Sommerland is a small hybrid park (half water park and half amusement park).  These do exist in the U.S. but are generally there is some distinction between the two halves of the park.  This becomes most evident when you sit down on a roller coaster and the foam seat makes that unmistakable sound of water being squeezed through foam and vinyl.  The feel of wet squishy foam seats isn’t a feeling you ever get over. 

Anyway, for me the thrilling rides are of an amusement park are one of the highlights of life.  The fear of dying with the knowledge that death is highly unlikely, or in some cases just unlikely, produces an amazing feeling.  Being that I have kids now, thrill ride are low on the list for me…replaced with flying pig-cars, giant bear boats and trains. 

This time, we took our nieces and nephews all of the older than my kids, meant that I might have some time for rides of my own.  There is usually one ride that stands out for me during the lead up to the park day.  This time it was the “BIG DROP.”  It’s funny that the name isn’t in Swedish, I would have thought it would be.  A 21 meter high drop with a top speed of 60 km/H.  See you stand in this tube with a clear floor that with a three count the floor falls away and you drop.  Really looking forward to it, as we approached the gate it was all I could think of, it was all I could do to not run screaming to the line. 

IT WAS CLOSED FOR THE DAY!!!  WHAT THE WHAT?  Just my luck, the only thing I wanted was snatched from me.  Not the best start for a day of fun.  

As to not consider the day a total waste, my Anthropologist side kicked in.   

What differences can be seen between this park and other parks I’ve been to in the U.S. 

The first thing I noticed was the sounds…or lack thereof.  People on the rides were not screaming, not hooting or Woo-wooing.  It was quiet, really quiet.  I can’t understand how or why this happens…its like no one was having fun…It made me feel weird for wanting to…when I did let a squeal out, others on the ride looked at me, shocked and in some ways offended that I would dare to make any noise.  This silence persisted for the rest of the day…my inhibitions did not.

I would say the greatest difference between this park and other parks is the lack of regulation…or guess the lack of the need for regulation.  

The first “ride” was a go-kart ride for Vincent.  First, not the most controlled environment.  The track was literally two feet from fence keeping the people out, which was a really short fence or completely closed off.  Liam actually squeezed through, almost onto the track before we grabbed him.  These go-carts were not the electric, run along a track, guaranteed accident free safety carts…These were propane running, not on a track free run cars.  Anyone between 100 and 140 cm can drive.  


There are some safety related each child gets a head net, a horse collar and very large helmet.  I was quit concerned about Vincent driving a car.  He is only 6 years old and sometimes has trouble walking straight.   On this ride he was able to drive side by side with a another child on the open track.  The worry-wart in me imagined crashes and fires.  Of course when the "race" started we were all cheering on Vincent, yelling and screaming.  He won...That was super exciting.  

On the water side of the park there was even less park employee supervision. Water slides of all types, ziplines over the water and innertube river rides with no one telling people when to go.

Probably the most amazing surprise thing I came across was an all-you-can eat "mexican" style food buffet...(mexican only in name...There was "meat", tortillas, tomatoes, and corn...).  Can you imagine the money drain that would be at any number of parks in the U.S.  

To my surprise no one abused the buffet...(Had I not been on a diet, I might have...No, I totally would have wrecked it.)

In the end the BIG DROP open and I got to go in it.  Of course there were workers still working on it, as I entered the tube...this add to the terror...and increased the likelihood that I would die...

Coming Home...

This island is not my home...Is a place I have been to seven times.   Cumulative over the past twelve years my vista total about thirteen years.  I know this place but it will never truly be home for me.  In fact no where seems home to me...no place feels like I belong.

Seattle is where I have chosen to live and work and raise my family. But I don't have a long history there.   The town I grew up in (Arcadia, Ca) is where my memories are, but my family doesn't live there anymore so my visits there are short and mostly in a car.  The city where my family lives (LaVerne, Ca) I have no real memories or past there but my folks live there and that is where we stay when we go to Southern California.

Most of the time none of this is a huge issue.  My life is where my wife and kids are.   When we come here, the feelings of not belonging are more evident for me...especially when I look at my wife's experience.  She has a great deal of history here, she knows every rock and bend in the road.  She has a story for just about every house..."so and so lives there and we used to...", "That is where my mom...".   It is really neat to hear but also contributes to my feeling of isolation.

My wife has a lot of friends and associations here.  In contrast to me, I pretty much don't have any friends any where. She see her grammar school crush and those who had crushes on her...both of those are lacking when I return home as well.  

I wonder how common this actually is.  Do most people have a place like this they can return to?  It seems that most of the people my wife went to school with still live very close to the island and return for extended visits when ever we come back and probably most other times too.  I assume my wife's return isn't the only thing that draws them back.

It is tough sometimes coming here.  Because of the large number of people she knows here, there is always someone to talk to or go visit.  Which leaves me either alone or watching the kids or both.  In away coming here moves me further down the ladder...The kids always are at the top, then come her family, then the friends, then me... I understand it fully, but in a place where I don't speak the language or fully understand the culture, it leaves me isolated in a different way.

On occasion over the years we have had visitors, which changes the dynamics and in most cases I become the tour guide (not sure how or why).  Come to think of it that's what happens at home as well.   Most of the visitors are friends or her's that predate me.  I have thought of inviting friends and family of my own to come over.  Being that I don't have (m)any friends this is also problematic.   I have also considered bringing members of my family here...I'm not sure how that would go either.

Being that I am some what familiar with the people and culture here, I feel a great connection to and respect for the culture as I understand it and how people do things.  Part of it comes from my familiarity, another part comes from me being an anthropologist.  I believe and try to practice the "When in Rome" concept.  It serves to decrease unintended alienation and insult.

I also know my parents and their limited view of cross cultural interactions.  If they were to come here, I fear they would not adapt or alter their normal routeing. I foresee being in an uncomfortable middle ground...looking out for my parents needs while doing what I can to avoid culturally offending people.

Is this were being anthropologist becomes a problem...When I can't set aside my cultural relativism, or am I just being a person of  different generation and not recognizing what its like to be a generation older?

Better yet is my understanding of cultural relativism too limited.  I see the uniqueness and importance of staying in the bounds and respecting the Swedish culture but have, up until this point the fact that my parents are part of their own culture that is also unique and should also be understood and respected.   

11 years to the day

Today is our 11th anniversary. We generally don't make a big deal about them.  Sometimes we go out to dinner without the kids which is a big deal.  I'll buy flowers and some thing small.  Being on the island my options are somewhat limited.  There isn't a flower shop or a store to by the kinds if things a wife would like.  My wife is not really super into the Hallmark holidays.  Which I am glad for, if she were i would be in trouble and probably wouldn't even know it.   As far as I can tell anniversaries are not as commercialized here.  Actually most personal holidays don't seem to be. I could be wrong but I don't get the feeling that there isn't a commercial push.  This morning when I got up, I was not peppered with questions from the in-laws as to what my plans are...NONE. 

I just want to spend the day with the family.  Today like every other day is one of many with my wife no more important than any other.  A day I want to appreciate and live every moment.  The good peppered and bound by the bad. Enjoying then three reasons we are here. 

 Honestly, just because 4018 days ago I married her (3 leap years), should I love her more or have to prove to her that I love her more today?  Anniversaries like birthdays are somewhat arbitrary.  Because is take the earth 365 number of days to go around the sun and every day is dependent on rotation of the planet, taken 24, 60 minute hours which is based on the Babylonian base 60 counting system.  On a practice level there is no meaning in it.

What if we lived on Jupiter?...assuming we could stand the crushing pressure and the supersonic winds.  One Jupiter year last just over 11 earth years and a day on Jupiter last just under 10 hours also based on the Babylonian base 60 system.  Today we would be celebrating our first Anniversary.   So weird because I would also only four years old.  Is there a point to it all?

Actually never mind.  My wife just walked in.