Tuesday 1/20/15
Today we held class in a goahti, a traditional house historically used
by the Southern Sami. It is similar to a combination of a hut and teepee. A
fire was around the center and we sat on reindeer hide. Unfortunately the wood
was a little wet so it got really smoky and we had to sit with the door open
which meant a draft of cold winter air flowed right onto me and through the
hut. But still it was fun! One Sami tradition is story telling. Kristor began
by telling us about why bears don’t have tails.
Me by the food cash reconstruction. Notice the poles are rooted tree trunks. They are built high so that animals, especially wolverines and bears don't get into the food.
dad's artist representation of an Alaskan food cash
fire inside hut
kenzie, pat, me
inside hut
fire inside hut
outside view of hut
“One day bear, who originally had a tail, saw fox
carrying a bunch of fish, which he took from the men. The bear asked the fox
where he got them and he said come and I’ll show you. The fox led the bear to a
hole in the ice and said to sit in the hole with his tail hanging down. After a
bit the bear started getting really cold but the fox told him to keep waiting.
The bear didn’t want to appear weak in front of the fox. Once the fox saw that
the hole had frozen around the bear the fox yelled ‘look humans! The bear is
going to the bathroom in your fishing hole!’ The bear yelped and jumped up
afraid and left his tail behind in the ice.”
I told the story about why the turtle has a bumpy
shell. Some students told ghost stories or other fables. Our professor told
about the trip he took to Northern Scandinavia with his mom. One of his direct
ancestors immigrated to America when she was 15 and left her family behind.
With her she brought a painting of a church fro her home village. Jeff, my
professor, was able to find that exact church and his mom was able to sit in
the same spot the painter did. Many on our trip are interested in connecting
with family that live in Sweden.
Wednesday 1/21/15
Goodbye to Umeå! Its been a blast! We said goodbye
to our hostel named Vandrarhem, or The Wanderer’s Home. We took an eight-hour
double decker bus ride up north to Jokkmokk.
“I tramp a perpetual journey” Walt Whitman.
Cultural Quirks
There are many little cultural differences or quirks I’ve been noticing
since I arrived in Sweden. Here are some:
-No one says excuse me or sorry when walking past or reaching in front
of you.
-Pink hair is really in style
-Doors are really difficult! It looks like you pull but you really push
or vice versa. Or there is a hidden button! At the migration office we thought
the door was locked because there was a keypad. We waited outside for ten or so
minutes when one of our members leaned against a wide flat button and the door
opened. How silly! So many times we make fools of ourselves trying to simply go
through a door.
-All the houses are either red or yellow. Sometimes white or light blue.
-A lot of people ride bicycles and nobody locks them up - I have only
seen one truckish looking vehicle, the rest are small sedans or wagons. They
are big into public transportation.
-Swedes are shy people in the way that they don’t chat with everyone. It
takes more effort to get to know them.
-They talk quietly so us loud Americans stick out very easily
-Swedes love coffee! And its delicious! They call coffee time fika and it is always. Wake up, fika, class, fika, lunch, fika, dinner, fika. Always!!!
Sidney by the only truckish vehicle, notice the fog lights they all have
Thanks for sharing much of the information, stories, and insights you are getting. I know that as you get into colder environments doors can become a tricky mechanism. That is why they sometimes use a latchstring rather than a more complex catch.
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