Monday 2/2/15
In the morning we walked to the site of the traditional Sami market. The first market was held in 1605, making this the 410th. There were a few traditional stands of furs and food. I bought a super warm sweater! The inside is cotton and the outside is sheep wool!
While at the market we stumbled across an hour long event called "Sounds and Tastes from Lappland" for a meager 50 kronor (our six dollars). These two Sami women sang traditional Swedish songs and let us taste a variety of foods made from the surrounding woods. The music and food was amazing and we were all so good. Here is a list:
For lunch we went back to the Sami cafe and got moose and reindeer quiche. Yum!
At night we had the opening of the Jokkmokk Winter Conference. It is an annual event centered around science and climate change. A major theme for this year was communication between scientists, the public, companies, and politicians. All of us students felt really honored to be there and we learned so much. I learned about the Arctic region, climate change, and science in general. I found out that the US will hold the chairmanship for the Arctic Council for 2015-2017. This is an opportunity for the United States to take aggressive action against climate change and the exploitation of the arctic area.
Tuesday 2/3/15
The conference continued on Tuesday. We heard lectures from a wide variety of prestigious speakers such as a member of the Swedish parliament, the US diplomat from Sweden and a young activist working for 350.org (The movement to cut down CO2 emissions to less than 350ppm, which has been designate the safe number for our planet.)
Many countries and ages were represented at the conference. There were participants from all over Europe, Nigeria, America, and Australia.
At night we attended a folk concert performed by local students. It was all in swedish but it was fun. We also were taught some traditional dancing and singing.
Wednesday 2/4/15
This was the last day of the conference. In the morning we had to leave our hotel Villa Asgard and walk down the road to our new home-The Pistol Club. Since the tourist market was about to begin the prices for lodging soared. We are now staying on the floor of a gun range…
In the morning we walked to the site of the traditional Sami market. The first market was held in 1605, making this the 410th. There were a few traditional stands of furs and food. I bought a super warm sweater! The inside is cotton and the outside is sheep wool!
While at the market we stumbled across an hour long event called "Sounds and Tastes from Lappland" for a meager 50 kronor (our six dollars). These two Sami women sang traditional Swedish songs and let us taste a variety of foods made from the surrounding woods. The music and food was amazing and we were all so good. Here is a list:
Glogg with Labrador tree spice (poisonous if too much), Lingon berries and currant
Pine tree bark bread with juniper butter. Lingonberry fruit leather
Pine chute, birch leaves dip and breadstick
Dandelion flower golden syrup
Herb tea wild mint, Angelica, black currant (Angelica used against plague in medieval times)
Roasted Angelica seed cookie
Bog bilberry-use to make it into schnappsFor lunch we went back to the Sami cafe and got moose and reindeer quiche. Yum!
My awesome sweater!
Hannah and Paget at the market.
Me at the market in front of the fur coat stand.
Sami women hosting "Tastes and Sounds of Lappland"
Tuesday 2/3/15
The conference continued on Tuesday. We heard lectures from a wide variety of prestigious speakers such as a member of the Swedish parliament, the US diplomat from Sweden and a young activist working for 350.org (The movement to cut down CO2 emissions to less than 350ppm, which has been designate the safe number for our planet.)
Many countries and ages were represented at the conference. There were participants from all over Europe, Nigeria, America, and Australia.
At night we attended a folk concert performed by local students. It was all in swedish but it was fun. We also were taught some traditional dancing and singing.
Sidney and I at the conference held at Ajtte Museum.
This was the last day of the conference. In the morning we had to leave our hotel Villa Asgard and walk down the road to our new home-The Pistol Club. Since the tourist market was about to begin the prices for lodging soared. We are now staying on the floor of a gun range…
Group outside Villa Asgard
Britta and I in our room in Villa Asgard. Saying goodbye!
Slumber Party at the pistol club
Notice the targets to the right
The torch light processional from the old market site to the center of town
Zach and Sidney in the center of town
Later in the night we took a bunch of the other conference participants into the woods and onto a frozen lake for some good nature exploring. Some were from London studying in Sweden, some from Germany who lived in Australia, one from Sweden who just came back from Bangladesh. What a multicultural and intellectual group!
The next few days will be filled with lots of people, shopping, and merriment!
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