Thursday, May 31st, 2012

Steve, Allen, Cara, and Kristi all met at 5:30 a.m. this morning to leave for Stockholm.  Blake, because of his commitment to Edsbyn's soccer team, stayed in Northern Sweden.  Steve is headed back to the United States today, while Allen, Cara, and Kristi are all headed to Germany to continue their travels around Europe.  


We know that it is going to take some time for us to all process what a fabulous experience this last month has been.  We also know that there is no way for us to fully express the gratitude we feel toward the multitude of people who have not only made this trip possible, but who have made it one of the most valuable and positive experiences of our lives.  


We would like to thank Rotary International for the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.  This trip would not have been possible without the diligence of both GSE chairpersons, John Gibbons (District #6460, United States) and Mari Zidén (District #2330, Sweden).  Our deepest gratitude goes to District Governors, Gordon Jumper (District #6460, United States) and Catharina Hedin (District #2330, Sweden) as well as to the Rotary Clubs of Edwardsville, Jacksonville and Macomb for sponsoring our team's leader and members.  Cara, Kristi, and Allen thank District 7 Superintendent, Dr. Ed Hightower, Assistant Superintendents, Nancy Spina and Dr. Linda Andre, as well as Edwardsville High School principal, Dennis Cramsey for allowing us to take advantage of this opportunity and making arrangements for our absences.  A special thank you to alternate team leader, Marcia Bullis, and alternate team member, Rachel Harris, for their hard work and support during this entire process. Thank you to Ulrica Bateman who translated from English to Swedish all the information for both our brochure and photo book.  We also appreciate local businesses and organizations who donated items for us to share with the people of Sweden. Further, we are indebted to the Swedish GSE team and all of the people who hosted us, fed us, transported us, took us on tours, taught us, and shared their lives with us.  We sincerely thank those of you who took the time and energy to be with us and make our time spent in Sweden one that we will never forget.  




It has been a pleasure to write the entries for this blog.  If you notice any corrections or omissions that should be addressed, please contact Cara Lane at clane@ecusd7.org.  Thanks to Allen Duncan for setting up the blog address and the April page and to Steve Hopper for sharing so many photos.  

Cara Working on the Blog at Jan and Susanne's House in Borlänge

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

No one can believe that this is our last full day with the Group Study Exchange.   We took full advantage of the day starting with individualized morning activities.  We gave our last presentation at the Läkerol Arena (home to the Brynäs IF ice hockey team) to a combined audience of the Valbo and Gävle Forsbacka Rotary Clubs.  


In the afternoon, we took a tour of the The Prison Museum of Sweden. Our awesome tour was led by City Rotary Club member and Prison Museum Project Manager, Katarina Kallings.      


We had a wonderful meal and many "skoals," or Swedish toasts, during our farewell dinner.  It was a full day and we left late in the night, although, it was still somewhat light at 11 p.m.  We all had to get to bed so that we could rest before rising early the next day for our departure.  

GSE Team Leaders Steve Hopper (USA) and Mari Zidén (Sweden)

The Team after Our Farewell Dinner

Tuesday, May 29th, 2012

It was an early morning for us as we had a breakfast presentation with the City Rotary Club.  At 9 a.m. we took a tour of the University of Gävle.  The Gefle Rotary Club heard our presentation this afternoon, and the team then split up for a variety of individualized activities.  

The Gävle Concert House, Home to the Gävle Symphony Orchestra

The Five Musical Geniuses is by Swedish Sculpture Carl Milles

Monday, May 28th, 2012

The team members were all involved with a variety of activities this morning.  After giving a presentation to the Brynäs Tre Ankare Rotary Club, we spent the afternoon on a boat tour and then had a free evening.  

Blake, Allen, and Cara on the Baltic Sea Boat Tour

Sunday, May 27th, 2012

The weather could not have been more perfect for our visit to one of Sweden's Naturums, or National Parks.  We were given a tour in the nature center about the local wildlife and geography before we were able to explore the grounds a bit.  Our driver, Hans, then took us to his family's summer home where we had lunch made over a camp fire and played croquette.

The Team at the Naturum

Allen, Blake, Kristi, and Cara all went back that evening to Sandviken to watch their soccer team play Uppsala.

Saturday, May 26th, 2012

Today was not nearly as busy as the rest of our days.  Kristi did tour the Art Studio in Old Town and Steve went to the Asunda Folk Music Festival before the team met in the early evening to travel to the neighboring town of Sandviken (the literal translation would be something like "sandy beach").  There, we all participated in a classic American car parade.  That's right, Swedes have a particular affinity for American muscle cars from the 50s and 60s.

The Asunda Folk Music Festival

Steve and Kristi with the Ghost Town Cruisers 

This was also the last night for Eurovision.  The contestant from Sweden, Loreen, took home the grand prize.  She is the fourth contestant from Sweden to do this (ABBA won with "Waterloo" in 1974).  Sweden will, as a result of Loreen's win, host Eurovision in 2013.

Friday, May 25th, 2012

Steve spent his morning discussing management structure, public vs. private care, regulations, and funding with a member of the County Council of Gävleborg.  Cara and Kristi had a meeting with the director of the Swedish School System for the municipality of Gävle while Blake spent the morning with his host family.  


We gave our first presentation to one of the six Rotary clubs in the city, the Gävle Södra Rotary Club.  After getting a bit of free time to explore the area in the afternoon, we all met at Blake's host family's home for a reception before having a lovely dinner at Forsbacka Wärdshus.  

Gävle Rotarians and the Team Celebrate

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

It was a busy morning for all team members today.  Steve visited with representatives from the Gävle Elderly Care while Kristi visted the painter Johan Thunberg.  Blake, Cara, and Allen all had schools to visit.  Blake went to Prolympia (an elementary school) and then had the opportunity to participate in the youth soccer practice later that night.  Allen observed the Stora Sätraskolan (elementary school) while Cara went to the Vasaskolan (a local high school).  Later that afternoon Cara, Steve, Kristi, and Blake visited the Swedish Railway Museum.   

The Swedish Railway Museum

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

We transfered today from Borlänge to the city of Gävle.  Upon our arrival we were given information about this municipality and we joined the Gävle Forsbacka Rotary Club for lunch.  We were given a tour of the city before meeting our host families and spending the evening with them.  

The Gävle Forsbacka Rotary Club

The Team with the City of Gävle in the Background

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

  City Hall was first on the agenda this morning.  We had an appointment to meet with the Director of the Municipality's Social Department.  We discussed care for the elderly, health care and prescription costs for citizens in Sweden.  As Americans, we were surprised to discover that if we moved and became Swedish citizens, we would immediately be covered by their health care system.
  We toured the City Council room where local politicians vote on local policies.  The city of Borlänge faces the same issue with immigration as many American towns.  We had the opportunity to visit Tjärna Ängar, an integration community that is devoted to giving residents support with learning the language, laws, and social customs of Sweden in order to gain the best opportunity for success.  
  Lunch was served at Cozmoz, which is another social project in the community.  Its goal is to temporarily employ young people (as cooks, waiters, bussers, etc.) and provide them with the mentoring and coaching necessary for them to get a job in the free market.  This is a two-fold plan, as it also works to prevent crime within this age demographic.  
  Our afternoon activities wrapped up with a visit to a glass studio led by local artist, Roland Backlund.
  While the team rested, Blake was hard at work training with IK Brage, a second division in Sweden soccer team.  
  The three Borlänge Rotary clubs meet four times a year as a collective group for dinner and a lecture.  We were fortunate enough to be a part of this dinner event.  

Monday, May 21st, 2012

  Today our team transferred to the town of Borlänge where we did a presentation for one of the three local Rotary clubs.  We then had the opportunity to talk to the founder of BoomTown, a facility funded by the European Union that strives to give a select group of musically-talented individuals an opportunity to explore three main areas for success in the music industry: education, networking, and business.  

BoomTown

  Blake was able to train with a local soccer team before heading out with Allen to a soccer game.  This was a big day for Blake as he signed with Edsbyn football club, a Division III team in Sweden, through the end of June.  

Photo Taken by Jan

  The team then shared dinner with our hosts Jan and Susanne.  

Sunday, May 20, 2012

  We were able to catch up on some much needed rest as we left Falun around noon today.  We arrived in Rättvik in time for lunch and then went to several art exhibits (where Cara added a piece to her souvenir collection!)  

Cara with Pysse Hellström, the Artist

  A walk through the forest was next on the agenda where our team was captivated by the beauty of Sweden's wilderness.

  In addition to all the wonderful people we have met and the wonderful opportunities we have had on this trip, we could not believe our luck when we discovered that the inspiration for Jim Henson's muppet, The Swedish Chef, actually lived in Rättvik.  After one swift phone call and 15 minutes' time, the real Swedish Chef, Lars Bäckman, appeared.  For those of us who grew up with The Muppet Show, things couldn't have gotten more surreal.  

The Team with The Swedish Chef

Saturday, May 19th, 2012

  Today was a very interesting day that started with a tour of the Biografmuseet or Moving Pictures Museum.

The Team (and Charlie Chaplin)

  After lunch we toured an old iron mine that has been reimagined as a place for art exhibits called Verket.
 

Members of The Team Taking Pictures of an Installation at Verket

  The team had dinner at O'Leary's where we stayed to watch Chelsea and Munich in football.

Friday, May 18th, 2012

  Falun's town hall was first on our list of places to go today.  After discussing the town's politics and sharing fika together, there was a bit of free time to explore the town before going to our Rotary meeting of the day.  Our team visited the Falu County Hospital in the afternoon before splitting.  Cara, Kristi, Allen, and Steve met with Anna-Karin (a member of the Swedish GSE team) and spent time at her home with her family while Blake did a sports-related activity.

Kristine Church, Situated Next to City Hall, Was Built in 1655

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

  It was an early morning for us today with rise and shine at 6 a.m. for a day of tours.  We had a guided tour of the World Heritage Elsborg and Gamla Herrgarden.  We also explored the Dalarnas Museum and then had lunch before touring the oldest (running since at least the mid-13th century) copper mine in Europe, Falu Gruva.  

We Survived the Copper Mine!

After an afternoon fika at Thomas and Annelie's house, we took a guided tour of Sweden's most famous painter, Carl Larsson's home.  The evening took us to Lugnet, a large sports complex that will host the 2015 World Ski Championship.

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

  Our Rotary presentations have always included a bit of information about Bishop Hill, Illinois, the location that many Swedes settled in 1846, so it was interesting to visit the Emigrant Museum and learn the Swedish perspective about this event which sparked a mass migration of Swedes to the United States.
  We ate lunch at the Alfta Rehab Center where we were given information about and a tour of this private healthcare company.  This was our last activity in Alfta as we were transported to Falun in Dalarna County.
The evening was an adventure in the wilderness as we prepared a tent to eat under and fires to keep us warm.  We enjoyed much good food and great company before we "roughed it" for the evening.

  Steve and Blake Wave While Allen Is Hard at Work

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

  Växbo Lin was first on our agenda today.  This is a factory where flax is turned into a variety of high-quality household linen products (so high quality that the Swedish crown-princess, Victoria, chose this company to do the linens for her June, 2010 wedding).  

Hannah, the owner of Växbo Lin

  We then traveled to Söderhamn where we gave a Rotary presentation and then toured a high school that was devoted to the fine arts.  There were several highlights to our evening that started with our boat ride with the Swedish Sea Rescue Society.  

View from the Sea Rescue Ride

  A delicious dinner was served at the top of the Oskarsborg Tower with the Söderhamn Rotary club.

Oskarsborg Tower

Monday, May 14th, 2012

  This morning we said good-bye to the city of Järvso and said hello to Bollnäs.  Here we had the opportunity to investigate our various vocations.  We also discovered that the most popular sport in Bollnäs is bandy (ice skaters play a game similar in structure and rules to soccer but with sticks and a small, tennis-sized ball).  
  We toured the famous Farmhouses of Hälsingland or Hälsingegårdar in a neighboring town of Alfta while Blake had the opportunity to train with the Edsbyn soccer club.

  A Farmhouse of Hälsingland

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

The view from our accommodations here at Järvsö is stunning, and we have been enjoying exploring the city as well.  

We started this morning at the Järvsö church and then stopped at a local "old time" store. A stop at a local sheep farm gave us the opportunity to see some brand new baby lambs.  

 Blake and Cara with a Two-Day Old Lamb

We got to see a sheep farm and also visited the Järvzoo where we got to see the keeper feed the wolves, lynx and Arctic foxes.  This zoo only keeps animals that are naturally in the country.

A Bear and Her Baby Cubs

Dinner was served at a local Rotarians home after we gave our presentation.  Moose meat was on the menu as well as a homemade cheesecake unlike anything we have in America (it is a local recipe).  We had such a great time together.

The Dinner Party at Järvsö

Saturday, May 12th, 2012

It was hard to believe that this was our last day in Hudiksvall, but we packed in a ton of awesome activities before we moved on.  Everyone had the opportunity to bake traditional homemade Swedish bread.  

Steve Baking Bread, the Old-Fashioned Way

We burned off our lunch and earned our afternoon fika by walking a mile on the trails of the pilgrims and then rowing a boat on Lake Dellen.  

The Team Preparing to Row (Allen and Blake Were Our Leaders)

The sun finally came out as we were rowing back to the camp site where we had lunch, and after resting in its rays, it was time to move on to Järvsö.  

We were warmly greeted here in Järvsö and spent time getting to know local Rotarians and their wives over delicious homemade appetizers at the top of an old water tower.  We then got to be the first guests at a new authentic Italian restaurant, Pomerans Huset.  We shared many laughs and much wonderful food.  

Pomerans Huset and the Water Tower

Friday, May 11th, 2012

Today was a busy day.  We went to several craft fairs where we were able to see the wares of local jewelry makers, weavers, knitters, and potters.  It was a highlight to see a fashion show at the Forsa Folk School.  We then visited the Iggesunds Bruk paper mill and got to have a private paper making workshop with local artist, Inger Drougge.  

Steve and Allen with a Roll of Paper

A special dinner was served at a local Rotary couple's home.  We had a fun night of food, conversation, and even a little singing.

Local Swedish Folk Dress 

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

We were officially introduced to Hudiksvall by meeting their town leader (roughly the equivalent to a city mayor, though the people do not elect this person).  We then visited Bromangymnasiet (a municipal high school).  The teachers were paired with a teacher in their content area, and after giving a presentation to a local Rotary club, everyone was given a tour of this high school campus.

Bromangymnasiet (They Flew the American Flag for Us!)

Cara, Kristi, and Steve spent the evening listening to the Gävleborgs Symphony Orchestra while Blake and Allen were able to attend some sporting events.  Blake had the opportunity to train with Strands IF (a soccer team affiliated with the Hudiksvall professional team).

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

A train took our team from Östersund to Hudiksvall.  We had an opportunity to spend the evening getting to know our host families.

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Åre was our destination this morning.  This area is best known in Scandinavia for its skiing--they have more than 30 ski lifts and hosted the Alpine World Championships in 1954 and 2007.  We took a short walk around Lake Åre and were given information about the local wildlife, which includes bears, wolverines, and lynx.  

Åresjön (Lake of Åre)

This area of Sweden has been populated by the Sami people for at least 9,000 years.  We were able to eat lunch in a Sami hut where we ate reindeer which was prepared over a fire in front of our eyes.  Our stomaches were very happy with the results.  

A Traditional Sami Lunch in the Hut

In spite of having dessert after our reindeer lunch, we prepared ourselves for a visit to a local chocolate factory.  We were able to sample a variety of dark, milk, and white chocolates with coffee.  We were then able to choose anything we wanted in the shop to sample.  We are spoiled here in Sweden!

Tina and Her Creations at Tina's Prailiner

Early evening was spent touring the Wången horse and trot school.  We shared our final dinner in Jämtland with our fabulous Rotary hosts at the Wången's Värdshus.  

Our Last Dinner in Jämtland

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Östersund is known in Sweden as the "winter city" and with that comes a love for winter sports.  That love has been taken to the next level as The Swedish Winter Sports Research Center is here.  This is a state of the art facility devoted to collecting data for developing the best techniques and equipment for athletes to have that edge in competition.  

The Swedish Winter Sports Research Center

The afternoon took us to a small factory where designs are printed on fabrics and to Frösö church. 

Textile Factory

Frösö church ~ Built in the 1100s

In the evening we went to city hall where we learned about the municipality.  We then gave our second presentation of the day to an evening Rotary club.  

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

This was a day of resting and relaxing with our host families.  Cara and Kristi were able to take a walk around their host family's area and spend some time enjoying nature.

Saturday, May 5th, 2012

This has been a very interesting 5th of May for us.  It snowed all morning and afternoon today.  This seemed appropriate, however, since we spent the first part of our day at a Moose Garden.  We may have made some new Swedish friends.  

Moose Garden

The Team Posing with the Moose

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Today the team was very busy visiting various facilities and institutions related to our jobs.  Kristi visited several artists, two of which are a part of an artists' co-op called drejeriet, as well as the play therapy wing of a local hospital.  

Drejeriet

 
Cara, Steve, Blake and Allen went to Prolympia (a "free" school) where they were given information about how the Swedish education system works.

We gave a presentation at another Östersund rotary.  Although there are only about 30,000 inhabitants in this area, there are seven clubs around its "great lake" or storsjon.


The afternoon took everyone in different directions; however, we all met again at a local pub in downtown Östersund.  After our happy hour, we all went with our host families for dinner and evening activities.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Our day began with a visit to Jamtli History Land this morning.  This is a combination of an outdoor living-history museum with indoor exhibits that tell the history of Jämtland.  Visitors have the opportunity to see how life was lived in various eras of the 18th through the 20th century.  

Kristi in a 19th Century Classroom

The highlight of this museum was the Overhogdal tapestries.  These are the best preserved Viking tapestries in existence and date from between 800-1100 AD, thus making them older than the Bayeux tapestries in France.  

The Overhogdal Tapestries

Our first official presentation in Sweden was given today at the Östersund Wargentin Rotary Club.

  

The Birka Folk High School was on the agenda for the afternoon.  The headmaster gave us a presentation that explained the philosophy behind this "liberal arts" school.  This school does not function in the same way as an American high school; it is for students ages 18 and older who are interested in developing a cultural education with an emphasis on personal development.