July 2, 2007 day 10 SWEDEN Arvika

We're in ARVIKA! Here's Robby and Johanne.

The sun was brilliant over Lake Mälaren in Stockholm this morning! I was a little sad about that since we planned on leaving Stockholm on the 12:25 train, and we had had so much rain the previous mornings in Stockholm. So, we had breakfast early, packed everything, cleaned our room, and set off for a few hours to see more of Stockholm.

Robby wanted to go back to the Apple store, and Carina wanted to see what Stockholm's Urban Outfitters was like. However, when we got to both stores, we were too early, for they didn't open until after 10:00. That gave us more walking time along with window shopping.


When we did see Urban Outfitters, we were in awe! It was huge with spiral staircases and chandeliers and a hand-painted domed roof! It was fun seeing some of the same clothes Carina had--but much more expensive. The Swedes pay 25% sales tax on most items, but if we spend at least $30 here, we get some of this tax (called moms) back when we leave the country. I also found out today that Swedes pay 33% in income tax for salaries up to $40,000 per year. After that, there are steps of tax increase up to as much as 50% for the richest. However, there is national health care and many other benefits that Swedes somewhat take for granted.

Anyway, after our morning excursion, we gathered our things at the hotel and took off on the bus for Central Station, the very place which gave us so much frustration the first morning in Stockholm. I chuckled at how different it all seemed now having had two days to get our bearings, figure out how the buses and subway worked, and become completely comfortable with reading maps and such. We did a great job helping each other!

The train ride was pretty smooth. Several times people came on the train with tickets that had seat reservations in the very seats we occupied. Each time, we lucked out because there were other empty seats in the vicinity, and we got to sit together the whole 3 1/2 hour ride to Arvika, where we are now. Arvika is in the western area of Sweden about an hour away from Oslo, Norway, and you can hear the Norwegian influence in the dialect of the people in this province, called Värmland. We have heard so many different Swedish dialects since we arrived. I really like this one a lot and find it pretty easy to understand.

We arrived in Karlstad and had about 5 minutes to change trains to Arvika, a much smaller town of about 25,000 compared to 70,000 in Karlstad. Camilla Gustafsson, who has been one of my dearest friends from my years as dean of Concordia's Sjölunden Swedish Language Camp, lives here with Arne, their 3 year old daughter Johanne and sons Patrick (15), Fredrik (18), and Bennett (23). This is a part of the trip that Robby, especially, has been looking forward to. Camilla films for the local TV station and had to work on a breaking news type of story, so Arne and Johanne were there at the train station to meet us when we arrived. Johanne was a bit shy at first, but after a bit she was giggling and singing with Robby and Carina. It felt so good to be with their family and relax a bit--unaffected by train schedules and breakfast closing at a certain time.

Arne made Swedish pancakes for everyone, and we were good to go! Carina spent the afteroon getting in touch with her friends on Facebook, I colored and played with Johanne, while Robby, Patrick, and Arne went out target shooting in the woods. When the boys returned, Robby and Johanne and Patrick played for hours with Johanne. It was so cool listening to Robby and Patrick speak Swenglish or Svengelska to one another. Rarely did they have to ask me to translate anything. However, when Carina and Robby play with Johanne, they are both forced to use their Swedish, and it seems like they can figure out almost everything on their own.

Arne, who is an industrial arts teacher at a local Swedish gymnasiet (like our high school), and I spent the evening talking about our respective work conditions as teachers, comparing technology and young people in our countries, and just plain talking about whatever rolled into the conversation. What a great guy he is--such a hard worker, so dedicated to his family, and so incredibly talented. He built the little cabin that we're staying in and always has about 5 major projects going on. Camilla came home very late, so I didn't wait up for her. I knew that if I did we would be up half the night talking just like we used to do at camp, and she had to be up and on the road at 6:00 a.m. the next day for work. Natti natti! (Good night!)