Solstice

God Jul och Gott Nytt År!

Happy Holidays--all of them.

Two days until Solstice and four days until my Donars family arrives!

Cold and snow in the air are the harbingers of the Solstice. Göteborg really felt like winter this week. Cold, wind and snow that is not melting (no real accumulation, but a lining of white here and there). And even though the snow did not pile up, there is nothing like a strong cold wind and snow in the air on a winter night... I am romanticizing winter these days. Call it winterphilia. I love it.

Maggan informs me that snow is on the ground in Ljusdal, it shall be a white Christmas for us! I meet Kerry and the kids at the airport in Stockholm on Wednesday, and then it is onto a train bound for Ljusdal, Maggan, Alex, Jacob, Ulrik and all! We are hoping to eat a lot of Maggan's great food (she told me that the freezer is full of moose) and in between meals we hope to ski, skate and just be together! I am so excited.

This time of darkness is a time of amazing light. The Swedes make sure that candle light fills just about every room…from the fika room (break room) at the Institute for Cultural Geography to every café…candles and "star lights" are everywhere. It seems to be such a basic aspect of people relating to nature…worshiping the light during the dark time of the year (note, the Swedes worship the light during the light time of the year as well.) Thank goodness for earth based ritual.

Christmas is quite the event in Haga (my neighborhood, above). Each weekend there is a "Julmarknad" (Christmas Market) in the street where you can buy food, gifts, etc. or just wander and enjoy the music and energy--the streets are packed and lively. Here are a couple photos of a youth orchestra marching band, the Göta Lions! They were terrific…I stood on a corner and watched them perform--sort of like the Christmas City of the North Parade! (Duluth reference).

Here is my favorite Christmas picture:

It is a memorial to Raoul Wallenburg, a Swede famous for his efforts to house, protect and ultimately save the lives of thousands of Jews in Hungary during the Nazi occupation. Mr. Wallenburg was captured and executed by the Soviets in 1947. I walk by this memorial often and was surprised one day to see it transformed by Christmas trees for sale. I found it exceptionally beautiful.

Here's to the wonder of the good deeds of people and to the beauty of winter! I wish you all snow and cold, with warm places to appreciate the winter outside...

Joy on Hönö

Although December is not the recommended time to explore Sweden's West Coast, I recently spent time on the island of Hönö. I was there for a workshop exploring the question: What belongs in a changing nature? Needless to say, it was a very engaging, if not challenging, workshop (Don't use the word "joy" in a presentation with a group of academics...long story and lesson for me about how language closes minds). Anyhow, I want to share some images of December on the islands…all that you can find in books and on the web are pictures of June-Aug. But you’ll see that December can be beautiful too…

This is the island of Hönö. About one hour from city center via bus and ferry.

The village is an interesting mix of traditional and modern.
















Everything grounded in rock.












Ice in this picture...I can't wait for every bay and every
lake to be frozen (wishful thinking?)...långfärdskiskor! (back country ice-skating!)

















This is a picture of Vahur, from Estonia. Varhur presented his work in "re-photography" at the workshop. Re-photography is the use of replicated images of an exact site to provoke thought, present change or challenge perception...it is a great tool for interpretation and Vahur expanded my ideas of how I could be using this idea as an educator. Anyhow, one great thing about this year is meeting people from far away places; Vahur is the first Estonian I have ever met...

Nobel

I attended the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Stockholm yesterday. It was thrilling to be a part of a tradition that recognizes contributions many have made to human understanding. It is a great example of Sweden’s international effort and reach. This is a small country with a global presence that is well beyond it physical size and population (Carl Linnaeus, Abba, IKEA, Tiger Wood’s wife Elin…need I say more?). December 10th is one day when much of the world turns to Sweden. Note, this photo below is from the Nobel web site and is the banner for last year’s ceremony, but my pictures inside the auditorium are so bad…

The Swedish flag above the stage of the Stockholm Concert Hall during the 2008 Nobel Prize Award Ceremony. Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 2008 Photo: Hans Mehlin

Here is the briefest of primers on the awards…Alfred Nobel, a Swede, established the Nobel Prize and funded it via his enormous wealth (he invented dynamite--interesting to think about that…); He vowed that great advances in Science (chemistry and physics), medicine, literature and Peace (and, eventually economics was added) should be recognized regardless of national origin. Given the timing of the establishment of the Nobel Awards, the peace prize was “given” to Norway to acknowledge the longstanding peace between Norway and Sweden and the peaceful split of the Union between these two friendly neighbors (i.e. Norway’s final step in a long awaited independence from both Denmark and Sweden). The Norwegian Nobel Commission was charged with awarding the peace prize each year (hence Obama in Oslo) and the Swedish Commission awards all of the others. The ceremony at Stockholm’s Concert house is “noble”—solemn, yet celebratory pageantry! A Nobel Committee member gives a speech about each recipient (in Swedish) and then the King awards the medal—(I’m not sure how they get their 1,000,000 USD?). And between each step is music--really lovely.

One poignent moment of the ceremony this year was watching Nobel laureate Charles Kuen Kao's apparent confusion on stage (the man hailed as the father of fibre optics). He is suffering from Alzheimer’s, which reminds us of human tenure and vulnerability amidst the power of such an event.

I attended the Stockholm ceremony with the other Fulbrighters and we celebrated after with wine and a Thai feast. I can honestly say that the interaction with my fellow Fulbrighters in Sweden that makes me feel a sense of great possibility. These people are doing important things in many fields from cancer research to documentary filmmaking. While Nobel is limited to recognition of rather traditional categories of “great thought and action” (with the Peace Prize representing the most broadly defined of the awards) there is so much other thought to celebrate. Thus, watching the awards and being around such creative thinkers as the other Fulbrighters, I can’t help but be reminded of the incredible depth of human potential...some of it we find a way to award and some we can just be thankful for.

The Nobel Awards have a bit of the Oscar type buzz surrounding them…a long line of limos for the VIPS, elegant gowns or tuxes for the VIPers, etc. And the day-after gossip in all the Swedish papers. In reading the coverage, it seemed that the Queen took the biggest hit from the press, with one katty reporter asking why she wore used drapery from the castle for her dress…and another proclaiming it her “worst year.”

My photo Journalistic credentials continue to decline, but I do have a number of roofscapes that I would like to share. What is a roofscape? In this case it is the scene from my hotel room in Stockholm…another way of looking at the city and thinking about people and space. I get a similar view from the gym where I have been doing yoga in Göteborg and have developed a fondness for seeing cities from this perspective. It is a different view that we don’t think about so often—a metaphor for my time in Sweden. I have had the wonderful opportunity to live in Sweden, twice--two of the most challenging years of my life! And, I don’t think the challenge is about Sweden. It is what one learns about oneself that makes such adventures so difficult and rewarding. You’d think the anonymity of a far-away place would make it easier to dodge life’s big questions, but actually, I think it makes them that much more present…

Wolves in Sweden

I have really neglected this blog recently. The good news is it is largely because I have a lot of interesting things happening. Thus, here is an effort in getting back on track with my stories from Sweden…

In mid November I traveled to Östersund. This lovely small city is the capital of Jämtland, one of my favorite parts of Sweden. Östersund lies near the geographic midpoint of Sweden and this gives reference to much in the town, for example, the University is named Mid-Sweden University... I took the photo below as I walked to the train having realized I had not taken one single photo in Östersund; the sign simply says, "the mid-point"...note the monster and Viking imagery (Östersund has both a rune stone and a Loch Ness-style monster living in the lake adjacent to the city).

Given its geographic proximity to the Norwegian border and a historic trade route to Trondheim, Jämtland has a strong cultural connection to Norway—in fact to the very part of Norway that some of my distant relatives came from.

Picture from Trondheim (September).

North of Trondheim, Lavanger in September (note the Sami style "kåta" tents).

I went to Östersund for the meeting of the Friluftsliv i Förändring Research team and their annual conference. The meeting was terrific, inspiring. Further, the gathering was productive as I was given a chance to share my ideas with the group and get some feedback. The group represents 7 different Swedish Universities as well as Naturvårdverket (sort of a cross between our DNR and EPA). The team's research varies from the economic to the demographic to the educational…i.e. topics ranging from biological diversity to urban planning for greenspace, etc....it is a multidisciplinary look at this Swedish connection to the natural landscape. If you are interested, check out the website of the group (there is a section in English).http://www.friluftsforskning.se/

My plans were to stay in Östersund for an additional three days to SKI! Östersund is a ski city and has a snow guarantee from Nov 1! Thus, I planned an intense three-day ski-athon. Unfortunately, it did not turn out quite like I dreamed it might. Warm weather a.k.a. rain put a huge damper on my plans…I skied one day, skied hard and had fun, but realized that the ice and slush, not to mention rain on 3 km of artificial snow (packed with great skiers) gave me a queasy feeling…I felt I was trying too hard. After a fit of ski passion despite the conditions, I caught a train back to Göteborg a couple days early.

The ski site is, however, amazing. A great network of trails, a stadium, and a biathlon shooting range make it a world-class facility…and the world was there…the Chinese National Team, The British National team, some of the Swedish National team…all training for an upcoming World Cup event scheduled for this next week.

In between travels I read and write as much as possible. I am diligently attempting to make headway on my dissertation review of literature. It is a slow process, punctuated with moments of great excitement…

I was in Stockholm this past week for a Thanksgiving lunch at the Embassy and a few museum tours with the Fulbright crew. I respect the effort the Fulbright Commission makes to promote our learning about Sweden--very mission driven.

I am realizing what a photo slacker I have been. No photos of “skiing," Fulbright events/Stockholm and no photo of my friend Patrick that I got to see in Stockholm after many years…but I did remember to get the camera out for my day at the Natural History museum…

I went to the museum to meet Dr. Jannike Räikkönen. Jannikke is an expert in identifying the genetic abnormalities in both Scandinavian wolves…and Isle Royale wolves!

Not only did I get a private lecture and tutorial in the population dynamics of the wolves in Sweden, I got a tour...bone collections, autopsy lab (a seal autopsy in progress--all seals are autopsied given their position on the top of the aquatic food chain and interest in bio-accumulation of persistent toxins), the bone boiler, the bone drying room, etc.

Seal skull drying.

The great excitement for me was to dig into the idea that the scientific work on wolves in Scandinavian supports the scientific work on wolves on Isle Royale and vice versa! OK, here is the connection. Swedish wolves live on an "Island," it is a cultural island based on human intolerance of wolves in Norway and in the reindeer herding parts of Sweden, literally an island. Isle Royale wolves live on a geographic island (a little easier to picture). Both populations can be traced back to a few individual wolves, the IR wolves are believed to have crossed an ice bridge from the Canadian shore in the year 1950, thus all current IR wolves are believed to be descendants of one female. Similarly, by 1980 it is believed that the Swedish wolves had died out; a male and a female from Finland were tracked in 1983 and are believed to have had reproductive success with a litter of 6 pups, thus reestablishing a Swedish population. Today, both wolf populations display genetic abnormalities thought to be the result of long-term genetic isolation (i.e. biologically limited gene pools). Jannikke is both helping to analyze IR bones and then is able to consider how the 50+ years of IR genetic isolation may reveal a trend that the Scandinavian wolves could experience if management does not consider the implications of this population isolation.

Currently, the Swedish government has put a cap on wolf population at 210 animals (in ALL of Sweden; note we have 2500-3000 wolves in Northern MN). Dr. Räikkönen believes that 500 wolves is the minimal number to preserve the health and genetic integrity of the species in Sweden. Perhaps the science from Isle Royale can inform the Swedish debate? If this is at all interesting, the Isle Royale Wolf web site has a section on "wolf bones", check it out for a more detailed explanation of the work that links Sweden and Isle Royale…there is one graph that "says" it all.

http://www.isleroyalewolf.org/overview/overview/wolf%20bones.html

Fjälls i Jämtland

Further thought on this...I have been reading a dissertation from Sweden titled, Protected Attractions: Tourism and Wilderness in the Swedish Mountain Region (Reinius, 2009). In the introduction, the author discusses the contradiction between how the landscape of the far North of Sweden is described as both the last large wilderness of Europe and the cultural landscape of the Sami people, whereas I usually get excited these days by ideas that show a unity between culture and nature, all I see now is a paradox in regard to the wolf situation. With a no-tolerance policy for wolves in Northern Sweden, it appears that cultural interests have hegemony over any sense of large carnivore biodiversity, thus I would caution against too much belief in a "wilderness" of Northern Sweden. Wolves simply are not allowed (culturally nor legislatively) to pass from Finland into the wolf "approved" parts of Sweden (mostly Dalarna and Värmland). It should also be noted that the region in Finland along the Swedish border is yet another no-tolerance zones for wolves. You have to travel toward the Russian border to get to a wolf neutral part of Finland. And the entire country of Norway seems to be a no-tolerance zone for wolves as well...seems that the landscape of sheep is always prioritized over the landscape of large predators there.

This debate over the place of large predators is a contemporary question the world over. It is a question of nature and culture and where the overlap or connection exists. Further, it is question of sustainability, the sustainability of large carnivore biodiversity….

Final thought...Dr. Räikkönen is both incredibly friendly and welcoming as she is informed and professional in her work. She is a natural fit for the kind of science that is taking place on Isle Royale; the Science of Rolf, John, Leah, Candy and others...science that understands that it has a responsibility to inform not only the scientific community, but the the public as well. There is a huge role for education in all of this; environmental educators must be the link in providing access to such science so that the public can make informed decisions...

Granite

Granite, amazing patterns and colors.

One remarkable aspect of the west coast of Sweden are the old fishing villages perched on the rock. There are two places in Sweden (that I have yet experienced) where trees do not dominate the landscape…the Fjälls (the high barren mts. Of Sweden) and this West Coast rocky shoreline. At one point today I scanned the horizon for a tree—not to be found! Stark and beautiful.

From rocks to design, not such a big leap…visited the Nordic watercolor museum today and while I enjoyed the exhibit...I was more engaged by the building, the setting and a particular chair. The building sits on the rock, emerging with its sharp lines just as the village in the distance presents sharp lines of distinction between home and rock. Outside is a short bridge (wish I could have gotten a picture of the bright red jellyfish floating past underneath the bridge--a reminder of the ocean beyond!) a rocky island and small studios for artists to work. I thought about how Amelia might love to sit in one of these "cabins" and paint...

Inside, I found this chair. So maybe it appears as nothing special? I however, found it so green (on a gray day) and so simple, yet notable. I am attracted to Nordic design for so many reasons…the bold simplicity, the artful lines…but perhaps it is living with Kerry that has opened my eyes to the skill of the craftsman working with wood and metal to create such a visually stimulating ideas—the idea is “chair” (“chairness” to any of my co-hort friends that might read this, HA!) but beyond “chair” are other ideas…have I lost everyone?

Two more pictures...Swedish "Falun red" (the most typical paint to be found throughout the country) against the sea and the seashore environment of rock and poorly drained small bogs...

Margee's Birthday

I keep thinking about how generous my friends Kaija and Dean are--specifically, I have thought a lot about how they reached out to a visiting international student last spring and helped her and made her feel welcome; she arrived as a bit of a surprise, but they made room...It's great to meet people that "make room"...it is something that I want to be better about as I so appreciate the gestures from this side of that situation.


Some of the people around here that make room for others are my Spanish friends! (Cristina, Cesar, Bea, Alberto and Miguel). We engaged in classic Swedish Friluftsliv this past weekend... a hike in the forest (seemingly endless urban forest), a fire, coffee, korv on the fire (hot dogs), and a sweet treat (an almond torte to celebrate my old age...47!). Smoke drifting over the small lake, leaves falling, heavy and gray sky, classic November day for Duluth or Göteborg.

The international student challenge that is really weighing heavy on me these days is language. Damn, I really thought it would have all come together by now (I overestimated my skill and flexibility). I am understanding most of what is said to me and the reading is going well (albeit slowly), but the speaking!? I feel like an idiot most of the day. I try so desperately to get people to believe that I am legit, and then one stupid mispronunciation or awkward construction and I am reduced to feeling trapped by myself. Now yes, Swedes speak English beautifully and many probably respect me for trying so diligently with the Swedish, however, none of that takes away the gut feeling of inadequacy when one is trying so hard. I think it is all exacerbated by my efforts to fit into academia in general, i.e. the endless test, the endless quest to be smart enough or creative enough. I am not an academic. I have some interesting ideas and I care passionately about my work, but I don't have the skills, organization or sophistication to make this work smoothly. I am bumbling along pretending at various times to be a geographer, an environmental psychologist, a statistician. Anyhow, I'll keep pretending and something good will come of it...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGEE! (summer BWCA, alas not taken this past weekend in Sweden!)

Morning Reflection

I have a tendency to sound like a Polly-Anna. Perhaps what I wrote last night sounds a bit like "happy talk." When I read this quote this morning, however, I was reminded by my intent, i.e. my idea of the individual finding a personal connection as a starting point for considering the "global nature"...

More and more, as members of global postindustrial economies, we are in close ethical proximity with people, communities, nonhuman species and ecosystems that are very distant from us, geographically, affectively and epistemically. Our lives are so emeshed with the lives of distant people, place, plants and animals that it is ridiculous to even pretend that we have an emotional or epistemic connection with our mortal worlds. We are members of economic and environmental communities too large, too diverse to even imagine.
What might it mean to promote the good of a community you cannot even hold in your imagination? (Cuomo, 2003, p. 97)

So perhaps we start with the connections we can hold in our imaginations?

Waxing Moon

This afternoon I attended a presentation by the United States Ambassador to Sweden, Matthew Barzun, at Chalmers Technical College here in Göteborg. The talk was billed as a presentation of what the United States is doing, both domestically and in cooperation with Sweden, to combat global climate change. Chalmers is a fitting site for such a talk, as sustainable development and questions of energy and environmental application are very much a part of the focus at Chalmers and Göteborg University.

The audience seemed to enjoy Ambassador Barzun’s humor and earnestness. While the talk was light on specific policy examples, it was engaging from a philosophic or metaphoric standpoint. What I appreciated was the Ambassador’s geographical reference to the importance of right here and now (Göteborg) in light of the two other global Scandinavian events…Both the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize Award in Olso (not far to our North), and the United Nations Global Climate Change Conference upcoming in Copenhagen (not far to our South). The Ambassador noted the importance of these events but stressed the greater importance of Göteborg! He appealed for us to consider what we are doing, individually and collectively, to address issues of world peace and global climate change. He stressed the power of positive engagement for change, music to the ears of this environmental educator. One big reason I am in Sweden is my interest in considering how the individual relationship with nature may relate to one’s environmental behavior. What is the essential human relationship with the natural world? Can our everyday interactions with the natural world help us to consider nature as something we a part of vs. simply commodity? (Aldo Leopold reference there.) Can we translate a walk in the park, a ski in the woods, pulling weeds in the garden...to an understanding of our connection to nature? I do not mean to imply that I do not see the connection to power. We need to be asking what our governments and corporate powers are doing and demand action, yet considering our own role in the face of these challenges is of great value.

It was a good talk, I got a chance to chat a bit further with Mr. Barzun afterward and was impressed with his friendly and approachable demeanor; this year's experience has me knocking on doors and seeking contacts with people that do not know me fairly regularly —it is a by-product of being here and trying hard to make connections, seek information, etc. thus, it is so refreshing when you feel the energy back at you. One of the Ambassador's skills is his outreach.

Anyhow, I have thought about these things the whole way back through the dark city…Waxing moon is up, sky is clear, feels like a frosty night ahead. It is amazing how this "big city" has such dark back roads.

I don’t have any pictures of the Ambassador nor Chalmers…better than that! I will post a picture of Skåne’s most charming little girl (Astrid) and her papa, chef, ornithologist extraordinaire, and all around sweet man (Johan). I visited Johan, Astrid and the rest of the friendly Elmberg clan (Karin, Björn and Arvid) in the far South of Sweden this past weekend. The area (Skåne) is so far South it was once a part of Denmark…Danish churches, Danish architecture and Danish-inspired dialect (i.e. hard to understand!). In one short drive I saw migrating geese, fields of sugar beets, the sea, pine forest….Along with the charming town of Åhus (home of the three sins of cigars, vodka and eels); I saw a sign with that message, however, the only sin that I saw evidence of was the very impressive factory where Absolut Vodka is distilled and bottled.

Can you see the glint of mischief in her eyes?

A castle, Skåne-style.

I had a realization this morning while reading the book, Topophilia by Yi-fu Tuan...not an insightful nor original realization, but simply the reminder of how time and experience change one's perception of place. I'm getting away from the superficial and beginning to really appreciate Göteborg. It's home for now and this sense of place has me connected in a way I wasn't one month ago. While I can pine for places further North and less urban (more Nordic?), I think I ended up here for a few important reasons...partly the experience of a place that challenges my romantic notions of Sweden. Not that Göteborg is not romantic!!

I am no longer a tourist. I'm here and know that I will remain here for a while. I'm seeing this place in new and interesting ways and feeling place too: I feel an affintiy with my neighborhood of Haga, I have "favorite" places, I am feeling comforting repetition...

For any of you reading this with a sense of topo-curiosity, go to the following website, pick "Göteborg" and tour around..it is a great visual tour of this place! Really--it will take you on a visual trek through this fine town.

http://www.hitta.se/gatubild/

Maybe I am finding comfort in Göteborg given its similarity with Duluth...old, water-based, post industrial, working class cities...hills, water and rock. I'll take some pictures of the waterfront to share.

Here is where I work--Handelshögskola på Göteborgs Universitet!