Breakfast at 9am was a Swedish feast. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera cable, so photos will have to wait until Tuesday when I can borrow Viktoria's, but meanwhile I can describe the deliciousness. There were cornflakes with applesauce (Pär,) and Muesli with sour milk (Lena,) and muesli with regular milk and berries for 
me. We all then had flat bread (choose from 6 different kinds, mine was dark and earthy tasting) layered with margarine, cheese, cucumbers and bell peppers (add ham for Pär.) Coffee, tea, milk and juice.
It rained all through breakfast, but Lena had heard that there was going to be a flea market in Sandahult(sp) and we thought we'd try it. We grabbed our coats and umbrellas and headed out. Twenty minutes of green forest vistas later we arrived to find tents, furniture, and maybe 300 people all jockeying for the best "stuff" around tables and laid out on the grass. I found a wooden fish that called to me, and a little book of songs that seemed to have someone else's name on it. Lena helped me bargain my way down to a single
kroner (about 15¢) for that book!Inside the little clubhouse we found clothing, handbags, jewelry, coffee, homemade cinnamon rolls and an old auctioneer who seemed to be having more fun than anyone else in the room. I don't know what he was saying, but
he had people laughing and bidding on stuff that had seen better days. I did, however, recognize most of the numbers he was saying. In fact, I've been pleasantly surprised at the number of words I actually recognize in speech after studying with Rosetta Stone off and on for the past 6 months (thanks Papa!) My vocabulary is still tiny, but I'm encouraged by what I'm remembering. And unlike my previous visit, I'm feeling more comfortable trying out my pronunciation, even though I know it's still awful. I've gained a little courage, though I won't be trying it out in front of any of the students, who have a reputation for a complete lack of mercy :)
(<- This is Lena showing me a traditional band that goes around your cheese wheel at Christmas! I didn't buy one.) We took our coffee and cinnamon buns to a bench and
people-watched for awhile, saying hello to friends and relatives who passed by. I wanted a closer look at this interesting fence and Pär told me it was a traditional Swedish farm fence, though the Swedes took great pride in their fences being "authentic" (something like tongue-in-groove construction) and this one was definitely not.
I had a plan to purchase a hair dryer and curling iron here so that I didn't have to borrow Lena's hair dryer (and she doesn't own a curling iron.) Any kind of heat-producing appliance is not well adaptable to a plug converter, or even a currency converter, so I thought to buy Swedish versions and leave them here so I would have them when I returned. I asked to go to whatever they had that might be like our Target or Walmart and I think we ended up at a couple of stores that were more like Best Buy. In any case, the combination of the least expensive hair dryer and curling iron would have set me back $85 so I settled for just the curling iron. I'll continue to borrow Lena's hair dryer, maybe buying an extra one next year.My slippery slope to sleepiness began mid afternoon. As I worked at the computer my eyelids got heavier. I had to stay awake - a nap would have been deadly to my jetlag. Pär's daughter, Malin,
and her boyfriend, Fredrik, arrived and we had a lively conversation about their recent trip to the U.S., including a lengthy discussion about why Swedes don't go to Disneyland, that kept sleep at bay for another hour. An early dinner of chicken in a double-cheese sauce (feta and green,) linguine, salad and black-currant jelly was delicious, but required a constant stream of conversation on my part to prevent face-planting into my plate. Lena's mother made a fresh pear cake in honor of my visit that was amazing but nearly inedible by someone who was having trouble making the brain-to-mouth, let alone hand-to-mouth, connection.
In desperation at the end of the meal, around 7 pm, I asked if we could take a 
walk. So gracious these folks. We walked for nearly an hour, passing roebuck leaping in the tall green grass, neon-red polka-dotted mushrooms, and moss-carpeted forests. Another half an hour of TV back at home and I was nodding off. A quick chat with Dan and Pearl brought some home sickness. It's now 8:45 and I'm going to sign off while I'm still able. Tomorrow is my first day at school/work so I will need to be awake and energized to meet the students whom I will help to place in homes.
God natt (gude not)!
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