Meanwhile in Portland...

Well, the Salzburg journey is officially over. I don't really want to dwell on that because it might launch me into a vortex of manic depression. Below is a video of some of my best moments last year with some of my favorite people. I still have hours of footage, but it's time to stop making a memorial to my year and instead enjoy the fabulous friends I made while in Austria.

Best year of my life, though.

http://videobam.com/nvlFz

Leaving Sweden

Our last day in Sweden:

-Weeding for 5 hours (Weedin' in Sweden)

-Hanging out with everyone down by the lake

-Saying goodbye

The past 2 weeks were an awesome experience.

Swedish Fishin' in the kitchin

Jorge

Jorge an I and Swedish fish

Virginia Woolf was notorious for having chocolate eyes. What? STOP.

Karin being Karin

Karin and Anders

LARSON

The Great Dane...

Dan being 

Going to miss Sweden/the farm/everything.

and now, for some of Larson's best work:

"Are you into drugs...and shit? ...you don't have to answer"

"My brother and I had mad computer games. So I have a lot of respect for gaming computers."

"Mariokart 1 is kinda hard."

May 12-14

May 12^th 10:00 pm

Not tired, so I went for a walk. It is so quiet out here. Took some pictures of the sunset with my digital camera, which certainly cannot do it justice. Sweden has some seriously dramatic sky-scapes. It is so quiet out here you can hear every tree and shrub and leaf move—it’s amazing and just a tiny bit spooky when you’re alone.

SOOO DRAMATIC. We get it, Sweden, your sky is awesome

See the moon? 

River next to farm

:)

May 13^th

HARD DAY. Everything had to be moved. EVERYTHING. Pallets outside. Onions from the green house to the pallets. Cucumbers from one greenhouse to the now-empty onion room. Everything in the planting room to the new greenhouse. Lift.move.repeat. It was fun, though! After work Hanna and I went into Uppsala with Paulina and Anders There is a vegetarian Monday in Uppsala every week, and once a month it uses produce from the farm here in Björklinge. Everyone at the dinner was a ridiculously hip-German-Swede-beautiful-pure-faced-mid-20's-God/Goddess. Yaaaaaay. It was really nice being welcomed into such a cool group for the evening. Paulina is great, and all her friends love her. She is amazing at making friends, from Poland to Austria, and now living in Sweden. Hm.

Dinner was delicious, but unfortunately Hanna ate a big bowl of gluten (to which she is allergic/intolerant), and she puked in the night :( Dessert was a coconut brownie dream. A DREAM. Sorry, Hanna.

Uppsala

Hanna

first pistachio ice-cream... 

SUCCESS!

Veggie Monday

Paulina

Uppsala sunset

Anders: How was weeding yesterday, Larson?

Larson: Fly.

…?

May 14th

Cleaned the bakery (ew) and made sauerkraut (eeee!)

Yessss Polish folk music in the background. Paulina suggested I use my feet to press the sauerkraut because that's how they do in Poland, son. Tomorrow is our last day on the farm. These 2 weeks went so fast. I've learned so much. I don't want to leave yet...

May 11 & 12

May 11^th

In the morning Paulina, Jorge and I planted behind the tractor, just like yesterday, only this time we planted sprouted Bok Choy in the earth instead of dropping onion bulbs. It required much more skill, took less time, and was FUN.

Mine is the middle row

Anders!

Then Paulina and I worked on filling bags for an order going to a vegetarian even this Monday.

After work Hanna Jorge and I picked nettles for soup tonight. 

JORGE!

Then Hanna and I walked to the only store and bought candy because we’re 10.

Store

Church cemetery 

Church walkway

.

  

Dan and Larson are in Uppsala—they hitchhiked there and are dumpstering/staying at Paulina’s boyfriend’s until they can hitchhike back tomorrow.

Today’s quote of the day belongs to Hanna, and occurred after she dared me to eat an unknown weed (although this quote could really apply to a lot of things we’ve eaten here):

“Worst case scenario you get diarrhea.”

May 12^th

Reading The Waves, now. Yessssss.

Trans-planted tomatoes and sorted through rotting cabbage today. 

Quote of the day. Larson’s, of course.

“This cabbage is fuuuuuuucked.” What does that even mean?

Today is MOTHER'S DAY! ...I tried to email my mom a video I made her, but it exceeds the Google mai lattachment 25mb quota. So I will post it here. HAPPY MOM'S DAY MOMMY!! (The original parody was going to be 'Tempted by the fruit of my mothaaaaa'...but, yeah, no.

Fergie Farm

Life in Björklinge

May 9 & 10

May 9^th, aka our glorious day off! Hanna and I set no alarm-Why would we? We could wake up as late as our bodies would allow—which ended up being 7:00… Can’t win ‘em all.

I read Veronika Decides to Die for an hour, and then we made cheesy potatoes for breakfast. Afterward we walked to the lake, Hanna with her journal, and I with my book. I tried valiantly to flip a capsized boat for a quarter of an hour, employing an ingenious lever system as well as my brute strength to flip the vessel. No success…

I found a little blue boat!

trying to flip the boat using math

Miss new booty

PANORAMA 

Skipped stones. Read. Found a toy boat. Read. Stretched sore legs. Read.

Kerstin and Hans were coming to the farm to pick Hanna and I up at 5:30, so when we got back from the lake I decided it was time TO TAKE A SHOWER!!! Yes, I broke the 7-day no-bathing streak and cleaned up for my family.

At 5:30, Hans, Kerstin and Kristoffer came to the farm to get the low down on this Björklinge farm, and drive us to Uppsala for dinner. It was fantastic seeing them, especially Hans, because immediately I remembered him from my grandparents wedding, and not only that, but I remember thinking he was great, too. The five of us went to Uppsala, which is really a university town, and we walked to the old church there. Cherry blossom trees are in bloom now, and they reminded me of my campus back in Portland, which I will see soon (weird).

Dinner was at this nice Italian restaurant, and my food was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. We got dessert afterward as well, and Hanna and I almost couldn’t handle the rich, delicious Tartufo Nero (I think it was called) after eating primarily cabbage this past week. Dinner was wonderful, and it was so good catching up with family. That is something I always find interesting. You can go 7 years not seeing someone, but knowing you are family gives you this automatic bond. It was so good to be with family! and, of course, Swedish family is the best.

After dinner, coffee and dessert (SO full), they drove Hanna and I back to our little Björklinge farm. It was around 9pm, which meant we would sleep very well on full stomachs.

BEST DAY OFF EVER.

EVER!

Finished Veronika Decides to Die...hm

May 10^th

Watered the plants and made lunch with Hanna. Another girl is here now, her name is Paulina and she is originally from Poland, grew up in Vienna, and lives on the farm here in Björklinge. Today we worked until 6:15 planting onions from the back of the tractor.

Farm

Dropping little onion bulbs into the earth. Larson is in the beanie, Dan on the far side

Hanna being fancy in the greenhouse

ANDERS!!

It was fun//hard on the back//nice in the sun//need.to.stretch

Larson’s quotes of the day:

“Oh hey, a rock!”

“Alpha Alpha Alpha Bro-mega”

“I’m hoping to dumpster a hat.”