Orientation

Sommaren är här!
It's finally summer, and 2007 Sjölunden staff have gathered on the campus of Bemidji State University in northern Minnesota to prepare for upcoming sessions. Our staff consists of many names familiar to returning villagers: Kajsa, Pia, Linda, Sandra, Ellinor, Isak and many more. We also have 7 native Swedes coming from Stockholm, Falun, Ljusdal, Linköping and Malmö. Our staff is excited to get to out to the Village and to create this very special place that so many of us call home each summer.

Because I am the Dean, during our orientation I stay in private room on the first floor of one of the residence halls. My window looks out onto a plush lawn where the Language Villages staff like to congregate. I am accustomed to laughter and chatter in various world languages late into the night as the staff get to know each other and debrief the workshops of the day out on the lawn outside my window. I usually drift off to sleep lulled by the happy voices outside my window. But this morning I was actually awoken by the music of my favorite band- ABBA. And not only that- outside my window were the Swedish staff doing Friskis och Svettis. Friskis och Svettis is sort of like Jazzercize- it's a national aerobics group in Sweden, characterized by it's friendly and encouraging leaders wearing red spandex shorts and white t-shirts. They were clapping and jumping and making me feel a bit lazy. One of our Credit Teachers, Ebba, is an official Friskis och Svettis teacher and she'll also lead aerobics this summer at Sjölunden. So tomorrow morning I think I'll join them!