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September 05, 2004
Kayaking
Let's see, where was I? After lunch break on Friday, we continued our classes until 3:15 p.m. The princess was quiet, and didn't really affect the lectures that much. I enjoyed hearing Karl-Hendrik speak, and I am really looking forward to next week's lectures, as they will cover information I haven't already read about in the coursebook.
After class, I went downtown and ran a few errands. I picked up Q-tips and hair de-frizzer at the drug store (like a CVS, but only with beauty products). I re-charged my mobile phone (hurrah for outgoing calls!) and did some grocery shopping. While at Spar, I ran into Birte who told me that Scotty was hosting dinner at his place in Bredgartan. I added a bag of chips to my basket and we agreed to meet at the Kungsmarksvägen bus stop to ride over to Scotty's together. We parted ways, and I went back to the apartment.
Birte ended up running late, so I took the bus over to Centrum alone, running into Mitch on the way. Mitch was on his way to Rene's house, where there was another group dinner in the works. He hopped off the bus at campus, and I continued on alone. I met Paulo and Tomomi at the Tourist Bureau, where we had arranged a central meeting point for those who didn't know where Scotty lived. We walked over together, and arrived a few minutes later to find a dozen people at Scotty's. By the end of the evening, we totally 22 people—it was quite a feast!
Renaud coordinated the dinner, which consisted of a cream-based sauce over pasta. People had brought a variety of bread, appetizers, desserts, and drinks, so there was plenty to go around. Because there were so many of us, we ended up having to cook the pasta in 4 different pots and the sauce in 2 big pans, and it was a funny sight to see 6 pots and pans being juggled between just 4 burners. Additionally, everyone had brought their own plates and silverware, since last time we ended up drinking our pasta out of plastic cups.
The best part of the party was seeing people break into smaller groups to pursue different activities (the dinner-makers, the TV-watchers, the table-chatters). So often I think we feel obligated to be part of one cohesive group, and that can really kill the atmosphere of a party.
Anyway, dinner was fantastic and the rest of the night went swimmingly. We played fun games, watched the news (where there was an all-too-brief segment on the Crown Princess's visit to our class—none of us made it on the screen), and generally had a good time. By 11:30 p.m., many of us were starting to fade, so a group of us said good-bye and headed for the bus.
Walking outside Scotty's apartment, I saw a new side of Sweden—the drunk, raucous side. There were hordes of young Swedish guys EVERYWHERE. Most of them were drinking on the streets (public drinking is allowed some places in Karlskrona, but since no one knows which places are ok and which are forbidden, the rule is never enforced), and the volume and violence seemed to escalate as we approached the town center. I was walking with Siti, the others having fallen behind, and we were amazed to see people throwing bottles into the town center and having mini-fights all along the main street (Ronnebygatan). There was no police presence, and it was a little disconcerting to walk right through these packs of boys. It made me a little nervous (I felt so old!) but I don't think we were in any real danger—except for possibly being hit by a misguided beer bottle. Discussing it later, we decided it was a combination of the young drinking age (18), the lax rules about drinking in public, and the timing—this was the first weekend in the school year. We'll see if it's similarly out-of-control next weekend.
Our group ended up taking the night bus home (the regular bus stops running at 11:30 p.m.), and it was filled with thin, pasty Goth kids and young Swedish women (apparently still capable of walking in a straight line—unlike their male counterparts).
The next morning I woke up bright and early, quickly eating breakfast, making lunch, and getting dressed. I hopped on the bus to Centrum, where I did a quick survey of the farmers market, looking for Jess (our new roommate) so I could give her a set of keys. She wasn't there, so I quickly hopped back on the bus, meeting Birte and Siti. We took the bus out to Saltö, then walked up to Dragsö, meeting Kevin along the way. The four of us made our way out to the campgrounds, where we rented 2 kayaks and a canoe for the day. While we were setting up, Tomomi joined us, bringing the group to five. Kevin, an experience kayaker, gave us a quick lesson in escaping the boat if it tipped (a nervous thought!), and we were off. Birte and I took the first shift in the kayaks, with Kevin, Siti, and Tomomi in the canoe. We later discovered that the canoe was only meant for two people, which explained why it was so sluggish.
The day was beautiful, and perfect for kayaking. Because we started in the archipelago, the water was perfectly smooth, and there was none of the pesky wind that so often plagues the islands. The sky was amazingly clear, and it was so quiet you could hear the reeds rustling along the banks. I won't mention the birds—suffice it to say that they were plentiful as well, but stayed clear of our group.
It was hard to believe we were kayaking in the Baltic Sea—it looked more like a large lake. As we maneuvered north around the island, we switched places—me and Birte paddling the canoe (with Kevin in the middle), and Siti and Tomomi in the kayaks. We paddled this way down through the town center, around bunched of tiny islands, and eventually stopped for lunch on a lump of rock and grasses. By then, we were in the shipping lanes and the wind and waves had picked up significantly. I was exhausted from 3 hours of kayaking and paddling the canoe (I never appreciated how much work steering a canoe is!) and volunteered to be in the middle seat of the canoe for the next leg of the journey. That proved to be a bad idea, since Siti and Tomomi were the canoe paddlers, and their combined arm muscle wasn't enough to get the canoe going in the right direction through the choppy waters. After a half hour of struggling to another shore, we switched again—me and Tomomi in the kayaks, Birte and Kevin paddling the canoe, and Siti in the middle.
With more than 2/3 of the journey complete, the inevitable happened: I fell in the water. It wasn't a spectacular wave that did me in, oh no. I tipped the kayak while trying to get in. Fortunately, the water only came up to my chest, but I was soaked from my knees to my chest. Not wearing a bathing suit, I was pretty miserable for the rest of the trip back to the beach. But I persisted, and enjoyed the aching muscles and waning sun.
We got back to the beach around 3 p.m., where we promptly laid our gear out in the sun. Kevin and Birte went back out in the kayaks to practice Eskimo rolls, while Siti and I tried to dry off. Tomomi left to go visit the farmers market. At some point, everyone came back to the beach and dried off (as best we could—by then it was only about 65-70 degrees, although still sunny). At 4 p.m. we gathered our stuff and walked back to Saltö, where we caught the bus home. We agreed to meet at 6 p.m. at my apartment for dinner.
I immediately hopped in the bath, where I soaked for an hour. Once I was finally warm, I hopped out and got dressed, just in time to let Jessica in the apartment. She had brought all of her stuff over from Nattraby (where she was previously staying), and quickly moved into the living room.
Soon afterwards, Siti and Birte joined us, and the 4 of us had a lovely dinner of pasta and chicken. The kayaking group was wiped out, so we called it an early night. Roya finally made it home (after getting a flat tire during her bike ride), and she and Jessica went to another party in town. I was invited, but just couldn't tear myself away from my soft, fluff bed. I was asleep by 10 p.m. and didn't even hear Roya and Jessica when they got back.
This morning I was up at 9 a.m., awaking to another beautiful day (not quite as nice as yesterday, but I'm not picky). I had a leftover sandwich from yesterday for breakfast (I'm hoping that the cream cheese didn't go bad during the 6 hours it was in my bag before I put it back in the refrigerator) as well as some yogurt with granola. Yum, yum, yum.
I've eased into the day, and at 11 a.m., am still in my pajamas (although the bed is made, dishes are done, and this lovely journal entry is almost complete). I'm not sure what I'll do for the rest of the day—I'd like to do some more reading before classes start tomorrow. On the other hand, I feel like I should be outside enjoying the warm weather (my definition of "warm" has definitely shifted in the last two weeks) while it lasts. If I can get my act together, I might go downtown and sit and read in the park. Or I might curl up in bed and try to get some reading in before an afternoon nap. I'm not sore from the kayaking (like I thought I would be), but I'm definitely still physically tired. No marathons for me today!
