OCTOBER (Jump to November, December)

3 OCTOBER
Trip from Italy. I'm back in Sweden now. From Italy we took off at 21.30 and flew in a small plane; Boeing 757, same as we flew to Italy. The aerial view of Rome at night was very beautiful.

There was a considerable problem at the passport control at my return to Arlanda (Stockholm's airport). The passport control officials kept me in the Arrivals terminal and were phoning Invandraverket (the Immigration Board) in Norrkцping for half an hour while all the others of our group were waiting for me outside. The officials said I shouldn't have left because my permission to stay had not been extended yet. The application was still being processed and, as there was no negative reply, they let me in. We arrived home to Delsbo at 3 a.m. on 28 September.

Following days. The next day we slept till lunch and in the afternoon we picked up potato after the tractor. We picked up potato most of the working time last week.

Photos from Michelgеrden. October 1999

On Friday I had a free day again and I went to Hudiksvall to use the Internet and also to get my film processed. Unfortunately, they didn't accept my 40-pics film with Italy as the "first" film which I can get processed free of charge (according to the certificate I got when I bought the camera). Instead they took the 15-pics film which was included with the camera; I have some Swedish pictures on it and will get them next week. I think I'll process all my other films when I return to Russia, because here it's too expensive (100 kr. for a 40-picture ASP film).

Changes in our house. I'm the only person going to stay in the house of all the co-workers who lived with me before. There are now new "house parents": Christopher, a 40-year-old Swede who is in charge of the works here in Mickelgеrden, and Debra, his English wife, as well as their two children. The Japanese girl is moving to another house and the Australian and his daughter will leave for good this month. There'll be probably a new co-worker in our house. There is a new co-worker in the neighbouring house: Michael, a 34-y.o. Englishman, former site engineer.

Life in Italy. I need to do a lot of studying now, because in Italy I just enjoyed life and was not studying anything. I felt better there, physically and morally: I didn't have to cook any special food, had plenty of exercise (swimming, running, basketball, weight lifting) and there was a lot of new impressions.

4 OCTOBER
In the morning and in the afternoon we picked up potato, we've almost finished.

Swedish. After lunch I tried to study Swedish "A"but then I decided that I need to change the course. I need to train myself on grammar and vocabulary and something similar to the structure of the "Intermediate English Course" would be ideal. Instead I have rather theoretical books that I can't train my Swedish with. I do not need theory much, I studied it in the university. The structure of the course is very unclear too. I have to switch between three books all the time. If there is no another course at Lansen/Komvux (communal adult education), I'll study the Swedish Society in Swedish and read books from the library. I also must continue with French.

Sauna. On Saturday we were having sauna again - me and Johan, our villager. I felt extremely well, I need to do it more often! This time we listened to a cassette of Vysotski that my mother had sent to me ("Protopi ty mne ban'ku..." is great to listen in a sauna also!)

Letter from home. Mother also sent a letter. She writes that she is still working although the grandmother is ill. This year there is a good harvest of potato. She has not sold the flat yet (there are some difficulties to unregister the grandma). The dollar costs 25.5 roubles. Food prices go up gradually, but pensions and salaries are same. She writes about the blowing up of dwelling houses in Moscow and the war in Chechnya, but I also read about it in the newspapers.

17.10 - On 15-17 October I went to Stockholm to accompany our villagers on their trip home. There were 2 co-workers with us as well. I Stockholm we stayed at City Backpackers, a good clean hostel near the Central Train Station (USD 20 per night). I went to Gamla Stan again, as five years ago. Museums here are quite expensive, so I just looked at the city. I also did some window-shopping and went to the City Library (that's where I am writing this now).

24.10 - We just arrived from the Sunday morning meeting. It was as usual: singing same songs and listening to stories. It's no fun, but it's part of my job because villagers are there and I had to be with them.

On Friday was my day off, but I went to accompany Ivan on his trip to Uppsala. We went there in a taxi because it's not possible for Ivan to travel in public transport. The taxi to Uppsala and back cost about USD 600, the state pays for it.

30.10 (Su) - In the morning we had a "Sacrifice" again (it's a religious ceremony held on Sunday, quite boring, but have to accompany Svante). Then we went for a walk with our two villagers (Svante and Johan) visiting the farmers who live nearby.

In the afternoon we three went to Delsbo. First we went to a pizzeria and ate a pizza each. Then we headed to the dancing hall for a dancing course there for beginners (I need it as well because I can't dance). There were about 40 men and women, older and younger then me. We were learning the basic steps of some Swedish folk dance and then tried to dance to the live music. The steps were not difficult to follow, but when we actually tried to dance it was difficult, the most difficult was to turn around with the partner. We were there from 18 to 21 o'clock. At the end everything was swerving about me.

This week there was more work in our house, because one of our house parents was away attending a 5-day gardening course. So we were two co-workers with four villagers.

NOVEMBER

6.11 (SATURDAY) - There was a Swedish holiday - All Saints' Day. In the morning we went to religious service in Staffansgåеrden again. Then I spent some time with the villages helping then change their bed linen. After lunch I sat at the computer again. In the evening we went to the church-yard, the graves were lit with candle lamps; it was beautiful.

7.11 (SUNDAY) - We had our first house meeting with our new "house parents". What we talked about: Next week many villagers will go home; a new co-worker will come; the TV will be removed from the house (the villagers are distracted); there will be a long Christmas holiday (two weeks). I haven't planned my holiday for this time, I thought I'd have it somewhere in March at the end of my first year here.

Then I went to dance again. It's a pity I did not start this course from the beginning, because the others have learned a few more dances. There is so much turning around that I felt dizzy after one hour (I feel dizzy sometimes in the car also, but it depends on a car). I did not sat and watched them very long, because Annika (a villager from our house) got an epileptic fit; I accompanied her home. Next weekend I'm probably going to Stockholm again.

Only on Monday I remembered that on Nov. 7 it was another anniversary of "October Revolution". Certainly there were crowds with red flags and portraits of Stalin in Moscow again.

8.11 (MONDAY) - We threw hay to the top of the hay house, then after the tea break (I usually read a newspaper instead) we worked in the wood making special boxes for planting trees. In the afternoon I was in the carpentry painting wooden horses (so-called Dalarna horse, one of the Swedish national symbols).

9.11 (TUESDAY, ten years ago the Berlin wall was broken) - Usual work (feeding animals and cutting wood for firewood). After lunch I went with Johan to the Delsbo library and surfed on the Internet. In the evening after work I started learning French again after a break of three months. Without studying I feel that my head is being filled with firewood.

10.11 (WEDNESDAY) - Usual work. In the afternoon we had horse riding and gymnastics. In the evening I bathed Ivan and continued with French.

11.11 (THURSDAY) - Before noon we were planting acorns in the wood. Then I disassembled old wooden pallets to be further sawn for firewood.

12.11 (FRIDAY) - I had rest as usual, as it was my free day, then at 12 a.m. I went with Svante and a few other villagers to Stockholm in a taxi. The distance is 350 km and the trip takes almost five hours.

We did not go in the taxi to the city centre, but changed it for the "tunelbana" (the underground). We went 3 zones (about half an hour) that cost 21 kr. (USD 2.5). The underground is clean and efficient, but boring. Moscow metro is much more beautiful and livelier than Stockholm's; here almost everyone is wearing same type of expensive clothes and carrying a "nalle" ( "teddy bear" - mobile phone) in the pocket.

From the Central train station I called two hostels in the city centre - City Backpackers and Mitt i City. The latter had accommodation. It was significantly dirtier, but I had breakfast. At the hostel I had a talk with an American and an Irishman. They said that Stockholm is rational, but unimaginative, and there's nothing to do here (they were dying for cheap beer also). At night at 3 a.m. I got up to have a drink, then struck up a conversation with a Swede, an assistant to a local politician. We talked about politics - Russia (mainly) and Sweden - till 4.30 in the morning.

13.11 (SATURDAY) - First I spent 3 hours in a second-hand bookshop. Normally I try not to buy books here. New books are 20 times more expensive than in Russia, but second-hand ones are more affordable. I bought textbooks on English, French and Russian languages and spent all my two-day trip allowance USD 40 (usually I just save it). I bought the Russian textbooks because I want to try to teach Russian. Then I went to Stockholm's library and after that a place called Lava - a youth centre. There is always something new there. This time there was a band from Africa playing the drums.

14.11 (SUNDAY) - The weather has been quite warm and dry this autumn, but on Sunday there was a cold wind and it started to snow. I went to Gamla Stan (Old Town) first, then to the library. At 15.00 we went by underground again then by taxi with the villagers back home.

15-18.11 (MONDAY - SUNDAY) Usual work: fed animals, cut and carried firewood, weavery on Monday afternoon. We need tons of firewood to warm three houses. We carry big logs from what used to be a shed to our cutting site; cut and split it there, put to the pile nearby if it needs drying or transport it to the oven room. I also keep fire in the oven that warms water for the houses.

On Tuesday after lunch we biked with Johan, a villager from our house, to our local library in Delsbo and used the Internet there. Johan, though mentally handicapped, has a lot of initiative and likes to work. I showed him the Internet and now we bike with him to the library every Tuesday. He says he wants to bring his computer from his home in Gothenburg.

On Friday was my free day. I biked to Delsbo (2 km) and back. I've never biked in winter, but I need to go to town somehow. I Delsbo I did some shopping and looked for warm high boots for me to work outdoors. The prices are very high, but the office will pay. In the evening I tried to watch Woody Allen's film Another Woman, but did not like it much.

On Saturday I sat mostly at the computer and also cooked lunch for the house.

On Sunday I cooked lunch again and in the evening I went to dance. I learned a new dance and practised the dances I already knew. It's a pity that this course is only once a week; it's difficult to remember the motions.

DECEMBER

ELECTIONS IN RUSSIA. On the eve of the Parliament elections I phoned my mother and told her to go and vote for me using the Power of Attorney that I left to her. I told her to vote for the Yabloko party as the only party who were opposed to the war in Chechnya or the Union of the Right Forces. We had a bit of an argument with her, because she admires Putin. I told her that he is a bandit of the same sort as Yeltsin, because it under his leadership hundreds of people are killed in Chechnya every day.

26.12 (SUNDAY). On Wednesday (22.12) I went with our villagers on the home trip to Uppsala - Solentuna (a Stockholm's suburb). Today I went to Stockholm again and back. I did not stay in the city at all: I took the underground to Kista, Stockholm's suburb (Annika's home), then we went to Uppsala and picked up Ivan. I left home at 8.30 and came back at 20.00.

Yesterday I read a new Swedish textbook (Mеl3): it's difficult enough for me and has long vocabulary lists, just what I need. I read newspapers a lot also. Most of the co-workers went to a hut in the woods to celebrate Christmas from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning. I didn't go. I do not like parties, especially when I can't escape (the hut is in the wood), and I'm a bit tired to see the same people around.

I almost did not watch TV over Christmas. Now the TV is somewhere in the garage (the "house parents" decided not to have the TV in the house) and I can barely see the first channel there (normally we have three: SVT 1, 2, 4 - Swedish state TV channels). There is not much to see on TV, but I want to watch the news and there are good films sometimes. Now, for example, Bergman's film "Fanny and Alexander" is starting, but I have to be in the house because all the other co-workers are away. I have a bit of a headache (I was dozing in the car), so that's all for today.

28.12 (TUESDAY). There was a big party yesterday in the house. I did not go. I'd cooked my lunch before and was sitting and reading in my room. I also went to Delsbo (office, post, bank, employment agency).

Today Christopher (our house father) has gone to Gцteborg till 3 Jan., Debra (house mother) with her children is due to arrive. Anna (a young Swedish co-worker who is also in our house) has gone somewhere with Annika. Villagers Johan and Svante are still away, in Gцteborg and Stockholm respectively. I'm alone here with Ivan and can use the computer in peace.

Continuing at 18.00. Debra and the children arrived. Ivan caused a big problem again: I had to change his clothes and wash him. Then Annika had a fit hitting herself against the bath tub. Then I cooked food for Ivan and myself. I washed a lot of dishes today also, most of them were from yesterdayиs party. I'm also keeping the fire al usual to warm our three houses.

31.12. (FRIDAY) 21.40 O'CLOCK - It my free day again, but I still I was doing some work: keeping fire (about 10 wheelbarrows of wood, it's about - 15 outside), washing up dishes and bathing Ivan.

Now everyone has left to Staffansgеrden to celebrate the new year. I am going to watch the TV broadcast from Russia in 15 minutes.

What I miss now is champagne or red wine. It's not quite a New Year celebration without wine. At 21.50 I went to watch TV in the next house. But there were two other co-workers in the TV room who live in that house and they wanted to see another channel.

Two hours later I went to the garage where our TV was to see the new year in according to the Swedish time. The TV is small, it shows only two channels and it was cold there so I had all my clothes on and my thermos with hot tea.

On SVT 2 they showed the final countdown in various European cities: Prague, Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Madrid and Budapest. They broadcast live from these cities in a quick sequence.

At 00:00 the TV was showing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The tower was sparkling and shining with different colours and fountains of light were cascading from the top. It looked tremendous, as if an extraterrestrial spacecraft landed in Paris. Then I went out the garage to have a look outside. Some small-scale fireworks were seen and heard from Delsbo. I watched TV some more. It was breath-taking to see all these crowds in European capitals singing and roaring with joy.

I could not see Moscow this evening. But I'd already heard on BBC that Yeltsin had gone. For Russia this is the best new year present.