Explanation

The word Advent is the abbreviation of the Latin which means the Lord’s arrival. The period covers the period from the fourth Sunday before Christmas until Christmas Eve. Church year begins the first Sunday in Advent and the day has been from the 1920s has become one of this year’s major church-time days. Psalms Pave the way for the Lord and Hosanna are singing publicly in the churches then.

The Advent celebration during the 1900s. Stars Advent, Advent candlesticks and Advent calendars come in the 1930s in Sweden.

History

When Christianity and thus the Christian Christmas was introduced in Scandinavia for about 1000 years ago introduced Advent fasting. This meant no meat food, drink, festivities and no wedding. Advent fasting was a preparation for the big joy holiday. After the 1500s, when we switched from Catholicism to Protestantism, the Advent fasting disappeared. At all times Advent has been a time of stillness. There was a popular notion that the word Advent, probably because of the linguistic similarity, had a relationship with pending.

Preliminaries

Today we can say that Christmas preparations accelerates during Advent. During Advent the Christmas wish lists must to be made, gifts purchased, the Christmas bread baked and Christmas food cooked. All the Christmas dinner must to be eaten in a restaurant and all Christmas preparations happening in the Advent star’s light. The Swedes invite each other to Advent mulled with ginger and saffron bread and MANY Christmas sweets. Typical of Advent is red curtains, Advent stars , Advent candlesticks, Advent calendars, garland of flowers, poinsettia, hyacinth and amaryllis.

The Swedish Advent candlestick story begins in the 1870s and the model was taken from Germany. In Advent the Christmas tree was lit seven candles, one for each day of the week, for four Sundays. Seven children had to go up round of pleadings and lit candles and read from the  bible. In 1920 to 1930 century competed Advent tree out of the Advent candlestick with four candles. Advent candlesticks are now in most Swedish homes but have no tradition abroad.

The Advent Star lights up our windows in December darkness. It is a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which guided the three wise men to the house with the newborn baby Jesus.

This year, the Advent begins on November 29, the same Sunday like Plate Sunday, which Andreas told us about. Have you, all CREW-students, done your Christmas wish lists? I have made my list…

//Andreea Soldan

Nils Sten Edvard Selander was born 1th of July 1891 and dead 8th of April. He was from Stockholm (the capital of Sweden). He was a Swedish poet, essayist, translator and botanist. He succeeded Sven Hedin as a member of the Swedish Academy on chair 6 (1953). He was also a literary and theater critic for several newspapers, including Dagens Nyheter (Daily News) 1929-1935 and Svenska Dagbladet (Swedish Daily News) from 1935. Selander was the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation Chairman 1936-1947.

He debuted as a lyricist in 1916 with the collection Verses and songs. His breakthrough came in 1926 with The city and other poems. Selander wrote a traditional poetry and was a stranger to “the incomprehensible” modernism. He belongs to the group lyricist known as the intimate bourgeois realists. His motives are often taken from everyday life.

… to be continued

//Felicia Vikberg

What kind of local product would you take with you for your friends abroad, when you visit them? Being french, I guess I would be expected to bring some wine, saucisson, croissants. So do I. But not only

Whenever I happen to travel from France to Sweden, there is something I always put in my luggage : a packet of extra bold Starbucks coffee, bought in beans and specially ground for a filter coffee machine directly at the Starbucks shop.

During my weekly grocery shopping yesterday, I found some Starbucks coffee on the shelves. I immediately had a thought for my swedish friend I always bring some Starbucks coffee to.

In Sweden indeed, there are no Starbucks. At first, it may sound surprising. Swedes, indeed, love coffee. My guess is that it’s especially because they love coffee that Starbucks couldn’t implement in Sweden.

Starbucks offer is all about having an expensive break with a good coffee, a piece of cake and a couple of friends to socialize with. In Stockholm, you’re never less than 100 meter from a nice café, where you can get a cheap and good coffee, with a delicious and as cheap piece of cake.

In Sweden, this kind of moment is such a long tradition that it has its own name, impossible to translate in any language : fika.

If I go to Starbucks in France, since it’s the only place I can enjoy such a break, I don’t think I would ever step in a shop in Sweden.

From time to time, a Starbucks break

Though, Starbucks is, at last, bashfully  to run an outlet at Arlanda airport. First sign of an imminent invasion?

As Macdonalds struggled to find room in Sweden, I think Starbucks will go through many troubles if they don’t make any efforts to adapt their business to the local customs. I’m not quite sure if the keen interest some Swedes have for Starbucks will ever help Starbucks to become a serious competitor for Espresso house or Waynes Coffee, the two strongly implemented coffee chains in Sweden.

With this amusing thought in mind, I placed one packet of Starbucks coffee in my basket and for the first time, tried it once home. It tasted pretty ok, but nothing really exceptional. Maybe due to the fact I bought it already ground in a supermarket?

So before I head to the airport on Wednesday, I’ll make the traditional stop at the Starbucks in front of my office, and will pick the usual pack of extra bold coffee, waiting for the coffee chain to settle in Stockholm, enabling my friend to have her favorite coffee always at her fingertips.

My first pack of Starbucks coffee ever

But at the moment, I’m doing a massacre out of the pack I bought for myself, as I need to stay perfectly awake to work on my thesis. Wish me good luck!

There has been many reports about Princess Madeleine’s new home. For long it was believed to be Villa Beylon but it seems those reports were false as another candidate is said to be in contract discussions. A lawyer presented Villa Parkudden instead and said that this is the Princess new choice. Even if I’m not sure about where the royal couple will be living I am positive they will reside in the Capital City. Just like Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel Westling will do….

In the current recession they are debating of what place to make their new home while others might not even have a job…

What do you think? Do you have any opinions? Should we even keep the current monarchy? If you think so, why then should we the Swedish citizens be forced to pay for the royal households luxury living with designer clothes and other things? I understand that the members of the Swedish royal household most look representative yet I cannot understand how a really expensive luxury handbag got into the picture. It is a recession after all and many people cannot afford to fulfill the most basic needs. Is not that ironic?

I am not totally aganist the Swedish monarchy yet there are some things I dislike.

Halloween

Celebration of Halloween came to Sweden in the 50s, but it was barely noticed back then. It was in the beginning of the 90s the whole “celebrating” thing was introduced with selling Halloween-objects. People started to dress themselves with scary costumes.

Nowadays in Sweden children dress themselves out, walking from house to house, asking “Trick or treat?” (In Sweden we call it “Bus eller godis?”). If they don’t get candy, money, fruit or whatever from the ones they’re asking they might put up on some trick on them. For example throwing eggs on the house, tape up the locker or maybe put some toothpaste on the door handle.

Halloween has become more and more a tradition among both youths and older people in Sweden. For the older ones private partys are the most common way of celebrating Halloween, but there are also more and more arrangements in the clubs and restaurants every year, it’s just getting bigger.

This Halloween our beloved classmate William celebrated his 18^th birthday with a great warm-up, before most of us went to the club. In Sweden Halloween doesn’t have to be about scary costumes, I mean, mostly it is, but it’s much just about the whole costume thing. You can dress yourself up into almost anything. It doesn’t have to be something scary.

Some pics :

And here he is, the one and only William! And he also got himself a bithday-kiss!

Here’s my brother Jonas ( twinbrother actually) , the one on the right side! <3

Well students in our class would be Ida, the rocker in the mittle Felicia next to her and myself in the red dress.

MJ’s back!? no, no, of course it’s Samuel! But the Michael Jackson dance performed was AWESOME.

Sweetney Todd? Well in the dark they looked almost the same, Olov and Johnny Deep. Not a bad person to be compared to

And of course the steaaaakerS,  << Leo and Jacob >>

<<Andreas, Johan next to him, myself and Ida.
Btw check out Andreas eyes

How did you celebrate your Halloween?

//Sofie Ögren

Hello.

We have finally got an answer from Cloud Juice. But the answer wasn’t very satisfying. They asked me where I am located. I have sent another e-mail and hopefully there will be more information in Cloud Juices next answer.

I have also talked to a company in town who can print shirts to World Water Day.  The idea is that me and Samuel will have t-shirts printed with: World Water Day and the diner ladies also will were it.

In the following week I think I will get an answer from Cloud Juice and hopefully it contains some valuable information about their water. I will also try to figure out some games we can use on World Water Day.

Bye.

Olov Bergkvist

Hi there!

It’s been a while since we’ve updated our “journal” here on CREW.  The thing is that me and Olov, we’ve had a lot going on lately and all that has reduced our time for WWD but we can promise you that all our planned WWD-work will be in motion very soon.

What we’ve made this week is trying to get som more information about the exlcusive water-types, Cloud Juice and Fiji Water, which isn’t easy. I’ve been trying to find some information about the Fiji Water by sending them an e-mail, when I’ll get an answer is another story…

I’ve also been brainstorming for ideas about the 22/3 -10, the date of World Water Day. For example some activities, posters, t-shirts and things like that. I definitely hope to get an answer from Fiji Water the upcoming week, so we can lay more focus on the activites and all that before WWD. I feel that we have time, but you can not prepare enough. 

So long folks. Your man Samuel.

Gravlax. It was the first thing that came to mind when a Facebook quiz I just took revealed that my secret nationality is Swedish.

Okeee Dokeee, it’s FEIN, I’m Svedish. How nobody in my Irish/Scottish/Italian/Russian/Slavic family remembered to tell me I don’t know.

Had to answer a bunch of silly questions and I’m Swedish because I have the following personality traits.

You are friendly, gentle, and modest, with a good heart and a lusty nature. You laugh easily, have a well-developed sense of irony, and tend to understand people intuitively. You are interested in new people, but will always maintain notions of insider vs. outsider, and this will lead you to commit to a group of friends and lovers who will be with you your entire life. If you have a weakness it’s your timidity — you feel pressure to remain ‘lagom’ — on an even par with others. But this is also your strength.

Yesterday, our own Stefan aged 60 years.

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! (In Sweden we say “hurray” four times after we have sung.)

The students in SPID2 have courted him today by singing For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow. We, the teachers in the SPID team, in English subject team and our headmaster, Birgitta, have congratulated him with buns, cakes, tarts, coffee, tea, singing and birthday presents. Two other English teachers, Linda and Linnéa, had birthday today so we sang for them, too.

Have the honor Stefan!

//Christina Soldan

Emily!

My cousin sent me a link with my face in a movie…brilliant!

In Sweden we have something we call “November holidays” – November holidays, it is called for, it usually falls in late October or early November. In the past, had in November do not permit the same meaning as it does now. Then called it “the potatoes break” for the children could help at home and reap the potatoes and other things needed for the winter. Now, we break for the children and young people should be able to get some rest and then be able to come back to school and be able to perform at their highest level.

We students do not celebrate it in a special way in addition to rest us up while we are doing a lot of fun things. It also organized fun activities at various sites where children and young people can go and it does not cost much to be with and hang out.

November holiday is also an occasion when you can celebrate Halloween. Then one often some sort of party or gatherings with family and friends, and it often happens that we dress up ourselves and have fun all night. During this weekend we usually also go to cemeteries to light candles for those who have died in our neighborhood.

Swimtime

During the holidays this year, I was friends with most all holidays and was glad that I for once did not have to study anything. By day, I was swimming with some friends and we were also playing Laserdome and then we saw the film until late at night. Otherwise I enjoyed most of being vacant and slept late in the day!

/Ida Söderström

I was at the plate-Sunday and took some pictures and thought I should explain a bit what plate-Sunday really means.

The first plate-Sunday was held in Stockholm 1953. Plate-Sunday is always on the 1st Advent and nowadays, it is always the last weekend in November. Advent (which means arrival) is the period of approximately four weeks beginning on the first Sunday of Advent (four Sundays before Christmas Day) and continues until Christmas Eve night. First, second, third and fourth Advent is always on a Sunday and not necessarily in December.

Many people come to the Plate-Sunday alone or with their kids. Here is the giant Christmans tree in the centre of Skellefteå.

Many  societies from schools are there to sell things so they can make money to travel somewhere for instance.

The kids could ride on a babyhorse back and forward.

As you can see there where many students who soled things to make money for there class.

// Andreas Warg

It is true it seems that our ancient Christmas traditions are no longer sacred. First of all I am sure there are a majority of people still will be chosing Donald Duck on Christmas Eve. Please, let it stay that way. Why? Beacuse of another “Duck” or Anka which I am not particularly happy about. Let’s just say that Swedes will have a choice of what Duk to watch the traditional Donald Duck or the more contemporary Duk… I will still refuse to say exacly what the other Duck is…

 This years it seems like we might not get saffron for our beloved Saffron buns. And now it seems our favorite chocolate Aladdin has chosen to modernize by creating one new flavour and removing another. There has also been an official statement urging people to recycle their glass bottles in order to save the Swedish Julmust.

Recent reports stated that the traditional Christmas ham might contribute to the dreaded H1N1 virus. More recent reports about the regulations on Swedish pig farms states that a majority of them are poorly maintained. People are recommended not to buy any pork or pig meat from suspected pig farms.

How will you be celebrating Christmas this year?

2009/12/14

The list of the chosen personalities will be made available on the blog.

2009/12/16

A common layout of the information sheets about the chosen personalities will be elaborated by cooperating via Internet.

// Christina Soldan

Yesterday we had an info meeting with all CREW participants and their parents. Stefan welcomed everyone and then, we presented the CREW project, the blog and its features. We also talked about how we are implementing the project in our school subjects and showed some student work. Christer presented the planning of our trip to Romania and back. Katarina was at the meeting, too.

After a good cup of coffee/tee, cakes and mingle, we continued planning the accommodation of the Romanian students when they come to Sweden. We discussed activities, health and other important things that we thought about hospitality in the north.

We have planned another meeting in January, before the Romanians coming to Sweden. Then Lennart Gustavsson and his daughter, Theresé, will come as guests. They have participated in a similar project with Örjanskolan in 2007 and they will tell us about their experiences from parents and students perspectives. The project name is BONDS. I and my daughter, Andrea, also participated in the project together with Lennart and Theresé, and we will show images and movies from BONDS.

Thanks all and especially CREW parents for a pleasant and fruitful meeting! Thanks Alina, Judit, and Alin because you were connected to Yahoo Chat Rooms and was able to quickly respond to parents’ questions! A modern meeting is evidence that long distance does not have any significance today… provided that the Internet and the technology works, of course…

// Christina Soldan

Our school participates with yet another contribution to the Water Film Competition. The first prize is 30,000 Swedish crowns, which is 3,000 EURO!

See A World Without Water – http://vattenfilm.se/taevlingsbidrag/watch/60.html.

The students who have made the movie study the Media Programme in class MP2. Their teacher is Staffan Lidman (teacher and artist), part of our Logotype Contests assessment jury. The actor, Claes Degerman ES2c, studies  the Arts Programme focusing on theatre. In his last year, he has studied computer knowledge with me as a teacher. I am proud of him.

Another two movies from MP2 are Waterwoman – http://vattenfilm.se/taevlingsbidrag/watch/55.html - and Depending on Water – http://vattenfilm.se/taevlingsbidrag/watch/58.html.

We wish them good luck too!

//Christina Soldan

Last Saturday our story was in the local newspaper Norra Västerbotten, a full page long.

CREW in the local newspaper, Norra Västerbotten. Click on image to enlarge it!

There are mainly the same things in this article that I translated earlier (see Isak’s idea resulted in 20000 €!!). Besides it comes with a small survey that Bo Fuhrman did when he interviewed us:

Romania, what are you thinking? What do you think about your class trip there?

1. Isak Pettersson, 19 years, student, Burträsk.

“Dracula’s castle. Mystery and excitement. Eastern European country. Language. Somewhat like French, as I understand. This is exciting, all the time.”

2. Ida Söderström, 18 years, student, Morön, Skellefteå.

“Christina Soldan! We have some ”crazy” teachers and a little “crazy” class, here anything can happen. I was also thinking about a dark castle. We’re studying the language, but it is really hard.”

3. Dennis Karlsson, 18 years, student, Sunnanå, Skellefteå.

“I was thinking about football penalties and 1994 FIFA World Cup, Sweden won. But it is fun to visit an unusual country. We do not travel there every day, exactly.”

PS - Bo Fuhrman has accepted via e-mail that we publish this entry on our blog.

Our school is festive, even during a normal school week. Much thanks to various school programmes.

Students in ES1b on aestheticians programme was mandated to be free to create an installation under the theme Why? / Because!

Balloons maybe make a school toilet more attractive …

To travel from one classroom to another can be the same as being eaten by a big green shark…

One of Anderstorpsskolan courtyards have been turned into a graveyard.

ES3a and d rocked in the central hall.

Welcome to Anderstorpsskolan – a creative school!

//Christina Soldan

Docendo discimus

Well, Viktor was Romanian teacher this lesson. The entire class worked hard throughout the lesson to guess a secret word in Hangman. Hint: Samuels favorite Romanian word.

The result:

//Christina Soldan

Today we had the Open House at our school. Open House means that elementary school pupils in grade nine visit different general secondary schools in order to gain insight and determine which programme they should elect to the next school year. It’s a a festive occasion because many people come, look around and listen to what we have to offer at the Anderstorpsskolan. Often the visitors know exactly what they want to choose, but they visit all general secondary schools in Skellefteå anyway.

Christina, Stefan, Anette, Jalle, Christer, Hans, and Dag has represented the SPID-programme this year. We offered candy and info sheets. Christer and Hans has informed the future students and their parents about what it means to go on SPID at  Anderstorpsskolan. To enter the SPID-programme needs to be elite athletes at least county level, in addition to having at least Recognized (G) in all school subjects, of course.

Two students from SPID3a (a swimmer and a horsewoman) and three students from SPID3b (Jacob, Hannes and Benne – football) has informed all our visitors from the student experience and perspective.

They sang, danced, played theater and showed art exhibition.

Media programme offered at a creepy Santa Claus and the social programme offered hot chocolate in the school’s courtyard.

Hard to work on a Saturday when the brain says that there is a rest day today… In return all teachers and students will take time off from work on Monday .

The Fishing in the Skellefteå river (Skellefteälven)

The salmon fishing starts in September and ends when the winter comes sometime in November-December. The fish caught during the end of the fishing season are most likely to be very coloured and the meat isn’t always as good as it is earlier in the season.

When people decide to fish from the waterside and not from a boat they usually fish around Lejonströmsbron (the red old bridge) or at Mobacken.

Heavy fishing lures and wobblers are often used. The salmon caught in the river using fishing rod have the latest years varied between 500-1500 per year.

 If you are lucky you can get nice graylings by using bottom angling.

 Burbot are caught when ice fishing in the area near Björnsholmen. Pike are also caught in that area in May-June, just after the spawning.

 The Skellefteå river has had plenty of salmon in recent years. The number of salmon and trouts are maintained by putting new fish into the river.

Interview

Jacob Eliasson claims that he is the best fisher in the class so I thought that doing an interview with him would be a good way to get some information about the fishing in the river (Skellefteälven). So that’s exactly what I did.

 How many times have you fished in the river?

- Maybe fifty times. I usually don’t fish in the river.

 What different species have you caught from the river?

- Grayling, perch, trout, roach, pike and a bicycle.

 What fish are you most proud of that you have caught?

- I guess that would be the bicycle. No I’m just pulling your leg. If I should be honest I have not caught any really big fish in the river but I am an excellent fisher if I may say so myself.

 What is your favourite fishing place in the river?

- I would rather not reveal that but I like to fish at Lejonströmsbron (the old red bridge). The   nature is so beautiful in that area, fishing is so much more than getting fish you know. The experience of nature is something I enjoy very much.

 Is it free to fish in the river?

-Yes it is, at least in some areas. That’s nice.

 What kind of fishing tackle do you recommend?

- If you have a boat that’s great advantage. Because in that way you can very easily travel in the river and try the fishing luck at many different places. The choice of fishing rod and fishing lures depends on what kind of fish you want to get. I like fly fishing the most.

 Do you think that you will try the fishing in Romania?

- Well I hope so, of course. I would really like that. It would be interesting.

/Dennis

Finnfors Hydroelectric Power Station

The largest hydroelectric power station is Finnfors craft station which lays a couple of miles up streams from the town of Skellefteå. The station was first build back in 1908 which made it the first one in the Skellefteå river. It was also the largest in northern Sweden back then.

All the old houses, generators and turbines from those days are still in very good shape but too old to still be useable. That’s why Finnfors craft station today is both a hydroelectric power station and a museum. There are often held guided tours around the station but you can also just go around yourself and discover it on your own. Something that’s pretty unique is that you at one place can walk in the huge concourse tunnels where the water once flushed forward with an enormous power.  

Hopefully we can visit Finnfors when you arrive!

/Isak

Hello!

In the week, we have continued with the work around the pollutant in the Bothnian Sea. We begin to approach the end of this area. It has taken more time than we first believed since the pollutions are a huge problem. But we believe that we will be finish with this area in next week. In this week, we have written some questions that we want to have more detailed reply on. We will therefore speak with our teacher Eva Ekblad next week and see if she can help us with those questions. Otherwise, the work has gone well in the week. We have found that Östersjön is the most radio active sea in the entire world.

That was all from us, see u!

/Emelie and William