Boda Borg

Last weekend, November 13th-15th, Jarryd, Stefano and I went to Boda Borg in the town of Torpshammar, which is about 2 and a half hours north west from Hudiksvall. Boda Borg is a house that used to be a mental hospital but has now been made into a a place with many different quests and challenges and team building activities. Each quest has a series of rooms that are like different levels; when you successfully pass one room you can go to the next but if you fail you have to go back to the first one and each quest has a different theme. My favourite quest was called Rats and crawled through passages and climbed in a giant pantry looking for food boxes and there was a giant kitchen where we had to stay away from the cats. There are rooms with motion sensors to crawl under or you can't touch the floor. There aren't any instructions so you have to go in the room and figure it out, find a button or a pulley or solve a puzzle. In one room we rode across the floor in a bathtub on wheels with a pulley system! It was so much fun, we spent the whole day there from 9 to 5 and my knees were sore from crawling though so many small passages! Check out the web site to find out more about the place; www.bodaborg.com ***********During the weekend we stayed a big house near by that was also part of the mental hospital but is now a hostel. There were 12 of us from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, Germany and me from Canada. We practically had the whole hostel to ourselves so we stayed up late hanging out in the sauna or watching TV. On Saturday night, the hostel staff set up a haunted house quest for us in the attic where, supposedly a crazy lady died. It was dark and we could only use the flashlights they gave us to look for 4 number codes to open the locks that were keeping a big chest closed. It wasn't very scary so I added to the atmosphere by playing a terribly out of tune organ.

First week in November

The first week in November was the first week back from the fall break and I went to school Monday morning, as I normally do, for my piano lesson. After the lesson my teacher informed me that I won't be able to find the rest of my class at school because they are getting work experience out in the community this week.(Way to give me advanced notice!!) So I had no regular classes but I still went to school for my Swedish lessons and my friend's English class just because I could. On Wednesday, I figured I could join my class getting work experience so I helped out my neighbor and family friend, Agnetha, at her hotel. I had the morning shift, 6:30 till when ever, helping put out the breakfast then clear it away and clean the rooms. I also helped set up the big room upstairs for a fashion show on Wednesday and a dinner party on Friday. I enjoyed working there, getting everything ready and making it look pretty for the guests, and the early morning gave me the rest of the day to do whatever I felt like. And thus passed a rather relaxing week.

A rather hectic day

Today started out like any other Wednesday, I was in the music rooms with my music class preparing for a concert next week. It is Remembrance Day today so I ran around to the different groups playing music and handed out poppies and explaining what they meant. I also found time to join my group and practice with them but I wasn't much help because I had left my music at home. I didn't know it at the time, but our afternoon classes were cancelled to give us more time to practice. So after a quick lunch, we were back at it. ***********Now I had heard something about H1N1 vaccines and noon, so at 12 I asked about it. Turns out everyone in my class had already got it, so they pointed me in the right direction and I wondered out of the building. At this point Jarryd calls my cell and it's a good thing because I had wondered out the wrong door and he directed me to the building where the vaccinations were being given out. The reason why he called was to get me a train ticket to BodaBorg, where we're going this weekend, he's such a nice guy. ************In the vaccination building, I got got help filling out a form in Swedish but I confused the administrative nurse because I don't have a person number. She told me to come back tomorrow at 9 when there will be an English speaking nurse there and more time to figure things out. There was I long line up so I didn't want to wait around anyway. ************Back in the music rooms, my class is still practicing and I'm wondering when the grade 2 music class is going to practice. I've been trying to track them down all week because they are having a concert tomorrow and would like me to join them in one song. I find out that they are practicing in the Aula downstairs so I grab my trumpet and head down there. ************Every time I go out in to the hall way, I meet people I know and I hand out poppies. Soon all over the school people are wearing them and talking about them. I should have brought more because it's such a novel idea to the Swedes. This is the most unusual Remembrance Day I've ever had! ************In the Aula, I find the grade 2 music class having a rehearsal. While I wait for my song, Blame it on the Boogie, to come up, Jarryd calls again. He managed to got tickets for the way there but the machine wouldn't let him get me tickets for the way home. I'll figure out how to get home when I get there. It looks like we're going to have a very fun and interesting time in BodaBorg. Back in the Aula, we practice my song and it goes well. I find out the times for the concert tomorrow; 10,12 and 7pm. For the morning concert, the teacher wants us to practice before at 8am. So it looks like I'll be going to school early tomorrow. *************Back up stairs, I'm putting my trumpet away and my class is still practicing. My group had been looking for me but I couldn't hang around to find out why because I had to rush off and give a presentation to a French class. In the French class I gave a power point presentation about Canada, me, the Canadian school system and stuff. The presentation went well but it made me realise how much learning Swedish is affecting my French; I found myself saying min instead of ma and vi instead of nous and I struggled with 14, after a pause all I could come up with was fjorton! But besides that, I had no trouble talking over my 45 minutes. We didn't have time for questions but the teacher invited me back any time to talk to her class again. ***************At 3pm, there was a meeting for grade 3 students to try on and apply for graduation hats. I also had a cooking class at 3 but several of my cooking class mates were there so I don't know who was left to cook today. You can see a picture of the studentmössa as it's called. I never knew there were so many choices to make while ordering it; what colour trim, what colour embroidery, what do you want embroidered, what type of flower in the front what colour gem in the flower, what type of liner, which style, which package (with a champagne glass or not) what should be engraved on the champagne glass and what size of hat? There were so many things to decide that I was the last one to hand in my form and the whole thing is going to cost me about $100!! I got a ride into town from one of my friends because it's as dark as night at 4 o'clock these days. ***************Now I'm at home and can relax after my rather hectic day.