And thus, we became a Choir!

Well today was our first full day in Sweden. Breakfast was at 7:30,and it was delicious. The hostel has a lovely common area where we gather in the morning. Then we boarded a bus to go to a nearby village, Botsmark, where we were told we would attend a traditional Sami church service. When we got on the bus, we were handed texts of the day's hymns so that we could practice the pronunciation. Not only were the hymns not in English or Swedish but in Sami, so everyone was slightly clueless. A delightful man named Krister Stoor is our guide for our time in Umeå. Having spent much time at Gustavus in the last several years, Krister wore a Gustavus shirt today which had at least me very excited. Indeed, every time I see the three crowns symbol anywhere here I find myself almost shouting, "Hey! we have that too!." On the bus, we were even treated to a rendition of "Red River Valley" complete with guitar sung by Krister and our other Swedish hosts. We were told that the service would be recorded and broadcast nationally for Sami National Day. We were told that we should sing out so that it came through on the microphone. Lo and behold, when we entered the church, we were informed that we would be standing in front of the congregation and leading the hymns. So, in addition to the Gustavus Choir touring in Italy right now, another Gustavus choir, all be it an impromptu and maybe a little less experienced one, also got to "tour" this morning. After the service, we got to experience our first authentic Swedish fika! (the Swedish verb loosly translated to "socializing over coffee"- can anyone tell why I love the Swedes?!) Sitting around the church with delicious coffee and treats after the service made me feel like a true Lutheran and quite at home. After the service, we went to a small Sami market outside the church where one could purchase the same flatbread which was used in connection with the wedding of Princess Victoria this summer. Quite the first day- singing in front of a crowd AND eating royal flatbread. After our busy morning and afternoon we are enjoying a little down time before venturing out into the cold again to purchase groceries in order to cook and eat like the Swedes this evening!