hola paisano!

one day last week while i was the supermarket here in Jokkmokk, i ran into a little Colombian girl buying milk named Melissa. she'd been introduced to me by Disa Rutschman (Tom's wife) in front of Ajtte Museum once. we chatted, she took the milk home and then came over to hang with me at the church, which her family is a part of. she speaks only Spanish and a little Swedish, and we drew and she played the guitar and it was awesome!


Melissa, 12 years old.


Melissa drawing a picture of me


the drawing

anyway, yesterday she knocked on my door and invited me over to meet her parents later in the afternoon. a little back story: at the end of November 2006, about eight or so Colombian refugee families moved to Jokkmokk. the community took them in and has been helping them as they learn the language, settle in and generally become new Swedish citizens. the Mencado family is one of these. right now they receive a stiped from the government while they learn Swedish (they have lessons every day at the Kunskapenshus) so they can take the national language tests and be eligible to work. anyway, we had coffee and sandwiches, and had an amazing time discussing the "old country", talking about our families, and what their experiences have been like so far here in Sweden. an emotional and intense series of cirumstances, to say the least. they were refugees in Costa Rica for 8 years, and waited for 3 years so they could learn where they would be relocated - they didn't have a choice really, in which country they ultimately would move to. their trip over here included a flight to Paris, where upon their arrival were not allowed to bring the mother's insulin into the country, and she was eventually hopsitalized for 8 days. from there they flew to Lulea, which is where they thought they were going to live, but when they were picked up from the airport and on their way to Jokkmokk they realized they were moving to a tiny town in the Arctic Circle (in the darkest part of winter no less - sunlight for 3 hours a day)!


the Mencado family.

they had some funny stories, about the huge differences in expectations and customs they've learned about so far here. in Colombia, obviously, it was quite unsafe for children, or anyone really, due to the rampant kidnapping and violent crimes. the mom had been a judge for 9 years in Colombia. they arrive in Jokkmokk, a town where people leave their houses unlocked, keys in the ignition of cars, and if you lose anything from your wallet to a pair of gloves, you either find it where you left it or someone returns it to you, without exception. there's no police station and only three policemen, whom you have to call at home in the very rare case of a crime. people from town donated furniture, clothing, kitchen appliances, and even a car! they were amazed at certain customs an attitudes here: both men and women cook for their families and are treated equally, and children are allowed to have candy only on Saturdays (!). we had a hearty laugh at their initial worry that they wouldn't be able to buy coffee here. another thing is the Swedish never brag or advertise their social status, it's considered gauche and rude to imply that you're better than someone else in any way, wether it be intelligence or wealth. everyone dresses down generally and has simple, economic cars. they have commercials on TV on how you shouldn't make fun of other people for mistakes because that can "ruin their dreams" - no joke. extreme patriotism/nationalism is also totally looked down upon, inter-racial marriages are accepted completely, and unmarried couples have the same legal rights as married couples. the concept of having children out of wedlock does not exist here. if anything, most people have a few kids before/if they get married.

the mom got a little teary-eyed after we'd been chatting for awhile, about the lonliness and feeling so out of place, but they were excited to talk to a fellow "paisa" (latin american countryperson) and thinking about the future. they even said if that years from now, if i ever return to Jokkmokk, i have a home there with them, for they plan on staying for a long time! i'm really excited for them, though they're far away from home and completely re-adjusting to a new culture. Melissa and her siblings will have access to free healthcare, education, and elderly pensions among other things throughout their lives, and enjoy standards of living that surpass America's. their eldest son Andres is the star of his Swedish class and has learned more Swedish in these short months than people who've been in the class for 1 or 2 years. he was studying to be an industrial engineer in Colombia and will pursue that here as well. i'm in complete awe and filled with respect for people who, in spite of difficult lives/situations out of their control, can accept radical change and work hard to give their families the best that they can. my parents did the same when they came to America from El Salvador, and i'm thankful every day for it. if they hadn't, i doubt i'd be living my dreams doing what i love or here in Sweden meeting such amazing people today!