Real Life ‘Farm-Ville’

Finally after a long absence I got into my blogging mood again. I know that I should have written about my life in Sweden, but what I find interesting during my second stint as a student might be too boring for most… But of course it is just another excuse for my laziness 😉

So why do I decide to write again? First and foremost is that I finally get a volunteer work in an ecological farm through WWOOF at Oliviaeko in Bitterna, Västra Götaland, around 100 km from Gothenburg (Göteborg in Swedish). The family farm mainly produces organic rap seed oil as well as raspberry, sea buckthorn and honey that are sold within the local community.

So, this morning I took the morning train to Herrljunga, the closest station to Bitterna and reached the station by 9am. Erland, my friendly host, kindly picked me up and my idyllic farm life finally begins. Erland introduced me to his wife Carina, the lively mormor (grandmother) and Valentin , another volunteer from France.

After a short tour around the farm, I was assigned my first day duties which include: road and pavement leveling as well as weed removal. But working in Sweden is not complete without their famous ‘fika’ or coffee break. We had two nice fika sessions with the renowned kanelbulle, Swedish cinnamon bread and fresh berries. It just took me a couple of hours to realize that it might be idyllic but it surely is not a walk in the park. The work is not the easiest, but to experience Swedish farm life is a chance that I will enjoy as much as possible. With this much inspiration, I am pretty sure that this will not be my last blog on Bitterna. Stay tuned!! Hej då!!