Interview about my 18 month on the road in Sweden.

June 30, 2017

Interview about my 18 month on the road in Sweden.

My talented in words friend Polly decided to do an interview with me about "how I ended up in Sweden", for her new project in Russia. The text is literally translated from her Russian article, some I tried to fix up with the exact meaning what I meant in English, but sometimes I ended up "lost in translation". I used google to translate. Sorry if sounds a little bit odd.

It's a short view of my life on the road in Sweden.

Camping adventure in Skåne. Private Archive.

MODERN NOMADLIFE.

EXPLORING SWEDEN.

A year and a half Elina Nomad hitchhiked in Sweden and lived in nature. She was so fond of this country that she stayed here to live. Elina shared with us the stories from her travels and told about the modern culture of the nomad.

To conduct this interview, Elina invited me to her home. She brewed tea from herbs brought by her from Latvia, and we sat down to communicate on a sofa opposite the camping tent, which she uses instead of the bed.

Do you think your childhood influenced the fact that you love nature so much? Of course. My family and I often went out of town. Parents, brother, grandmother and grandfather, all were together. In Latvia, camping (or outdoors life) was common. In my perspective. We still had the Soviet equipment, which we always took with us. We did not need any special things, we did not buy anything extra, because it was not important at all. I grew up in a post-Soviet climate, as I lived with my grandparents, I received a bit more old-school than other my friends. We were still self-sufficient or my 90s childhood was similar to life in 80s. We had our own garden, I had never bought tomatoes in a shop until I moved to the UK. Grandad engaged in fishing, hunting and granny cooking all from scratch, and we children played whole day whole summer outdoors until late. I miss this time.

Did you study in the UK? I went there to finish high school. Intentional plan 2 years in England, then off to college in the USA. Plan failed and I stayed 5 years in 3 different schools in the UK. I first time began to live alone and did not even know how to prepare food, at first, I ate only salads. It was 2007-2012 when travelling to and within England was still cheap. For example, a bus or train ticket to the other end of the region could cost as little as one pound. So I travelled all south of England and Wales. On my third year, I entered the university in Cornwall and began to live on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Cornwall was amazing, and I did not have a thought to go travel in long term. I liked where I was. During the UK time, I registered on couchsurfing.com (2008). The community was still small, and people were more open. Through it, travellers learned about each other, local culture than places and beautiful Instagram photos, and local couchsurfers also arranged joint tours. I met people whose travel experience exceeded my age. They were happy to share their stories, and I - to listen. I was amazed.

Student life in Cornwall, UK. Private archive.

Students in Cornwall. Private archive.

What happened after the UK? I went to Latvia. I wanted to go on a trip right after university, but that year my grandfather died and to return home was the only right decision. It was a really difficult year, and I was hiding my emotions. Grandfather was the closest person to me or more like my super fan and supporter. When he died, I experienced a very difficult time. I was devastated, couldn't think straight and word "FUTURE" didn't matter to me. I wanted to be closer to my roots in order to regain strength and then continue my journey. I loved my people in England, but I never felt accepted. The decision to stay in Latvia was based on sentimental nostalgy. During those six months that I was in Riga, together with people I met, we organized a festival of creative lectures and master classes, which is still held. I was engaged in charity, volunteer work, photography and emotionally prepared for a new journey. But I had difficulties to find an income, and finding a "real job" in Riga seemed impossible.

Give&Get festival 2012. Photo: Elina Plume

Because the festival was held in a forest, I called us "fairies and dwarfs" 2012. Photo: Elina Plume

Birthday morning in Latvia. Private archive.

Me at the forest party. Private archive.

And then you went to Sweden? Yes, I planned to go somewhere, but I never thought that Sweden would be the destination. It happened by accident. Once I had a transfer in Stockholm before going home for Christmas (2010) and I had enough time to go out into the city. Once in the centre of the city, I had a feeling that I was at home, that here I want to stay longer. All travellers are trying to find this feeling at home and here it has overtaken me in Stockholm. I planned to go Sweden after studies in England, but... when the time came to think what I will do 'next autumn', I was dealing with my grandad's farewell and housing struggles, and bachelor ending project in the UK, and had no energy and mindset to plan. So, I forgot I had this wish to go to Sweden. Then out of nowhere from the blue sky, I met 'the' acquaintance, one Swede, who travelled to Latvia. He invited me to visit in Stockholm and I took advantage of the offer. Then I still did not know that he was one of the most famous Swedish hitchhikers who was aware of all the weirdest and crazy festivals and underground parties that were held there. He brought me home. He opened my life to my inner world, he introduced to the world I thought it didn't exist. When I came to visit, the first day we went to a party in an abandoned metro, and a few days later I was already helping with the organization of another party. I returned to Latvia, and I already knew where I would go next time. Back to Sweden. Packed my bags and I went to spend 18 months in the style of a nomad.

What is this lifestyle? Long ago in some specific parts of Europe, it was a common occurrence when men went to travel and in every new place mastered some skill, for example, cultivated the land, carved wooden figures or made shoes. And I liked this idea: to travel and learn something new. In Sweden, I stayed at different farms where I was engaged in volunteer work, and in return, I got a night's lodging, food and, most importantly, the desired experience. For a year and a half, I have never been left without a roof over my head, there was always someone who helped me, and, in turn, I could repay them with my help.

Tell me, how did you go through those 18 months? I hitch-hiked and lived on farms among real alternative-off grid-world changer people for whom farming became a matter of all life. I met farmers who live in a subsistence economy and totally reject modern society. I was interested to see life outside the system and live this life. I was one of those too who had this question in my head asking: Is that all? Study, get a job, pay bills? Slow pace I got from the south of Sweden to the Arctic Circle. I travelled on skis, climbed mountains and saw a polar day when even at night the sun does not fall over the horizon. These months were not all glitter, it was a path of unknown and somewhere along the events I was developing and shaping into more of myself than before. I felt free.

The people I met... I am forever thankful to them for all they gave to me emotionally. They have no idea. But one thing I learnt from them - you can repay in thank you to them through other people. They helped me because they had been on their journey before and met people who helped them.

Yohanna. Students in Cornwall. Private archive.

Summer solstice baptism tradition. Sweden. Private archive.

A forest festival. Sjönevadfesten. Private archive.

Private party in the woods. Private archive.

Is there any part of the path that you particularly remember?

Journey to the Akkayaur Lake, which is beyond the Arctic Circle. I and a couple of my friends were there in February, and this is not the best time to travel in the far north. After the first night at the lake, we had the intelligence to turn back and not continue the way to the mountains. It turned out that on that day a snowstorm began, which we escaped at the last moment.

P.s. I have written one part of the story here: https://elinanomadnotes.blogspot.com/2017/12/hitchhiking-guide-to-north-Sweden-part.html

The most northern point I have been to. Akkajaure. Private archive.

Have you met a negative attitude? After all, for an ordinary person, your way of life can seem like a bunch. There was no negative, on the contrary - everyone treated my journey with understanding. The case took me to people whose meetings with me did not seem casual. Hitchhiking is not just getting into a car and driving to the right place. Many trips, even the shortest, are very special. Somehow it seemed we had to meet, we had to find each other and they decided to pick me up by the road. A girl by the road! Imagine! Swedish are famous for being cold, but somehow they broke the stereotype in my eyes. Conversations with strangers were so profound and informative that, if I were a student of psychology, I would have great material to write about my diploma. Once I was driven by a guy with whom we had a conversation. He said that he has work and money, but he was very tired of his monotonous life and had no time to spend money - all he had was work and things. He picked me up because he was interested to know how I travel. After the trip, we exchanged contacts, and after a while, I found out that he went on an annual trip across Spain. Firstly, he sold everything.

We are also interested to know how you travel so! Oh, it's hard to explain. I was always drawn to nature and to a nomadic life. And when I started to live like a nomad, I felt comfortable, I finally found myself. And after a year and a half of wandering, when I had a permanent address in Malmö, I was out of my comfort zone. It seemed more difficult to live in one place than to travel. But I accepted the challenge... Now I am okay with "one place". It was difficult, but somehow I found the peace within myself. I knew that "going off-away into unknown" is so me, and I wanted to try another way.

Stenshuvud beach. Private archive.

Camping dinner alone. Private archive.

Söderåsen park in autumn. Private archive.

Camping in Skåne. Private archive.

Midsummer camping morning at Stenshuvud beach, Skåne. Private archive.

Were not you scared to travel alone? There were all sorts of situations, but the main thing is always to think with your head and keep your self-control. And if I'm sitting in front of you now, then nothing terrible has happened to me. Most of the time I did not think "I am alone", I think it was maybe because I was never in a relationship before and being on my own was so normal, common and I did not know any other experience as a solo trip. But once I someone caught my attention, since then I have not enjoyed a thought of "solo trip" ever again.

And now you live in Malmö? Yes, but still it is important for me to be closer to nature and therefore I often leave with a tent outside the city. I also became a vegan, and not because it's fashionable. I try to lead a lifestyle that does not harm the environment. With travelling, I learnt a lot about life and the world, people. Many situations made me question myself and my intentions towards the world I want to live in. So, in Malmö I had a chance to start practising new knowledge and make routine, habits, actually "built and create" than just "think". Now I'm taking a course at the university about teaching children in nature. This is what I really like. /2017/

What advice would you give to our readers? If you have the urge to travel and have no logical excuses, then just go on a trip!

/Extra note 2017: It doesn't have to be a hitchhiking, it can be a well-paid travel, a tourist for a weekend or cheap ticket travel. Or hike, cycle, run. Whatever./