Fellow Traveler

THE JOURNEY CAMPING AND IMMIGRATION

fellow traveler

THE JOURNEY CAMPING AND IMMIGR ATION

fellow traveler

FELLOW TRAVELER 2010-11-01 GÖTEBORG PUBLISHED AT HDK COVER: ERIC PALMÉR LAYOUT: ERIC PALMÉR TEXT: ERIC PALMER IN COOPERATION WITH SCR

CONTENT PREFACE page: seven ROOTS, RITES, ROLES page: eleven THE PACK page: sixteen THE JOURNEY IS THE GOAL page: nineteen THE IMMIGRATION/THE CAMPING page: twenty three

INNEHÅLL FÖRORD RÖTTER, RITER, ROLLER FLOCKEN RESAN ÄR MÅLET IMMIGRATIONEN/CAMPINGEN

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CHAPTER I. PREFACE.

KAPITEL I. FÖRORD.

Fellow travelers.

This is a publication about the journey, but not any journey. Its an examination of the relationship between immigration and camping. Its about the journey known as life which we all have in common. Immigrants and campers are both travelers, but they are driven by very different reasons. They have the same goal but different purposes, two sides of the same coin. In a way, they are set opposite each other on the same line; their reasons for action are on the different ends of the spectrum. One based in basic need, the other in luxury.

Camping as we know it, in today’s society is not a necessary; its a luxury and is not based on the more primal needs of living. It is in that regard very close to all kinds of modern traveling and is in fact based on the same needs. The different forms of traveling have varied target locations and activities, but are based on the same goals.

Camping will in this publication be viewed as travelling, excluding some phenomena that are sometimes described as camping. One of these is involuntary camping that are perhaps closer to immigration than camping in its purpose, but is closer to camping in goal.

The other form of traveling this publication will be examining is based on another need. Immigration is adding a small piece to a bigger picture. It is driven by the need for a new habitat, a place to live; it’s a very basic need and is not always a choice, often mandatory. As a concept it’s to permanent move something from one environment to another and is not limited to people. It can be viewed in many different ways, from a primal need to a

Medresenärer.

Detta är en publikation om resan, men inte resa. Dess en undersökning av förhållandet mellan invandring och camping. Dess om resan som kallas livet som vi alla har gemensamt. Invandrare och campare är både resenärer, men de drivs av mycket olika skäl. De har samma mål men olika syften, två sidor av samma mynt. På ett sätt är de mitt emot varandra på samma linje, deras skäl till åtgärden är på olika ändar av spektrumet. En bas i grundläggande behov, den andra i lyx.

Camping som vi känner det, i dagens samhälle är inte ett nödvändigt, det är en lyx och inte baseras på mer primala behov att leva. Det är i denna mycket hänsyn nära till alla typer av moderna resa och är i själva verket bygger på samma behov. De olika formerna av resande har varierat målplatser och aktiviteter, men är baserade på samma mål. Camping kommer att i denna publikation ses som reser, med undantag av några fenomen som ibland beskrivs som camping. En av dessa är ofrivillig camping och som kanske är närmare invandring än camping i sitt syfte, men är närmare camping i mål.

Den andra formen av resande denna publikation kommer att undersöka är baserat på ett annat behov.

Invandringen är att lägga en liten bit till en större bild.

Den drivs av behovet av en ny livsmiljö, en plats att bo, det är ett mycket grundläggande behov och är inte alltid ett val, ofta obligatoriska. Som begrepp är det att permanent flytta något från en miljö till en annan och är inte begränsad till människor. Det kan ses på många olika sätt, från en primal behöver en lyxig baserat på

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“ P E R H A P S , TOURISM CAN INDEED BE REGARDED AS A GOOD SYMBOL F O R H U M A N LIFE AND IT’S REALLY BIG QUESTIONS. ?“

luxury based on accomplishment. Immigration can also be viewed in a positive and negative way depending on the context it is applied to.

This publication has as an aim to use the concepts of camping and immigration in its presentation as well as in its content to further help explain the view that camping and immigration is part of the same phenomena. Its graphical from is based part on a strict classic gridded book layout, combined with the immigration of SCR’s (Swedish Camping Site Owners’ Association) graphical profile. This forms a hybrid from, that breathes new life in to two older styles. Some content is immigrated from other media, either in its entirety or integrated in to another text.

The purpose of this publication is to start further discussion and make a platform for increased immigrant participation in camping. It also aims to explore what they have in common and what they can learn from each other. Its a complex problem, not only does camping sites need to be more inclusive and attractive for immigrants.

Immigrants themselves need to open them self up for the possibility, it need to be a step they are gladly willing to take, not something that camping sites promote.

Both sides need to find ways that work for them, perhaps something closer to a grass-root movement then a company produced ad campaign.

Thank you for reading and taking part of this publication. Let it be the beginning of your journey and pursuit of immigrant-camping, you never know where the journey will take you. nine

prestation. Invandringen kan också ses på ett positivt och negativt beroende på sammanhang den tillämpas på.

Denna publikation har som mål att använda begreppen camping och invandring i sin presentation samt i dess innehåll för att ytterligare hjälpa till att förklara anser att camping och invandring är en del av samma fenomen. Dess grafiska från bygger delvis på ett strikt klassiskt inrutade bok layout, i kombination med invandringen av SCR: s (Svenska Camping-och Stugföretagares Riksförbund) grafiska profil. Detta utgör en hybrid från att andas nytt liv i två äldre stilar. En del innehåll är invandrade från andra medier, antingen i sin helhet eller integrerade i en annan text.

Syftet med denna publikation är att börja diskuteras vidare och göra en plattform för ökad invandrare deltagande i camping. Det syftar också till undersöka vad de har gemensamt och vad de kan lära av varandra.

Dess ett komplext problem, inte bara campingplatser måste vara mer inkluderande och attraktiv för invandrare. Invandrarna själva behöver öppna dem själv upp för möjligheten, behöver det vara ett steg de gärna villig att ta, inte något som campingplatser främja. Båda sidor måste hitta sätt att arbeta för dem, kanske något närmare en gräsrotsnivå rörelsen då ett företag producerade annonskampanj.

Tack för läsning och ta del av denna publikation. Låt det vara början på din resa och driva invandrar-camping, man vet aldrig om resan tar dig. nio

IMMIGRATION

CAMPING

JOURNEY PHENOMENA

SPECTRUM

CHAPTER II. ROOTS, RITES, ROLES

KAPITEL II. RÖTTER, RITER, ROLLER

Roots are a big part of our fundamental values and actions. They keep us stable and safe, but also conservative, slowing down development. There a lot of things that makes an individual’s root system; biological, culture background, family and relatives, language and the geographical area we are born in. During the journey we add new roots by meeting new people and partners, making networks of root system that interact with each other. Roots often give us the basis for our views on morality and philosophy. They are a big part of traveling, some travel to visit their roots, other to get away from them. Roots influents our values and what kind of journeys we dream off. Our geographical roots can have an important role in our travels. Humans from the northern parts of the globe stand for a big part of the “sun” tourism.

Rites are part of our collective, a way to strengthen the social bonds in our society. They help us learn how to interact and feel connected to other people. Like roots, rites can have a negative impact on development, slowing down progress. Culture is largely a result of rites.

A lot of them started out in practical phenomena that then grew in to a rite and culture. This is evident in the Easter egg. It began because of a surplus in eggs after the fast, the chicken kept producing, stockpiling eggs.

This grew in to the rite of painting Easter eggs, which in turn gave birth to one of the symbols of high culture, the Fabergé egg.

Some places get connected with a rite and become a

Rötter är en stor del av våra grundläggande värderingar och handlingar. De håller oss stabil och säker, men också konservativ, bromsa utvecklingen. Det en massa saker som gör en individs rotsystem, biologiska, kultur bakgrund, familj och släkt, språk och det geografiska området vi föds i. Under resan vi lägger till nya rötter genom att träffa nya människor och partners som kan göra nätverk av rotsystemet som interagerar med varandra. Rötter ger oss ofta till grund för vår syn på moral och filosofi. De är en stor del av resor, vissa resor besöka sina rötter, andra att komma bort från dem. Roots influents våra värderingar och vilken typ av resor vi drömmer bort. Vårt geografiska rötter kan ha en viktig roll i våra resor. Människor från de norra delarna av världen står för en stor del av ”solen” turism.

Riter är en del av vår kollektiva, ett sätt att stärka sociala band i vårt samhälle. De hjälper oss lära sig att interagera och känna samhörighet med andra människor. Som rötter kan riter ha en negativ inverkan på utvecklingen, bromsa utvecklingen. Kultur är till stor del ett resultat av riter. Många av dem började i praktiska företeelser som sedan växte i en rit och kultur. Detta är tydligt i påskägg. Det började på grund av ett överskott på ägg efter fastan, höll kyckling produktion, lagring ägg. Detta växte in i riten av målningen påskägg, som i sin tur födde en av symbolerna för hög kultur, Fabergé ägg.

Vissa platser få i samband med en rit och bli ett ”måste resa till” plats, både andliga och profana. Den mest up-

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RITES

ROLES

ROOTS

TRAVELLING

“must travel to” location, both spiritual and profane.

The most obvious perhaps; pilgrimages. Another rite is the summer vacation, traveling is mandatory at least once during the period.

Roles are the social and economical positions we hold in society. We are born with some roles; gender and some are acquired during the journey; professional roles. They influents the way we travel in many aspects.

There is status connected with traveling, both privet and in a professional roles. Some professions are even built exclusively on traveling and. Traveling in a business environment have increased a lot over the last hundred years. The economical role is probably one of the biggest factors, not only in what you can afford but in what context a person with a certain amount of money will associate with and what detentions they are expected to go to.

Roots, rites and roles are not limited to us humans.

They can be applied to the geographical goal of the journey as well as the journey of life. Traveling can be motivated by the wish to experience other society’s roots, rites and roles. By adding this factors together you can get a better understand of traveling, what factors apply and how we make our choices.

One obvious example is the immigrants longing to visit their country of origin. The journey of life demands detours, sometimes they can’t be fulfilled. There can be objects obstructing the immigrant from visiting their roots, resulting in a journey mostly based on dreams

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penbara kanske, pilgrimsfärder. En annan rit är sommarlov, resa är obligatoriskt minst en gång under perioden.

Roller är de sociala och ekonomiska positioner vi har i samhället. Vi föds med vissa roller, kön och vissa är förvärvats under resan, yrkesroller. De influents sättet vi reser i många avseenden. Det är status i samband med resor, både liguster och i en yrkesroller. Vissa yrken är även byggt uteslutande på resor och. Reser i en affärsmiljö har ökat mycket under de senaste hundra åren.

Den ekonomiska roll är förmodligen en av de största faktorerna, inte bara i vad du har råd, men i vilket sammanhang en person med en viss summa pengar kommer att umgås med och vad häktningar de förväntas gå till.

Rötter, riter och roller är inte begränsade till oss människor. De kan tillämpas på geografiska målet för resan samt resan i livet. Reser kan motiveras av en önskan att uppleva andra samhällets rötter, riter och roller. Genom att lägga dessa faktorer tillsammans kan ni få en bättre förståelse av resor, vilka faktorer som tillämpas och hur vi gör våra val.

Ett tydligt exempel är det invandrare längtan att besöka sitt ursprungsland. Resan i livet kräver omvägar, ibland inte kan uppfyllas. Det kan finnas objekt som hindrar invandrare från att besöka sina rötter, vilket resulterar i en resa främst grundar sig på drömmar och minnen. Men om resan inte hindras den lätt kommer att resultera i en rit, där återvänder varje år är en viktig

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and memories. If however the journey is not obstructed it will easily result in a rite, where returning every year is an important part of life. Immigration itself is driven by roots, rites and roles. The most common form is refugees moving from one developing country to another.

In this case its often the people living in the lower parts of the social hierarchy that is forced to move. In the case of immigration from developing countries to more developed countries its often the richer groups who have the opportunity to leave. It can even become fashionable to immigrate where it’s a status in leaving the “old” country behind, almost like a rite.

In camping rites is perhaps the most influential factor; returning to the same campsite every year, gathering the family in your mobile home. There are rites associated with arriving at the campsite for the day, in what order you deploy your caravan and how you interact with the neighbors. Roles also have a big impact on the camper. They often comes from similar social and economical backgrounds where camping have been a common theme from childhood.

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del av livet. Själva invandringen drivs av rötter, riter och roller. Den vanligaste formen är flyktingar flyttar från ett utvecklingsland till ett annat. I detta fall dess ofta människor som lever i de nedre delarna av den sociala hierarki som tvingas flytta. När det gäller invandring från utvecklingsländer till mer utvecklade länder dess ofta de rikare grupper som har möjlighet att lämna. Det kan även blivit populärt att invandra där det är en status i att lämna det ”gamla” landet bakom, nästan som en rit.

I camping riter är kanske den mest inflytelserika faktorn, som återvänder till samma camping varje år, samla familjen i din mobil hemma. Det finns riter i samband med ankomsten till campingplatsen för dagen, i vilken ordning du distribuerar din husvagn och hur du interagerar med grannarna. Roller har också en stor inverkan på husbil. De kommer ofta från liknande social och ekonomisk bakgrund, där camping har ett gemensamt tema från barndomen.

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CHAPTER III. THE PACK

KAPITEL III. FLOCKEN

A flock, its something we all are a part of, something we can’t avoid even if we sometimes wish it so. It is however not a specific human behavior, but indeed something that is evident in many species. Something that is very basic to life, being a fundamental part of the first multicellular organisms. Flocking gives us identity and a social context; it helps us to define who we are and gives us a sense of belonging.

There are three rules for flocking behavior. One; Separation - avoid crowding neighbors. Two; Alignment - steer towards average heading of neighbors. Three; Cohesion - steer towards average position of neighbors.

This is similar to the mentality of a camping site.

Keeping close, but not too close to your neighbors.

Aligning the pitches to make a clear structure where everyone has its own spot. Campers in average do enjoy a highly organized form of flocking, its the basis for camping sites. There are many reasons for campers to flock, probably most important is the social aspects, where the flock provides a context, you know you’re in the right place with your caravan. Other aspects could be the safety of the flock. You do not have to fear nature, and you know there are people around that you can trust to provide for you if an accident should occur.

There is also a popular view that camping provides children with experience and teaches them social skills that is easier obtained in a big flock. Or perhaps its just the simply joy of company.

The flocking of immigrants are driven by almost the

En flock, vi dess något alla är en del av, något som vi inte kan undvika även om vi ibland önskar det. Det är dock inte en specifik mänsklig beteende, men verkligen något som märks på många arter. Något som är mycket grundläggande till livet, är en grundläggande del av den första flercelliga organismer. Flockning ger oss identitet och ett socialt sammanhang, det hjälper oss att definiera vilka vi är och ger oss en känsla av tillhörighet.

Det finns tre regler för flockning beteende. En, Separation - undvika trängsel grannar. Två, anpassning - styra mot genomsnittet rubriken grannar. Tre, Sammanhållning - styra mot genomsnittlig position på grannar.

Detta liknar den mentaliteten hos en campingplats. Att hålla nära, men inte för nära dina grannar. Justera platser att göra en tydlig struktur där alla har sin egen plats.

Campare i genomsnitt åtnjuter en väl organiserad form av flockning, dess grund för campingplatser. Det finns många anledningar för campare att flockas, förmodligen viktigaste är de sociala aspekterna, där flocken ger ett sammanhang, vet du att du på rätt plats med din husvagn. Andra aspekter kan vara säkerheten i flocken. Du behöver inte vara rädda naturen, och du vet att det finns människor runt omkring som du kan lita ge för dig om olyckan skulle vara framme. Det finns också en populär uppfattning att camping ger barnen erfarenheter och lär dem sociala färdigheter som lättare uppnås i en stor flock. Eller kanske det bara det helt enkelt glädjen i bolaget.

Den flockning av invandrare drivs av nästan samma

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same ideas, but perhaps driven by different goals. As with campers the social aspect is the most important.

It provides not only context, but is a very strong symbol for identity. The immigrant flock is a link to the country of origin, providing a feeling of not having left everything behind. There is also a geographical flocking of immigrants. Immigration is often a collective journey, and a place that has been associated with immigration is more attractive for more immigration. Its flocking in both micro and macro level, personal and global. There is also the aspect of leaving the flock to find a new that applies to immigration. It is not uncommon for many groups to leave one flock during the journey of life to join another. Its often an occurrence connected to adulthood, the same way as in other species. You find yourself not having a place in the flock, or perhaps that there is a more attractive flock for your needs. Campers are more likely to stay in the same flock for a long time. There is nothing inherent in camping that makes its flocks disperse like in the case of immigration, where its a fundamental part of the process.

Camping could provide a flocking destination for immigrants longing for a context, either with other immigrants or with campers. The flock is powerful and attractive, if the flock welcomes new members it can feel very including. However there is also value in some exclusivity to the flock, making it more attractive if there is a feeling of it being an accomplishment to join. This can of course be just an illusion.

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idéer, men kanske drivs av olika mål. Som med campare den sociala aspekten är den viktigaste. Det ger inte bara sammanhanget, men är en mycket stark symbol för identitet. Den invandrade flocken är en länk till ursprungslandet, vilket ger en känsla av att inte ha lämnat allt bakom sig. Det finns också en geografisk flockning av invandrare. Invandring är ofta en kollektiv resa och en plats som har förknippats med invandring är mer attraktiv för fler invandring. Dess flockas i både mikro-och makronivå, personliga och globala. Det finns också aspekten att lämna flocken för att hitta en ny som gäller för invandring. Det är inte ovanligt för många grupper att lämna en flock under resan i livet att gå en annan.

Dess ofta en händelse kopplad till vuxenlivet, på samma sätt som i andra arter. Du befinner dig inte har en plats i flocken, eller kanske att det finns ett mer attraktivt flock för dina behov. Campare är mer benägna att stanna i samma besättning under en lång tid. Det finns inget inneboende i camping som gör dess besättningar sprids som i fallet vid invandring, där det är en grundläggande del av processen.

Camping skulle kunna utgöra en flockas destination för många invandrare längtan efter ett sammanhang, vare sig med andra invandrare eller med campare. Flocken är kraftfull och attraktiv, om flocken välkomnar nya medlemmar kan det kännas väldigt inklusive. Men det finns också ett värde i vissa ensamrätt till flocken, vilket gör det mer attraktivt om det finns en känsla av att det är en prestation att gå med. Detta kan naturligtvis bara en illusion.

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CHAPTER IIII. THE JOURNEY IS THE GOAL

KAPITEL IIII. RESAN ÄR MÅLET

The journey is the goal, at least for some. For campers its probably true, for immigrants, it’s the other way around. For immigrants purpose and goal differs, not being quite the same. The purpose is to get away from their current living condition, and their goal is to find a new habitat to inhabit. For the camper the goal is the same as the purpose, to do something joyful. Perhaps the ultimate goal is to find happiness, but its very close to the purpose. For campers the journey is the goal, for immigrants the journey is just another obstacle.

The difference to immigrations and campers approach to this is true both in practice and in concept. The camper is often inclined to make detours on the continues journey, pause to smell the roses. The immigrant wants to find the quickest way to the new home.

There is a concept that is used to describe the reasoning behind both immigration and traveling known as “Push/Pull”. In the case of immigration push is the representation of negative factors, its when a person if forced to move by circumstances at their home. Pull is when the immigration is driven by a positive factor, often that the new habitat is more attractive than the current one. In this case the journey might not be the goal, but its not considered as a bad thing, but as a joyful event. In the pull scenario its almost always to richer parts of a population that is immigrating.

When concerning traveling the “Push/Pull” concept is almost identical. Push is when the traveler has a wish to change environment, to get away from their everyday

Resan är målet, åtminstone för vissa. För campare det förmodligen sant, för invandrare, det är tvärtom. För invandrare Syftet och målet skiljer sig, som inte är riktigt samma. Syftet är att komma bort från sin nuvarande livssituation, och deras mål är att hitta en ny livsmiljö att bebo. För husbil målet är detsamma som syfte, att göra något glädjande. Kanske det yttersta målet är att finna lyckan, men mycket nära till syftet. För campare resan är målet, för invandrare resan är bara ett annat hinder.

Skillnaden mot invandringen och campare inställning till denna gäller både i praktiken och i koncept. Husbilen är ofta benägen att göra omvägar på fortsätter resan, pausa för att lukta på rosor. Den invandrade vill hitta den snabbaste vägen till nya hem.

Det är ett begrepp som används för att beskriva resonemanget bakom både invandring och reser kallas ”Push / Pull”. När det gäller invandringen push är representationen av negativa faktorer, dess när en person om tvingades flytta av omständigheter i deras hem. Dra är när invandringen drivs av en positiv faktor, ofta att den nya livsmiljön är mer attraktivt än det nuvarande. I detta fall resan inte kan vara det mål, men inte som en dålig sak, men som en glädjande händelse. I scenariot dra sitt nästan alltid till rikare delar av en befolkning som är invandrade.

När det gäller resande på ”Push / Pull”-konceptet är nästan identiska. Push är när resenären har en önskan att byta miljö, för att komma bort från sina vardagliga

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activities, to leave there home for a while. Pull is when they wish to experience a certain attraction or destination, when it is the need to see something new, not to leave things behind that is the driving force.

In the travelers case its almost always a positive thing, even thought you might be force to go to business trips, its almost always a choice. Its important to remember that immigration can also be a choice, not always something you are forced to do. The push/pull factor also determents when a journey begin and when it ends.

An immigration journey which is characterized by the pull factor often begins before the physical trip, in the dreaming and planning phase, and ends at the arrival.

The memories and stories from the old country are less important. In a push case, the journey starts when the physical trip starts, however it never really ends, with stories and memoires being kept alive for a much greater time than in the pull case.

Sweden was once, in the 19th century, a big emigration country, where the emigration was driven by a combination of push and pull factors. Now, Sweden is a big camping country driven by yet again a combination of the two. Its the increased prosperity that has led Sweden on to this path, turning its population from emigrates to campers. Immigration is a far older phenomena then camping, its been a part of human life for as long as we have existed. Camping is however a lot younger, and its reflected in the reasons, and how its expressed. The journey is the goal.

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aktiviteter, att lämna det hemma ett tag. Dra är när de vill uppleva en viss attraktion eller destination, när det är behovet av att se något nytt, inte lämna saker bakom som är den drivande kraften.

I de resande fall dess nästan alltid en positiv sak, även tänkte att du kanske kraft att gå till affärsresor, sin nästan alltid ett val. Det viktigt att komma ihåg att invandringen kan också vara ett val, inte alltid något man tvingas göra. Den push / pull-faktor också determents när en resa börjar och när den slutar. En invandring resa som präglas av den dragningskraft börjar ofta innan de fysiska resa, drömmer och planeringsfasen, och slutar vid ankomst. De minnen och berättelser från det gamla landet är mindre viktiga. I en push fall, börjar resan när den fysiska resan börjar, men det tar egentligen aldrig slut, med berättelser och memoarer hålls vid liv av en mycket högre tid än i pull fallet.

Sverige var en gång, i 19th century, en stor utvandring land, där utvandringen drevs av en kombination av push och pull-faktorer. Nu är Sverige ett stort land camping drivs av ännu en gång en kombination av båda.

Dess ökade välstånd som har lett Sverige in på denna väg, att vända sin befolkning från emigrerar till campare. Invandring är en mycket äldre fenomen då camping, dess varit en del av mänskligt liv så länge som vi har funnits. Camping är dock mycket yngre, och återspeglas i skäl, och hur dess uttryck. Resan är målet.

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“SO MUCH HAS HAPP E N E D I N T H E PAST FEW THOUSAND YEARS, THE URBAN YEARS, THE CROWDED YEARS OF CIVILIZED MAN, THAT WE FIND IT HARD TO GRASP THE IDEA THAT THIS IS NO MORE THEN A MINUTE PART OF THE HUMAN STORY.“

CHAPTER V. THE IMMIGRATION

CHAPTER V. THE CAMPING

Racine County, Wisconsin June 21, 1854 Dear Brother, Since we have arrived with good fortune at our destination, I must write you as I promised and tell you about our journey. We boarded the ship on the tenth of April.

Pastor Bruun came and gave us a farewell sermon. At five o’clock in the morning of the eleventh we lifted anchor. The wind was favorable so that we passed Færder Lighthouse at five in the afternoon. We reached Arendal at four in the morning and Christiansand at four in the afternoon. Then we sailed north-ward toward Bergen, and on the afternoon of the fifteenth we saw the land of Norway the last time. The last we saw of Norway was high snow-capped mountains.

On the sixteenth a storm arose from the southeast, which lasted until the afternoon of the seventeenth, when we came within shelter of the Shetland Islands, which we passed on the north. We saw Feiril Lighthouse and at six o’clock in the morning we entered the Atlantic Ocean. After that we had a good wind until the twenty-third, so that we usually sailed eleven miles in a watch (a watch is four hours). We had clear weather until the twenty-second and then a little rain and later head wind until the thirtieth of April. On the first of May we had the most severe storm of the whole trip. It came from the northwest and later from the west, lasting until the fifth; then it was calm until evening, when a southwest wind arose, so that we made eleven miles

Campers love to solve other people’s problems.

The planning for a six week motor home holyday is complicated. I’m thinking in opportunities – There could be very nice weather. Its very hot two weeks before midsummer when I start packing, and its difficult to imagine that the summer weather will change. I bring herbal salt, that brakes on the train to Lindköping and I bring whisky, to have something to help me entice visitors.

Im mostly afraid of the driving a big, broad motor home with eight beds. The publisher rented the cheapest they could find and it happened to also be the largest. I remind myself that the most important thing is to really get to know the motor home from the man I’m renting it from, Jörgen. Go through all the details and buttons, and gas and water. But when Jörgen picks me up at the train and is very nice and very stressed, and tells me that he is a driving instructor, everything start going bad.

Im test driving the car to the bank to get the 33 000 crowns for the rental fee.

- You can give it a little gas when the red light is turned on.

I press down my foot.

- That’s the brake. You can give it a little gas, Jörgen says.

At that point, I gave up. The lady at Handelsbanken hands over the money and I hand them over to Jörgen.

Jörgen explains how the car works in three minutes

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in the watch. During the night before the sixth of May we crossed the outermost Newfoundland Bank. The following night we almost ran into a floating iceberg, which was much higher than the ship’s masts, and on the seventh we saw three large icebergs, which you can believe was a remarkable sight.

We reached the Grand Bank of Newfoundland on the eighth of May, and there we fished on the eighth, ninth, and eleventh. We got seventy cod. Our fishing lines were forty fathoms long, so they reached the bottom, and the hooks were large and strong. Those who fished pulled and pulled and jerked the lines till they felt they had caught something, and some found the hook caught in the belly of the fish, the tail, the back, or wherever it might happen. It mattered not whether one had bait, for few had bait on the hook. So the cod was really a fool. There must have been an abundance of cod on the bottom. They weighed about one Bismer pound, some more and some less. So we all had fish to eat a couple of times, and it was very good.

After that we had head winds until the fifteenth, when we had a favorable wind. About half past seven in the morning our captain saw America, but later the air became so dense that we could not see land even though we sailed terrifically until noon, when we ran into a lot of floating ice so we could go no farther. Some thirty-six ships lay cruising about here and there, unable to advance, and here we, too, had to lie, and because of ice and fog we could go no farther till the twenty-fourth. At

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and drives away to, to take a walk in the forest with his wife who is impatiently waiting. I’m in Jönköping before I relies that I forgot to write both a contract and get a receipt.

The car is 7.10 meters long and is built 1990. Its beige.

Latte. You ride it like a Queen of the road; you probably would mangle any regular sized card in an accident.

The steering wheel is tilted and the gear shift sticks out from the helm, the engine sound is strikingly powerful but the stereo is new and can be played so loud that you can hear all the “summerspeakers”. However, on the way to Öland and the midsummer week, I’m still only listening to mix tapes that my friends sent me for the trip.

I order my first truck stop meal as early as Falköping at a gas station: sausage, mashed potato and soda. Its easier to make a stop at gas stations, the turning radius is very hard to calculate, and the back end turns very fast as soon as you try to reverse. You can often avoid reversing at gas stations. Falköping happens to be the place in Sweden with the most campers, so they should be more understanding here than elsewhere.

The summer lies in tension, forward the sky is pencil gray and the silhouette of the trees is glowing silver, in the rearview mirror, it’s a clear blue day and the deer are jumping in the sunshine. Rain relieves the rainbow and the stereo plays songs from my past. This can turn out very well.

I locate a huge market just outside Kalmar, a store that

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ten o’clock of the forenoon of that day we saw America.

On the twenty-fifth we sailed past St. Paul, a lighthouse on a small island in the center of the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, 820 [ 1820?] sea miles from Christiania and 140 miles from Quebec (a sea mile is 11,862 alen ). Land, with forests and mountains as in Norway, could here be seen on both sides. There was still considerable snow on the right, but flatter land, quite uninhabited, on the left. We did not see land again before the morning of the twenty-seventh. At nine in the morning of the thirtieth we took a pilot on board ten miles from Quebec. Here we saw land on both sides, with smoke rising everywhere on the left where settlers were clearing and burning. A little farther on, the country was built up on the left; and still farther, on the right, also. In the afternoon of June first we reached an island where a doctor lived. We anchored at this point, and at nine in the morning of the second the doctor came on board.

Fifteen minutes after eleven that evening we anchored in Quebec Harbor.

No one was allowed to land before a doctor had come on board and examined us. He came at nine the morning of the third. We were then allowed to land, and at twelve o’clock on the third of June we stepped onto American soil for the first time. Quebec is a large town with many beautiful churches and some sixty thousand inhabitants. On the fourth of June we were in several churches, both Catholic and others. The day after Pentecost, the fifth of June, was a working day here. The first

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demands that you learn its structure before you can take parts of its range. And it has almost everything.

If you’re planning to equip and motor home, but are unsure of what you’re really looking for, a huge supermarket can do wonders for your car. I’ve already bought wine, in a locked cabinet lays a bottle of red ecological wine and sparkling white. I need a large verity; I don’t know who I will get reasons to invite.

The most important thing at the supermarket is to find a grill. They are at the apartment of “active life” which is interesting. I ask the guy who stacks charcoal why, as I believe that barbequing is a passive activity. He doesn’t know.

I chose a round grill that will hopefully fit in to the small toilet room. I also find a pair of low cut rubber boots with a black and white flower pattern, they could come in handy if there will be rain this midsummer, I also get cleaning equipment. There is nothing in the car for cleaning, and six weeks is a very long time. I’m wondering what Jörgen was thinking. Outside the supermarket is a hamburger restaurant, its very easy to access if you don’t want to unnecessary move the car.

I’ve started to get new needs for convenience, me who almost never driven a car before, who never been to Coop Forum, who never eats at McDonald’s or orders truck stop meals.

When its time to leave im forced to reverse, because of the cars position between to other cars and a grass refuge in from of it – and its very uncomfortable. I get

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man we talked with after landing was Elias Stangeland, who is agent for a transportation line running in-land.

On this line the charge to Milwaukee was seven specie dollars, three marks, and eight shillings. Our captain was to arrange for our transportation, however, and we finally went by the Holfeldt line. On this line the charge was one specie dollar more and seventy-five cents for each hundred pounds of baggage above one hundred pounds, which were carried free of charge. On the sixth of June a small steam-boat came alongside our ship and took us to the pier. There we boarded a large steamboat with two engines.

We left Quebec at five in the afternoon. There were some eight hundred people on this boat, but it would have been permitted to carry fourteen hundred. There were Norwegians, Swedes, Irish, and German, black Negroes and brown Indians. The distance from Quebec to Montreal is 180 English miles. We arrived at Montreal at ten in the morning of the seventh. This is the most beautiful city we have seen and has the largest church, and many other large churches besides. At Montreal our baggage was hauled by horses and wagons up to a canal where we boarded a steamer again. This boat did not leave before nine in the morning of the eighth. We passed through a canal having twenty locks. We passed many stopping places and arrived in Kingston at eight o’clock in the evening of the ninth. Here we boarded a much larger boat, which left at once to cross Lake Ontario. We passed many ports and arrived at Hamilton

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out of the car several times to check the distances, there is no one to ask for help. The ecological wine forces the cabinet door to open and creates chaos and a slamming door behind me on the way to Ölandsbron and there are so many things to keep in mind all the time.

I ignore the slammer and keep driving over the bridge, which is fantastic. Tilted streetlights frame the runway, the incline up to the middle of the bridge. To the sounds of Ice MC:s “Cinema” the car fly, who I have named Madeleine, over Kalmarsund and towards the adventures on Kappelluddens camping in Bornholm.

With good music, a high viewpoint and high speeds, its easy to feel strong.

First person on the spot.

Kappelludden goes by the name Kapsyludden in camping circles. Its located on a big grass field next to the ocean, it has four stars and a glassed bath house with an exercising center. I have booked a spot in the center of the camping so that I will be in middle of the camping action, but when I drive in on the premises on the Monday before midsummer Madeleine is alone on the block. The wind is howling and all along the coastline there are empty caravans obscuring the view. The next block is called “Rivieran” and its there I see my first neighbors which is also the first to form the formation “The Flower”. Against the motor home, caravan or the awning you put a table with the short end pointing outwards and then placing a chair on either end in a small angel towards each other. In this way you get maximal

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at half past three in the afternoon of the tenth. The distance from Montreal to Hamilton is 410 English miles.

At this place our baggage, was weighed and we took a train for Detroit. The train left Hamilton at twelve during the night and arrived at Detroit at ten the following morning. The distance from Hamilton to Detroit is 186 English miles. At Detroit we crossed the river by steamboat. We left, again, by train at one in the afternoon and arrived at Chicago at nine in the evening of the twelfth.

From Detroit to Chicago is a distance of 278 English miles. We remained there till morning, when our baggage was transferred to the pier. We went by steamboat to Milwaukee, leaving at nine in the morning of the thirteenth. The distance from Chicago to Milwaukee is ninety English miles. We arrived in Milwaukee at four in the afternoon of the same day. We stayed there till nine in the evening of the fifteenth, when we hired a driver to take us to Tosten Søgaarden, a distance of twenty English miles, where we arrived at four in the morning of the sixteenth of June. And thus our journey was ended.

I might well have more to relate, but I cannot begin to tell of everything we saw. That would be too ambitious.

I must tell you more, however, about our trip. After we had lifted anchor, our captain gave us a talk, explaining our duties, urging us to be cleanly, obedient, alert, and helpful to one another, and advising us to observe the rules posted in several places on the boat. He then asked God’s blessing on us all. And so our journey was started in God’s name.

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view over the surroundings and at the same time a shelter from the wind at your back. Im standing in the middle of the neighbor’s field of view.

All most all of the vehicle has lots of devices that require electricity, making all camping sites provide an ample supply of power. Or perhaps the car owners have acquired so many devices because there is so much electricity supplied by the camp sites. The chicken and the egg how probably cooperated in this case. When a caravan is parked it often uses 12 volt battery for indoor lighting and heat and water pups. Some have solar panels or batteries connected to the engine to generate electricity automatically when the engine is running.

Other carries with them their personal power plant.

My battery is connected to the engine. The gasoline can power the refrigerator and sometimes the cab heater, however now caravans have TV, air condition and microwaves and there is a growing demand to charge your phone and laptop.

I have already arrived at one of the camping worlds big paradoxes – that something on wheels can be so stationary. The most modern cars are the most inflexible.

The idea that you’re able to go around at random, finding a nice place to stay for the night feels less attractive when you’re not able to use the facilities.

That’s why most campers stick to the campsites. Two thirds of the respondents of Turismens Utredningsinstitut in the survey “Mobile living” never place their caravan outside a campsite and the rest “almost ne-

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Our captain was a fine man. He maintained strict discipline and kept everything clean and in as good order as it was possible for him to do. Because of this his passengers were always comfortable. He was like a father to us all. We had no sickness on the boat, except seasickness, which made it’s appearance the very first evening.

There were many, especially women, who had to keep to their berths during the entire trip. Gulbrand and I escaped fairly well. We did not throw up a single time. The weather was cold during the whole trip, but we had to dress well and stay on deck as much as possible when the weather permitted. We had a severe storm during which a wave tore away a long piece of the deck-bulwarks. We were all in pretty good spirits, however. We were not locked in and were allowed to go on deck as much as we wished. One had to be careful, though, to keep a firm hold so as not to be swept away. You may know the ship lurched a-plenty! When the weather was pleasant, we often had a good time, for all kinds of games and amusement were allowed. We frequently danced. Even the captain, himself, was often with us, entertaining us with adventure and hunting stories and the like. On the evening of the day after Pentecost we had a ball. We each gave twelve cents and the captain contributed the rest. We had three musicians, and then we danced and drank till late in the night. We each contributed a little money and bought a gold watch chain for our captain. It cost fifteen dollars.

The charges for carrying our baggage inland were paid

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ver” stay outside the sites. There are some wild older persons with mobile homes that affect the statistics by going between scenic landscapes, they are however a marginal sized group. Moreover one third only visits a maximum of two campsites every year. The main purpose of a caravan and mobile home can there for not be said to be mobility and freedom, although they are still slogans that lures and sell caravans.

Despite my caravan not having a lot of luxury paraphernalia, I start with connected the electricity. The refrigerator works, but no lights and no warm water. It doesn’t matter how many times I connect and disconnect the power cord, or how many times I switch it on and off and tap the light bulbs.

There are two young girls standing in the reception, and none of them knows anything more than I do. I call Jörgen who is still very nice and argues that everything was still working the day before. He thinks I should find and ask a man at the camping for help, it’s a humiliating start.

The neighbors at the “Flower” have been following my endeavors for a while now, and seem to think that its time to intervene. The man’s name is Sven-Inge and speaks in a heavy “östgötisk” dialect, he is happy to help and soon establishes that the 12 volt system is dead. His wife, Lotta walks over and tries to strike up a conversation.

- Start by filling the water supply in the meantime. Lotta says in a dialect which almost rocks sideways.

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at Quebec, and it was agreed that we were to be free from all expenses, pier charges and everything, except to pay over-weight charges, until we reached Milwaukee. We paid seventy-five cents for overweight, but we also had to pay a pier charge of fifty-five cents. In Milwaukee we stopped at a Norwegian boarding house kept by a man named Claus Hanson. We paid one dollar to get our baggage hauled to Tosten Søgaarden’s.

Hence the entire transportation charge from Quebec to Tosten’s was about eleven dollars.

There were no deaths on the whole trip, but a child was born while we lay in the Bay of St. Lawrence. Two days later the child was baptized by the captain. A woman from Gjærdrum gave birth to twins during the night when we were between Quebec and Montreal. Our captain baptized these babies, also, the next day in Montreal.

We parted with our captain in Montreal. We were comfortable while we were on the ocean compared with what we experienced going inland. There was always so much commotion, and there were so many transfers.

And everything had to go in such a hurry as if life were at stake. If one were not on time, one would have to wait until the next day, which we surely learned in Chicago.

When we had almost finished loading our baggage, the boat started, leaving several passengers, some of whose baggage was on the boat and some on the pier. They did not arrive in Milwaukee until the following day.

And so we have arrived in good condition. Lars Gul-

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To fill the water tank you need a watering can. I didn’t know that a watering can was an obvious part of mobile home equipment. And obviously not Jörgen either.

Lotta let me borrow hers and I walk over to the hoes, and starts filling the can, emptying it in the mobile home, filling it, emptying it, filling, and emptying. SvenInge and Lotta are sitting in the “Flower” and are watching until Lotta shouts out to me. The water is flowing beneath the mobile home. The water seeps in to the grass and disappears, Sven-Inge nor me understands what went wrong. I unbuckle my Red Crescent from the car and starts peddling in to town to buy a flashlight for the evening, darkness will fall. There are three different kinds of flashlight in the store and the clerk tells me its only the price that is the difference, so I chose the middle option.

Lotta passes by when I arrive.

- Come over to us if you like, that way you won’t feel lonely.

Its extremely cold. I make the bed on the loft just above the driver’s seat. The cushions are ornate with patterns from the 80s, and very dusty. A bit gray in the tones.

The mobile home is heated by gasoline, however Im to afraid to use it, once, when I was camping in France a hole caravan exploded because of the gas. I open up the white Guntrum Resling box and bring it with me for my visit to Sven-Inge and lotta.

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lickson bought a farm for nine hundred dollars the first day we were here. I must tell you something about how things are here. The houses are generally not large, but the farms are beautiful. Tosten’s circumstances are exactly as he has written. He has a large farm and much stock. I have not counted his cows, but I have seen that he has seven calves, two large oxen, twenty-three geese, and a lot of chickens. As far as food is concerned here in America, there is an abundance. Even though I tell you so, you will perhaps all think it a falsehood. Concerning wages, conditions are as you have heard before. Today I was offered twelve dollars a month and keep, but I did not accept, for I expect to get more. Another time I shall write you further about America. I must close for this time. At this very moment the rest of the people from Hurdalen are arriving here. All are well.

With friendly greetings to you all from yours, OLE O. ØSTERUD

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