Are We Having Fox for Christmas Dinner?

I will never forget a brief encounter with a stunning fox on a lonely bicycle path one evening in a Swedish fishing village.

I had one unforgettable experience with a wild fox, and I admit I was scared.

First, here’s bit of background. I was just out of college when a once-in-a-lifetime job offer from my uncle came in the mail. The choice was hard since I was so excited to go to graduate school that fall, but I had a new option to accept a private job in Sweden. It was the biggest decision of my adult life. It changed my life.

My uncle and aunt had been living in Sweden for a year with their four children under the age of 11, but the youngest two were not learning to read in the British school an hour away in Gothenburg. All four hated the hour bus trip to the city. My uncle and aunt feared if they returned to the states, the children would be far behind. My uncle was a chemical engineer with an American-Swedish company with 2-3 more years to go. They were distraught. That’s where I came in.

I was supposed to teach all 4 children all subjects and bring them up to par. What my family never fully understood was that my degree was in English for secondary students. It was a huge challenge to say yes, but adventurous me just had to go! My undergraduate college actually donated the textbooks for all subject levels for 3 years because my record was outstanding, and my dean worked it out.

Imagine several huge boxes of books from America arriving at the door of a new college graduate who had never seen any of the books! I almost fainted unboxing them, but the children were so excited to help. Piece of cake my family thought. They were more confident than I was.

Well, my anxiety went up more as I tried to stay 1-2 days ahead of my charges and keep a happy face! It was a surreal time for me as I juggled school, my 4 cousins on bike rides at lunch, and trying to explore the fishing village where we lived. It was exciting, challenging, and inspirational.

My family created a classroom with 5 desks and a Swedish-decorated bedroom for me off from their former downstairs family room. It was perfect. Julie Andrews perfect, but I wasn’t Julie!

In the morning after going up to eat breakfast with the family, I returned to the “classroom” while the children brushed their teeth and got their books. Then, yes, I rang a bell and they herded down the stairs to their desks. I changed from big old cousin to teacher every weekday. We learned and laughed together. They learned I was less lenient than their mother, but soon they got into the new rhythm and their personalities matured.

Time for a bit of bragging— The Four

The oldest boy was all about horses and cowboys, but he was a book lover. He was practical and ended up as a special education teacher in US. The oldest girl had a heart for writing about animals of all kinds (a bit like me). She was the brightest of the four, and I knew she would help me teach the others and enjoy it. She went to college later and became an animal rescue activist.

The youngest boy was a handsome happy-go-lucky smiling guy loved by all. He was least fond of school routine because he had been neglected in the old school. His reading needed the most help. At some attention, his best subject was reading (while sitting on my lap!) because I took time with him. He began to love reading and understood math problems later with glee. Later, after he graduated from college, he surprised the family by becoming a computer geek in California.

The baby girl was a charmer with a terrible lisp, and her mother took her to a speech therapist. It worked brilliantly after a short time. She loved all subjects, and her big sister helped her to catch up with speech practice. We couldn’t shut her up! Like her older brother, she spent hours on my lap with her reading aloud. When she graduated from college, she entered a public relations firm speaking up hundreds of clients.

Back to my brief fox encounter.

All of the Swedes wanted to improve their English though they spoke excellent (British) English. It would be fun, my uncle said, since the Swedes wanted someone from the US to temper their British accent. Oh, dear.

I rode my bike the adult English class at night, and it was on the way to class one evening that the shining eyes of a gorgeous fox met mine on the trail. He probably had never seen a bicycle light and thought I was a monster.

It was a stand-off, stand-still, ultra-quiet moment until the fox disappeared in the underbrush. I thought or imagined a cub’s bright eyes close to the trail. Staying on the bike until my courage returned, I pedaled with my heart racing on to class.

Photo by Tomáš Malík on Unsplash

When I arrived at class, my new students knew I had an “experience” by the look on my face I suspect. I told them about my first fox encounter, and that I had never seen one in the wild. We laughed together, and I heard their local wildlife stories in Swedish and English.

At the end of class, one very kind tall handsome Swede offered to take me and my bike home. I didn’t hesitate. I never saw the fox again though I traveled that same path weekly on guard. I thought perhaps the next time, the fox and I could stare at each other a bit longer before he escaped.

Back home, the four children thought my fox story was hilarious, and the oldest girl drew the encounter. I wish she had kept it. Now the “kids” still ask to hear the story which they have embellished over the years. It never gets old at family gatherings. I’m sure I’ll get a call from one of the kids asking if we’re having fox for Christmas dinner this year! Belly laughs!