PontifiKate

Sveeden, Yah!

a.k.a. - Winter Postcard Land

Before I launch in to what Mary Ann and I actually did during our time there, let me present you with some Fast Facts on Sweden, as I imagine you all may need just as much help making it a distinct entity in your minds as I did.

[BIG OL’ DISCLAIMER: I was only in Sweden for one week and my window into it was limited. These were just my observations and understandings.]

Sweden’s the place where…

• the smörgåsbord originated
  
• Swedish meatballs, or köttbullar, really are “a thing”
• cheese slicers look like this (they probably have these in America too, but I’d never noticed them)
  
• they like their candy. Most stores have what seems like an excess of aisles dedicated to candy (which, of course, I have no problem with). Some Swedish specialties are their peppermint candy canes and licorice
  
• the vikings had their day
  
• they’re trying hard to make socialism work: interesting
• The Pippi Longstocking books were born
  
• Kirsten Larson, the American Girl, comes from
  
• they hold Lucia Celebrations (the candle wreath atop the head of a female, etc.)
  
• most houses are painted bright colors like barn red or yellow
  
• there’s a surplus of deer, elk, and reindeer

• it’s snowy and darn cold in the winter (“You’ve gotta come back in the summer,” says everybody)
• daylight is precious in the winter and abundant in the summer (we had 8-9 hours of daylight each day we were there)
• Midsummer festivities include maypole dances
  

I learned that in Sweden…

• one says, “Hej!” (pronounced “hay”, meaning “hello”). I just thought it was funny to arrive in even more socially formal situations and still have people saying, “hey!” to me as I entered
• everyday clothing is casual and comfortable, but not without style (whereas in France it’s all about style and dressing on the higher end)
• one often pauses for fika, which is like England’s afternoon tea but more frequently and with coffee as the main event. Coffee is highly cultural and I often had 3-4 cups a day without even trying
  
• food and meals are more relaxed as they are in America -- a HUGE change from formal France. Mary Ann and I spent the whole week trying to figure out when people eat!
• sports are widely loved and ’most everyone participates
• their English is, like, perfect! They younger generation, especially, is very bilingual. You can get by without knowing Swedish as long as you know English. Yeah, I didn’t really learn any Swedish to speak of
• they seem to travel a lot. Many of the folks we met had been to the States and various other places. That would be the socialist distribution of wealth hard at work, I guess
• there’s a good dose of trust in public honesty that’s usually not disappointed (the "We're all in this together!" mentality)
  
• technology is generally a frequent and well-used tool
• school is bizarre because, since everyone’s equally valuable, there’s little incentive to do well and you really, really have to try to fail
• an American can feel comfortably at home. The only rules that need following are to take off your shoes when inside and to take one -- not two, not none -- of all offered food. Mary Ann and I decided that Sweden feels most like Colorado or Washington (though I’ve never, uh, been to Washington)
• Swedes and Americans are highly compatible! Of the couples we met, many (most?!) were a Swede and an American that met up somehow and tied the knot. (Of course I was in among the Christian crowd which has limited choices due to a lack of, you know, other Christians in Sweden.)
• they’re nice to foreigners! I decided that this was for me a cultural vacation: from rigid codes to friendly grace. Ahh!

Again, I was only there for a week but those are my gleanings and impressions. There are bound to be multiple errors therein, so don’t go believing all o’ this. :o)

posted by Kate @ 6:44 AM