Swedes are ever loyal to their pocket calendars. These little brown things that they throw in their purses or their laptop bags with the week numbers clearly labeled. Some calendars even have little perforated tear-sheets where you can dog-ear which week you’re in, making it easy to simply flip right back to it. I have seen people go into a mad panic when they lose their calendars.
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Hello again, and welcome to another edition of #TrulySwedish.
Before I get started with my next post, I thought that I would say a little something about how I get the ideas of what to post. It has nothing to do with me thinking that Swedish traditions are weird – these are actually things that I have found to be quite enjoyable. I’ve been very open to these experiences, and I usually learn something about myself in the process. That’s what makes it so interesting. The blog is also a good reminder to myself – maybe in 10 years I’ll look back at this blog and think, “Wow, I used to think that was weird?”
This edition is about three things that I was able to experience in more or less rapid succession: the importance (and significance) of laundry times, Östermalm’s old ladies, and a Swede’s fear of confrontation. This one is more of a rant from an American – one that is not afraid to speak and be heard. Continue reading
Fika.
The quintessential Swedish concept. It’s coffee with friends, but not just coffee – there is usually some fikabröd involved: kanelbulle (cinnamon buns), kärleksmums (“love yummies”), morotskaka (carrot cake), punschrulle… I could go on forever.
Fika is a religion in Sweden. And it’s a religion that I gladly partake in. Continue reading