Have you ever been stuck in an elevator before – one of those old rackety ones in older apartment buildings. No? Well, let me tell you… It’s no fun.
Stuck in the elevator, 07.00 on a Saturday
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Laundry times, Östermalm’s old ladies, and the fear of confrontation
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
How about a fika?
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
Why so serious?
Does anyone remember that line from The Joker on Batman: The Dark Knight? “Why so serious? Let’s put a smile on that face!”
I’ve lived in Sweden for over three years now and have used public transportation for all that time. I don’t own a car (I’ll have to blog about that some other time) so I buy a monthly SL-pass to get to work and around town. Although it’s a pretty simply journey to my office, I like to alternate routes sometimes just to keep it fresh. It’s nice to ride the bus since you get to look around the streets, and it’s nice to ride the tunnelbana since you can keep dry and warm during the winter months.
But why is everyone so damn quiet? There is absolutely no chit chat on the bus (with the exception of the occasional person on their phone). Everyone looks like they are on their way to a funeral. I’m guilty of this too – I think the “Swedish calm” (or whatever you want to call it) has rubbed off on me over the years. I get on the subway or the bus, I either stand or pick a seat, and I stare off into space. I don’t smile, I don’t greet anyone, and the only thing I might say is “ursäkta” when I need the person next to me to move so I can get off the bus. Continue reading
We have football. They have hockey.
Tonight is the AIK vs. DIF hockey game at Ericsson Globe. I will be going with a bunch of my friends. It’s only my second hockey game in Sweden, which led me to think about this blog posting. In the US, football (you know, that weird shaped ball with the threads that people throw and kick around!) is king. It’s what we watch on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It’s what we cry over. It’s what we drink over. It’s what we celebrate.
But here, it’s hockey. And I don’t understand hockey. I mean, it’s really not that hard to understand the game, but it’s not something I get fired up about like the Swedes. I also hear that we have a lot of Swedish players in the NHL.
So what is it, I ask? Is it that in order to be #TrulySwedish you must like ice hockey?
It’s sunny today. Solen skiner.
Hej!
Well, after posting my first entry, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful it was outside. Yes, it’s November and the sky is as blue as could be. That is not usual for November; in 2009 we had something like 17 hours of total sunlight in the month of November. We know November as the “dark month” in Sweden.
This utterly depressing fact means that Swedes appreciate any shred of sunlight that they can get their skin on. Continue reading
Hey! Welcome to Truly Swedish! (Hej! Välkommen till Truly Swedish!)
Hello, and welcome to my new blog, Truly Swedish.
I haven’t blogged since 1998-1999 when I hosted my own site and logged my daily activities. The good old days of Slackware Linux and a 1 mbit DSL line. Yes, that was before “blog” was even a word. But hey, 12 years later, I’m back. Continue reading