Life in the Land of the Ice and Snow Podcast

The Podcast

Heather and her expat friends discuss their experiences and humiliations among their adopted country of Sweden. We discuss tips, observations, and the type of important questions expats want to know, such as “Why are there witches on Easter?”, “Why do Swedes never take the last piece of candy?” and “Where can I find decent Tex-Mex food?”.
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The Blog

As an American living in Stockholm I’ve had lots of observations and questions about my adopted country of Sweden that I’ve been blogging about since 2009. I talk about the difficulties of finding a job, parenting, and horrible, horrible language mistakes.
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Latest episodes

image shows a blacksmith working a forge

#133 Forging a Life in Sweden

Mike, from Sault Ste. Marie, Canada, never imagined he would live his life as a blacksmith in Sweden, but here he is! We talk about learning the craft and how it’s hard to learn Swedish when everyone wants to practice their English with you.

image shows concert venue called Dalhalla

#132 The Importance of Having Seasons

Laurie is from Scotland and lives in Börlänge. We chat a bit about the metal scene in Dalarna, the awesome event venue of Dalhalla, and pros and cons of the Swedish school system.

image shows a pop tart breakfast pastry

#131 How Do Pop Tarts Work

We talk to Luisa, from Brazil, about moving during a pandemic, Swedish mannerisms, working in July and how pop tarts can be very complicated.

Latest Posts

image shows comment feed on Facebook discussing whether kids can trick or treat in a Swedish neighborhood

The Annual Halloween Confusion

And so it begins again. The annual confusion over the correct day for Swedes to celebrate Halloween. This is just a sample from our neighborhood online group. Allow me to translate:  -Can kids go on Halloween and ring on private people’s doors October 31st? -Yes, anyone that has a lit pumpkin in front of their … Read more

image of the top of my head in a bathroom mirror that I am too short to reach.

These are some tall people

Once again, I’m reminded of how I will always be different than the majority of Scandinavians by simply trying to look at my own face in the bathroom mirror at a Swedish hotel.  I also can’t look out of the peephole in the door without standing in my toes. 

image shows parody of the swedish defense new ad campaign

Sweden – worth defending?

I’ve noticed the new campaigns lately by the Swedish Defense to get people to join. However, when I saw the one that basically said, “Swedish summer, worth defending,” all I could think of was this