Life in the Land of the Ice and Snow
Infiltrating Sweden one cinnamon bun at a time
For the first time ever, I read about an expat to Sweden who thinks Swedes are “too friendly!” In our local paper’s letter section, a person identifying themselves as having a foreign background states: Staff at stores, I am not your friend! Quit saying hello to me when I come up to the cash register. … Read more
All these years, all these grocery ads and I still have no idea what “picnic bog” is, I just think it sounds really gross.
On today’s podcast about expats in Sweden, we discuss Easter witches, the Påskmust conspiracy and Russian dumplings. Just type in ”Life in the Land of the Ice and Snow” wherever you get your podcasts or simply click on one of these links! Hit subscribe not to miss an episode! (Normally released on Wednesdays) … Read more
I ask Rosa, from Spain, to fill me in on how people in southern Europe can eat dinner so late and still get up for work in the morning. We also talk about having to wear uniforms in school and about how tapas are the ultimate way to eat a meal. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/se/podcast/17-tapas-are-the-greatest-invention/id1440431070?i=1000432461934&l=en&mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zUBJEMI6MltS0essRyXe4… … Read more
What do you want for your birthday, son? Instead of a gift for me, I want to give it to someone else. Wow! That’s very charitable of you! Who would you like to give a gift to? The cat. Oh… uh… so what do you want to give the cat? I would like you to … Read more
My son was sick last week with a bad cough and fever. After giving him some cough medicine and tea, I told him to rest. I then put on some music for him to relax. Unfortunately, the Horrible Histories album was already cued and when I hit the power button, the radio blared, “Bring out … Read more
This week’s Twitter recommendations:
My husband and I visited the Picasso Museum this weekend in Málaga. There was an option to see the regular collection, or to pay extra to see the “Olga Picasso” collection. When asked which ticket we wanted to purchase, my husband said, “Just Pablo Picasso, please.” The woman at the desk got very offended and … Read more
On the podcast this week I talk to Ola, from Poland, about dubbing shows in other languages, the difference in Polish names and how to avoid ending up on crutches during the winter. Also, when practicing Swedish, a good tip is to talk to 2 year olds. They don’t judge. https://iceandsnow.se/podcast/16-when-stairs-become-slides/ Also available on Spotify, … Read more
Some friends and I went to a restaurant here in Stockholm the other night and ordered a margarita. These are the margaritas we received. Fork and eyeglasses for scale. Let me show you the average margarita in the U.S. Now THIS is how a margarita should be! And by the way, what’s up with the … Read more
On my podcast this week: Akash, from India, moved to Sweden expecting a heavy metal mecca. This was not quite the case. But he’s developed some rather useful apps to help these pop-music Vikings and also has a plan to change the culture here into a place where people talk to their neighbors. Good luck … Read more
I waved my kids off at the airport this morning and went immediately to both KFC and Pizza Hut, as they were in the area. Of course, I had to grocery shop first because these crazy Swedes don’t eat fried chicken at 9am in the morning. (Just wait until they discover fried chicken and waffles.) … Read more
On this week’s podcast episode: Fotis, from Greece, is getting really tired of eating so much salmon here. Can we please find a way to get fresher tasting vegetables? Also, we discover that in Swedish, the word “mambo” does not mean a type of dance. iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/se/podcast/14-from-the-land-of-sun-and-dirt-to-the-land-of-ice-and-snow/id1440431070?i=1000430230464&l=en&mt=2 Main site: https://iceandsnow.se/podcast/14-from-the-land-of-sun-and-dirt-to-the-land-of-ice-and-snow/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LzsTlcisIJvPRxbmQFdpP?si=oEIocDMvQLulroWMW0iqMQ Or anywhere … Read more
I had to explain to my Swedish family this morning how when I was in elementary school, we decorated boxes and everyone in class had to give everyone else a Valentine’s card. We would either make the cards or buy them in packs of 30 at the store. I explained that these cards often had … Read more
On this week’s episode of the Life in the Land of the Ice and Snow podcast, Steve, from England, and host of the podcast “The Experience Designers”, tells us how it is to pick up and move a family with older children to a different country, how he embraces the idea of “lagom” and how … Read more
On this week’s podcast… Leo, from Los Angeles, makes his own synthesizers and shares his knowledge on his YouTube station LeoMakes. He also thinks Swedish coffee is the best and is full of tips on how to keep yourself busy during the winter with cafes, walks, rock climbing and maybe even building your own synthesizer! … Read more
This week’s podcast has AnaMaria and Gustavo from Ecuador talking all about chocolate and how it’s made. We also discuss how it is to move from a year-round sunny and warm country to six months of darkness and cold, the wonders of swimming with sharks in the Galapagos, and the equally amazing wonders of the … Read more
Found this while looking for activities to do with my kids. My comments: Whoever did the write-up is brilliant! My grape wants to know why it has to wait almost 2 weeks to get it’s surgery done. I’m totally putting this on my cv.
