Life in the Land of the Ice and Snow
Infiltrating Sweden one cinnamon bun at a time
I recently showed the original Star Wars trilogy to my 6 and 8 year old sons. My 6 year old tells the stories for you with illustrations and music by himself and his brother. All 3 movies explained in 4 minutes. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE7M21n6f6U&w=560&h=315]
Two years ago we flew to New York. When we headed for customs, there was a security guard watching over the two lines for citizens and visitors. We walked immediately into the citizen line and the guard never said a word. He didn’t talk to any of the other people either. But suddenly a family … Read more
Today I learned that I can’t have raw cookie dough in the same house as myself. I have a raw cookie dough addiction.
As an American/Swedish family, we make the big trip across the Atlantic once a year for vacation. It’s almost that time again, so I thought I’d share my tips for overseas flying. 1. European airlines have free alcoholic drinks. 2. There is no way to make a 1 hour layover at Charles de Gaulle in … Read more
We are taking our summer vacation soon, so that means it’s time to check the in-flight entertainment guide for the plane! I’m hoping since we live in 2013 that we can have individual screens, but there’s still an off chance that won’t happen. I really don’t mind for flights under 4 hours, but this will … Read more
Something keeps beeping from somewhere in my house. My husband says it’s the new phone he got. But it’s not coming from the phone. I’m pretty sure I’m being invaded.
I’m looking for some places to eat in the neighborhood we will be staying at on our summer vacation. One restaurant is listed as “the city’s only ninja-themed restaurant.” Really, the only one? Where I come from we have 9 down by the river. Man, this place is behind.
After yesterdays post about my problem with Swedish swim halls, let me turn my attention to American swim halls. I forgot to mention yesterday that the shower area in Swedish locker rooms is just one giant room. No place for privacy. In America, everyone is so terrified of seeing another stranger naked that most of … Read more
It’s often very cold here in Stockholm ( a surprise, I know!), so the town is full of indoor swim halls for people who would like to swim year round. I used to be one of these people until I encountered the Shower Room Mafia. The Shower Room Mafia exists at every swim hall in … Read more
My encounter with the repairman last week says a lot about life in Sweden in the summertime. “I replaced your medicine cabinet mirror, but it’s got no handle so you can’t open it. I’ll get you a new handle, but I’m going on vacation Friday, so I’ll get it to you at the end of … Read more
If I had a house, I’d make it like this one. Think of all the money saved on a new paint job every few years! (Not thinking of course about how many bugs are crawling in that… don’t think about it! Don’t think about it!)
One thing you learn quickly about Sweden in the summer is that they are crazy and quite proud of their strawberries. If Swedish strawberries are not ready by Midsommar (last week in June), the nation goes into a panic. I’m not kidding, it will be the top headline in Swedish newspapers everywhere. And in the … Read more
I don’t get much sleep anymore. I wake up at 3 a.m. every morning with sun blazing through the sides of the darkening shades. And that’s bright sunlight, which means it’s been light probably since 1:30 or 2 a.m. This also means that putting children to bed is almost impossible. “It’s not dark! Why do … Read more
I like these kids. Clever.
It’s that time of year again…. Swedish graduation. I remember at my graduation in the states, we wore long robes and hats and walked up respectfully to get our diplomas. It’s a bit different for Sweden. They run out of the school building in sailor caps and are loaded into trucks. Then they ride around … Read more
You know, I never saw this kind of thing in the job ads back in Texas: • Fluent in English, Romanian and Russian. Ok, so I know we offer other languages too late over in the U.S., but is everyone in Europe expected to be a linguistic genius? Of course, the rest of the ad … Read more
Here in Sweden, you have to wear shoe coverings (plastic bag things) over your shoes when you go into a doctor’s office. They do the same at daycares and other places. It’s a great idea and I’m all for it. However, in the summertime, when I want to wear sandals, this doesn’t work out quite … Read more
We had to buy a heat lamp last week for the balcony so we can enjoy sitting outside IN THE SUMMER. That’s right, it’s June and we bought a heat lamp. Excluding today (which is 10 c! 50f ), the weather in Stockholm has actually been quite nice lately hovering around 20c (70f). It’s been … Read more
Even after all my years here, it’s still hard to remember when I am reading job ads that VD means the CEO of a company in Swedish and not “venereal disease” as it does in English.