Life in the Land of the Ice and Snow
Infiltrating Sweden one cinnamon bun at a time
I just realized that this past weekend, my kids ate meatballs for lunch, danced to Abba and watched the Swedish chef on YouTube. I never noticed just how Swedish they are. Next weekend we will have to eat apple pie, dance to Bruce Springsteen and watch Dallas to even this out. On a side … Read more
One great thing about Stockholm. Every job I’ve worked at, there’s always a bottle of champagne in the fridge.
Why is cherry not a flavor in Sweden? I’m from the U.S. and I’ve travelled to many other countries in Europe. They all have cherry flavors! Cherry candy, cherry liquor, cherry drinks and maraschino cherries. But in Sweden? NO cherries. Why? There are cherry trees everywhere. It’s one of the few things we don’t have … Read more
One of the best things about Sweden is all the pastry-themed holidays. Today is Cinnamon bun day! When I asked why we have a cinnamon bun day, I was told – so they can sell more cinnamon buns. Brilliant! That’s all the reason I need. We also have Luciadagen, with saffron buns (this lasts through … Read more
Let me tell you a little story about a trip we took on one of these discount airlines. To protect the airlines identity, I’ll call them Lyin Air. We chose Lyin Air because we found a price to our destination that was incredibly low and because it was hard to believe anything could be that … Read more
Yesterday my 5-year old son said, “Mamma, when you are killed I will be old.” Mistake in English or warning?
One good thing about living in Sweden – a surprisingly small amount of bugs in the house. No roaches! Only fruit flies for 2 weeks of the year and maybe a small spider or two. It’s really spoiling me for vacations in warmer countries. In Texas this summer, it was an ant invasion. In Italy, … Read more
I was reading an article in the paper earlier this week about activities on the subway. Five people were polled regarding what they like to do while riding the subway. All five answered “Sleep.” Is that really what they like to do, or what happens? I started a job last month which is 30 minutes … Read more
A 10 year old girl asked to use my desk phone yesterday. Here’s how it went: Girl: How do I dial? Me: Just dial direct. You don’t need anything special to get out. Girl: (puts receiver down on desk, dials number and stands there) Now what do I do? Me: PUT IT TO YOUR EAR! … Read more
Wednesday was the first time I have ever driven a car to work in Sweden. Normally I take the subway or bus, so I’ve never had the opportunity to experience Stockholm’s early rush hour traffic. I must say I was amazed! People actually follow the rules. Quite a change from Houston, where people jump in … Read more
Conversation I had on the phone today: Me: Hello, I’m calling about…. Lady: Speak English please. Me: I AM speaking English. I’m calling about…. Lady: Please can you speak English? Me: I AM SPEAKING ENGLISH!
Opening ceremony: Olivia Newton John singing “Physical” Parade of cats wearing flags of the world. Closing ceremony: Man with broom sweeping everyone out.
As an American, I am often confused as to why no one thinks to loot the entire city of Stockholm in July. Everyone is gone on vacation. It’s actually a bit nice and a bit spooky at the same time. Advantages to staying in town during the summer: 1. All laundry times are available. 2. … Read more
So after 3 attempts at the theory test and 4 attempts at the driving test, I finally got my Swedish driver’s license! My idea is that they took a look at my bank account and decided I couldn’t afford to fail anymore, so it was finally time to give in and pass me. To sum … Read more
Major panic in the office yesterday. The man who orders the coffee went on vacation. NOOOOO!!!! Our department was completely out of coffee. There was a mild panic and traffic jam of people just staring at the coffee machine. Luckily the resourceful and sneaky American (me) came up with the brilliant idea of just taking the coffee … Read more
We have a new princess in Sweden today. Very exciting. Everyone at the office is talking about it. It turns out that the Crown Princess delivered her baby in the same hospital that I delivered my first child. Something tells me our experiences were different. My questions: – Did she have to pass the creepy … Read more
1. Apple cider vinegar can turn your skin red 2. If you put an egg in your hair and rinse with warm water, it will cook. Conditioning hair and making breakfast at the same time!
I’m convinced the upstairs neighbors put their faces to the floor and cough down to our apartment. I’m also pretty sure they’re playing basketball and moving furniture every night at 10 p.m.
I’m currently trying to look up a way to get rid of fruit flies in the house so that I won’t have to throw away my Christmas plants. Unfortunately, the world has gone overboard with political correctness and all I am able to find on the internet is “catch and release” suggestions for fruit flies. … Read more