The Return

Rosa, back in action!

We have been back in Tierp to my shock for almost a full month. The weather is colder than Michigan and it rained a lot when we first arrived, but then it was sunny for a while and I can only hope our fall isn't too cold. Adjusting back has had it's rough moments. It has been a lot harder coming back to Sweden than the US for all of us. Anton has missed hours and hours of gaming and will try to catch up as best he can. Rosalind slept a lot more because her schedule was on Michigan time and now some days she sleeps too little. I am not doing well at all. 

I have a lot on my mind, more than any single person should have at one time. I am considering going back to the US to work for a while. For now I will begin SFI classes in October and learn Swedish 20 hours a week. Hopefully I will be able to complete the entire program. I wish I was looking forward to it, sometimes I am, but mostly I'm too depressed to care. I think it's really hard for me not having a schedule and having Anton at home right now. I am not the kind of person who wants to be a full time mom, staying at home. I like leaving and going to work. Since I may never find work here, I may not be able to stay here. Only time will tell. I always liked being in school, so that may be an option for me. I did not think we would arrive home and have so many heavy future decisions on our hands. 

In the US I have a huge support system; lots of friends and family who can be physically there and lend a shoulder and not just an ear. Here in Tierp we are very isolated, Anton and I can only rely on each other for taking care of one another and Rosa and it's hard to not have help, an occasional family member, friend, or babysitter to occupy her time so we have a break.

A lot has happened in the US since we've left and I haven't been able to be there for any of it. I know a lot of my friends who I grew up with in school are having a hard time because we lost a friend recently. I wish I could go to the funeral. I wish I could see my sister and have her hug me and tell me everything was going to be alright, and even though I know better, for just a moment in time believe that it's true. There is so much going on right now, a lot I feel is too private to blog about. Life is difficult. I miss my best friends. I miss the apple orchard this time of year. I hope I won't have to miss these things forever. I hope Rosa will get to enjoy these things someday.

For now I'm going to focus back on getting ready for school. I'll let you know how SFI is going, I have a feeling it's going to whip my butt! Until next time.

Acclimating Back to the USA

I am back in Michigan and have been enjoying people and places I had missed. It's sadly already been several weeks on our summer adventure and we go back in a week and a half. Fortunately for me after living in Sweden for only 10 months, there wasn't that much to adjust to. Although I have to admit I'm worried to go back to my other home, but more about that later.

A lot of people experience adjustments from moving back and forth to different countries. I think the reason it hasn't been too difficult for me to adjust to being back in the US is firstly because it is my home country, and secondly because I was only gone for 10 months. I only noticed a few things I had to readjust to.

In Sweden I do not have a car and rent one when I need one. I find it difficult to drive in Sweden. That in itself is somewhat of a perplexity because Swedes drive on the same side of the road, driving in km is not any different than driving in miles really accept in lengths, and since the speedometer is in km and so are the speed limit signs, it really shouldn't be any harder, but for some reason it is. A lot harder. Maybe it's the rental cars or being unfamiliar with the country. Sweden even has better roads, especially compared to Michigan, who shamingly have the worst US roads of all 50 states. Anyway driving in itself back here has not been strange, but for some reason I noticed when I returned I was driving like a snail, even without Rosa in the car. I think speed limits in Sweden tend to be lower than those in the US, but are usually comparable. Still it made a difference on my driving. So I was amused by that. Now driving has again become second nature again. 

However another problem arose in the car. Rosalind is not a happy camper when it comes to her car seat and being stuck in it in the car. For most American children it's a normal everyday occurrence to take car rides, but not for Rosa. She has been on public busses and trains, but had only a few experiences with being in the car, so unless Ed Sheeran, the frozen soundtrack or flavored puffs are provided,  she's not too thrilled to be there. There are sometimes she can be really great, but with every trip is a limit. We will be home soon and while I know she'll miss the US, be she'll sure be happy about not having to be in a car seat!

I look forward to a slower life pace back in Sweden and at the same time, I'm anxious about going back. Will my good friends still be my good friends? Will I ever get to see any of the other moms I loved talking with from baby cafe again? Will I graciously survive Rosalind going to daycare and myself attending SFI classes? Almost certainly not on the last one. At one point, I was very excited to start language classes, but that excitement has turned to dread. I dread the expectations that come along with the classes. Just because someone is an intelligent person doesn't mean they'll be a great language learner. It unfortunately doesn't work that way. I know what you are thinking! Don't give up before you have even tried. Well I will try, but with all this pressure on me instead of loving support or acceptance of timely learning,  it's really difficult for me to want to anymore. Do not fear,  I know my learning is extremely time sensitive also, which makes my effort an obligation no matter what. I just wish Rosa was older to be the one to teach and talk to me in Swedish. 

Well I guess that's it for now. Until our return to Sweden! 

5 Things We Can't Wait for in the USA

Anton, Rosa, and I are fortunate enough to be spending two months this summer in Michigan in the house I grew up in. We leave in about a week.  There are things we are both looking forward to, so I made a list of 5 things we can't wait for!

5. Prices. Shopping in Sweden can be rough for me sometimes because even the price of cucumbers seem to cost more than I think it should. Groceries overall here seem crazy expensive. It's so easy to drop $45 (300 kr) just by stopping at the store for some things. I am really looking forward to stocking up on health and beauty items as well as clothes for Rosalind. Baby and children's clothes are insane. I actually paid $15 (100 kr) for a pair of pants for Rosa and those were the cheap pair!

4. My house and neighborhood. I lived in the same house basically my entire life until I moved to Sweden. It may be the only place that feels truly like home to me until we own our own house. Our neighborhood is beautiful filled with pines, flowers, and many shades of green. I look forward to mowing the lawn on our riding mower, taking walks with my family, and the nostalgic summertime scents in the air. 

3. Parties and Bbqs. My twin Erin and I really enjoy hosting dinner parties and bbqs. We enjoy having food and drinks with friends,  playing board and card games, and sometimes drinking games too. Now that Rosalind is here, more of our parties will be family themed,  but that's nice too because people can bring their families and we can watch all the kids running around playing. Either way we'll try a new recipe or liquor. Who isn't an addict to fun!

2. Coffeehouses and diners, specific ones. I should say restaurants in general,  but what I miss most is Starbucks and Denny's. The good news is there was only one Starbucks in Sweden,  then two, and now there are supposed to be 5 more coming.  I bet one will be in Uppsala (40 minutes away)! I used to go thru the drive thru or meet a coffee date there occasionally. I have three favorite drinks there.They sell pumpkin bread.  I love pumpkin bread!  Denny's is an All-American diner with decent prices and decent food. It used to be my second home.  There is free wifi, a constant flow of coffee,  and it is my favorite place to study. I used to go work for 4 to 8 hours a few times a week while in school. Also I have met a lot of current friends I have at Denny's where we also met to hang out for hours. 

1. People! I miss my partner in crime, my twin, my penguin Erin, most.  I miss my parents,  brothers, best friend Sue, and of course all my wonderful friends. I am excited to introduce Rosalind to my brothers and friends.  Erin and my parents are looking forward to seeing how much Rosa has grown since they last saw her. I can't wait for everyone to fall in love with her. I know we'll make many lasting memories. 

I asked Anton what he was looking forward to about going back to the US and this was his response, "food, beer, people, food, and more food, and parties but especially our wedding reception". I suppose his answer is acceptable.  For now I have to prepare for our trip,  but I promise to share any readjustment issues I may have when I'm back in the USA!

Perceptions, Perceptions

So each country is filled with stereotypes or assumed ideas of people. The following information are thoughts from many people I have met, as well as my own experiences.

How are Americans viewed by Swedes? Not too great I'm afraid. You see, many Swedes think Americans are phony and fake friendliness/ caring about others. Not only that but they unfortunately they have a lot of American tv, especially reality shows, which if you ask me is often highly entertaining, but puts Americans in a bad light. I have heard from several Swedes that Americans seem fake because of our standard greeting. We say,  "Hi, how are you?" Americans are said to not really care about how other people really are,  which to Swedes translates to falsehood. The thing is,  if you're American, you know if someone is asking how you are doing or if they are asking you really how you are doing. To say, "hi, how are ya" in the USA is equivalent to saying "hej hej" in Sweden. It has become a standard greeting. 

I honestly think that most Americans are friendly. It is said that Swedes are not friendly people. I would have to say that it is true to a point. I have been met with kindness many times upon meeting people at the store, hospitals, and baby cafe. In public though Swedes can be very brusque.
I have seen on many occasions people shoving their way on or off a bus or train in front of others. In fact it happens every time I take the train. Also a lot of people take up more seats than necessary and will not let others sit next to them. At the grocery store people get in front of others without asking them if they are in line, and while I invite people who just have a couple of items to check out in front of my full cart, and tell Anton to do the same when we're together, he wouldn't dare be so generous if I was not there. There are rude people everywhere of course. But there really is a sense of unfriendliness around a lot of people here. Anton's brother-in-law gave me an example. Smiling at a Swede is like personally assaulting their privacy. Anton may hurt the example of your average Swede though,  because his manners are very poor most of the time. Sadly though I feel many of his mannerisms are probably very Swedish.

Swedes have a bad habit of leaving before finishing a conversation too. Or maybe Swedes think Americans are phony again for needing to leave a conversation with a fluffy ending. My close friend Pernilla brought this to my attention.  Swedes just finish talking and walk away,  while Americans say things like "well it was great seeing you, thank you so much for coming, we'll get together soon, have a safe trip, bye!"  Anton's brother-in-law is an excellent example of the saying his last thought and never really closing a conversation. To an American it feels rude, to a Swede it seems normal.

Anton used to think Americans were loud and rowdy. Then he said he realized people in general are loud and rowdy, to consider it an American attribute is just silly. He is loud and rowdy, as am I, as well as our baby Rosa! It's a family trait now. 

I am sure there are many more perceptions or truths of Americans and Swedes, but the most recent one I have heard is that Swedes do not like to hire non Swedes, including Americans of course. I was already worried about finding work here because I do not believe I will ever be fluent in Swedish even after immersion and SFI classes. I have heard that I may have it easier than other foreigners because of my extensive English ability. Who knows if any of it is true or not. Also it appears that higher education for many jobs is not as valued in Sweden as it is in the United States. Basically that means they do not care that I have a master's degree, so that won't give me an edge. Good jobs are hard to come by here, but I am told once you have a job, there is great security in keeping it. Who knows what will happen. Maybe I will do nails until I am ready to take on a PhD program. I just hope once I start job hunting it doesn't take me three years or more to find a job like it has for several of the other foreigners I know here. 

For now I will continue to try to crush ridiculous stereotypes and perceptions of Americans here by being my outgoing friendly self and help Anton appear less "Swedish" by leading him to be more polite and friendly to others! Until next time...

5 Things I Have Yet to Find at the Pharmacy...

Health and beauty items aren't in large varieties in your small local grocery stores here, so sometimes you can find things at the pharmacy. Here are 5 things I haven't found yet. Let's just get down to it.

5. Leave in Conditioner- It's possible I wasn't looking hard enough or it's possible there really is none there. When you have hard water, your hair truly suffers and so I seriously need some relief for my very dry hair. Fortunately my friend Pernilla helped me find a leave in oil at the grocery store!

4. Tums. I have serious stomach issues. No matter what I eat, except for raw veggies my stomach usually goes crazy. I have to take Zantac everyday (for heartburn/acid indigestion/sour stomach) to not be in pain. I used to take prilosec and I miss that dearly, but it is not as safe to take while pregnant as Zantac, so I switched a year ago. Tums help with minor stomach irritations that I have and it's hard not finding them readily available. Anton says there is a chalk like substance here too for things like that, but I haven't seen it and I doubt they would taste as good as the berry assortment I have. It is supposedto be a stomach powder to mix with water, ick, that is not what I'm looking for.

3. Neosporin- Or something comparable. I wanted something for cuts, not burns, which is what is sold here. Neosporin is controversial because is could keep out necessary bacteria or help MRSA spreading. It is designed to help cuts heal faster and relieve pain to a extent all in a petroleum jelly/ Vaseline like form. I didn't know about the spreading of MRSA until now, but I like having a cream to put on cuts to numb them and help them heal faster. I'm really accident prone. I hope they create a superior invention of this. 

2. Tampons with Applicators. Yep. Don't think about this one too hard. Also tampons cannot be flushed in the toilets here... booo. The whole situation here is a hot mess if you ask me. Sometimes I think reduse, reuse, recycle is taken to the extreme and that's a serious statement coming from a serious initiator and advocator for the slogan.


1. Flushable Wipes. Once you've had flushable wipes and you love that clean feeling you can't stop buying them. Unless you move to a country where they don't exist. This one really is a pain when I think about potty training too, because it's so much easier for her to learn with flushable wipes and be able to clean herself properly. At least I don't have to worry about potty training for a while.

An Epiphany

I think I am holding in a lot of feelings here. Some of my friends may know I have been having a hard time lately. I came to realize why that is today. The truth is, I am an American and always will be.  I am an American living in Sweden. I realized that I am broken. I am emotionally split in two. I do not belong here, nor do I belong there anymore.

I am afraid of my trip to the USA for two months. Many of my good friends there haven't talked to me since I've moved here. That really hurts when you love and care about someone and you make an effort that they fail to return. I am afraid people won't want to see me and spend time with me and that a part of me will feel miserable for it. I am afraid things won't be the same or as great as I remember them; that I will have less in common or less to talk about with people and life will be awkward. 

I am worried that things that used to be completely normal to me will seem so foreign. I saw a 2 liter bottle of pop here at the store the other day and it looked so huge to me because here in Sweden we have 1.5 liters and that is what I am used to now. I shared that with Anton and he said, "how do you think I felt the first time I walked down an American pop isle?"

When I booked my trip to the USA,  I wanted as much time "home" as possible.  I told my friend Pernilla a couple months ago about being away for two months and our friend Alina will be gone for 6 weeks. She was far from thrilled. She was looking forward to the babies doing summer things together.  After she talked about all the fun things we would do I was sad I am going to be gone for so long. I then wished we are only going for a month, so I could spend more time with my friends,  the babies, and see more of summer here.

When Erin came here to visit us for a week in January, she didn't come out of the doors smiling and excited like I had hoped. I was upset but didn't fault her for it because the journey here is long. Things weren't normal with us as bffs that week,  because Erin was acclimating to so much at once. A new country,  a new home (I want her to feel like this is another home), and Rosalind. Anton and I tried to give Erin lots of different experiences, especially edible ones. It wasn't until I was driving her to the airport and we were sharing our lives with each other like old times that I had my sister and best friend back. While I talk to Erin almost everyday, it's not the same as being together. I really miss our relationship.

I am happy that the three of us have the opportunity to spend two whole months with Erin, my parents, and many others. I really need the help and break with Rosalind. Also our families will get to meet for our amazing wedding, and that is more exciting than nerve wracking, at least for me, maybe not for Anton!

I wonder if I will always feel like half a person or not completely whole in this country. I wonder if I'd really miss Sweden if we ever move to the US. I hope all my fears are unfounded. I hope I have a ball. Like my friend Alina said,  if you have too much of a good time you may not want to come back. I think I will actually look forward to coming back, to coming "home" to Sweden. I guess only time will tell.

The Pharmacy- Where All Meds Are Kept

Need meds? There is only one place to get them. The pharmacy. I am convinced that Swedes almost never use medications for a few different reasons: the mindset, the cost, alternative/natural remedies, and the pharmacy hours.

The pharmacy is only open six days a week (M- Sat), opens at 8 am and closes at 6 pm. If you have medication needs outside of that, you have to go to the hospital. I feel really uneasy living in a country without a 24 hr pharmacy within my grasp. I stock our medicine cabinet and have baby medicines in case we need them because I worry about not being able to get them easily.

I have been with my beau Anton for years. And in this time we have been together he has complained on several occasions about various ailments. My response is always, "did you take something for it"? I assume that if the problem is annoying enough for someone to complain about it, he or she will then take the necessary steps to ease their own suffering. I'm not sure if Anton is that lazy or just does not really like taking medications. I think it's the latter but I'm not so sure why. I will have to ask.

Many people here seem to have aversions to medicine or only take it in dire circumstances. I think it's great that abuse of medications doesn't seem to be a big problem here, but at the same time is taking medication when you need it really so awful? I bet some people mentally fight with themselves over this. I've had people give me natural or other remedies for ailments here before I take a medication. I think that's nice, but  I also feel like I know my body well enough on what will work for me a lot of the time and sometimes homeopathic remedies won't cut it.

The only time doctors wanted to try to medicate me was during labor. My anesthesiologist convinced me to get an epidural in case of emergency. I hate to say it but I wasn't really given a choice. Well to make sure the epidural works, they have to give you a test shot. That lasted about half hour. And then I went back to being in pain. I think they did that more for fear of complications. I was probably the heaviest pregnant woman she had ever seen and they really did not want to have an emergency c-section. My delivery went smooth as far as I could tell and I had no complications.

When Rosa was a couple weeks old she got thrush and I wanted her to take medicine. I knew that when it started it was not very bad, but a few days later it was thicker and had spread to her gums. The midwife would not give me medication for her. She told me to take something like club soda and rub it on her tongue before feeding her. It's like they want you to wait things out or try the homeopathic way first. The next time we saw the midwife the thrush was still there, as I knew it would be, and I procured a prescription. Poor baby had it for over a month and we had to get a second script for it. The prescription costs over $40, I think it was like $47, and we had it twice.

They do have pain reliever and cough drops at the grocery stores too, but the latest the store is open here is 10 pm. Also most of the time I'm not looking for either of those things. I have a 500 tablet bottle of Tylenol at home, and a couple bags of cough drops, so I think I'm good on that. I think the Swedish mindset may be healthier about medication. Over-medicating oneself is never the way to go. What I don't like is the lack of convenience when medication is a necessity. Not only do the hours just plain suck for the pharmacy, but there are less medications and over the counter options here. Medication options are vital because people react differently to the same medications. I guess I will keep stocking my pharmacologicals from the US. Until next time...

Toyless in Tierp

This title may sound a little misleading. Of course there are places you can buy toys in Tierp, not too many, but even then they don't have the best baby selection. For a long time in our household we ourselves were practically toyless in Tierp!

Rosa's homemade toys!

I believe consumerism in the US is much bigger than in Sweden for a few different reasons. While the population is severely lower, there tends to be less options, kids are not as spoiled, and also people here are more crafty or there seem to be more crafty people that make things for themselves including toys! Rosa has some homemade toys that she loves from Grandma T and a couple from baby cafe. I can't wait to learn how to make more!

Toys found at Lidl

 There is a store here called Lidl. Anton is so against going there. If you live in the US it's the the equivalent of Save-a-lot, which I won't shop at, so I can't really diagree with his feelings on Lidl. I really do think though that everyone has stores they don't like or won't shop at. Anyway Lidl has some great deals on household items, clothes, and sometimes toys. I found an awesome Fisher Price book that is soft and can be chewed on with practically no destruction or wear. I also found a Disney stack set of rings. The only problem with buying toys at Lidl is, if you find it that day, you have to purchase it that day or it won't exist the next time you go in. They purchase a certain amount and do not order more, so what they have out is what they have.

Rosa's remote & phone

After I moved here, I had sticker shock on baby and children's things. I think I spend $60 (400 kr) on a Pingu  penguin pillow. An investment I do not regret, especially since it keeps your arms from going numb. But I think you catch my drift, if a pillow is $60, how much is a stroller? car seat? etc? Well Amazon UK can save the day! A good stroller that can hold a car seat and baby bed here starts at around $600. They are amazing but I cannot fathom spending that much money. My dad shipped me a Graco carseat and stroller at a fraction of that price. So I order a lot of things from Amazon UK: bottles, wipes, reusable diapers, a baby wetsuit, etc.. Recently I ordered two toys, one that she plays with now and one that she can play with when she is older.

Rosalind is growing like a weed and quickly outgrowing her bouncer and swing. I wanted to get her something she could grow into. Unfortunately my first choice from Amazon UK cost as much in shipping as it did the item, so I had to figure out an alternative. I looked at babyland.se a site I had looked at several times before I even moved here but never ordered anything from it. It's one of those sites you want to order everything from. I found a cool blue car rocker/ walker and ordered it with free shipping! It was more than I would have liked to spend, but in my opinion necessary. Rosa has to feel like she does several different types of things and change it up all day long. She isn't one of those babies who can do one thing for hours, besides sleep, and even then that has it limitations.

Rosa checking out her first new car.

My mother-in-law said she sent Rosa a new toy too. We're excited to see what it is! I feel good about her collection now and I don't think she'll need any thing for quite some time. While it was no fun being toyless in Tierp, I'm glad I've decided not to go overboard on toys. She can only play with so many things at once and she really loves boxes, paper, and measuring cups. Besides she has an awesome book collection with English and Swedish books!

Waffles Waffles Everywhere!

Today in Sweden it is waffle day or Våffeldagen. Yes they preserve a whole day for the sacred enjoyment of waffles here. Awesome, right?! Actually Waffle day is supposed to be a world wide celebration nowadays but it's really a Swedish tradition. This means you can actually go a buy a waffle at the bakery, possibly a coffee shop if you can't make them yourself, or go somewhere where they are served like baby cafe.

Supposedly there is a historical background of waffle day too, but I couldn't really find a lot of reputable information on that. Anton says he always remembers there being a waffle day, so it has to have been around for quite some time. In the US Waffle day is the 24th of August because that is the day the waffle iron was created. I don't know anyone who actually celebrates Waffle day religiously in the US. In fact I myself had never observed waffle day until now. The good thing about the stores around waffle day is that they sell waffle mixes as well as waffle irons on sale so more people will also enjoy the tradition.

Waffle making time at baby cafe!

Waffles are eaten differently here with jams we don't usually have readily available at most stores in the US (ligonberry @ ikea & cloudberry) and real whipped cream. Waffles in the US are traditionally eaten with butter and syrup like pancakes, or powered sugar, strawberries, and whipped cream. Today you can really put anything on waffles like banana slices, chocolate syrup, blueberries, whatever fits your fancy.  The waffles here are softer and thinner than the ones in the US too, but I do like both.

I ate one waffle yesterday and one today in celebration. The one I had yesterday was decorated with whipped cream mixed with ligonberry jam. Today I had strawberry/ligonberry jam and whipped cream. It was yummy! Mums! I know a lot of people like to eat theirs with cloudberry jam and whipped cream. I sadly ate my waffle today before I took a photo of it to show you. Oh well I hope you join in on the fun and eat a waffle today too!

Answers Per Request Part 2

I am going to address my second set of six topics that I wrote about here. There have been a lot less questions and commentary on this set probably because it has more to do with my personal experiences than comparisons or differences from Sweden to the US. If I don't get too bogged down or daunted by writing these particular types of posts I will continue with them. It takes a lot of time to prepare these answering/updating posts, but it also clears my mind of comments and questions I have received on old ones. Unfortunately I don't think this one will be as entertaining as the last, but I suppose I can make an attempt.

Post #7 Tjugondag Knut or St. Knut's Day

St. Knut

I received word that not everyone in Sweden really knows much about these celebrations or if they do, they do not necessarily celebrate them. I had a couple people tell me more history about St. Knut, which I am too lazy to relay. Actually I do not remember much of it. To refresh your memory, this day is the riding of the Christmas season in Sweden and people throw out their trees this day. Sometimes there is dancing and signing around the tree and candy for kids. I say why not add this holiday into one's repertoire of holiday celebrations, it certainly makes life more enjoyable!





Post #8  5 Things I Have Yet to Find at a Grocery Store (Sweets Ed)

This definitely has changed since I wrote the post. When my sister was here visiting she brought with her Nestle chocolate chips and Saunders hot fudge. And when we were in the English shop, we found Libby's canned pumpkin. I obviously don't expect Michigan (Saunders) hot fudge here, but any brand would suffice. So I have three out five on my list right now, which isn't too shabby. I made pumpkin bread when family came to visit and it was little under baked, but it made me happy and reminded me of growing up and my mom making different breads at home, usually banana though. It's funny though because in the US we call it bread because you make loaves, but here it is considered cake because it's sweet. I have since made banana and zucchini breads also. Anton said that the banana was his favorite. I suppose it was usually mine too because I ate it and made it the most often in Michigan, but right now all I want is the pumpkin!!!


Post # 9 Erin's Visit to Sweden

My favorite picture of Erin & Rosalind

When Erin was here things were like a whirlwind. We were go all the time, even in our down time I felt that way because we only had a week together. I could share all the details from Erin's visit, but that would take too much time and lot of you would get bored. I know because of work reasons, Erin cannot come back here for a while and maybe even years. It's really hard not being able to raise Rosalind with Erin everyday. I want Erin's positive influence and happiness to be a regular part of her everyday life. Who knows one day maybe we will live with her again. A girl can dream. For now skype is our best friend. I am so grateful to google and fb chat also, so I can talk to my sister everyday!

Post # 10 Baby Cafe

A lot of people really dug this post, probably because of the super cute pictures. I can't get enough of the one of Rosalind, making that righteous indignation face towards her dad. Priceless. So I will share it again here. :) Also I forgot to mention before that at baby cafe Rosalind's favorite part is the song that has a sheer and bright flower type blanket that goes over her moving up and down to the music. Some of the other babies are scared of the blanket because they don't understand why this thing is being lifted up and coming back down to so close to their faces, but our little Rosalind loves it. We do it at home sometimes. Another thing I forgot to mention is that they did Christmas pictures of the children. They had a professional photographer come in a take photos in their nice outfits. I'm not sure how much they charged for the pictures or if it was covered by baby cafe, but I'm guessing there was a small fee. We have continued to try and take her weekly to baby cafe so she learns to socialize. I really want her to be a very open, friendly, and generous person. It's hard to find people like that here, but I'd prefer she'd be more American than Swedish in that aspect. Fortunately for me, Anton is so much more like an American in behavior than a Swede, at least with people he knows. I said to him, "you will always be more American than I can ever be Swedish!"  That gives me hope for Rosalind to be more outgoing.

Post #11 My Swede Calls Me Boo

I was not too thrilled that this post wasn't more of a hit with my American peers, but I did only post it on Valentine's day. I should have re-posted it so that more people would have read it after the holiday. The reason I really wanted the people I know in the US to read this one was because it was about Anton and I want my friends to get to know him a little better. By the way he just said mmmmkay! He also read my post and thought there was an error in this sentence, "...maybe he will fess up.. ". He didn't know we use fess up as the short for confess. Of course my close friends have met Anton and now we have mutual friends, he still has not met or spent a lot of time with most of my friends. Anton is a Swede in the US a lot of the time, meaning he is not too loquacious and appears to be an introvert. I suppose I am less lively here than I am in the US, then again maybe not.  I would have to ask Anton and my friends what they think. I have two friends in town, Pernilla and Alina. Pernilla is someone you want to know, not just because of her general knowledge. She exudes natural positive energy and liveliness. P (my nickname for her) is kind and generous. She is the one Swedish woman I have met, that I would call outgoing other than maybe my future mother-in-law. I swear everyone seems to know her. She is one of those very few people you meet in life that everyone likes. She also is my go to gal for questions on all things Swedish. (I cannot always trust everything Anton tells me. Also he often doesn't know the answers to my questions.) We both love games and cookies. I am going to be her personal cookie smuggler.
Alina is the sweetest. At first it was really hard for me to get a real impression on her because she seemed guarded. I soon learned that was not the case at all, that she was just like any other new mom and tired from chasing a baby! I actually have a lot of commonalities with her, like our age, we are both first time moms, we worry a lot,  we both went to beauty school, and we both don't speak Swedish... yet. Alina is adorable, she can be sassy and bold and when she is, you like her all the more for it. I like that they are both just themselves with me. I think they are because sometimes I feel like we confide in each other on everyday stresses, concerns, and mommy talk. They also read my blog posts when they have time and I think they laugh at my jokes! It's nice to have friends. So back to my original thought. I want people to know more about Anton because he's really an interesting guy. He is Swedish at heart so you don't get him, until you're in. One of the reasons I discussed his English capability was because I imagined some of my friends who haven't met him wondered about it, so that was the motivation for this original post.

Post # 12 Everyone Speaks English There, Right?

Hej du, ja du! I know nothing, maybe a few words. So maybe I didn't stress this enough in my post, but yes many people do know English, (it's actually impossible to live here and not know any English at all) but people here are ashamed, scared, or nervous about speaking English, just like I am with Swedish. I understand! How can people not think I understand, do they not realize it goes both ways with my Swedish?! The thing is, I feel like all these people keep expecting me to learn Swedish magically. Sure I can learn words and maybe a couple phrases, which I do know some, but I honestly believe I cannot learn it without SFI. To me, you cannot learn a language without classes or possibly Rosetta Stone (which costs an arm and a leg). I will try to stay open to learning Swedish, but the bulk of my knowledge will not arrive until I can begin those classes. Part of me is excited for it and part of me is scared, but I feel like the only way anyone can expect me to live here for longer than a year, is if I take the SFI program. I know Anton was hoping I would go back to school and apply for that PhD, but then how would I learn Swedish? I think that is just asking for a person to break down, too much on one's plate at once. Also if I'm honest with myself I'm not ready to commit to a PhD program yet.

Answers Per Request Part 1

So this post is to answer some questions I have received and elaborate with new information I have obtained on certain topics. Here we goooo... (yes that was mentally said in Mario's voice) let's dive in!

 Post #1 10 Differences of a Swedish Christmas

Donald Duck

There are more then ten differences, maybe even 20. I am sure an eleventh according to my Swedish accomplices would be TV programing. There is the Julkalendern or Adventskalendern (Christmas Calender or Advent Calender) show for kids that broadcasts daily up until Christmas Eve Day. I was able to see the last episode which was very odd, it probably would have made more sense in English and had I watched the entire series, cavemen were involved with present day people. There is a Lucia special on December 13th which I think truly kicks off the holiday spirit with candle lit singing (it was beautiful). Also there are Christmas specials like Donald Duck and Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons Julafton which is supposedly called Christopher's Christmas Mission in English. Donald Duck is a household comprehension, but Christopher's Christmas Mission is a Swedish animated short film about a boy who steals presents from the rich to give to the poor. Anton and I hung out alone with baby while everyone else watched them on Christmas. I will watch them on our next Swedish Christmas.
Nordic Quack Article on Donald Duck Tradition

Post #2 Hockey, Almost A Religion Here?

 I was really nervous and stunned to see how many people were at the hockey game. Outside there were crowds of fans, cars everywhere, and I was anxious about being around so many people. I am like that in the US sometimes in large crowds, but it was heightened here in Sweden. I think it had a lot to do with knowing I did not fit in, more like stick out like a sore thumb. The arena was packed, but I managed to calm down and enjoy myself. Two big differences about the hockey game I forgot to share in my original post was that the clock counted up to twenty minutes, instead of down from twenty minutes, also the rink was wider and appeared shorter.


Post #3 A Late Intro to Living American in Sweden

This post is my most read post with 127 views. I received a lot of good feedback and several people have told me they looked forward to reading my blog. That felt great to hear. The cool thing about my blog is that I get to see how many and from what countries my viewers are in. Of course my main readership is in the US and then Sweden, but thanks needs to also go to those few readers out there in Germany, Malaysia, Australia, Finland and a few other countries. I appreciate it! I made a statement that claimed that Americans and Swedes live very different lifestyles and I believe that's true. So I thought I would share one difference here. Americans work a lot more. I will not dispute who is more hard-working that's just dumb, but Americans definitely work more hours and have less vacation then Swedes. I feel sort of lazy that I will be a stay at home mom for at least a year before I can go to SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) classes. Anton does not work right now because he is in school full time. I feel like I need a job stat for a better income. I have had jobs since I was 10 years old. I started walking a neighbor's dog regularly for $2 a walk, by 12 I was dog grooming and babysitting. I did 10 years of post high school education and while doing so I have always had at least one job if not two or three. I know several friends had similar lifestyles. Many people in Sweden do not work while they are studying full time. Also Swedes get at least 4 to 5 weeks of vacation that they are expected to take. In the US many people have jobs that they do not get any vacation because they are not considered full time employees, they just have to request days of if they have something they want to do. Vacation time is probably 2 to 3 weeks depending on the company you work for if you work full time. There are a few crazy jobs who give even more time off than that, but historically that has to do with years you've put into the company. The mentality in the US is work hard, play hard, while here it seems to be work, enjoy, and relax and maybe relax some more? I am not used to not being on the go all the time. I really need to force myself to enjoy my year off, because I am very fortunate to have it.

Post #4 Swedish Fika vs American Coffee Break

The truth is that these pastimes can be quite similar. It's just that only those people who like coffee or tea in the US generally take coffee breaks, in Sweden everyone has fika and fika is a daily thing for a lot of people. My sister Erin and I love to go to Starbucks and get pumpkin bread and a mocha or latte and it's just like fika here. However most Americans don't have others over for fika like Swedes do. A friend asked about Swedes being carb-a-holics statement. I plan on writing a couple of related posts about bread and another about pastries, so I don't want to delve too deeply into the topic now. It's plain and simple, Swedes eat a lot of carbs. Fika is served with carbs. People love their bread, pasta, and flour-based sweets here. At baby cafe all fika is, is carbs, served with a side of liver pate and cucumber. Maybe my experience is a little jaded because I am around a vegetarian and pescatarians a lot, but at great grandma's and my soon to be brother-in-law's, who are carnivores, they have served carbs for snacks and fika. It is common to offer people bread and cheese with cucumbers or tomatoes with fika, people do it all the time. The bakery sells sandwiches, everywhere you go you can buy a sandwich. Hard-bread is a thing here and people actually eat it. Max (Swedish fast food) enormous buns are sold at the grocery store (they are yummy, but super carb-infested). Therefore my conclusion is that Swedes in general are carb-a-holics. There is nothing wrong with loving carbs, it is just an observation I have made.

Post #5 Macho-ism not masochism
(I believe some people misread the title (which I provided correctly) and that is why they've read this post. I dare say that Masochism Not Learned In Sweden sounds like a more exciting topic, but alas that was not my intention. Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us.)

I took some heat for this post, but the truth is, it's how I feel and what I know as an American woman in Sweden.Yes machoism exists everywhere, but I really wanted to stress how much more fathers are involved, how gender neutrality and equality is better here than in the US. A lot of men here are dads and a lot of them spend quality time with their children. Nowhere is perfect but I love seeing dads when I'm out everyday with strollers or baby-wearing. It's amazing and seldom seen in the US unless you are at places like the zoo. Anton and his father both went to baby cafe one Friday and no one looked sideways.
A cool page I found on fb is Swedish dads. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Swedish-Dad/206074569450097 
I mean how many countries do you know have a paternity leave, let alone one comparable to maternity leave?

Your normal Swedish dad.

Post #6 Tierp -Where the Birds Fly Upside Down

So Tierp is a strange place to many. It can seem dark and ugly.  There are the darkest crows that caw loudly and truly fly upside down, so I've witnessed. Anton heard the reason why Tierp has this special saying is because it is so boring here that the crows look up to the sky instead. We've also heard that it is so ugly here and that is why the birds look to the sky. At baby cafe there is a mobile on the ceiling that is an upside down crow. When we saw it, we laughed and laughed.
I'll share the picture again. At ICA (a grocery store) there is a picture of the Tierp crows in front next to the entrance, it makes me smile.


Well that's all until next time...

Everyone Speaks English There, Right?

Negative, a big fat enormous negative. Most people know that in many countries they learn English as a second language. Sweden is one of those countries. According to the most helpful Linnea, children in Sweden today start to learn English when they are 7, learning things like numbers 1-20, colors, and my name is, the basics. So if you start at 7 and have English more or less until you graduate, how do you not speak it? To be honest I thought the same thing at first. How can you take a class for 10 years and not know it right? It even made me angry that everyone tells you that everyone speaks English in Sweden and yet a lot of people don't or aren't comfortable with it after having it for years. I mean the immersion of English into Swedish society is so noticeable to people here whose first language is English. There are stores, restaurants, signs, groceries, books, etc. that are in English (Some words in Swedish are the same as in English so it's hard to not know they are actually in Swedish...( too)). Even the Tierp sign when you enter town from the train station says Welcome to Tierp; but do the majority of people in this area know English fluently? No, not really.

I admit it; I would get selfishly angry that people did not know English here or that they seemed so freaked out that I could not speak Swedish. Sometimes in brief moments I still stand by that indignation. Even though in the back of my mind I firmly know I am in the wrong because this is not my country and I need to learn their language, not the other way around. My daughter's midwife cannot understand everything I tell her. I haven't found any practitioner in Tierp who has superior English knowledge. It's frustrating that I have to rely on Anton to do things I could normally do myself in the US, like make a phone call.  The answer hit me smack in the face. When I finally thought about how it is possible to have a class for 10 years and not retain much, it really became simple. Do I really know the dates of American history? No. I would fail miserably if asked to take a test and put accurate dates on historical events like women's suffrage (1920s?), wars, etc. and while I'm not ashamed to admit that, I would like to do something about it because I should be embarrassed by that fact. I would shame my good friend Erick, who I bet would have pegged me for knowing better.

The thing is some Swedes like Anton, my friend Pernilla, and my soon to be brother-in-law are fluent in English. Some people are close to fluent, down to many different levels of English knowledge and understanding. There are Swedes who just know the basics, and the older someone is the higher the likelihood is that they know less English. Most days I like to think my English is great and sometimes excellent. :P Yesterday when I was at the store a older man, probably late 70s, started talking to me in Swedish while I was holding a crabby Rosalind out of her stroller. I explained to him I understood little Swedish. He proceeded to ask, "boy or girl" and "her name". I answered his questions and was so excited by the fact that he even tried to talk to me after he found out I know practically no Swedish. Most elderly people would just smile and say something else in Swedish and walk away. Anton's grandparents and I cannot really communicate, but I hope that will change.

The great thing about Sweden is they offer free SFI or Swedish for immigrant classes. While this is excellent I cannot take them until Rosalind has childcare, which won't be until she is one. Therefore I am stuck not really immersing myself into learning the language. Like I told my soon to be father-in-law, it's easy to not learn Swedish with a baby around. My current understanding of Swedish is almost non-existent. I know plenty of random words, some phrases, but am terrified to use them with the Swedish people I know. Anton used to laugh at me when I first tried to learn, so it has made me nervous and anxious, not wanting to look like a fool. I should really just tell myself he is the fool for laughing because at least I am trying to learn. Anton is much more helpful now and teaches me new words sometimes, the problem is with my memory. I have a hard time remembering a lot of what I learn. I can read some ads in the newspaper and some packages at the grocery store. I understand a lot of the restaurant menus, yes without pictures. For me it is much easier to read Swedish mentally to myself then hear and comprehend. Even when I hear things I know in Swedish said aloud, my brain sometimes forgets that I know what that means. I have my moments where I impress Anton with my reading ability. It is not even good yet, but I can generally understand what something means in pamphlets, ads, newspapers, captions on tv, and some children's books.

Truthfully I am not hard on Swedes or really any foreigners who aren't fluent in English or who use things incorrectly because I can't tell you how many Americans can't even use your vs you're correctly, or to, two, and too correctly. I make errors often too. I am working on breaking myself of a few bad grammar habits like pretty as a descriptor, I caught myself actually saying me and my friends the other day instead of my friends and I. I think it had to do with the fact that I was nervous. Anyway learning a new language is challenging, and as much as I would love to learn Swedish, I feel like something is holding me back and I fear that it is fear of failing miserably. But I guess I'll never know if I don't try.

My Swede Calls Me Boo

In a perfect world, I would always be on the ball, writing a post every two to three days, but because Rosalind is oh so demanding, I have to rely on Anton for help to get my blog writing in. He gets antsy after hanging out with her for too long when he knows I'm working on my blog. I really do enjoy sharing my very normal life in Sweden. Is any life really normal though if you're truly outrageous? I think sometimes I tend to shock the hell out of people just by being myself, at times it can be quite entertaining and at other times quite boring. Anyway back to the task at hand, we begin our discussion on language. In another post I will spill on my lack of Swedish language knowledge and SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) classes, but this post is actually going to be about Anton and his English capability. This post is also a nice transition to my next post.

Anton & I in our most recent photo together, Dinner at Garlic & Shots in Stockholm.

My last dwarf, Scurry (RIP)

Yes, Anton calls me boo. He says the game Baldur's Gate has a hamster named boo. If you know me, you know I have a serious love of hamsters, especially dwarfs. However he does know that in our pop culture, hip hop world that boo is a slang term for loved one that started in the African American community as a term of endearment. So I'm boo, Anton is babe, and Rosalind is boo boo. Anton is not jaded by US racism and the idea that he shouldn't say something because it's popular in African American culture and he is "white". Obviously he knows not to use racist terms.  In the US some people would be highly offended or annoyed at him using slang words, others may find it very amusing. I mean he knows all the words to Weird Al's "White and Nerdy" (which he is), so for him to say things so nonchalantly is amusing to me at times. The words or terms I am referring to are: boo, true dat, fo sho, things like that. I'm sure there are many other examples that I cannot seem to think of right now. He did say fo shizzle my nizzle to me once, but had no idea what it meant, so I had to enlighten him. Even my sister is amazed by the vast slang and pop culture references Anton knows, so when he does  not know a word that I assume he would it sets me back a minute.

The thing is I have had a recent revelation about Anton. I believe he often does not tell me if I use a word he does not know unless it really puzzles him. I think he either doesn't care or uses context clues from whatever I'm discussing to understand what I have just said. This revelation happened when I used the word curdled and looked up at Anton to see his response. He was standing there with an expression I could have only assumed meant he did not fully catch my drift and so I asked him if he knew what curdled meant. He said no. It suddenly came to me that there may be more words that I use that he does not know, but unless I ask him if he understands, or what the word is in Swedish, he does not seem to tell me he doesn't know the word. Maybe it does not happen that often, maybe he will fess up to not asking when he does not know words I use. Heck I pretend to understand people sometimes when I have no clue what they just said in English and it's my first language (that really has more to do with being partially deaf though). I really don't think it happens often. Anton is a particularly advanced speaker. He used the word regurgitated yesterday. I was impressed. I am also very impressed that I spelled it correctly just now.

Occasionally Anton will use the wrong tense or preterite of what he is saying, but that seldom  happens.  When it does it is very noticeable because of how fluent he is; I forgot he is Swedish most of the time. It bothers me when he says things incorrectly because for him, we both know he knows better. That is how good his English is. I also don't hear much of an accent when Anton speaks. Maybe it's because I am used to his voice. I would have to ask our Michigan friends if they think he has an accent, I only hear it on certain words like parsley. However the accent is British, because you have to remember they learn British-English here in Europe. It is sort of weird because crisps are chips and chips are french fries, and so on and so on. At least I know a lot of the British words for things to understand what he says sometimes. Anton is fairly good at using the American English terms on a lot of things though.

When other foreigners speak English and mess up it doesn't bother me in the least because I am so grateful we can communicate and I can understand what he or she is trying to tell me. I have spoken with a lot of foreigners and no matter at what level there English is, it's nice for them to try even if they think they do not know enough. I appreciate the effort!

Well it's bedtime here. Hope you're enjoying you Valentine's day! Until next time...

Baby Cafe

So Sweden is made up of many municipalities. Each municipality is in charge of providing services. Baby Cafe is an amazing service that Tierp provides to all parents of babies, newborn to 8 months, on Tuesdays from 9:30  to 12:30. They also have newborn to 6 years old play times Monday and Fridays and babies 8 to 18 months on Thursdays. The program is run by a woman named Ewa and she is wonderful. She tries to engage all the babies at get in touch with everyone about how they are enjoying baby cafe.

I have fun going to baby cafe and so does Rosalind. I also feel really guilty going because I cannot speak with all of the moms there. Sometimes we speak in English and other moms cannot understand and it's not fair to them so I don't go as often as I would like. I feel less guilty when Anton goes with me because he can speak to everyone. A lot of the moms there are new moms like me, but a couple I have met have other children. Dads are welcome to come but many don't go, I believe it is because they are all at work. At least I know that is the case with some of them. I have met two other fathers there and one has become a friend to Anton and I.

At baby cafe we sing and dance. The only song I know in English is The Itsy Bitsy Spider.  There is one song I've learned that Anton and I sing at home all the time, it's about rocking and swinging. We sway to the music and rock the babies back and forth. Really I also like the waltz we dance to and the weird baby band song too. I need to learn all of the words to the songs. The baby band is accompanied by these cool maracas that look like eggs or painted wooden cylinders. The more I go to baby cafe, the more I find myself singing and humming the songs at home. Lately we have been going every other week.

At baby cafe you can pay to partake in fika. They request that you pay 10 kr (about $1.50) a family.  Provided is coffee, tea, and juice too. This fika is without sweets though. Instead you can have hard bread, wafers, or bread with liver pate (ewww), cucumber slices, butter, and cheese. This type of fika is very common, but usually there is a sweet counterpart offered.

Fika

Rosalind really enjoys the singing and dancing, but she also likes to play in the large foam circle. I wish we had a smaller version at home. It can fit 8 babies in it laying down, but sometimes a baby might get hit in the face if the circle is full. Rosalind has touched hands (so sweet and cute) and been patted on the head by other babies.

Rosalind playing with a homemade maraca.

No daddy, I don't wanna!

I'm glad to be out of that high chair.

 I took a few photos of Rosalind with Anton at baby cafe today. She was in a high chair for about 30 minutes and then was ready to get out.





















Ewa also puts out crafts every week for the parents to make. One week we made balls for the babies to play with out of balloons, plastic bags, and rice. Rosalind likes them. Today's craft was a winter diorama made in a shoe box. It looked cool and fun to make but I decided I wouldn't know where to put it and it would eventually become junk in our apartment, something I'm trying to have less of. There are also casts of baby hands that you can make. I really wanted to have Anton's do Rosalind's. Maybe I will ask if we can do it next time we go.

My orange & white ball, Anton's teal ball.

Supposedly there is suppose to be a trip to the Tierp hospital pool this Spring. Ewa hasn't gotten in contact with the coordinator yet, but I hope it happens. I like field trips and it would be fun to go swimming in a warmer pool. The childrens pools in Tierp are warm, but the adult pool is not! Also going as a group with our friends would be nice.

So the verdict is that baby cafe is a excellent service and place to meet other parents and babies. We always have a good time. I think every city should offer baby cafe, meaning everywhere. I know my mom went to a children's or twins group when we were young and still knows some of the people she met there. I hope you can find a similar service offered to you and you go. It's definitely worth it.

Erin's Visit to Sweden

So I haven't written in my blog lately because I have been fairly busy. Erin, my identical twin, came to visit us for a week, there were a couple days of depression after she left, followed by a visit from Anton's sister and my cleaning/organizing rampage. Also Anton requested I make a Blizzard Battlenet UK account to play a game with him called Hearthstone, that we have been watching be played by some of our favorite gamers. I have become an addict. Our baby Rosalind has been sleeping a lot lately but when she is awake she demands our full attention. Now she is in bed and Anton and I are half paying attention to the Superbowl. All in all I have felt busy since my last post.

                                                     Rosalind & Erin, don't they look alike?

I believe Erin enjoyed her trip to visit us and meet our baby for the first time. When we picked her up she appeared a little lost, like I did the first time I arrived here. I think it has to do with the long journey here and not being able to sleep on planes or in airports. Rosalind seemed a little confused by Erin because she looks a lot like her mommy. We told her Erin was her second mommy here to visit for the week and she seemed to accept that as much as any 3 1/2 month old can. I had planned, shopping, the libraries, lunches out, the entire week for us and I guesstimate we managed to do 80% of everything planned. Erin wanted to make sure there was down time and lots of time with baby, which there was of course. The only thing I wish we did do was take Rosalind to the pool. Rosalind loved hanging out with her second mommy.

                                            Our first lunch at Taco Bar Erin, Anton, & Baby

On our second trip to Uppsala, we had falafel and went to several stores. Baby got a couple of cute clothes at H & M. We accidentally ran into the English shop, that had imports from the UK and US. Thanks to Linnea for telling me about it, when I saw the sign I knew we'd have to go in and I found my canned pumpkin! The store clerk said they sold a lot around Thanksgiving, which made me happy because it means there are Americans in Uppsala, I just need to find them now! I was able to show Erin the main library branch and the English book shop.

This is a book I found on the picture book shelf in the English bookshop, definitely not a picture book, but and important one! The bookshop is right outside of the library, can't you tell! Library is bibliotek in Swedish and biblioteca in Spanish.Well we had a lot more adventures including a dinner at Garlic & Shots in Stockholm (I recommend the food!), running around my town Tierp, doing laundry in our building, but we spent a lot of time playing games after baby went to bed.

                              Erin and Anton playing Munchkin Booty with Swedish Organic Vodka!

One day while we were hanging out Erin made a list of some things she liked about Sweden or things she noticed were different than from the US. Here are her lists:

Book Return

Things I like in Sweden
1. Electric gate doors at stores
2. Rolling baskets at grocery stores (in addition to or in place of shopping carts)
3. Book return at the Uppsala Library (it's like Redbox!)
4. Stones or pebbles on the ground on top of snow instead of salt.

Things that are weird
1. They don't cut your pizzas for you, they will charge extra to cut it.
2. Tiny cups/glasses/mugs (What is this a country for ants???)
(this one drives me crazy too!!!)
3. Negative floors on elevators.
4. Swedish beef. Tried Max and liked it. Different, weird flavor, but good. 


I am sure there are many more thoughts and inquiries Erin has about Sweden, but that's all she wrote or shared with me. I know it may be a while for Erin to come back to Sweden and that makes me sad, but in five months I'll be going to the US for 6 weeks for my wedding and visiting. And that makes me happy.

5 Things I Have Yet to Find at a Grocery Store...

So after moving to a country with only a few hundred thousand less people than my home state I realized one big thing.  I came from the land of choice and variety.  Americans are very spoiled consumers. We have more grocery stores which equals more brands.  If you don't like something,  chances are good you'll find another brand or company that you really enjoy. Anyway the amount of things I wish I could find is higher than I would like. I have a serious sweet tooth and I had to make new favorites, but here are 

5 old favorite treats I can never find at the store:

5. Fresh Apple Cider. I really missed going to the Orchard this past Fall, but even if I couldn't make it to the Orchard I could pick some up at the store, but I didn't find any real cider here, just glorified apple juice. 

4. Hot Fudge. I craved a sundae a few times. Unfortunately I haven't found it. That rich Saunders taste is a favorite in my family and I made a believer out of Anton's dad too!

3. Cool Whip or similar product. I love this on pumpkin pie and saw several recepies posted by friends on Facebook that listed this as an ingredient. 

2. Canned Pumpkin. Pumpkin Pie, bread, and cookies oh my, is totally missing from my life.

1. Chocolate Chips. Do I need to say more? Actually chocolate chip cookies exist, even several brands, just not chocolate chips. Weird right? 

I don't really eat much of this anymore because I'm on a weight loss train,  but when I arrived here I was 8 months pregnant. It was really hard going through the Fall season without the canned pumpkin and Cool Whip! I had to stick to my newest addiction ginger snaps.  Now I am a celery connoisseur. I'm sure there will be more lists! Until next time...

Tjugondag Knut or St. Knut's Day

I bet you were worried I was MIA since I haven't posted in a while... or if we're fb friends you've may have noticed things have been rough for me lately. Well things are getting better and I am writing this post in good humor and an attempt at humor. If you know me you'll get it. I wish I was an amazing comedian, but generally I'm just your average bear. Although like most people, I have my moments. Today my 3 month old found me hilarious! Glad I could make someone laugh out loud.

Today in Sweden it is Tjugondag Knut or St. Knut's Day. It can also be referred to as Tjugondag Jul or Twentieth Day Yule, twenty days after Christmas. There is a historic story behind the day of course, and I'll share a glib of what I've learned, but that is not why I'm sharing this, I'm sharing it because of the current followed traditions that Swedes share.

The history of St. Knut's Day is actually Danish, which I find funny because the only two countries that supposedly celebrate the day are Sweden and Finland, well and there are possible parts of Norway. Anyway a Danish Duke or King was murdered by his cousin for his title, a civil war broke out, and Knut was later Sainted. The thing is this all took place originally on January 7th in the 1100s but the celebratory day later moved to January 13th.

Today's tradition is the ridding of Christmas in the country. This means that everyone has to throw out their Christmas trees and put their decorations away until next Christmas. Apparently at baby cafe/ children's group (one of my next topics) today they are having a little tree throwing out party. I'm not exactly sure what they do with all these trees, but I guess I'll have to ask. At the party there will be candy, as well as singing and dancing around the tree. Sounds like a good time to me and a good excuse to clean or pack up one's decor. I'm sure they'll have fika too.

Some people will use the tree as fire wood, but unless you live in a house, you are not likely to have a fireplace. I told Anton I thought it was barbaric for Swedes to use all these real trees for Christmas, what's wrong with a fake tree that you can put up every year? I know the smell, look, and feel of a real Christmas tree is different, but I thought it was a perfectly good waste of a tree that can stay in the ground and create oxygen for me to continue existing. Anton's family is pescatarian, meaning they only eat fish, seafood, and eggs in the form of "animal" protein. They recycle, have compost, heck his dad has a beehive, and they harvest the apple tree in their yard. They are resourceful people who seemingly like to reduce their waste and impact on the planet, a cause I am so for. So I was perplexed as to how they could have a real Christmas tree every year. Until Anton explained it to me. His parent's house is heated by firewood, they do not have a central heating system (which I knew), so using the tree as firewood afterward works out fairly darn well. So in my book that seems reasonable. But think of how many people just throw their trees outside not to be properly reused?! What a waste I say! Anyway today's goal is to wrap up the season until next time. Looks like Anton and I have some Christmas packing to do!

You may now may ask what the historical significance has to do with the current traditions. To that I say, I have no idea and if someone could really explain it to me that would be great! I mean how do you get from the death of a Dane to singing and dancing around a Christmas tree before you throw it out? And why is there candy? What kind of candy anyway? I mean why not candy, but still, it doesn't seem to make complete sense. The only real link I have heard is that there is a saying that goes, "Knut drives Christmas out". I guess that explains it all somehow. I like to think the purpose of this day is another way for Swedes to celebrate the holiday season longer since they don't generally make a big fuss about Halloween and do not have a Thanksgiving.

In a future post soon I would like to share additions and corrections to past posts. I would also like to answer questions people have asked me too, so if you have a question, feel free to share it, or if you are curious about a specific topic, let me know. I am most likely happy to oblige. Also I would like to add photos to my blog to make things more colorful, so I am hoping to make that happen within the week. Thanks for reading :)