Whew, so it’s been a long time since I’ve shared my interesting facts and experiences. To make this a little shorter than the previous two entries I’m going to list the interesting facts…. Don’t worry, no need to thank me! :)
• Retraction from my last entry: It’s not a kanelbulle day, it’s a waffle day and it’s March 25
• (In Scotland at least) Sprite is called “lemonade” and soda is referred to as “juice” in general
• There are no screens on the windows! This is extremely annoying because when it was warm out, I’d leave my windows open during the night and I’d wake up with huge bugs in my room (the ones that look like mosquitoes but are about 10 times the size)
• The backpacks we carry around at school in the US are called “rucksacks” here and the large backpacks used for backpacking are called “backpacks”
• Sweaters are called “jumpers”
• People in Lappis (student dorm area) scream every Tuesday at 10 pm for a couple minutes
• Construction here is no big deal and definitely not a safety concern (I know a few safety professionals who would be totally appalled) – no barriers, signs, or personal protective equipment
• I keep thinking I see SWEsters (members of the Society for Women Engineers) because I see people wearing clothes with “SWE” on them… but then I remember I’m in SWEden
• My nickname here is “Wisconsin” because of the TV show That 70’s Show; so quite a few people have heard of Wisconsin but just don’t know much else about it (I’m impressed they know it at all!)
Now for new experiences:
I have eaten 3 meals and 2 desserts cooked by Frenchies and they were amazing! I’ve also been cooked Australian chili (which we ate over rice… my dad says they do that in the south of the US but I’d never heard of it before) and a traditional Bavarian breakfast; both of which were also great. A traditional Bavarian breakfast consists of a special sausage, bretzn (like a large pretzel), and sweet mustard. The sausage has skin on it so we had to remove it… I removed it using a knife and fork but you’re supposed to actually cut a hole at the tip of the sausage and suck the sausage out of the skin! It wasn’t exactly my idea of breakfast food but it was good! An Argentinian also made me (and 29 other people) an Italian appetizer with a salmon and potato entrée. He lived in Italy for a couple years so I was told that it was authentic Italian food – magnifico! This last weekend I went to a birthday party where all the guests were asked to bring a dessert… that was heaven on earth. I tried a cobbler, an apple tart, a pear tart (my favorite by far), tiramisu, and a bunch of other sweet delights. I still haven’t met anyone else here who doesn’t like cooking; I’m vastly outnumbered but really that’s not a bad thing. The way I look at it, if everyone else is always cooking a lot of food they’re going to need help to get rid of it, right?! :)
Okay, so food isn’t the only thing I’m experiencing here in Sweden. I went to the Royal Palace last week and got to see almost everything for free (thanks to my favorite Aussie friend!). The Royal Treasury was incredible… I’ve never seen so much sparkle in such a dark, dreary room! It is amazing how large the diamonds, rubies, and emeralds were on the kings’ crowns and how all the gold and silver work was so detailed.
Funny side story: (We went to the palace last Thursday) The previous Tuesday, in my Swedish culture course the lecturer mentioned how Swedes do not normally wear apparel with the Swedish flag on it because people who do are thought of as extremists. He then continued to talk about how Sweden is different than the US in that way… that it is normal for US citizens to wear clothing with the flag on it. On Independence Day, yes… but I mentioned to a friend later that if I saw someone wearing the American flag on a day other than the 4th of July, I’d assume the person is a little strange. I also told my friend that Americans really don’t wear the flag either.
Well, my theory was shot to sh&# when we went to the palace. It just so happens that a group of Iraqis were protesting in front of the palace and one of my friends asked what was going on. A man passing by stopped and explained the situation to us. He was wearing a shirt with the American flag on it! It turns out he’s from North Carolina and an avid European traveler. So, US citizens do wear the flag… even in other countries… figures. I corrected myself to my friend; she was amused. While in the part of the castle where there are formal political gatherings, I noticed an old man with a baseball hat that said Wisconsin on the back. I couldn’t see the two words before Wisconsin so I was staring for quite a while trying to figure it out. After a while he turned around and saw me staring… whoops! I didn’t introduce myself. Meeting one fellow countryman was enough for one day. These are just more examples of how small the world really is! In fact, I’ve been placed in a group with a Swiss man who spent one year of high school studying at Wauwatosa West High School! One of my best friends in Madison is from Wauwatosa and I grew up about 20 minutes away from Wauwatosa! … Incredibly small world!
To completely change the subject, I saw my first rugby game a couple weekends ago. That is a brutal game! Most of the rugby players are also quite scary… especially one guy on the French team. He almost looks just like the cavemen from the Geico commercials! People here are big fans of rugby; this last weekend, I went to a pub called the Dubliner with some friends and we were all packed in there like sardines. We didn’t get to sit down and my personal space bubble definitely popped! One of my friends was getting so annoyed with the people who would squeeze through to get to the bar or the bathroom that he started asking them why they couldn’t wait until half time. It was pretty funny. The game was between the French and the Irish and I believe there were more French people in the Irish pub than Irish people. Ireland lost even though a lot of the French players seemed to be on there backs most of the time…
On September 15th, we all went to the Globen to see the Sweden vs. Russia “Legends” ice hockey game. Since it was a “Legends” game, all the players were at or approaching middle-agedom and much slower than I’m sure they were a couple decades ago. One Swedish team member seemed to fall over every time he got the puck which just so happened to be every time Sweden was close to scoring. Even though Russia won, I enjoyed the game. I was less than impressed with one Swede fan sitting a few rows behind us; she was really drunk, had one of the most annoying voices I’ve ever heard, and would not stop screaming something that sounded like “Shygoe! Shygoe!” I’m actually amazed that she wasn’t removed from the arena for breaking the concentration of the players… I don’t even like thinking about the piercing sound of that woman’s voice.
My last but definitely not least bit of information for you all is that I am now the proud aunt of Lorelei Belle Kedrowski. Lorelei is the adorable baby girl of my big brother, Tim, and his wife, Michelle. So, congratulations to me… and I guess them. Much love to you all! :)
• Retraction from my last entry: It’s not a kanelbulle day, it’s a waffle day and it’s March 25
• (In Scotland at least) Sprite is called “lemonade” and soda is referred to as “juice” in general
• There are no screens on the windows! This is extremely annoying because when it was warm out, I’d leave my windows open during the night and I’d wake up with huge bugs in my room (the ones that look like mosquitoes but are about 10 times the size)
• The backpacks we carry around at school in the US are called “rucksacks” here and the large backpacks used for backpacking are called “backpacks”
• Sweaters are called “jumpers”
• People in Lappis (student dorm area) scream every Tuesday at 10 pm for a couple minutes
• Construction here is no big deal and definitely not a safety concern (I know a few safety professionals who would be totally appalled) – no barriers, signs, or personal protective equipment
• I keep thinking I see SWEsters (members of the Society for Women Engineers) because I see people wearing clothes with “SWE” on them… but then I remember I’m in SWEden
• My nickname here is “Wisconsin” because of the TV show That 70’s Show; so quite a few people have heard of Wisconsin but just don’t know much else about it (I’m impressed they know it at all!)
Now for new experiences:
I have eaten 3 meals and 2 desserts cooked by Frenchies and they were amazing! I’ve also been cooked Australian chili (which we ate over rice… my dad says they do that in the south of the US but I’d never heard of it before) and a traditional Bavarian breakfast; both of which were also great. A traditional Bavarian breakfast consists of a special sausage, bretzn (like a large pretzel), and sweet mustard. The sausage has skin on it so we had to remove it… I removed it using a knife and fork but you’re supposed to actually cut a hole at the tip of the sausage and suck the sausage out of the skin! It wasn’t exactly my idea of breakfast food but it was good! An Argentinian also made me (and 29 other people) an Italian appetizer with a salmon and potato entrée. He lived in Italy for a couple years so I was told that it was authentic Italian food – magnifico! This last weekend I went to a birthday party where all the guests were asked to bring a dessert… that was heaven on earth. I tried a cobbler, an apple tart, a pear tart (my favorite by far), tiramisu, and a bunch of other sweet delights. I still haven’t met anyone else here who doesn’t like cooking; I’m vastly outnumbered but really that’s not a bad thing. The way I look at it, if everyone else is always cooking a lot of food they’re going to need help to get rid of it, right?! :)
Okay, so food isn’t the only thing I’m experiencing here in Sweden. I went to the Royal Palace last week and got to see almost everything for free (thanks to my favorite Aussie friend!). The Royal Treasury was incredible… I’ve never seen so much sparkle in such a dark, dreary room! It is amazing how large the diamonds, rubies, and emeralds were on the kings’ crowns and how all the gold and silver work was so detailed.
Funny side story: (We went to the palace last Thursday) The previous Tuesday, in my Swedish culture course the lecturer mentioned how Swedes do not normally wear apparel with the Swedish flag on it because people who do are thought of as extremists. He then continued to talk about how Sweden is different than the US in that way… that it is normal for US citizens to wear clothing with the flag on it. On Independence Day, yes… but I mentioned to a friend later that if I saw someone wearing the American flag on a day other than the 4th of July, I’d assume the person is a little strange. I also told my friend that Americans really don’t wear the flag either.
Well, my theory was shot to sh&# when we went to the palace. It just so happens that a group of Iraqis were protesting in front of the palace and one of my friends asked what was going on. A man passing by stopped and explained the situation to us. He was wearing a shirt with the American flag on it! It turns out he’s from North Carolina and an avid European traveler. So, US citizens do wear the flag… even in other countries… figures. I corrected myself to my friend; she was amused. While in the part of the castle where there are formal political gatherings, I noticed an old man with a baseball hat that said Wisconsin on the back. I couldn’t see the two words before Wisconsin so I was staring for quite a while trying to figure it out. After a while he turned around and saw me staring… whoops! I didn’t introduce myself. Meeting one fellow countryman was enough for one day. These are just more examples of how small the world really is! In fact, I’ve been placed in a group with a Swiss man who spent one year of high school studying at Wauwatosa West High School! One of my best friends in Madison is from Wauwatosa and I grew up about 20 minutes away from Wauwatosa! … Incredibly small world!
To completely change the subject, I saw my first rugby game a couple weekends ago. That is a brutal game! Most of the rugby players are also quite scary… especially one guy on the French team. He almost looks just like the cavemen from the Geico commercials! People here are big fans of rugby; this last weekend, I went to a pub called the Dubliner with some friends and we were all packed in there like sardines. We didn’t get to sit down and my personal space bubble definitely popped! One of my friends was getting so annoyed with the people who would squeeze through to get to the bar or the bathroom that he started asking them why they couldn’t wait until half time. It was pretty funny. The game was between the French and the Irish and I believe there were more French people in the Irish pub than Irish people. Ireland lost even though a lot of the French players seemed to be on there backs most of the time…
On September 15th, we all went to the Globen to see the Sweden vs. Russia “Legends” ice hockey game. Since it was a “Legends” game, all the players were at or approaching middle-agedom and much slower than I’m sure they were a couple decades ago. One Swedish team member seemed to fall over every time he got the puck which just so happened to be every time Sweden was close to scoring. Even though Russia won, I enjoyed the game. I was less than impressed with one Swede fan sitting a few rows behind us; she was really drunk, had one of the most annoying voices I’ve ever heard, and would not stop screaming something that sounded like “Shygoe! Shygoe!” I’m actually amazed that she wasn’t removed from the arena for breaking the concentration of the players… I don’t even like thinking about the piercing sound of that woman’s voice.
My last but definitely not least bit of information for you all is that I am now the proud aunt of Lorelei Belle Kedrowski. Lorelei is the adorable baby girl of my big brother, Tim, and his wife, Michelle. So, congratulations to me… and I guess them. Much love to you all! :)
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