Observations on (What I've Experienced of) Life in Sweden

Lisa and me in Stockholm!

I've been here for a week and a half, so obviously this post shouldn't be relied upon as the source for information on Sweden...but I have noticed some interesting things. Please note that some of these may not be so much Swedish as specifically Lidingö-ish, and others may be not so much Lidingö¨-ish as Malmer-ish. :P But I think they're cool!

First, the fashions are crazily different here! I wish I could just walk around town taking pictures of everyone to show you what I mean! But almost all the guys on Lidingö wear their hair slicked back, and wear short-shorts (not like girly short, but shorter than I've ever seen a man wear in Utah) in really bright, and even patterned, colors! Add to that oversized sunglasses, sometimes even in pastels. To me, and I think to anyone from good ol' little Utah, they look so gay! The remarkable thing is- they're not!

As for the girls, most things I've seen worn here would be accepted in "the world I know", though it's not necessarily what's popular. All the girls here are wearing leggings with either a long top or a short dress (you can't always really tell the difference). But flare jeans are a death sentence (and are still accepted, though not popular, in Utah) here, and high-topped converse are all the rage. (Those are going out fast in Utah as far as I can tell. The lowers ones are still okay.) But weirdest of all is this one combination I'm seeing everywhere: floor-length, flowy sundresses paired with high-topped converse and a denim jacket. O.o Yeah, that's one I don't think I'll ever understand. But denim jackets in general have been out as far as I'm concerned for...well, I don't think they've really been "in" in my lifetime!

Anywats, next! They eat lots of fish here. (This may just be a Malmer thing.) That's not to say that they eat it constantly, as I was kind of led to believe. But they eat fish a lot more frequently than anyone I've ever met, which is actually way cool. I adore salmon, and I think I've had more in the past week and a half than I've had in a whole year before now! It rocks! All of the other fish I've had has been great, too! (Still can't quite handle shrimp, though...) Also, bread- all types and varieties of delicious bread, far more fresh than the typical American options and almost never pre-sliced - is a staple of pretty much all meals. We have bread and butter, with cheese or caviar if one likes, for breakfast. It's also a good snack. It's also a common part of lunch. And sometimes it's on the table for dinner as well. Being a bread-lover, I don't mind this at all either. ^^

Next: the toilets. Swedish toilets are weird, and kind of awesome. They don't have much water in them to begin with, and then when you press the button (there are two buttons on top, one normal strength and one a bit more), all the water comes whooshing through right away and just gets straight on out of there, taking everything with it. I think they're much more effective than American toilets, and probably use less water, too.

Next: If it's sunny, you go outside. If it's raining, you do not. Unless, that is, you're a crazy American who likes to take off your shoes and dance in the giant puddles. Which I am, and I did. Yesterday. :P

Hmm, I think that's all I've got for now. It's late now so I've got to sleep, but so you know (for those of you who are wondering), on Friday Veronica came over and we made green pancakes for lunch and just hung out and were silly. On Saturday we went to Skansen (more about that later), and you can check out the pictures (some of them, anyway) on Facebook. Sunday I met Lisa's grandpa and I played in the rain. Today we went to Junibacken, a kid's park based entirely on Astrid Lindgrin books (author of Pippi Longstocking- more about that later, too). After that, Lisa's brothers took her out for dinner and a drink for her birthday, and I hung out with Elsa, Veronica, and Max. I don't really know what our plans are for the rest of the week...but whatever we do, it'll be awesome. :) Love to you all!!!!!



Veronica!




Sara at Skansen!