We have been living in Sweden for 2 1/2 weeks now! At this point, it seems a lot longer. That could be because I do not have much to do during the day. I know that I am supposed to be out exploring, but it is not much fun by yourself! I cannot point to the church steeple and say "Look how beautiful that is!" David has been very busy with work, which is why we chose to come when we came because we knew things would be getting busier and it was important for him to be here rather than flying back and forth to the U.S.
So here are my random thoughts:
1. Swedish people are always acting like they are in a hurry and you are in their way! They do not know how to say "Excuse me" in English or Swedish. They just push in front of you!
2. They drive really fast! I think it comes from riding their bikes so much that when they get behind the wheel of the car they press the gas and GO!
3. It is not easy to do much without having a personal number. We did go to the Migration Office to claim our work permits on Monday, so now after they send the official card to us, we can then go to the Tax Office to get our personal numbers (Yes, we had to have our pictures taken after we had been out in the rain, who know what my hair looked like! Egads, nothing like having another stupid government picture where I look like an idiot). They use this number to make your doctor's appointments, sell you a television, among many other things.
4. I am also tired of everyone asking me, "Are you taking Swedish lessons?" I have only been here two weeks, I have not found out where and when they are held. Yes, I want to take them, but is that the only question you can ask me! I think it is very important to be accepted into their culture if you are willing to learn their language. Sweden is home to only 9 million residents, which to me is quite small after coming from Chicago and Houston - the third and fourth largest cities in the U.S.
5. The refrigerators are not very large, so I feel like I am always going to the grocery store. I am averaging about 2 times a week. Mostly to get the basics like milk, eggs, bread. They do not believe in waste, so the packages are not very large. Which in some ways, because your food is always fresh!
6. Speaking about fresh - you should taste the ice cream and whipping cream! We have actually found whipping cream here without Carrageenan! It was not possible in Houston, so I have not had any whipped cream for 3 years. Perhaps, I can start making recipes calling for whipping cream again!
7. Many of you know that I have food sensitivites, which can make shopping difficult. Lucky for me, the bad stuff actually has numbers, so basically I just have to look for the numbers instead of trying to read all the ingredients in Swedish! I am getting pretty good at recognizing peanuts among the other things I cannot have, like E407, which is Carrageenan and all the E600s which include all the other things Monosodium Glutamate goes by! So it makes it rather easy!
8. They do not sell large brooms, like what you would use to sweep your kitchen floor. Yes, the sell large outdoor brooms, but the brooms for the indoors are very small and come with a standing dust pan. They use the vacuum cleaner to clean the floors. The broom is just for small messes. I guess that is why I have a central vacuum cleaner in the house. I just have to drag out the hose and plug it into an outlet in the wall. Also, it is the culture not to wear shoes in the house, so the floors stay rather clean. You basically have to just damp mop the floor to keep it clean.
9. It certainly rains a lot here! The weather will be perfectly sunny and five minutes later there will be a downpour. Repeat this a few times during the day. So, you have to try and get the lawn mowed before it rains again and before the lawn is long enough to cut it for hay! Oh yeah, I found out the other day that my North Face raincoat is not waterproof. I had to order a new coat! I am trying to find these really cute "Wellington" boots that are short instead of the tall version. I saw a couple of ladies wearing them when I was in Vaxjo on Monday and thought they would be perfect!
10. Fall has come, the leaves are already falling off the birch trees here. I have not seen a real fall for quite sometime, so I am looking forward to seeing the leaves changing colors. We basically live in the middle of the forest, so it should be beautiful. (I will try to get out and get some pictures for you.)
11. I miss all my friends and family. The time difference makes it very hard to keep up with everyone! I promise that I will get on a schedule of emailing, Skyping and calling.
Have wonderful day and I will write again soon!
All the best - Bridgette
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