December 16, 2012
Yes, it is our second Christmas Season in Sweden. No, we are not enjoying it any more, sorry to say. We do have snow. The snow came on December 1st and pretty much snowed a few inches each day for a week, it does look very wintery and Christmas-y here.
We started the Christmas season by attending a Glögg party on December 1st. Basically glögg is just mulled wine. Some of it is good and other kinds taste like warm lemonade. You drink glögg warm with almonds and raisins in it. You serve it with pepperkaka. The Systembolaget (the liquor store) has a special glögg each year. This year it was Japanese. I thought it tasted better the other types I have tasted. One cup is enough for me.
This year on Sunday, December 2nd we did go to the town's Tree Lighting Ceremony and First Day of Advent "Celebration". On this day, the stores in town are open from 3:00pm to 7:00pm for the "Celebration". People were telling me that they change the windows for Christmas. I was thinking maybe, perhaps they would decorate them like we are used to. No, they just put festive clothes in the windows. Nothing like Macy's, Marshall Fields or Carson Pirie Scotts! The whole "Celebration" was a bit lame and mostly it was just groups selling lottery tickets for strange items.
Here in Sweden it appears that Advent is celebrated more than Christmas. You can buy candles and candle holders with the numbers 1-4 on them. However, you do not find any items with Jesus, Angels or the like on them. The Christmas cards are quite secular, not any that have the real meaning of Christmas.
This week on Thursday the 13th we celebrated St. Lucia Day. This is a very important day to the Swedish Society. The local Lions Club sponsors a contest for local girls to be selected as the town's Lucia. There are seven girls and the town is able to vote for the one they want. This is a big honor for the girls who are usually about 16 and have aspired to be Lucia since they were young. The Lucia then travels around the town on Lucia Day and sings songs about Pepperkaka and Luciabullar (ginger snaps and saffron rolls among other songs. None of them really Christmas related, at least to us. Here is an article about Lucia Day that I found.
After reading the article about Lucia then you might find this article about what happened at a school in Sweden when a child wanted to be an angel for Lucia Day. I found it quite interesting.
Another interesting thing about Swedish "Christmas" is the "Santa Claus", the one they pictured in the local newspaper was down right scary! The picture showed a man with a scary mask and they expect the kids to go up to him. Heck, I am scared of the picture, I think the kids should be scared. I will take a Santa with a fake beard over a Santa with a scary mask. (Sorry, I could not find the picture electronically).
Enough about Swedish "Christmas", we are off to Rome to celebrate Christmas in the Roman Catholic tradition. We are looking forward to our trip!
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
Love, Bridgette
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
I Am Remiss
Happy Sunday after Thanksgiving!
I made a mistake! I told you that there was nothing new in Älmhult, well I forgot that we have a brand new IKEA store, a new traffic light and another traffic circle. Funny thing about the traffic light, it has been up for a month now and I have actually only seen it on once and had to stop. All of the other times it is off. Not sure why, but it is what it is. Älmhult is starting to get with the late 20th century. No they have not yet made it to the 21st century since they are still backwards on so many things.
The new IKEA store is nice, it looks exactly like the new store in Colorado. Everyone is so excited by it. I had the opportunity last week to go to the store at 7:00 am while Country Managers and their colleagues came to tour the new store. I was amazed at how many people found it so cool. They were running around taking pictures with their phones and such. I guess I am a bit cynical, but all the IKEA stores look the same, yes, some are smaller and some are bigger, but the concept is the same. I think it is pretty neat that I have had the opportunity to have visited both the newest stores in Sweden and in the States. However, when people ask me what I think about the new store, again I say it is nice, but it looks the same as all the others. Sometimes their response is that they have not seen anything so big. However, there are stores in Helsingborg and Malmö that were built in the last two years and they look the same as the new store in Älmhult. I cannot figure it out, both places are not that far away from here and many had to go to these stores to get merchandise that the Älmhult store did not carry before November 2nd. I cannot explain it. Here is a picture of the store opening. I also just found out that the store has the very first escalator in Älmhult. Pretty amazing!
Yesterday, we went to Thanksgiving Dinner at another American's house. There was 14 of us with 4 children. Most everyone was from the Philadelphia area since that is where IKEA's Service Office is located. We had a very nice time and dinner was excellent. Yes, there was turkey, ham, lots of vegetables, including the famous green bean casserole, cranberries, and pecan pie. No, I did not eat the turkey or the ham and no green bean casserole, but David was happy to have some turkey, since he never gets it at our house and said the green bean casserole was good.
I was also happy to hear that many of the people we were with are experiencing the same struggles and fighting boredness as we are. Again, it is difficult to live in the middle of the forest when you are used to the bigger cities in the States. Right now, we are all struggling with the lack of daylight since the sun is not coming up until 8:00 am and it goes down at 3:00. Then add gray and rainy to it and it feels darker yet. By the time the Winter Solstice comes on the 21st of December, the sun will be coming up at 9:00 and going down by about 2:30ish.
David and I booked our trip for Christmas today. We are going to spend 5 days in Rome. Since, we live in the middle of the forest, we will have to leave the day before and spend the night in Copenhagen, since on the weekends the first train out of Älmhult is 8:53 am. There is no way we can make it to the airport for a flight that leaves in the morning. Always, an extra cost in time or money, but at least we get a vacation! We have never been and are looking forward to seeing some new sights and being in Rome for the Holidays. I think it will be pretty cool. Not sure yet, if we will join the millions at the Vatican to hear the Pope speak, but I will let you know if we decide to do it.
Talk to you soon.
Have a Happy Day!
I made a mistake! I told you that there was nothing new in Älmhult, well I forgot that we have a brand new IKEA store, a new traffic light and another traffic circle. Funny thing about the traffic light, it has been up for a month now and I have actually only seen it on once and had to stop. All of the other times it is off. Not sure why, but it is what it is. Älmhult is starting to get with the late 20th century. No they have not yet made it to the 21st century since they are still backwards on so many things.
The new IKEA store is nice, it looks exactly like the new store in Colorado. Everyone is so excited by it. I had the opportunity last week to go to the store at 7:00 am while Country Managers and their colleagues came to tour the new store. I was amazed at how many people found it so cool. They were running around taking pictures with their phones and such. I guess I am a bit cynical, but all the IKEA stores look the same, yes, some are smaller and some are bigger, but the concept is the same. I think it is pretty neat that I have had the opportunity to have visited both the newest stores in Sweden and in the States. However, when people ask me what I think about the new store, again I say it is nice, but it looks the same as all the others. Sometimes their response is that they have not seen anything so big. However, there are stores in Helsingborg and Malmö that were built in the last two years and they look the same as the new store in Älmhult. I cannot figure it out, both places are not that far away from here and many had to go to these stores to get merchandise that the Älmhult store did not carry before November 2nd. I cannot explain it. Here is a picture of the store opening. I also just found out that the store has the very first escalator in Älmhult. Pretty amazing!
Yesterday, we went to Thanksgiving Dinner at another American's house. There was 14 of us with 4 children. Most everyone was from the Philadelphia area since that is where IKEA's Service Office is located. We had a very nice time and dinner was excellent. Yes, there was turkey, ham, lots of vegetables, including the famous green bean casserole, cranberries, and pecan pie. No, I did not eat the turkey or the ham and no green bean casserole, but David was happy to have some turkey, since he never gets it at our house and said the green bean casserole was good.
I was also happy to hear that many of the people we were with are experiencing the same struggles and fighting boredness as we are. Again, it is difficult to live in the middle of the forest when you are used to the bigger cities in the States. Right now, we are all struggling with the lack of daylight since the sun is not coming up until 8:00 am and it goes down at 3:00. Then add gray and rainy to it and it feels darker yet. By the time the Winter Solstice comes on the 21st of December, the sun will be coming up at 9:00 and going down by about 2:30ish.
David and I booked our trip for Christmas today. We are going to spend 5 days in Rome. Since, we live in the middle of the forest, we will have to leave the day before and spend the night in Copenhagen, since on the weekends the first train out of Älmhult is 8:53 am. There is no way we can make it to the airport for a flight that leaves in the morning. Always, an extra cost in time or money, but at least we get a vacation! We have never been and are looking forward to seeing some new sights and being in Rome for the Holidays. I think it will be pretty cool. Not sure yet, if we will join the millions at the Vatican to hear the Pope speak, but I will let you know if we decide to do it.
Talk to you soon.
Have a Happy Day!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving
Hi and Happy Thanksgiving to all of my family and friends.
I cannot believe another year has passed and again we are celebrating Thanksgiving in Sweden. Actually, David is at work and I am at home. On Saturday, we are going to celebrate Thanksgiving with some people from the US. That should be a treat! At least it will give us an excuse to get out of the house.
Nothing much has been going on lately. My contract ended last Friday, so I have been at home this week, catching up on things I was not able to do since I was busy working. A couple of weeks, I worked 56 hours! I am glad to catch up on my rest and everything else.
At this point, I do not have another contract. There is a headcount problem, so there are not any jobs available at this time. This is a bit frustrating, because I really do not have anything to do unless I work. Hopefully, something will happen on the work front soon.
I started teaching Conversational English two weeks ago, tonight will be my third class. The class is going well. I was surprised that I have two Swedish students, one gentleman from Lithuania and a young girl from Thailand. I think it is quite amazing to be living in the middle of the Swedish forest and have the opportunity to meet so many people from different places. What a bonus! They all speak English, but at different levels. I am having fun learning things from them and I believe they are having fun as well.
David has been really busy with work, luckily he has not had to travel too much lately. I am happy about that part!
We decorated our house for Christmas last weekend. Decorating took about 15 minutes total. We do not have too many decorations here, but we did find a couple of table top trees to decorate, so it looks kind of festive.
We do not have any snow, yet. The last two weeks have been very foggy, damp and grey.
I think we are going to make plans to celebrate Christmas in Rome this year. We really want to come home, but Christmas is not a good time. Perhaps we will make a trip in the spring.
I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and I will write again soon. I hope something exciting will happen soon, I would love to share happy news with you.
Much love,
Bridgette
I cannot believe another year has passed and again we are celebrating Thanksgiving in Sweden. Actually, David is at work and I am at home. On Saturday, we are going to celebrate Thanksgiving with some people from the US. That should be a treat! At least it will give us an excuse to get out of the house.
Nothing much has been going on lately. My contract ended last Friday, so I have been at home this week, catching up on things I was not able to do since I was busy working. A couple of weeks, I worked 56 hours! I am glad to catch up on my rest and everything else.
At this point, I do not have another contract. There is a headcount problem, so there are not any jobs available at this time. This is a bit frustrating, because I really do not have anything to do unless I work. Hopefully, something will happen on the work front soon.
I started teaching Conversational English two weeks ago, tonight will be my third class. The class is going well. I was surprised that I have two Swedish students, one gentleman from Lithuania and a young girl from Thailand. I think it is quite amazing to be living in the middle of the Swedish forest and have the opportunity to meet so many people from different places. What a bonus! They all speak English, but at different levels. I am having fun learning things from them and I believe they are having fun as well.
David has been really busy with work, luckily he has not had to travel too much lately. I am happy about that part!
We decorated our house for Christmas last weekend. Decorating took about 15 minutes total. We do not have too many decorations here, but we did find a couple of table top trees to decorate, so it looks kind of festive.
We do not have any snow, yet. The last two weeks have been very foggy, damp and grey.
I think we are going to make plans to celebrate Christmas in Rome this year. We really want to come home, but Christmas is not a good time. Perhaps we will make a trip in the spring.
I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and I will write again soon. I hope something exciting will happen soon, I would love to share happy news with you.
Much love,
Bridgette
Yes, It is Still a Swedish Adventure
(I thought I has posted this, but apparently, I did not. I will update you with a new post shortly. My apologies.)
Hi Friends,
No, I have not forgotten about you or my blog. On Tuesday, it will be 6 weeks without Internet, Television and Phone Service to our house! I am back to using my mobile broadband device, just so I can do a few things, like check my mail and keep up with the U.S. news and election! It has taken 5 weeks just to convince Telia (the Swedish provider) that a cable was cut somewhere and that they need to fix it. Well, on Tuesday, they finally confirmed that a cable was cut. Then they proceeded to tell us that by Thursday someone would be out to fix it. Well, it is now Sunday and we have had two more phone calls to Telia asking about the situation. Supposedly, it will be fixed tomorrow. I do not hold my breath that this will happen. The worst part is that David has to explain the whole story again and again, everytime he calls and he has called nearly 20 times in the last 6 weeks to get it fixed! No amount of getting upset or requesting to speak to a supervisor works here, everyone is the same and you will be tre Yes, I am still receiving my bills to pay and paying them, I do not want that to be a problem as well.
Anyhow, this incident has made us feel even more isolated and alone here in Sweden because we cannot talk to family, we cannot watch television (we cannot even get Swedish television. We use a VPN and are able to watch Netflix, ESPN, Hulu.com, NBC and CBS), and we have nothing to do, especially on the dreary, rainy days of the weekend. Luckily, I have a friend who likes the same type of television shows that I like (Downton Abbey for example) and she has the capability to record the shows from Britain and then she puts them on a memory stick for me to watch at home on my computer. Yes, I am already watching season 4 of Downton Abbey and it is off to a good start! I have taught her how to find and watch shows from the U.S., so it is a good mix. No, she is not Swedish, she is Australian, so we are on the same page about our Swedish experience.
Our fun meter is getting full in Sweden. Yes, it is a very nice place, but there is not a lot to do and our idea of fun is something completely different from theirs. No, it does not excite me to walk through the forest in search of mushrooms for my dinner. Sorry, but I can think of other things more satisfying. I have to tell you, we were excited last night to actually go to a special Lebanese dinner at our favorite restaurant in town. We were able to dress like humans, I wore a dress and David slacks. We live in blue jeans and our rain coats here because we get rained on all the time, so your hair does not even stay nice. I know, it is a little thing, but what a difference it can make.
Another frustrating thing, people are always amazed by what David and I eat for lunch. We continuously get teased for coming home for lunch to have a sandwich. The idea of a sandwich to the Swedes is half a roll buttered with a slice of cheese and either some sliced peppers or cucumbers. To have meat on the "sandwich" is a special occasion. Again, this is what they eat for "fika". The other day someone was surprised that I would eat a sandwich (an American sandwich with meat and cheese) for lunch and also have potato chips with it. They asked, "Don't you get lightheaded?" They are used to eating a big, hot lunch and are surprised that we do not do the same. They then asked if I put the chips in my sandwich and told me that to them chips are a Saturday afternoon snack. The Swedish people seem to always have rules and ideas when you can eat or do certain things. We are not that regulated. They would be surprised to know that sometimes I actually eat a sandwich for dinner! Sometimes it is strange that I always feel that I have to defend myself and my actions. I do not ask them why they do certain things, I can see it is part of their culture and I just accept it. Why do I have to defend what I do in my culture?
I believe I have told you before that the Swedish language has words that they use everyday, which are not nice words in our language. For example the word "slut" we know what it means in English, but in Swedish it means "end". There are many more, I just cannot think of them all at this point. Well, I came across this headline from the IKEA newsletter that comes out every month "Full Fart i varuhusen", this means that it is full steam ahead for the new IKEA in Älmhult to open. However, the headline to someone who does not understand Swedish would appear that someone had gas in the warehouse. Yes, we are getting a new IKEA on November 2nd. They are planning to make a human chain from the old store to the new store, which is about 2 kilometers. I will add information about it after it happens. They are looking for volunteers now. Anyone interested?
I also was catching up on my Vanity Fair reading and came across this article that completely defines what it is like to live here in Sweden along with the Swedish people. This article confirms that I am not out of my mind, that I am a reasonable person, but things in this society are not always what it seems. Making Swedish friends here is difficult because you cannot trust that you are getting their true feelings. Here is a link to the article, which will explain why you cannot trust that you are getting the full picture.
Right now, I am not sure that I am going to be able to make it another two years here. I really want to come home! I miss my family very much, I miss my friends, and I miss going shopping and out to eat where ever and whenever I want and even just going to the movies.
I will write again soon. Hopefully, my Internet will be up and running soon.
Love,
Bridgette
Hi Friends,
No, I have not forgotten about you or my blog. On Tuesday, it will be 6 weeks without Internet, Television and Phone Service to our house! I am back to using my mobile broadband device, just so I can do a few things, like check my mail and keep up with the U.S. news and election! It has taken 5 weeks just to convince Telia (the Swedish provider) that a cable was cut somewhere and that they need to fix it. Well, on Tuesday, they finally confirmed that a cable was cut. Then they proceeded to tell us that by Thursday someone would be out to fix it. Well, it is now Sunday and we have had two more phone calls to Telia asking about the situation. Supposedly, it will be fixed tomorrow. I do not hold my breath that this will happen. The worst part is that David has to explain the whole story again and again, everytime he calls and he has called nearly 20 times in the last 6 weeks to get it fixed! No amount of getting upset or requesting to speak to a supervisor works here, everyone is the same and you will be tre Yes, I am still receiving my bills to pay and paying them, I do not want that to be a problem as well.
Anyhow, this incident has made us feel even more isolated and alone here in Sweden because we cannot talk to family, we cannot watch television (we cannot even get Swedish television. We use a VPN and are able to watch Netflix, ESPN, Hulu.com, NBC and CBS), and we have nothing to do, especially on the dreary, rainy days of the weekend. Luckily, I have a friend who likes the same type of television shows that I like (Downton Abbey for example) and she has the capability to record the shows from Britain and then she puts them on a memory stick for me to watch at home on my computer. Yes, I am already watching season 4 of Downton Abbey and it is off to a good start! I have taught her how to find and watch shows from the U.S., so it is a good mix. No, she is not Swedish, she is Australian, so we are on the same page about our Swedish experience.
Our fun meter is getting full in Sweden. Yes, it is a very nice place, but there is not a lot to do and our idea of fun is something completely different from theirs. No, it does not excite me to walk through the forest in search of mushrooms for my dinner. Sorry, but I can think of other things more satisfying. I have to tell you, we were excited last night to actually go to a special Lebanese dinner at our favorite restaurant in town. We were able to dress like humans, I wore a dress and David slacks. We live in blue jeans and our rain coats here because we get rained on all the time, so your hair does not even stay nice. I know, it is a little thing, but what a difference it can make.
Another frustrating thing, people are always amazed by what David and I eat for lunch. We continuously get teased for coming home for lunch to have a sandwich. The idea of a sandwich to the Swedes is half a roll buttered with a slice of cheese and either some sliced peppers or cucumbers. To have meat on the "sandwich" is a special occasion. Again, this is what they eat for "fika". The other day someone was surprised that I would eat a sandwich (an American sandwich with meat and cheese) for lunch and also have potato chips with it. They asked, "Don't you get lightheaded?" They are used to eating a big, hot lunch and are surprised that we do not do the same. They then asked if I put the chips in my sandwich and told me that to them chips are a Saturday afternoon snack. The Swedish people seem to always have rules and ideas when you can eat or do certain things. We are not that regulated. They would be surprised to know that sometimes I actually eat a sandwich for dinner! Sometimes it is strange that I always feel that I have to defend myself and my actions. I do not ask them why they do certain things, I can see it is part of their culture and I just accept it. Why do I have to defend what I do in my culture?
I believe I have told you before that the Swedish language has words that they use everyday, which are not nice words in our language. For example the word "slut" we know what it means in English, but in Swedish it means "end". There are many more, I just cannot think of them all at this point. Well, I came across this headline from the IKEA newsletter that comes out every month "Full Fart i varuhusen", this means that it is full steam ahead for the new IKEA in Älmhult to open. However, the headline to someone who does not understand Swedish would appear that someone had gas in the warehouse. Yes, we are getting a new IKEA on November 2nd. They are planning to make a human chain from the old store to the new store, which is about 2 kilometers. I will add information about it after it happens. They are looking for volunteers now. Anyone interested?
I also was catching up on my Vanity Fair reading and came across this article that completely defines what it is like to live here in Sweden along with the Swedish people. This article confirms that I am not out of my mind, that I am a reasonable person, but things in this society are not always what it seems. Making Swedish friends here is difficult because you cannot trust that you are getting their true feelings. Here is a link to the article, which will explain why you cannot trust that you are getting the full picture.
Right now, I am not sure that I am going to be able to make it another two years here. I really want to come home! I miss my family very much, I miss my friends, and I miss going shopping and out to eat where ever and whenever I want and even just going to the movies.
I will write again soon. Hopefully, my Internet will be up and running soon.
Love,
Bridgette
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Something Fun!
Hi,
I have been without Internet for over two weeks now, but I am borrowing another signal, just so I can make you all smile.
I am sure you all remember the theme song to Green Acres the television show from the 1960s. If not here is a link to the song. So I took this theme song and made my song using things from Älmhult and Sweden. I hope you will think it is cute for something different. We have been in Sweden for just over one year now and we are both homesick. Here are the lyrics to my song Älmhult:
David starts:
Älmhult is the place for me
IKEA livin' is the life for me
Forest and mushroom pickin' so far and wide
Keep Chicago, just give me that countryside
Bridgette responds:
USA is where I'd rather stay
I get allergic to smelling pine
I just adore the penthouse view
Dah-ling I love you, but give me Michigan Avenue
David: The FIKA
Bridgette: Target
David: Fresh Air
Bridgette: Gino's East
David: You are my wife
Bridgette: Good bye city life
David and Bridgette: Älmhult we are here!
Yes, we would rather be in the States.
Have a great day and I will write with a better update as soon as I get my Internet back.
Love you all,
Bridgette
I have been without Internet for over two weeks now, but I am borrowing another signal, just so I can make you all smile.
I am sure you all remember the theme song to Green Acres the television show from the 1960s. If not here is a link to the song. So I took this theme song and made my song using things from Älmhult and Sweden. I hope you will think it is cute for something different. We have been in Sweden for just over one year now and we are both homesick. Here are the lyrics to my song Älmhult:
David starts:
Älmhult is the place for me
IKEA livin' is the life for me
Forest and mushroom pickin' so far and wide
Keep Chicago, just give me that countryside
Bridgette responds:
USA is where I'd rather stay
I get allergic to smelling pine
I just adore the penthouse view
Dah-ling I love you, but give me Michigan Avenue
David: The FIKA
Bridgette: Target
David: Fresh Air
Bridgette: Gino's East
David: You are my wife
Bridgette: Good bye city life
David and Bridgette: Älmhult we are here!
Yes, we would rather be in the States.
Have a great day and I will write with a better update as soon as I get my Internet back.
Love you all,
Bridgette
Friday, August 3, 2012
Back from the U.S.
Hello Friends,
I know it has been a while since I have written. David and I had a very nice trip to the United States. Colorado was absolutely grogeous like always, it was a bit hot, but looking at the beautiful blue sky and the ability to sit outside in the evenings is worth it.
Had a great time at the Rockies/Pirates baseball game, yes, the Rockies lost but Coors Field is a wonderful place to watch a game.
The day we went to the NHRA drag races, it was 102 degrees! Hot, but the show was awesome!
We are now back in Sweden where the weather is again fluctuating between rain, clouds and sun. Yesterday was beautiful in the morning, sun and a light breeze. My Swedish teacher, Christine and I headed out to Malmö for a day outside of Småland. Malmo is about an hour and half train ride away. Well, we had a good time, walking through the town and enjoying the sun. Ate lunch outside at an outdoor cafe and did a lot of window shopping. Towards the end of the day, the clouds and rain came in. We decided to get on the 3:48 pm train home. We did not get home until 8:00 pm! What happened you wonder? There was a power outage between two towns. Here is an article about it. We had to disembark the train in Höör, then get on a bus and go to Hässleholm and get on another train. Sounds easy right? Wrong! There are several hundred people on the train, many with luggage, strollers and kids returning from their summer vacation and there are no busses waiting. Finally one bus comes and it is a mad dash to try and get on, then this repeats several more times. Many of us waited for an hour and a half trying to get on a bus. We were finally successful about 6:20. Then we had to ride the bus for a half an hour to catch the train. By this time we had missed two trains (the trains only come once an hour), so we were planning to wait until 7:40 for the next train. Lucky for us, because of the trouble, there was a train that was leaving about 7:05 and we were able to run and make the train. Bad news, the train was filled with many of the people who had got on the earlier busses and the train was completely crowded. Then they told us, we were going to have to wait because there were taxis coming with people, so we really did not leave until 7:30, yes, earlier than we expected, but we were hoping for the extra half hour. If you are wondering, this is a common occurence in Sweden. The trains are not so dependable. We usually take a train at least one hour earlier than necessary so we do not ever miss our flights in Copenhagen. No, the Swedish people do not know how to queue and to be polite. (Just found this article on what the Swsedes think about others and queuing) I was amazed to see the rudeness exhibited to people with babies and strollers trying to get onto the busses. There was one woman who was by herself with about a 6 month old baby in a carrier, a stroller, car seat and luggage and no one would help her to get her stuff stowed under the bus and then let her get on. Finally, someone from the train company held the people back! She was actually the most patient and easygoing person I have ever seen in that situation.
We have to get on the train tomorrow morning to head to Stockholm for our Intensive Swedish lessons. Next week will be a 40 hour week learning Swedish. I am looking forward to seeing Stockholm, not sure how I feel about the lessons. We are trying to be eager and thankful for these experiences, but we are really starting to miss home.
Another little ditty, I was so excited to find cherry peppers at the store this week. Well, I opened them at lunch today only to find out they remove the stems and seeds! That is the best part of the pepper, getting the spice from the seeds! Really, it is hard to describe how things are so different here, even when you think things cannot be that different.
I finally got the courage up to find out how to use the self-scanning feature at the store, (our lines are alway long, they do not have express lanes at the grocery store - everyone is equal), anyhow, I found out that the store card that I had been using to get the sale prices was only a temporary card. I did not realize that the cards they sent to me several months ago was the card for the discount. I thought it was a credit card that I was not asking for! So, when you get the discount card at Kroger or whatever grocery store you go to, in the US that is your permanent card. Who would know that in Sweden, they send you another. Crazy and it seems like a waste. I will have to go back and get set up for self-scanning another day. I will let you know how that goes.
I guess this is enough information for one day. I will let you know how the trip to Stockholm turns out.
See you in a couple of weeks!
Much love,
Bridgette
I know it has been a while since I have written. David and I had a very nice trip to the United States. Colorado was absolutely grogeous like always, it was a bit hot, but looking at the beautiful blue sky and the ability to sit outside in the evenings is worth it.
Had a great time at the Rockies/Pirates baseball game, yes, the Rockies lost but Coors Field is a wonderful place to watch a game.
The day we went to the NHRA drag races, it was 102 degrees! Hot, but the show was awesome!
We are now back in Sweden where the weather is again fluctuating between rain, clouds and sun. Yesterday was beautiful in the morning, sun and a light breeze. My Swedish teacher, Christine and I headed out to Malmö for a day outside of Småland. Malmo is about an hour and half train ride away. Well, we had a good time, walking through the town and enjoying the sun. Ate lunch outside at an outdoor cafe and did a lot of window shopping. Towards the end of the day, the clouds and rain came in. We decided to get on the 3:48 pm train home. We did not get home until 8:00 pm! What happened you wonder? There was a power outage between two towns. Here is an article about it. We had to disembark the train in Höör, then get on a bus and go to Hässleholm and get on another train. Sounds easy right? Wrong! There are several hundred people on the train, many with luggage, strollers and kids returning from their summer vacation and there are no busses waiting. Finally one bus comes and it is a mad dash to try and get on, then this repeats several more times. Many of us waited for an hour and a half trying to get on a bus. We were finally successful about 6:20. Then we had to ride the bus for a half an hour to catch the train. By this time we had missed two trains (the trains only come once an hour), so we were planning to wait until 7:40 for the next train. Lucky for us, because of the trouble, there was a train that was leaving about 7:05 and we were able to run and make the train. Bad news, the train was filled with many of the people who had got on the earlier busses and the train was completely crowded. Then they told us, we were going to have to wait because there were taxis coming with people, so we really did not leave until 7:30, yes, earlier than we expected, but we were hoping for the extra half hour. If you are wondering, this is a common occurence in Sweden. The trains are not so dependable. We usually take a train at least one hour earlier than necessary so we do not ever miss our flights in Copenhagen. No, the Swedish people do not know how to queue and to be polite. (Just found this article on what the Swsedes think about others and queuing) I was amazed to see the rudeness exhibited to people with babies and strollers trying to get onto the busses. There was one woman who was by herself with about a 6 month old baby in a carrier, a stroller, car seat and luggage and no one would help her to get her stuff stowed under the bus and then let her get on. Finally, someone from the train company held the people back! She was actually the most patient and easygoing person I have ever seen in that situation.
We have to get on the train tomorrow morning to head to Stockholm for our Intensive Swedish lessons. Next week will be a 40 hour week learning Swedish. I am looking forward to seeing Stockholm, not sure how I feel about the lessons. We are trying to be eager and thankful for these experiences, but we are really starting to miss home.
Another little ditty, I was so excited to find cherry peppers at the store this week. Well, I opened them at lunch today only to find out they remove the stems and seeds! That is the best part of the pepper, getting the spice from the seeds! Really, it is hard to describe how things are so different here, even when you think things cannot be that different.
I finally got the courage up to find out how to use the self-scanning feature at the store, (our lines are alway long, they do not have express lanes at the grocery store - everyone is equal), anyhow, I found out that the store card that I had been using to get the sale prices was only a temporary card. I did not realize that the cards they sent to me several months ago was the card for the discount. I thought it was a credit card that I was not asking for! So, when you get the discount card at Kroger or whatever grocery store you go to, in the US that is your permanent card. Who would know that in Sweden, they send you another. Crazy and it seems like a waste. I will have to go back and get set up for self-scanning another day. I will let you know how that goes.
I guess this is enough information for one day. I will let you know how the trip to Stockholm turns out.
See you in a couple of weeks!
Much love,
Bridgette
Monday, July 2, 2012
Living in the Land of the Midnight Sun
Hej,
As of June 20th we have lived here in Sweden for 10 months now. Wow, time goes fast, but somedays it does seem like it drags on, especially when it never really gets too dark here!
Yes, we live where the sun stays up for about 19 - 20 hours a day. We do not live far enough north in Sweden to experience 24 hours of sun, but the 19 - 20 hours is plenty. The sun does go down, but there is still a glow in the northern sky, so the sky is not really dark. The only time it does seem dark is if it is cloudy due to rain. If you get up around 3:00 a.m. the sun is already starting to lighten the sky. When you go to bed around midnight, the sky looks basically the same as it does at 3:00 a.m. It really is a strange feeling. We have to have room-darkening shades so that we can go to bed at a normal time. When we go to bed at around 10:00 p.m. usually, it is still bright outside. I even had to make a black drape to cover the glass panel into our room because the sun comes in from the windows in the hall to wake us quite early. We have managed to live with this and survive. However, our cat Tiqui is not doing so well with it. For the last several weeks she has been coming into our room around 2:30 or 3:00 and starts meowing wondering why we are not getting up! We cannot get her to sleep or be quiet past this time, therefore, we are not getting the sleep that we need. We have to put outside our room and shut the door trying to keep her from patting us with her paws, licking our faces and walking across the bed. However, putting her outside the room does not stop the constant meowing and pacing she has been doing! If you know Tiqui she is not a quiet cat and can make an abundance of sounds all echoing with the high ceilings in our flat. I am hoping that our neighbors cannot hear her. I do not want to upset anyone. Does anyone have any ideas? She is healthy and I try to keep her from sleeping too much during the day, but no matter, she is up at 3:00!
That is the other thing, if Tiqui is not waking you up, then the sun wakes you up early and by the time you get up and start your day, the sun is gone because the clouds have moved in for the day! Then when it is time to go to bed, guess what, the sun comes out again! The weather has not been the best this summer, cloudy, rainy and not so warm.
With our ten month anniversary here, we missed the Swedish holiday called "Midsommer." Yes, we could have participated and stayed in town, but we decided we would rather spend our time in London. Midsommer is a pagen holiday and there is a lot of drinking that takes place. We prefer to spend our time off exploring and taking advantage of the time to see other parts of Europe, while we have the opportunity. Do not get me wrong, I like to learn about other cultures and such, but when so much drinking is involved, I would rather do my own thing.
Since Midsommer has occurred, the mass exodus to go on vacation has started. Most everyone gets 5 weeks of vacation and pretty much takes the month of July and the first week of August off. Literally, businesses close, so I do not know how they make money during vacation season. The business model is not the same here and the one we understand in the States and other countries. Since I returned from London last week, most of my neighbors are all gone and we basically have the neighborhood to ourselves. What does concern me though is the fact that everyone goes on vacation at the same time, so do the thieves know this is a prime time to break into houses? Already, in May, one of our neighbors in the lower section of the neighborhood had their house broken into while they were gone for the weekend. That is the other thing, when summer starts, everyone leaves on the weekend for their summer home and it is quite easy to tell that they are gone. Many times, they do not have timers on their lights and if you watch enough, you know that they are gone. Perhaps watching them pack their cars every Friday afternoon provides enough information that they could be a prime target. Who knows?
Anyhow, that is the story from here, not enough sleep, not enough sun or warm weather. We are excited to get back to the States, but we understand that it is really hot and lots of fires. Nothing like going from one extreme to another! :)
Have a very happy day!
Love,
Bridgette
As of June 20th we have lived here in Sweden for 10 months now. Wow, time goes fast, but somedays it does seem like it drags on, especially when it never really gets too dark here!
Yes, we live where the sun stays up for about 19 - 20 hours a day. We do not live far enough north in Sweden to experience 24 hours of sun, but the 19 - 20 hours is plenty. The sun does go down, but there is still a glow in the northern sky, so the sky is not really dark. The only time it does seem dark is if it is cloudy due to rain. If you get up around 3:00 a.m. the sun is already starting to lighten the sky. When you go to bed around midnight, the sky looks basically the same as it does at 3:00 a.m. It really is a strange feeling. We have to have room-darkening shades so that we can go to bed at a normal time. When we go to bed at around 10:00 p.m. usually, it is still bright outside. I even had to make a black drape to cover the glass panel into our room because the sun comes in from the windows in the hall to wake us quite early. We have managed to live with this and survive. However, our cat Tiqui is not doing so well with it. For the last several weeks she has been coming into our room around 2:30 or 3:00 and starts meowing wondering why we are not getting up! We cannot get her to sleep or be quiet past this time, therefore, we are not getting the sleep that we need. We have to put outside our room and shut the door trying to keep her from patting us with her paws, licking our faces and walking across the bed. However, putting her outside the room does not stop the constant meowing and pacing she has been doing! If you know Tiqui she is not a quiet cat and can make an abundance of sounds all echoing with the high ceilings in our flat. I am hoping that our neighbors cannot hear her. I do not want to upset anyone. Does anyone have any ideas? She is healthy and I try to keep her from sleeping too much during the day, but no matter, she is up at 3:00!
That is the other thing, if Tiqui is not waking you up, then the sun wakes you up early and by the time you get up and start your day, the sun is gone because the clouds have moved in for the day! Then when it is time to go to bed, guess what, the sun comes out again! The weather has not been the best this summer, cloudy, rainy and not so warm.
With our ten month anniversary here, we missed the Swedish holiday called "Midsommer." Yes, we could have participated and stayed in town, but we decided we would rather spend our time in London. Midsommer is a pagen holiday and there is a lot of drinking that takes place. We prefer to spend our time off exploring and taking advantage of the time to see other parts of Europe, while we have the opportunity. Do not get me wrong, I like to learn about other cultures and such, but when so much drinking is involved, I would rather do my own thing.
Since Midsommer has occurred, the mass exodus to go on vacation has started. Most everyone gets 5 weeks of vacation and pretty much takes the month of July and the first week of August off. Literally, businesses close, so I do not know how they make money during vacation season. The business model is not the same here and the one we understand in the States and other countries. Since I returned from London last week, most of my neighbors are all gone and we basically have the neighborhood to ourselves. What does concern me though is the fact that everyone goes on vacation at the same time, so do the thieves know this is a prime time to break into houses? Already, in May, one of our neighbors in the lower section of the neighborhood had their house broken into while they were gone for the weekend. That is the other thing, when summer starts, everyone leaves on the weekend for their summer home and it is quite easy to tell that they are gone. Many times, they do not have timers on their lights and if you watch enough, you know that they are gone. Perhaps watching them pack their cars every Friday afternoon provides enough information that they could be a prime target. Who knows?
Anyhow, that is the story from here, not enough sleep, not enough sun or warm weather. We are excited to get back to the States, but we understand that it is really hot and lots of fires. Nothing like going from one extreme to another! :)
Have a very happy day!
Love,
Bridgette
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Chilvary is Not Dead!
Dear Friends,
Sorry it has been awhile since I have written. I made a quick trip home to help Allison with her new baby boy, Tristan. He is a real cutie! I then returned to Sweden and worked for a week before heading off to London for a long weekend.
We will be heading back to the States in two weeks. We will spend a week in Colorado, hopefully the wildfires will be contained by then. In Colorado we are planning on going to a Rockies Baseball game with my parents and then find some awesome Mexican food for dinner. Then we will head up to Vail to see Niq and return to Denver on Friday. Saturday it is a day at the NHRA races, so looking forward to that. It has been 29 years since I have been to Bandimere Speedway. What a great location for the races!
Anyhow, back to the topic - Chilvary is Not Dead! I have observed living in Sweden that there is a lack of manners and respect of your fellow man. Many Swedish people are nice, but if you observe long enough, there are not really any manners. When I was in London, it made it more evident that there is a lack of manners in Sweden. I actually saw people get up on the Tube and offer their seat to the elderly. People held doors and were polite to others. This is something that is hard to explain unless you experience it. Yes, in the States, you do have some manners that can be appalling, but when it is more like 80% of the poplulation that only thinks of themselves it is very apparent. Some of this comes from living in a society where no one is more important than anyone else. Being in London was a breath of fresh air, not only for the manners, but the action and busyness of the city. One does not realize how quiet their world is, until they head off to where there is action. Am I happy to be back in the land of the quiet and the forest trolls? Not really, but until we leave in two years, this is where I will be. However, it does make you appreciate the times you can go to the big cities and explore.
We are going to Stockholm the beginning of August for our Intensive Swedish Lessons. I am certain that I will have a lot more to talk about after that.
Have a very nice summer and I will write again soon.
Love,
Bridgette
Sorry it has been awhile since I have written. I made a quick trip home to help Allison with her new baby boy, Tristan. He is a real cutie! I then returned to Sweden and worked for a week before heading off to London for a long weekend.
We will be heading back to the States in two weeks. We will spend a week in Colorado, hopefully the wildfires will be contained by then. In Colorado we are planning on going to a Rockies Baseball game with my parents and then find some awesome Mexican food for dinner. Then we will head up to Vail to see Niq and return to Denver on Friday. Saturday it is a day at the NHRA races, so looking forward to that. It has been 29 years since I have been to Bandimere Speedway. What a great location for the races!
Anyhow, back to the topic - Chilvary is Not Dead! I have observed living in Sweden that there is a lack of manners and respect of your fellow man. Many Swedish people are nice, but if you observe long enough, there are not really any manners. When I was in London, it made it more evident that there is a lack of manners in Sweden. I actually saw people get up on the Tube and offer their seat to the elderly. People held doors and were polite to others. This is something that is hard to explain unless you experience it. Yes, in the States, you do have some manners that can be appalling, but when it is more like 80% of the poplulation that only thinks of themselves it is very apparent. Some of this comes from living in a society where no one is more important than anyone else. Being in London was a breath of fresh air, not only for the manners, but the action and busyness of the city. One does not realize how quiet their world is, until they head off to where there is action. Am I happy to be back in the land of the quiet and the forest trolls? Not really, but until we leave in two years, this is where I will be. However, it does make you appreciate the times you can go to the big cities and explore.
We are going to Stockholm the beginning of August for our Intensive Swedish Lessons. I am certain that I will have a lot more to talk about after that.
Have a very nice summer and I will write again soon.
Love,
Bridgette
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Pizza Salad
Happy Thursday,
When I came to visit Älmhult last June, we went to a local restaurant called Sorellos. They served, on each table family style, this "salad" concoction that to me looked like sauerkraut. Well, I tasted it and yes it was made out of cabbage and had vinegar on it. but it was crunchy and not soft and limp like sauerkraut. I did not think much about it and just thought it was something that was served at this restaurant.
When I came back in August, we had lunch at another local restaurant, Jacobs, and come to find out they have individual servings of it in the refrigerated case where you get your drinks. I was a bit amazed by this because I grew up in an Italian family where we have garden salads all the time, even with our pizza. I was wondering how come I could not get just a regular salad. By the way, this salad is always included with your meal, so you do not pay any extra for it. I do not know the exact name of this "salad", so I am no help there.
So one day, I was at the grocery store and guess what I found in the refrigerated case - "Pizza Sallad". Here is a picture of the "salad" in the package and out of the package.
Honestly, it does not taste bad, it is pretty good and it does add some crunch to your meal. This is just one of the different things that I have found in Sweden.
I am still on the lookout for some new things to share with you.
Love,
Bridgette
When I came to visit Älmhult last June, we went to a local restaurant called Sorellos. They served, on each table family style, this "salad" concoction that to me looked like sauerkraut. Well, I tasted it and yes it was made out of cabbage and had vinegar on it. but it was crunchy and not soft and limp like sauerkraut. I did not think much about it and just thought it was something that was served at this restaurant.
When I came back in August, we had lunch at another local restaurant, Jacobs, and come to find out they have individual servings of it in the refrigerated case where you get your drinks. I was a bit amazed by this because I grew up in an Italian family where we have garden salads all the time, even with our pizza. I was wondering how come I could not get just a regular salad. By the way, this salad is always included with your meal, so you do not pay any extra for it. I do not know the exact name of this "salad", so I am no help there.
So one day, I was at the grocery store and guess what I found in the refrigerated case - "Pizza Sallad". Here is a picture of the "salad" in the package and out of the package.
Honestly, it does not taste bad, it is pretty good and it does add some crunch to your meal. This is just one of the different things that I have found in Sweden.
I am still on the lookout for some new things to share with you.
Love,
Bridgette
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The Sun Has Finally Come Through!
Hej,
After so many weeks of dreay, rainy, cloudy, windy weather on Sunday the sun came out! It still has been a bit windy, but when there is warmth it is much nicer. What a difference it makes with everything!
The sun is now coming up at 4:30 in the morning, but it gets lighter before that. The sun is now setting at 9:30 in the evening. This makes for some really long days, which make up for the short days of winter.
Allison had her baby on Sunday, it was a boy! We are very happy for her and Shane!
On Saturday, David and I took a train ride to Lund. We had a very nice day of shopping, sight-seeing and lunch at O'Leary's. With all the time David had spent here on prior to us moving here, he had never been to Lund. Lund is a university town, so there is much activity, lots of bicycles and places to go.
We found a wonderful old Cathedral called Lunds Domkyrka. They started building the Cathedral in 1080 and it was finally consecrated in 1145. The whole thing is quite beautiful and very well kept. I believe that the Danes started building it, but this is the area that has switched between Danish and Swedish rule several times over the years. When I got home, I was telling my friend that we had gone to Lund and saw the Cathedral and she told me that she actually was married there. She said they chose that spot because she went to University in Lund and she is Swedish, while her husband is Danish and so they thought it would be a great place to marry because of the history between the countries.
I almost forgot, there is a huge astronomical clock in the Cathedral as well. The clock still plays everyday at 1:00 and 3:00. Click for a virtual tour of the Cathedral and see the clock.
We plan to go back to Lund and do more exploring and sight-seeing. We were technically on our way to see an outdoor museum on the history of the area and Sweden, but the weather was not conducive for being outdoors, like usual it rained!
Take care and have a happy day!
Bridgette
After so many weeks of dreay, rainy, cloudy, windy weather on Sunday the sun came out! It still has been a bit windy, but when there is warmth it is much nicer. What a difference it makes with everything!
The sun is now coming up at 4:30 in the morning, but it gets lighter before that. The sun is now setting at 9:30 in the evening. This makes for some really long days, which make up for the short days of winter.
Allison had her baby on Sunday, it was a boy! We are very happy for her and Shane!
On Saturday, David and I took a train ride to Lund. We had a very nice day of shopping, sight-seeing and lunch at O'Leary's. With all the time David had spent here on prior to us moving here, he had never been to Lund. Lund is a university town, so there is much activity, lots of bicycles and places to go.
We found a wonderful old Cathedral called Lunds Domkyrka. They started building the Cathedral in 1080 and it was finally consecrated in 1145. The whole thing is quite beautiful and very well kept. I believe that the Danes started building it, but this is the area that has switched between Danish and Swedish rule several times over the years. When I got home, I was telling my friend that we had gone to Lund and saw the Cathedral and she told me that she actually was married there. She said they chose that spot because she went to University in Lund and she is Swedish, while her husband is Danish and so they thought it would be a great place to marry because of the history between the countries.
I almost forgot, there is a huge astronomical clock in the Cathedral as well. The clock still plays everyday at 1:00 and 3:00. Click for a virtual tour of the Cathedral and see the clock.
We plan to go back to Lund and do more exploring and sight-seeing. We were technically on our way to see an outdoor museum on the history of the area and Sweden, but the weather was not conducive for being outdoors, like usual it rained!
Take care and have a happy day!
Bridgette
Friday, May 18, 2012
Still Here
Dear Friends,
I apologize for not writing in the last month. We had visitors from the States. My Mom and Dad came for 5 days and we took them to Copenhagen for a couple of days to meet my brother and they went on to London for 6 more days. It was certainly nice to see them and to spend time with them. We did enjoy taking them to see some of the things that we have found in Sweden.
On Sunday, we will have been in Sweden for 9 months now. Sometimes it feels like the time has gone quickly and other times it feels like it has been a reallllllly long time. Since my parents have left and my temporary contract ended, I have had a hard time. The days are very long and David is busy with his job. Also, since I live in the middle of the forest, there is not much to do. Last week, I made an effort to get out and go into town. Well, let's just say, that I was able to visit 4 clothing stores and the grocery store and I was home in less than an hour. In Houston, that would at least take up the morning and then some.
I have been trying to keep busy by knitting and I have made three tote bags (one for me and two for gifts). However, right now it is hard because my daughter is due to have a baby on the 23rd of May, which is next week and my niece had her baby early. I wish I could be there to be of help to them, rather than sitting at home knitting and watching Mad Men. I have finished the first two seasons and will start season 3 soon. I am amazed that I have the time to watch and catch up with many of the shows I was not able to watch due to lack of time in the States.
We did go to the movies 2 weeks ago to see A Royal Affair. Unfortunately, the movie was in Danish and then had Swedish subtitles. We did not stay. Luckily, we are able to save our stubs and we will go see The Dictator tonight. No, the movies are nothing alike, but our choices are very limited here.
David is off to Germany next week. So, next week will be quite long. I did make plans with my Swedish teacher to spend the day with her on Tuesday in Växjö. I am looking forward to seeing where she lives and meeting her new puppy.
The weather has not been so good lately. Lots of rain and cloudiness. Yesterday, the 17th was a holiday in Sweden (Ascension Day). Everyone was off of work, but the weather was not good. The sun would come out and 5 minutes later it would be raining. This repeated itself the whole day. Fortunately, we did get out for a quick walk in the evening, but it started to rain before we could get back home. Welcome to Älmhult!
We have made plans for the summer. David has to spend a week in London in June, so I am going to try and go with him for a few days. We are coming back to the States in the middle of July for 10 days. We will be going to Colorado to see our son in Vail and go to the drag races with him and my parents. Then we are going to go to Washington D.C. for 3 days to see Allison and the new baby. In August, we will head to Stockholm for a week of Intensive Swedish lessons. So there is a lot to look forward to!
Sorry, if this blog is not my usual happy self, but I guess you have to know that sometimes, it is a struggle to live abroad and not be able to be close to those you love.
Thank you all for being such great friends and family.
I love you all,
Bridgette
I apologize for not writing in the last month. We had visitors from the States. My Mom and Dad came for 5 days and we took them to Copenhagen for a couple of days to meet my brother and they went on to London for 6 more days. It was certainly nice to see them and to spend time with them. We did enjoy taking them to see some of the things that we have found in Sweden.
On Sunday, we will have been in Sweden for 9 months now. Sometimes it feels like the time has gone quickly and other times it feels like it has been a reallllllly long time. Since my parents have left and my temporary contract ended, I have had a hard time. The days are very long and David is busy with his job. Also, since I live in the middle of the forest, there is not much to do. Last week, I made an effort to get out and go into town. Well, let's just say, that I was able to visit 4 clothing stores and the grocery store and I was home in less than an hour. In Houston, that would at least take up the morning and then some.
I have been trying to keep busy by knitting and I have made three tote bags (one for me and two for gifts). However, right now it is hard because my daughter is due to have a baby on the 23rd of May, which is next week and my niece had her baby early. I wish I could be there to be of help to them, rather than sitting at home knitting and watching Mad Men. I have finished the first two seasons and will start season 3 soon. I am amazed that I have the time to watch and catch up with many of the shows I was not able to watch due to lack of time in the States.
We did go to the movies 2 weeks ago to see A Royal Affair. Unfortunately, the movie was in Danish and then had Swedish subtitles. We did not stay. Luckily, we are able to save our stubs and we will go see The Dictator tonight. No, the movies are nothing alike, but our choices are very limited here.
David is off to Germany next week. So, next week will be quite long. I did make plans with my Swedish teacher to spend the day with her on Tuesday in Växjö. I am looking forward to seeing where she lives and meeting her new puppy.
The weather has not been so good lately. Lots of rain and cloudiness. Yesterday, the 17th was a holiday in Sweden (Ascension Day). Everyone was off of work, but the weather was not good. The sun would come out and 5 minutes later it would be raining. This repeated itself the whole day. Fortunately, we did get out for a quick walk in the evening, but it started to rain before we could get back home. Welcome to Älmhult!
We have made plans for the summer. David has to spend a week in London in June, so I am going to try and go with him for a few days. We are coming back to the States in the middle of July for 10 days. We will be going to Colorado to see our son in Vail and go to the drag races with him and my parents. Then we are going to go to Washington D.C. for 3 days to see Allison and the new baby. In August, we will head to Stockholm for a week of Intensive Swedish lessons. So there is a lot to look forward to!
Sorry, if this blog is not my usual happy self, but I guess you have to know that sometimes, it is a struggle to live abroad and not be able to be close to those you love.
Thank you all for being such great friends and family.
I love you all,
Bridgette
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Photos of New House
Hej,
We are now settled in our new home. We finished moving our stuff on Friday, April 6th at 5:00pm. Just as it was starting to rain. As it was, we had to ride our bikes to our new home in the rain, but it was a good feeling to be finished with the other house and to look forward to this house. We have been here for a little over a week now and I cannot tell you how much happier we are. I am not sure what it was about the other house, but physically and mentally we are doing much better, as are the cats. Again, it feels like a load has been lifted from our shoulders. We actually had the time and energy yesterday after dinner to go for a walk!
Here are the pictures of our new house.
This is the kitchen:
This is the master bedroom, this room is twice the size of our bedroom at the other house:
We are now settled in our new home. We finished moving our stuff on Friday, April 6th at 5:00pm. Just as it was starting to rain. As it was, we had to ride our bikes to our new home in the rain, but it was a good feeling to be finished with the other house and to look forward to this house. We have been here for a little over a week now and I cannot tell you how much happier we are. I am not sure what it was about the other house, but physically and mentally we are doing much better, as are the cats. Again, it feels like a load has been lifted from our shoulders. We actually had the time and energy yesterday after dinner to go for a walk!
Here are the pictures of our new house.
This is the kitchen:
This is the living room, so much sunshine and openness:
This is the master bedroom, this room is twice the size of our bedroom at the other house:
This is the bathroom and laundry room combined:
The guest room, there is room for us to have visitors, all are welcome:
This is the last room, we have an extra room, so we are using for the cats and a charging area for our electronic devices, as well as extra storage:
As it gets warmer and we get the patio furniture put together I will take photos outside and share with you as well.
Otherwise, all is well with us. David is busy getting his products ready for approval and I am finishing up with the photo shoot that I have been working on. We are looking forward to summer and coming home in July. We are also planning to spend a week in Stockholm this summer for our intensive Swedish lessons. So, no worries, I have much more to report on.
Much love,
Bridgette
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Easter - The Swedish Way
Happy Easter to Everyone!
Palm Sunday is tomorrow which starts the beginning of Easter Week. I decided that I should show you a bit about the Swedish Easter. In the last few weeks, I have noticed these giant eggs with Easter scenes, lots of Easter candy and other types of Easter decorations coming out in the stores. Yesterday, I was at Willy's (one of the 4 grocery stores in town) and noticed a proliferation of brightly colored feathers. The feathers were in packages and also on the end of something that looks like twigs. I have noticed though that many of the Easter decorations really revolve around chicks and not so many bunnies, like in the U.S. I like the idea that the bunny lives in a giant mushroom. Swedes love mushrooms and it is a big deal to go the forest and look for fresh mushrooms.
The giant egg, which is pictured below, comes apart and is filled with candy and given to the children, much like the idea of our Easter basket, but on a smaller scale. Yes, you can buy bigger eggs than the one I have here.
You can read more about the Swedish Easter here. This article can explain much more than I can, since I have not yet experienced it. In Sweden, I guess it is normal for the little girls to dress like witches and go house to house to get candy. Here are a couple of pictures of the little girls dressed like witches. I found one of the pictures within another article about Easter traditions from around the world.
I have not noticed the supermarket loaded down with hams, lamb and such. If I learn anything further this week, I will share it with you. I do find it interesting to see the differences between the cultures for holdiays that we think are a traditional thing among all cultures.
I thought I would also share my table decoration with you:
Please read the articles above to also see about the bonfires other ideas that Sweden has about Easter.
Have a very Happy Easter and I will be back soon!
Love,
Bridgette
Palm Sunday is tomorrow which starts the beginning of Easter Week. I decided that I should show you a bit about the Swedish Easter. In the last few weeks, I have noticed these giant eggs with Easter scenes, lots of Easter candy and other types of Easter decorations coming out in the stores. Yesterday, I was at Willy's (one of the 4 grocery stores in town) and noticed a proliferation of brightly colored feathers. The feathers were in packages and also on the end of something that looks like twigs. I have noticed though that many of the Easter decorations really revolve around chicks and not so many bunnies, like in the U.S. I like the idea that the bunny lives in a giant mushroom. Swedes love mushrooms and it is a big deal to go the forest and look for fresh mushrooms.
The giant egg, which is pictured below, comes apart and is filled with candy and given to the children, much like the idea of our Easter basket, but on a smaller scale. Yes, you can buy bigger eggs than the one I have here.
I have not noticed the supermarket loaded down with hams, lamb and such. If I learn anything further this week, I will share it with you. I do find it interesting to see the differences between the cultures for holdiays that we think are a traditional thing among all cultures.
I thought I would also share my table decoration with you:
Please read the articles above to also see about the bonfires other ideas that Sweden has about Easter.
Have a very Happy Easter and I will be back soon!
Love,
Bridgette
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Spring in Älmhult
Happy Sunday!
Yes spring has come to Älmhult. We have had sunshine, clear skies and a lot of happiness. People have been washing their windows, cleaning up their yards and putting the clotheslines back out.
We finally changed our clocks last nights, so now we are back to the usually time differences. It was nice being one hour closer for two weeks. I "Spring Forward and Fall Back". Well, in Sweden, they remember it by comparing it to "putting out your outdoor furniture and taking in your outdoor furniture". An interesting perspective for sure.
Here are a few pictures I took yesterday on my walk, even Mr. & Mrs. Duck were out. This is the path that we currently take to work on our bikes and we pass this little pond.
On my way I also took some pictures of our new neighborhood. We are going to be in the flats that are in the distance on the hill. Our flat faces the opposite direction. The houses you barely see in the foreground on the second picture are private houses. One of them is currently for sale for a little over 3 million Krona (which is about $450,000).
I had a great time yesterday shopping in Växjö with some friends. One from London, one from Germany and one from Jaimaica originally, but was living in Atlanta before she moved here. I love the diversity and talking to everyone about their experiences here. I finally ate a McDonald's in Sweden. It was okay, about the same as in the U.S., but the menu is different, of course. The fries taste the same, but were salty as was the burger. You do not get ice in your drinks here, which is still hard for me. I love ice in my drinks!
David is having a successful trip to China. On Friday, he visited 6 homes. If I can, I will show you how they live in Hong Kong, perhaps David will let me share his pictures. David said it was very interesting and very sad. Many people living in one small space. I was surprised, he went shopping on Saturday and actually bought some items! Good for him.
I think since spring is coming, we are starting to feel more comfortable in Sweden. Yes, there is still the difficulties of finding food we want to eat. Unfortunately, I think our waistlines might be showing the poor choices, but with spring here, there will be much more walking and bike riding to burn off the extra calories and pounds. I think everyone feels the same after winter ends. You feel like you have gained lots of weight, when you really have not.
I am trying to gather more information on differences to share with you. I think it is time to go and enjoy the rest of the day.
I will be in touch soon.
Love from Sweden
Bridgette
Yes spring has come to Älmhult. We have had sunshine, clear skies and a lot of happiness. People have been washing their windows, cleaning up their yards and putting the clotheslines back out.
We finally changed our clocks last nights, so now we are back to the usually time differences. It was nice being one hour closer for two weeks. I "Spring Forward and Fall Back". Well, in Sweden, they remember it by comparing it to "putting out your outdoor furniture and taking in your outdoor furniture". An interesting perspective for sure.
Here are a few pictures I took yesterday on my walk, even Mr. & Mrs. Duck were out. This is the path that we currently take to work on our bikes and we pass this little pond.
On my way I also took some pictures of our new neighborhood. We are going to be in the flats that are in the distance on the hill. Our flat faces the opposite direction. The houses you barely see in the foreground on the second picture are private houses. One of them is currently for sale for a little over 3 million Krona (which is about $450,000).
 |
| You would be looking at the lower half of the flat. We would be on the top level where you see all the windows. The flat is long and skinny. |
 |
| This is an overall view of the neighborhood. With the lower half of all the flats. You enter our flat from a completely different street. |
David is having a successful trip to China. On Friday, he visited 6 homes. If I can, I will show you how they live in Hong Kong, perhaps David will let me share his pictures. David said it was very interesting and very sad. Many people living in one small space. I was surprised, he went shopping on Saturday and actually bought some items! Good for him.
I think since spring is coming, we are starting to feel more comfortable in Sweden. Yes, there is still the difficulties of finding food we want to eat. Unfortunately, I think our waistlines might be showing the poor choices, but with spring here, there will be much more walking and bike riding to burn off the extra calories and pounds. I think everyone feels the same after winter ends. You feel like you have gained lots of weight, when you really have not.
I am trying to gather more information on differences to share with you. I think it is time to go and enjoy the rest of the day.
I will be in touch soon.
Love from Sweden
Bridgette
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Spring is Coming
Happy Spring!
Like many of you in the States, we are experiencing an early spring here in Älmhult. We had some very nice, sunny days last week. However, the beginning of this week looked a bit like winter again with gray, cloudy skies. Monday morning, we experienced sleet, hail, rain, wind and sunshine within about 15 minutes. Lucky for me, I was already at work, but I did see the poor people come in who looked a bit disarrayed from the variety of weather.
Relatively, it has been quiet here the last couple of weeks. We are moving the week of April 2nd, so that is the next big thing coming up. We have been buying some things for our new house. So far, we bought a patio table, chairs and an umbrella so we can take advantage of any sunny days and we also bought a new bed for one of the extra bedrooms. You really do not realize how much you need. We had to buy hangars because when we leave here we have to leave all the hangars behind. So far, I have bought about 80 hangars and probably have to buy abour 20 more. No, I do not think we have many clothes here, since we left most in Houston, but hangarwise, it adds up, especially with all the coats included.
We are definitely looking forward to getting settled again. We have felt very unsettled for the last couple of months due to the change in having to move. We did talk about it and feel that it will be better for us because then the other house will be ours and not like we are borrowing someone's house for vacation.
For David, his big thing starts today as he heads off to China for 10 days. He is going to a trade show as well as visiting people's homes to see how they live. It certainly will be an interesting trip. I will let you know how interesting it is.
I am still working on my temporary contract. I really am enjoying myself! Last week and again next week, I will spend my time at the photo studio. I will also keep you posted as to if my contract gets extended.
Overall, all is going well here in Sweden and I will give you updates and pictures on our new house as soon as we can get the key. I will also try and get some pictures of spring coming.
Much love to you all,
Bridgette
Like many of you in the States, we are experiencing an early spring here in Älmhult. We had some very nice, sunny days last week. However, the beginning of this week looked a bit like winter again with gray, cloudy skies. Monday morning, we experienced sleet, hail, rain, wind and sunshine within about 15 minutes. Lucky for me, I was already at work, but I did see the poor people come in who looked a bit disarrayed from the variety of weather.
Relatively, it has been quiet here the last couple of weeks. We are moving the week of April 2nd, so that is the next big thing coming up. We have been buying some things for our new house. So far, we bought a patio table, chairs and an umbrella so we can take advantage of any sunny days and we also bought a new bed for one of the extra bedrooms. You really do not realize how much you need. We had to buy hangars because when we leave here we have to leave all the hangars behind. So far, I have bought about 80 hangars and probably have to buy abour 20 more. No, I do not think we have many clothes here, since we left most in Houston, but hangarwise, it adds up, especially with all the coats included.
We are definitely looking forward to getting settled again. We have felt very unsettled for the last couple of months due to the change in having to move. We did talk about it and feel that it will be better for us because then the other house will be ours and not like we are borrowing someone's house for vacation.
For David, his big thing starts today as he heads off to China for 10 days. He is going to a trade show as well as visiting people's homes to see how they live. It certainly will be an interesting trip. I will let you know how interesting it is.
I am still working on my temporary contract. I really am enjoying myself! Last week and again next week, I will spend my time at the photo studio. I will also keep you posted as to if my contract gets extended.
Overall, all is going well here in Sweden and I will give you updates and pictures on our new house as soon as we can get the key. I will also try and get some pictures of spring coming.
Much love to you all,
Bridgette
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Marshmallows, Beer and a New House
Hello My Dear Friends,
I apologize for the absence. I have been busy working and trying to catch up with the house situation.
First, we have found a new place to live! It seems as if it was the last place available in Älmhult. We signed the contract on Friday, so as of April 1st (really April 2nd), due to the 1st is on a Sunday, we can move into our new flat. The flat is located closer to IKEA of Sweden. How can you ask if anything in Älmhult could really be that far away from anything!
Let me explain how the process works. We found a listing for a flat the web site of a company that manages properties in Älmhult. First you must be registered on the site, which by chance we were from last year when we were looking. Then after a specific closing date, which was February 24th, we received an email with the contact information of the current renter, so we could make an appointment to see the flat. We went last Sunday and then had to make a decision by the 28th to indicate that we were interested. Well, depending on the level of interest the company then decides if you are the lucky one to get the flat. Well, we found out on Wednesday, that we were the lucky ones! So, we made another appointment to go view the flat again, to take measurements and such so we can buy furniture. The people who currently live there are very nice and we instantly connected. When we went this morning, they offered to sell us a dining table, two sofas and the blinds. We feel very blessed. As you all know we only came here with what we could carry, no furniture or anything else, mostly because we knew that we were renting a furnished house. Well, that changed very quickly!
We are now going to have to buy dishes, cookware, some furniture and all the little things that you do not think about. Today, we bought a new vaccum cleaner and a skillet. A trip to IKEA is in the works, my list is growing! At least when we get to our new flat, we will have a place to sit! We get the keys on April 2nd and will be out of our current house by Friday, the 6th!
The lady that currently lives in the flat that we are moving to works for a employment agency, so I can upload my resume and perhaps find a more secure job. However, I also like the freedom to work some and then have some time off. I want to be able to travel with my husband. For example, this week he is off to Milan and if we did not have the house problem and I was not working, I could go. Life is definitely a challenge at times, but it is overall very good. David is off to China on the 21st for 10 days. He has had to get shots and everything just to go, lucky guy!
We were busy earlier this week, because the owner of our current house was here so he could start the process of finalizing his sale. The owner was kind of amazed at how much we had done to the house and how clean it is. It made me kinda of feel good that perhaps he might feel a bit bad about making us leave, but I think it really is for the better. The poor cats had to spend too much time in their carrier and did not understand what is going on. We will all be happy when we can get settled again!
Now, here is the so long promised Marshmallows and Beer. No, the Swedish people do not eat marshmallow and beer together (that I know about). When I was at the store there was a package of large marshmallows and I just love the label - I like the idea that these are the size you use for barbequing or over campfires. The minature marshmallows are called Rocky Mountain and they are made in America! I know it probably is not as exciting to you as it is to me, but I did think it was interesting. Here are the labels:
I apologize for the absence. I have been busy working and trying to catch up with the house situation.
First, we have found a new place to live! It seems as if it was the last place available in Älmhult. We signed the contract on Friday, so as of April 1st (really April 2nd), due to the 1st is on a Sunday, we can move into our new flat. The flat is located closer to IKEA of Sweden. How can you ask if anything in Älmhult could really be that far away from anything!
Let me explain how the process works. We found a listing for a flat the web site of a company that manages properties in Älmhult. First you must be registered on the site, which by chance we were from last year when we were looking. Then after a specific closing date, which was February 24th, we received an email with the contact information of the current renter, so we could make an appointment to see the flat. We went last Sunday and then had to make a decision by the 28th to indicate that we were interested. Well, depending on the level of interest the company then decides if you are the lucky one to get the flat. Well, we found out on Wednesday, that we were the lucky ones! So, we made another appointment to go view the flat again, to take measurements and such so we can buy furniture. The people who currently live there are very nice and we instantly connected. When we went this morning, they offered to sell us a dining table, two sofas and the blinds. We feel very blessed. As you all know we only came here with what we could carry, no furniture or anything else, mostly because we knew that we were renting a furnished house. Well, that changed very quickly!
We are now going to have to buy dishes, cookware, some furniture and all the little things that you do not think about. Today, we bought a new vaccum cleaner and a skillet. A trip to IKEA is in the works, my list is growing! At least when we get to our new flat, we will have a place to sit! We get the keys on April 2nd and will be out of our current house by Friday, the 6th!
The lady that currently lives in the flat that we are moving to works for a employment agency, so I can upload my resume and perhaps find a more secure job. However, I also like the freedom to work some and then have some time off. I want to be able to travel with my husband. For example, this week he is off to Milan and if we did not have the house problem and I was not working, I could go. Life is definitely a challenge at times, but it is overall very good. David is off to China on the 21st for 10 days. He has had to get shots and everything just to go, lucky guy!
We were busy earlier this week, because the owner of our current house was here so he could start the process of finalizing his sale. The owner was kind of amazed at how much we had done to the house and how clean it is. It made me kinda of feel good that perhaps he might feel a bit bad about making us leave, but I think it really is for the better. The poor cats had to spend too much time in their carrier and did not understand what is going on. We will all be happy when we can get settled again!
Now, here is the so long promised Marshmallows and Beer. No, the Swedish people do not eat marshmallow and beer together (that I know about). When I was at the store there was a package of large marshmallows and I just love the label - I like the idea that these are the size you use for barbequing or over campfires. The minature marshmallows are called Rocky Mountain and they are made in America! I know it probably is not as exciting to you as it is to me, but I did think it was interesting. Here are the labels:
Now about the beer. No, I do not have any pictures. Here is the story. Beer here in Sweden comes in many levels of alcohol content. At the grocery store you can buy beer that comes in levels of 3.5 to about 5 % alcohol content. You can buy the beers individually or in a package of 6-12. At the Systembolaget (the government run liquor store) you can buy beer up to levels of about 9%. When you go to the System (as it is called here) you see people buying one or two cans of several kinds at a time. Yesterday, was the first time when I was there I actually saw anyone buy a case of beer. I was not certain you could even do so. I find it interesting because you see people buying 10 - 12 cans of beer and they are all different. How do they decide what beer to buy and how many of each to buy? What about the alcohol content? I am used to the U.S. where the beer has much lower content, you could really get drunk just drinking one or two of these beers with the high content. I did see Coors at the liquor store and some of the Mexican Imports. However, the price is a bit higher since you are paying for the imports. David and I have only had a few beers here. We have to find a nice beer to have with my parents when they come in April.
I hope I did not promise too much about the marshmallows and beer it just had been on my list for a long time to tell you about.
I promise when I get moved I will take pictures of our new flat and share them here. In the meantime, I will be on the lookout for some more interesting things.
Take care and I will be in touch again soon.
Kram (hugs),
Bridgette
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Happy Fat Tuesday and then some!
Hej,
Yes, it has been a couple of weeks and I promised to talk about marshmallows and beer. Well, I have yet to be to the correct store to take pictures of the marshmallows.
So, I wanted to wish you all a Happy Fat Tuesday. I was a bit surprised at work today (more on that in a minute), when we had a special fika this afternoon. Just like in the U.S., Sweden has their own special pastry that they have on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. They are called "Semlas". Really, they are a cream puff filled with an almond filling within all of the whipped cream. Here is a picture of them:
They were very good, but a bit too sweet for me. I only ate a small part of it.
Anyhow, on to the job situration. I have a temporary job that at this point will go through the end of March. This time, I am doing more than ironing and steaming beds. :) I will be working in the Free Range area obtaining and preparing products for an upcoming photo shoot. It definitely is nice to be able to think a bit more than I have been.
Now, we found out some distressing news today. We will have to move in the near future. The person who owns the house that we are renting had an offer that he cannot refuse, so therefore, our agreement is going to be broken. Hopefully, we will be able to find a new place quickly. The bad news is, we left most everything we own in Houston due to the fact that this house was mostly furnished and had a kitchen with pots, pans, and dishes. I guess IKEA will be getting some more business from us in the future. Yes, it is distressing, but there are some good things about it as well. We most likely won't have a yard to take care of and will have more free time to exercise and feel a bit freer. We have spent a lot of time taking care and improving this house, so it is disappointing. In some ways this house was getting frustrating due to the fact that the living area is cold and there are items in the house that are difficult to keep clean. I will keep you all posted on the new developments and where we will move to.
By the way, there have been no developments on my English class, so I am not sure where that stands. I am a disappointed with this, but not sure what else I can do.
I will get to the marshmallows and beer soon.
Much love to all of you,
Bridgette
Yes, it has been a couple of weeks and I promised to talk about marshmallows and beer. Well, I have yet to be to the correct store to take pictures of the marshmallows.
So, I wanted to wish you all a Happy Fat Tuesday. I was a bit surprised at work today (more on that in a minute), when we had a special fika this afternoon. Just like in the U.S., Sweden has their own special pastry that they have on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. They are called "Semlas". Really, they are a cream puff filled with an almond filling within all of the whipped cream. Here is a picture of them:
They were very good, but a bit too sweet for me. I only ate a small part of it.
Anyhow, on to the job situration. I have a temporary job that at this point will go through the end of March. This time, I am doing more than ironing and steaming beds. :) I will be working in the Free Range area obtaining and preparing products for an upcoming photo shoot. It definitely is nice to be able to think a bit more than I have been.
Now, we found out some distressing news today. We will have to move in the near future. The person who owns the house that we are renting had an offer that he cannot refuse, so therefore, our agreement is going to be broken. Hopefully, we will be able to find a new place quickly. The bad news is, we left most everything we own in Houston due to the fact that this house was mostly furnished and had a kitchen with pots, pans, and dishes. I guess IKEA will be getting some more business from us in the future. Yes, it is distressing, but there are some good things about it as well. We most likely won't have a yard to take care of and will have more free time to exercise and feel a bit freer. We have spent a lot of time taking care and improving this house, so it is disappointing. In some ways this house was getting frustrating due to the fact that the living area is cold and there are items in the house that are difficult to keep clean. I will keep you all posted on the new developments and where we will move to.
By the way, there have been no developments on my English class, so I am not sure where that stands. I am a disappointed with this, but not sure what else I can do.
I will get to the marshmallows and beer soon.
Much love to all of you,
Bridgette
Monday, February 6, 2012
Iceland?
Hej,
It is Monday here in Sweden. We are entering our second week of cold weather. We have been stuck in the teen's since last week and expected the rest of this week. Obviously, we measure the temperature in Celcius, so technically, it has been in the minuses. At night is has been going down to about -18, which is just below 0 Farenheit. However, it is very cold in our house in the mornings. We have had to have fires every night and this weekend, even starting it in the morning. The heating system in the house is not really designed to keep up without having the fires to help out. We don't have radiators, the heating is electric and goes through the floor, so you can find some really warm spots sometimes, the cats know where they all are. The air though is chilly and with the high ceiling and all the windows in the main room and kitchen, it is hard to keep it warm.
The good thing about the cold weather is that the sun has been out everyday, so it has not been so gloomy and gray. Also, the sky has been absolutely clear at night, so we can see the planets and a multitude of stars. David finally received his Christmas present - a really cool telescope. However, it is too cold to take it outside and observe. We have been looking at the moon through the kitchen windows. We can't wait to get it outside this summer and look at everything.
Last week, I worked at IKEA for a few days. I spent my time ironing and steaming the beds on display, the textile area and cleaning and straightening the bathroom display area. I enjoyed being out of the house, but it felt as if I spent the whole week cleaning. I guess I did!
A week ago Sunday, we had a friend over for dinner and then we headed out to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. We are trying to keep up with going to the movies at least to get out of the house. Luckily, we have been able to see movies that we both like. I do not think anything interesting is coming soon. So, we can just watch Netflix. :)
On Wednesday I did attend a knitting circle with several ladies from IKEA. I think the experience was interesting and everyone was very nice. I always enjoy meeting new people. The knitting circle allowed me a chance to get a head start on my current knitting project. I am making a scarf made out of 12 separate pieces that will be sewn together at the end.
So, I know that I have not spoke about anything different in Sweden than the U.S. in a while now. I have noticed on the deodorant packages and on many of the lotion bottles that they claim that they work for 48 hours! I am not sure if this is because they want to conserve water and the resources the people are looking for something that lasts more than 24 hours or they just do not shower every day. Personally, I come from the U.S. and I have oily skin, so I must shower and wash my hair every day. I have met several women who have told me they only wash their hair once a week. Sorry, this just would not do for me. I promise, I do not take showers longer than 5 minutes, but at least I am fresh. Here is an example of the deodorant:
It is Monday here in Sweden. We are entering our second week of cold weather. We have been stuck in the teen's since last week and expected the rest of this week. Obviously, we measure the temperature in Celcius, so technically, it has been in the minuses. At night is has been going down to about -18, which is just below 0 Farenheit. However, it is very cold in our house in the mornings. We have had to have fires every night and this weekend, even starting it in the morning. The heating system in the house is not really designed to keep up without having the fires to help out. We don't have radiators, the heating is electric and goes through the floor, so you can find some really warm spots sometimes, the cats know where they all are. The air though is chilly and with the high ceiling and all the windows in the main room and kitchen, it is hard to keep it warm.
The good thing about the cold weather is that the sun has been out everyday, so it has not been so gloomy and gray. Also, the sky has been absolutely clear at night, so we can see the planets and a multitude of stars. David finally received his Christmas present - a really cool telescope. However, it is too cold to take it outside and observe. We have been looking at the moon through the kitchen windows. We can't wait to get it outside this summer and look at everything.
Last week, I worked at IKEA for a few days. I spent my time ironing and steaming the beds on display, the textile area and cleaning and straightening the bathroom display area. I enjoyed being out of the house, but it felt as if I spent the whole week cleaning. I guess I did!
A week ago Sunday, we had a friend over for dinner and then we headed out to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. We are trying to keep up with going to the movies at least to get out of the house. Luckily, we have been able to see movies that we both like. I do not think anything interesting is coming soon. So, we can just watch Netflix. :)
On Wednesday I did attend a knitting circle with several ladies from IKEA. I think the experience was interesting and everyone was very nice. I always enjoy meeting new people. The knitting circle allowed me a chance to get a head start on my current knitting project. I am making a scarf made out of 12 separate pieces that will be sewn together at the end.
So, I know that I have not spoke about anything different in Sweden than the U.S. in a while now. I have noticed on the deodorant packages and on many of the lotion bottles that they claim that they work for 48 hours! I am not sure if this is because they want to conserve water and the resources the people are looking for something that lasts more than 24 hours or they just do not shower every day. Personally, I come from the U.S. and I have oily skin, so I must shower and wash my hair every day. I have met several women who have told me they only wash their hair once a week. Sorry, this just would not do for me. I promise, I do not take showers longer than 5 minutes, but at least I am fresh. Here is an example of the deodorant:
Sorry, I do not have any examples of the lotion bottles at this time.
Again, it is fun and interesting to see how things are the same and yet different here.
Next up: Beer and Marshmallows.
Take care and have a very good week. Things are slow on this end due to it being the middle of winter and not much going on.
Bridgette
Monday, January 23, 2012
Winter Wonderland
Happy Monday!
Winter finally came to Älmhult this weekend. We had about 7 inches of snow. This is the most snow we have had all winter. Mostly we get just a bit to cover the grass for a few hours before it melts.
The snow came down on Saturday afternoon in big, fluffy flakes. We had already ran out and did a couple of errands and then we were back home in time to watch from our big windows the snow falling gently down on the trees and grass. We had a nice fire in the fireplace and watched a movie in the afternoon (Feed the Fish) and then we went out to shovel before dinner, we had 4 inches by about 5:00 pm and then we had dinner and watched another movie (The Joneses). What a very nice day!
Yesterday, we got up and shoveled the rest of the snow and then took a walk into town. Here are some pictures from yesterday some are in the morning before the sun came out, then some with the sun. You will get a nice idea of the beauty.
As you can see, it is absolutely beautiful. I think it is cool to see the trees with the ice and snow with the cloudy sky behind and the difference the sun makes on it.
Well, now I have to run (really bike) to my Swedish lesson.
I hope you all have a wonderful day and I am gathering more items to post to make you all smile. :)
Love,
Bridgette
Winter finally came to Älmhult this weekend. We had about 7 inches of snow. This is the most snow we have had all winter. Mostly we get just a bit to cover the grass for a few hours before it melts.
The snow came down on Saturday afternoon in big, fluffy flakes. We had already ran out and did a couple of errands and then we were back home in time to watch from our big windows the snow falling gently down on the trees and grass. We had a nice fire in the fireplace and watched a movie in the afternoon (Feed the Fish) and then we went out to shovel before dinner, we had 4 inches by about 5:00 pm and then we had dinner and watched another movie (The Joneses). What a very nice day!
Yesterday, we got up and shoveled the rest of the snow and then took a walk into town. Here are some pictures from yesterday some are in the morning before the sun came out, then some with the sun. You will get a nice idea of the beauty.
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| Our Front Yard |
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| Our Backyard looking into the forest |
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| Our Backyard with the sun shining down |
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| Our pine tree in the side yard |
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| Just a cool tree in the neighborhood |
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| Along the bike path we take into town |
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| One of the main streets into town |
Well, now I have to run (really bike) to my Swedish lesson.
I hope you all have a wonderful day and I am gathering more items to post to make you all smile. :)
Love,
Bridgette
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