(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
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