Here is my blog about my adventures in Sweden! It will likely not be updated super regularly but will have key observations, photos, and stories.
Picture of the Day: Sweden has the best dryers ever. You hang up your clothes, apply heat, and wallah no shrinkage. I would LOVE to bring one back to my dorm 🙂
Observation of the Day: Grandparents help out with childcare a lot more than those in the US do. My host grandparents have been here every day this week watching the kids and making dinner, etc.
Word of the Day: sluss (lock– when you have to raise the water level periodically as a boat passes through a channel)
Picture of the Day: Today I successfully made fruit loop chicken for a potluck dinner and for my host family (grandparents included). I managed to decipher swedish for the ingredients, remember that the oven is in celsius and make an edible meal despite my culinary ineptitude.
Observation of the Day: There is much less variety of products in Swedish grocery stores. It seems to be more highly expected that you will bring a reusable bag too.
Word of the Day: mjöl (flour)
Picture of the Day: Today I was just wandering around trying to find where frisbee practice was (yay!) when a lady came walking by with two horses and a dog. It seemed like a really normal thing to be taking a walk with her horses.
Observation of the Day: Antibiotics are prescribed only when absolutely necessary here. My host mom has an irritated ear that she can’t hear out of and the doctors won’t prescribe anything for her. :/
Word of the day: redo (ready)
Picture of the Day: I went for a nice run and stumbled upon this beautiful lake and then proceeded to get lost in Solna. However it was really fun and quite liberating to have no idea where I was but eventually find my way home.
Observation of the Day: My host mom says that most Swedish families don’t eat swedish meatballs frequently. Who knew?
Word of the day: shemi (chemistry)
Picture of the Day: Today we watched William play goalie for his ice hockey team. It was really fun! I also played some ultimate which was fantastic but didn’t take a picture of that because it was too soon.
Observation of the Day: Swedish bicycles are sold with bells because people bike around very frequently and need to use a bell in order to warn pedestrians that they are approaching.
Word of the Day: leende (smile)
Picture of the Day: This is my host family by a firetruck at SolnaDagan, a festival in our neighborhood. Ironically, Later this evening there were two firetrucks across the street from our building to check on a fire.
Observation of the Day: Pre-sliced cheese is very uncommon here. Instead Swedes buy large packages of cheese and slice it themselves as they need it.
Word of the Day: brandbil (fire truck)
Photo of the Day: I decided to get off at a random Tunnelbana stop and explore the area. Best decision ever because I found a great view of Gamla Stan and proceeded to explore and found some gorgeous buildings, cafes, and a park to do work (aka nap) in.
Observation of the Day: The reason Swedes drink out of small glasses is so that they don’t need to urinate as frequently, as bathrooms are hard to find and you usually have to pay to use them.
Word of the Day:Â kamera (camera)
Picture of the Day: I had class earlier than normal today so taking the Tunnelbana (metro) was very chaotic and we were packed in like sardines (didn’t take a picture of that because I didn’t feel like being THAT girl today).
Observation of the Day: Even when there are a million and one people trying to get on the subway, everyone still parts like the red sea to let others off before they try to push on. Such politeness.
Word of the Day: godis (candy)
Picture of the Day:Â Today I was just wandering around exploring and found an international food festival in Stockholm Center. It brightened up a rainy day.
Observation of the Day: Many Swedish cafes with outdoor seating provide patrons with blankets so that they do not freeze in the frequently changing weather. It is quite nice actually.
Word of the day: kudde (pillow)
Okay I am finally off to a blogging start after a bit of a delay. My original goal was to do a picture a day blog… I think I will probably do that going forward! But in this post I am just going to give some highlights and observations so far.
Summary of the First Week
*I LOVE my host family. I have 2 host brothers William (8) and Elliot (3). They are the sweetest boys and so full of energy. They are obsessed with Star Wars and legos in particular which is interesting because I know nothing about Star Wars. But I am learning…. Especially about clone army custom legos. My host parents Annie and Daniel are very nice and welcoming too. We have great conversations. I will post pictures of them at some point but I haven’t taken many yet.
*Stockholm is beautiful and my pictures don’t do it justice. But there are many bright buildings and just overall great architecture.
*I can now successfully use public transportation without getting lost… too often. This is a major achievement for those of you that know about my typical transportation struggles.
* My favorite place so far is Gamla Stan (The Old Town). It is very picturesque and has many cafes and good shopping. We went on a tour during orientation and saw the sights. If you ever go to Stockholm DEFINITELY go to Gamla Stan.
*We also went on a daytrip out to Grinda which is part of the archipelago. It looked a lot like Maine according to everyone in my program. It was beautiful. We also played a great Swedish yard game called Koob. It is great. I want to play it at home too. Oh and the boat that we took there was called the Cinderella II 🙂 
*Went to the Vassar Museum which an entire museum dedicated to a ship that was only afloat for 20 minutes. It was a pretty ship though and the museum is really fun.
*Went to the first ikea ever. What is more Swedish than that haha? And guess what… it is ROUND! Which makes it even more confusing and maze like than an American ikea. William was disgusted that I went to ikea because he hates it haha.
*I had a crayfish party with my host family and some of their friends. It is a celebration for the start of crayfish fishing season. I couldn’t help but think of my pet crayfish from about 4th grade as I was eating her relatives. But it was an interesting Swedish cultural experience.
* Today I went to the Stockholm Public Library. It is round and has rows of books in a circle! It is beautiful (google it) and will likely be my new study-spot this semester… although Goldfarb 3 will be hard to replace. It kind of makes me feel like Belle to be there!
Observations about Sweden
*They drink out of very small glasses…. As in I refill my glass probably 5 times during dinner.
*The escalators stop moving until someone steps on them… very eco-friendly.
*They eat with both their fork and knife. They are very good at using the back of their fork to hold food.
*They have the CUTEST strollers even… I will take pictures and post at a later date.
*All Swedes must take 5 weeks of vacation per year.
*Parents get 18 months of maternity leave after having a child and it is usually divided equally between the parents.
* They do have Swedish Fish here, despite Bailey’s Swedish friend telling her they don’t.
*There are Sweet Saturdays, which mean that kids can only eat candy on Saturday.
* Fikas are VERY popular. It is basically a coffee and pastry break. People can take as many as they like per day.
So far I am having a good time. I can’t believe it has only been about a week. I know the time will fly by soon. This is just a snapshot of everything thus far and I will try to update frequently! Please let me know how you are doing as well! Miss you all!! xoxo Ruairi