Category: Uncategorized

Photo of the Day: Picture in Little Mermaid shirt by Little Mermaid statue [check].

Observation of the Day: Danes are SOO friendly and helpful especially if you look lost.

Word of the Day: fart (speed)

Photo of the Day: There will be better pictures to come but it was pretty dark when I got to Copenhagen today. Anyways this is the city hall building and they were projecting words and images onto about being more environmentally conscious and Copenhagen’s efforts to do so. It is a VERY bike friendly city. (notice the bike outline on the left of the building.

Observation of the Day: Movie theaters (in Copenhagen at least) assign specific seats and have much comfier chairs.

Word of the Day: sjöjungfru (mermaid)

Photo of the Day: Today we toured Södra BB (an alternative birthing center) for my healthcare class. It was part of a hospital but had a very home like feel to it which was the point. It is considered calmer than “normal” labor and delivery department.

Observations of the Day:

Sweden views pregnancy as a natural process rather than as a medical condition like the US does.

All prenatal care is free and available to all women.

The delivery room is the same room in which the family stays while in the hospital to reduce the migration of bacteria. (There are even 2 beds in the room so that dad can stay too as in the picture above.)

Women only stay in the hospital for 48 hours after their first childbirth and 24 for every child after that.

Word of the Day: fängelse (prison)

Photo of the Day: The last few days have been quite cold and rainy. Here is part of my pretty city even in the gloomy weather. Also when going to a museum, it is generally a good idea to know where it is beforehand…

Observation of the Day: Sweden is the second largest consumer of candy in the world.

Word of the Day: kittla (tickle)

Photo of the Day: This is the most popular candy bar in Stockholm. It is like a kitkat only better… pure deliciousness.

Observation of the Day: Swedish pancakes are topped with particular pancake jam and whipped cream (less sweet that american kind).

Word of the Day: rum (room)

Photo of the Day: Today my health care class took a field trip to Kista Vårdcentral, a local community health center. We talked to a Family Medicine Specialist and got a tour of the facility, which was connected to a rather large and americanized mall.

Observations of the Day:

*The doctors each have their own office in the facility. They have a desk and the patient examination table all in one room.

*Nurses each have their own examination room too.

*There is a 24/7 hotline you can call to determine if you need to come into the doctor or not.

*There were no antibacterial foam canisters outside every room like there are in the US.

Word of the Day: väntsal (waiting room)

Photo of the Day: Today I went to the Stockholm Choklad Festival (Chocolate Festival) at the Nordiska Museet. Basically there were many different chocolate companies giving away samples and selling their products. It was delicious. There were cute truffles, a big chocolate fountain and cooking competitions too.

Observation of the Day: In Swedish malls there are very few places where you can sit down/ do homework for a bit without being obligated to buy something. Basically there aren’t big food courts with lots of seating but rather many cafes with limited seating.

Word of the Day: LÖV (leaf)

Photo of the Day: Maureen turned 20 today so we had a surprise birthday party for her. She had no idea so the surprise was a huge success. It was a great night of TSP bonding.

Observation of the Day: People are much more service oriented in the US than in Sweden. Maybe because Americans must rely on tips?

Phrase of the Day: Jag skulle hellre ha en fågel i mitt hjärta (I would rather have a bird in my heart)

Photo of the Day: Today was my first real day shopping in Stockholm. It was an adventure, but so many people had the same idea. And a backpack is not the best shopping companion in crowded stores.

Observations of the Day: Dressing rooms in stores don’t have handles on the door. They are either very short and just swing closed (but anyone could come in) or there is a curtain to close. There is very little/ no delivery in Sweden because it is much more expensive to pay for it here and everything is within walking distance. Just a haircut here is 500 kronor which is about $80. Yikes!

Word of the Day: rea (sale)

Photo of the Day: This is the F building at Stockholm University. It is home base for my program and where 3/4 of my classes are each week. Basically I spend a good portion of time in this building or commuting to it.

Observation of the Day: The current trend in Sweden is to give children the names of their parents’ grandparents’ generation. In other words old names are making a comeback.

Word of the Day: kamp (struggle)