So… I’m in Sweden!! And figured I should probably write a blog so that everyone can see what I’m up to without having to speak to me at all!! Also I don’t have a real blog thing yet so for now at least I will be ‘blogging’ on here!
So, having gotten home so late on the Friday night (thank you everyone who came to play) I did not wanna get up on Saturday!! But I had to be awake enough to make it. So I got left at the airport where there was no queue for customs at all, and I wasn’t asked to take off my shoes. Thank you mister America. First flight was gorgeous cos I just stared out the window the whole time. Then I got to sit in Heathrow. But only for an hour so all was good with that. Then I had another window seat so stared for a while at the sea below, but its not that exciting until you get over land. And what a view that was. South West Sweden was beautiful in a way I haven’t seen before. It was almost entirely frozen so was all in shades of white and grey. But gorgeous. And then sunset was pretty much upon us when the plane landed, so it was lovely to see Stockholm from the air at sunset. Lots of happy views.
So then I got met at the airport by the lovely Brita who had spent the day going back and forth to the airport picking us all up! Poor Brita. Who then also offered to walk me across the island to jess’s house. We then wandered up to Nick (our English team leader) and his wife Charlotte’s house. They had kindly offered to cook dinner so we had all the “English” team together for the evening. It was really nice to catch up with folks known and meet the new folks. And it made me feel very at home to be sitting around a table for the evening.
So on Sunday I decided to take myself off to find some food and see some of the island. I survived a trip to the supermarket where I bought a ridiculously expensive but huge bag of crisps and some other munchies. And then gave up and went for a tourist wander around Gamla Stan (the old town) with Jess and found the palace, a statue of a naked man and kings street among other things. We also managed to navigate the T-bana, which I still think should be called the T-banana just for fun.
So then Monday rolled around and it was time to remember that this isn’t a vacation, and head to work. In Sweden everyone works 8 – 5 which sounds like a very early morning to me when I’m used to getting out of bed at 8:30!! The first thing I noticed about the Swedish office, apart from the snazziiness, quiet and space, is the attitudes. Swedish people know they are there to work. So when everyone gets in at 8, they immediately sit down and work, chatter and catching up can wait till coffee break. Which happens at 9:30 and 2:30. I find it to be a very civilised way to work. Although I do find that unless you’re really busy, its kinda hard to get back into work after, and the afternoon feels like a massively long time as the longest stretch at any point in the office is from afternoon coffee break to end of day. Plus we take lunch at 11:30 so the afternoon goes on forever. But the office is nice. Its like the uk offices only with more space and better furnishing and such. Also its quiet but in a good way. I have realised that although I’ve only been here for a v small while, I already have gone a little Swedish. Like referring to us as ‘the English’ when we are 4 English, 1 Scot and 1 Yank!
Some of you may have heard about my current living arrangements. Me and jess are to move into what has been described as a lovely apartment, but it isn’t free until the 1st, so in the mean time she’s in a studio flat opposite the office, and I’m in what basically equates to a hotel room about 25 mins away. It isn’t a hotel room tho, it looks like a flat, only there isn’t a kitchen, or a bedroom, just a living space with a sofa bed, a small hall and a bathroom. Which would work beautifully for anyone who just wants a bed for the night, and I don’t really mind it, but that it does mean I have to go out for food. Which here, is very expensive. Also, they don’t seem to have take outs. There is macdonalds, and I’ve found on the internet a couple of sushi places which will let you take food out, but I’m not a sushi person. It is weird tho to not find any take outs, esp when moving from Leeds!!
So, having searched the internet for interesting places to eat on Tuesday, I came across Kelly’s bar, which upon finding in real life turned out to be a lot more rock bar than I expected!! But honestly, it made me remember good times and smile. So I have ideas to go back there. Or I certainly did before I realised that the doorman totally overcharged me. So now I’m less sure. Which is a shame cos their food was tasty and the portion sizes immense!!
On Wednesday evening I decided to swallow all fear of my lack of language and I went dancing. This led to some interesting moments. I met a guy who also doesn’t speak Swedish (he's Lithuanian), which made me feel better. And one lovely friendly guy who actually had a conversation with me instead of just a dance. He was impressed with how quickly I had found Chicago since it had taken him a lot longer. Also discovered that some Swedes use ‘sorry’ when they bump into others and then they say something in Swedish so you have no idea whether they know I’m English or not. So there were some ace dances, and some less good ones, and I’m pretty sure I no what they’d taught in that evening’s class!! But I have to say Miss Alice Mei has a lot to do with the way I was dancing, since teaching us a couple of weeks ago that we can use our heels, mine got masses of use!! And the thing i forgot to mention last time, was the DJ. who by the way was a real life harlem hotshot, but was playing actual vinyl records the whole night. This i thought very cool, but did mean that you couldnt go and ask him to dance (altho i'm not sure if its a done thing to ask the teachers yet) cos he had to be there at the start and end of every song to switch the track...! Also, he played 't'aint whatcha do' and there wasnt a single person doing the shim sham, everyone just danced to it, it was ace!
They seem to be very keen in Sweden on American tele. Which means that I forget where I am until the adverts come on. Then I sit there trying to work out what on earth they’re trying to sell!! But, yes, send me emails!! Cos I don’t have a life until we move into the new flat. Well kinda. But SEND ME EMAILS ANYWAY!! Thank you to the one lovely person who sent me an email! I’m half way thru listening to the attachment and I can now say ‘no I don’t understand English’ in Swedish… and ‘excuse me’ but mostly only when repeating after the man… this learning Swedish may take some time…
my computers are clearly trying to help by being randomly in English in some places and Swedish in others, so at least I recognise a whole bunch of words even if I cant pronounce them :o)
Photos to follow...!
Photos are now available on FB. Rest of the week can go intothe next update...
So, having gotten home so late on the Friday night (thank you everyone who came to play) I did not wanna get up on Saturday!! But I had to be awake enough to make it. So I got left at the airport where there was no queue for customs at all, and I wasn’t asked to take off my shoes. Thank you mister America. First flight was gorgeous cos I just stared out the window the whole time. Then I got to sit in Heathrow. But only for an hour so all was good with that. Then I had another window seat so stared for a while at the sea below, but its not that exciting until you get over land. And what a view that was. South West Sweden was beautiful in a way I haven’t seen before. It was almost entirely frozen so was all in shades of white and grey. But gorgeous. And then sunset was pretty much upon us when the plane landed, so it was lovely to see Stockholm from the air at sunset. Lots of happy views.
So then I got met at the airport by the lovely Brita who had spent the day going back and forth to the airport picking us all up! Poor Brita. Who then also offered to walk me across the island to jess’s house. We then wandered up to Nick (our English team leader) and his wife Charlotte’s house. They had kindly offered to cook dinner so we had all the “English” team together for the evening. It was really nice to catch up with folks known and meet the new folks. And it made me feel very at home to be sitting around a table for the evening.
So on Sunday I decided to take myself off to find some food and see some of the island. I survived a trip to the supermarket where I bought a ridiculously expensive but huge bag of crisps and some other munchies. And then gave up and went for a tourist wander around Gamla Stan (the old town) with Jess and found the palace, a statue of a naked man and kings street among other things. We also managed to navigate the T-bana, which I still think should be called the T-banana just for fun.
So then Monday rolled around and it was time to remember that this isn’t a vacation, and head to work. In Sweden everyone works 8 – 5 which sounds like a very early morning to me when I’m used to getting out of bed at 8:30!! The first thing I noticed about the Swedish office, apart from the snazziiness, quiet and space, is the attitudes. Swedish people know they are there to work. So when everyone gets in at 8, they immediately sit down and work, chatter and catching up can wait till coffee break. Which happens at 9:30 and 2:30. I find it to be a very civilised way to work. Although I do find that unless you’re really busy, its kinda hard to get back into work after, and the afternoon feels like a massively long time as the longest stretch at any point in the office is from afternoon coffee break to end of day. Plus we take lunch at 11:30 so the afternoon goes on forever. But the office is nice. Its like the uk offices only with more space and better furnishing and such. Also its quiet but in a good way. I have realised that although I’ve only been here for a v small while, I already have gone a little Swedish. Like referring to us as ‘the English’ when we are 4 English, 1 Scot and 1 Yank!
Some of you may have heard about my current living arrangements. Me and jess are to move into what has been described as a lovely apartment, but it isn’t free until the 1st, so in the mean time she’s in a studio flat opposite the office, and I’m in what basically equates to a hotel room about 25 mins away. It isn’t a hotel room tho, it looks like a flat, only there isn’t a kitchen, or a bedroom, just a living space with a sofa bed, a small hall and a bathroom. Which would work beautifully for anyone who just wants a bed for the night, and I don’t really mind it, but that it does mean I have to go out for food. Which here, is very expensive. Also, they don’t seem to have take outs. There is macdonalds, and I’ve found on the internet a couple of sushi places which will let you take food out, but I’m not a sushi person. It is weird tho to not find any take outs, esp when moving from Leeds!!
So, having searched the internet for interesting places to eat on Tuesday, I came across Kelly’s bar, which upon finding in real life turned out to be a lot more rock bar than I expected!! But honestly, it made me remember good times and smile. So I have ideas to go back there. Or I certainly did before I realised that the doorman totally overcharged me. So now I’m less sure. Which is a shame cos their food was tasty and the portion sizes immense!!
On Wednesday evening I decided to swallow all fear of my lack of language and I went dancing. This led to some interesting moments. I met a guy who also doesn’t speak Swedish (he's Lithuanian), which made me feel better. And one lovely friendly guy who actually had a conversation with me instead of just a dance. He was impressed with how quickly I had found Chicago since it had taken him a lot longer. Also discovered that some Swedes use ‘sorry’ when they bump into others and then they say something in Swedish so you have no idea whether they know I’m English or not. So there were some ace dances, and some less good ones, and I’m pretty sure I no what they’d taught in that evening’s class!! But I have to say Miss Alice Mei has a lot to do with the way I was dancing, since teaching us a couple of weeks ago that we can use our heels, mine got masses of use!! And the thing i forgot to mention last time, was the DJ. who by the way was a real life harlem hotshot, but was playing actual vinyl records the whole night. This i thought very cool, but did mean that you couldnt go and ask him to dance (altho i'm not sure if its a done thing to ask the teachers yet) cos he had to be there at the start and end of every song to switch the track...! Also, he played 't'aint whatcha do' and there wasnt a single person doing the shim sham, everyone just danced to it, it was ace!
They seem to be very keen in Sweden on American tele. Which means that I forget where I am until the adverts come on. Then I sit there trying to work out what on earth they’re trying to sell!! But, yes, send me emails!! Cos I don’t have a life until we move into the new flat. Well kinda. But SEND ME EMAILS ANYWAY!! Thank you to the one lovely person who sent me an email! I’m half way thru listening to the attachment and I can now say ‘no I don’t understand English’ in Swedish… and ‘excuse me’ but mostly only when repeating after the man… this learning Swedish may take some time…
my computers are clearly trying to help by being randomly in English in some places and Swedish in others, so at least I recognise a whole bunch of words even if I cant pronounce them :o)
Photos to follow...!
Photos are now available on FB. Rest of the week can go intothe next update...
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