SFI, Allsång and Eurovision

Hej allihopa! Idag har jag avslutat C-provet för SFI. Or, today I finished the test for Course C in SFI. Back in February I was placed in the C/D course of SFI, which was the highest level. I decided this month to take the big test for course C, and I finally finished it this morning. Last week, those of us taking the test this month, we took the computer portion of the test which consisted of listening/understanding and reading/understanding. Yesterday I completed the writing portion, and this morning I finished the speaking portion. It's such a big weight off my shoulders! Never has it taken me over a week to complete a test. Only in Sweden, as some of us would say.

I have a pretty good feeling that I did well on all of the test, if not perfectly. I already know I did quite well on the computer portion, the teachers have already let us all know about that. We'll see how quickly they give the results for the rest of the test! I can't wait to hear how I did. It would be so nice to move on to D and then finish SFI!

As for a belated mention of Eurovision, I rather liked partaking in the tradition. America has nothing like it, except for maybe American Idol. But that isn't the same, it's just within the country. I had such a feeling of unity while watching it because you know the entire continent with like 40 other countries are all watching and participating in the same thing you are. I have no idea why Azerbaijan won. I didn't think it was that special and actually preferred Ireland's fun little song. I'll definitely be tuning in next year!

Tonight J and I plan to go to a local bar/pub/club with my friend M and her sambo to participate in the first allsång of the year. You can open the link in Google Chrome and it'll translate to English for you English speakers, or just copy/paste it into Google Translate. Oh the wonders of Google.

In a nutshell, allsång is where a live band will sing songs that practically everyone already knows so that everyone can participate. They do this at this local bar apparently twice a month, or maybe even every Friday, during the summer months. In the paper last week they listed all the songs that they will be singing and I was pleasantly surprised with just how many English songs there are. I am also surprised that the general Swedish population knows the words to this song and this song from King Louie in the Jungle Book. I'm beginning to suspect a giant love the Swedes have for Disney! In any case I'm excited to go relax and have some fun singing with some friends at a bar! What a great Friday night event.

There is a massive Allsång that happens in Stockholm each year in Skansen. I think maybe I would like to go to that sometime, it would definitely be something to remember. Apparently they have it several times in the summer, too.

On another note, it seems I must make my comments about the weather in each post. So without further ado, I must say I wonder where all the warmth went here in Västra Götaland! It's been around 10C or so most of the day and then maybe it gets up to 15C. The wind has been absolutely awful and it's been constantly alternating between sunny and cloudy several times in a day. It's as if it tries to tease us. I will say it's rather strange to have the sun rising at 4:30 each morning and not setting until 10 at night. I like having all the sun, but sometimes I wake up at 5am from the sun and birds and it already looks like it does at 9am in Ohio. I won't complain, though, because soon enough fall and winter will be coming back. I can't believe it's almost June, and with that comes Midsommar! I'm sure I'll have my fill of herring and the like. I'll take any excuse to get together with friends!

Hope all is well with those of you outside of Sweden! Let's hope this Iceland volcano doesn't cause nearly as much disruption as the one last year did. And well wishes to those of you who may know anyone in the U.S. who has been affected by all those crazy storms and tornadoes. Until next time!

Swedish Sweet Tooth

I never used to be a huge fan of candy. Sure, when I was a kid we used to love any time we were allowed to pick out a candy bar at the checkout line. But in America you just kind of grow out of the candy phase. "Candy is for children." I never looked twice at the candy aisle in stores in the States.

Not so in Sweden.

I sit here writing this post eating a few pieces of candy from our lösgodis bag we happened to snag last night when we made a quick run to the store. Translated, it means loose candy. I remember getting a bag or two like this when I was way younger with my grandma, and I really do mean it when I say a time or two. I can't even count, having lived in Sweden for 6 months now, the number of times J and I have bought a bag of lösgodis. It's as if every store has its selection and you just go at it. Kids, adults, anybody. Swedes even designate Saturday, or lördag, as candy day. All children get to have candy one day a week, on Saturday.

On another note, the weather has been absolutely beautiful lately here in Västra Götaland, or more specifically (and a now extinct name) Skaraborg. For those of you who don't know, Sweden is divided up into 21 (I think?) "counties" or "landscapes". It's difficult to translate. Think of them kind of as states, those of you from the U.S. Anyway, there have been unending amounts of sunshine and temperatures have been in the low 20s C (aka low 70s F). After such a long, harsh, cooold winter, it feels glorious! And dare I even say it, hot. I'm almost having a hard time adjusting to not wearing a sweater or anything. It makes me feel almost naked. I'm not complaining!

J and I have taken to walking around town more frequently (partly due to his job having a "step competition", or they wear pedometers every day and whoever gets the most steps within 5 weeks gets bragging rights.) Here are some shots I've taken of the lovely town of Skövde:


The main church right next to the main town square downtown.


Right behind the church is a several hundred years old cemetery - there are about 15 quite old headstones that you can just walk up to.


This was the oldest headstone - placed there in 1662!


Pretty flowers and fountain in the park behind the church and graveyard.


The main square downtown.


One night last week we decided to skirt the giant Volvo plant area in town, it was creepy at this time in the evening! It was like being on Mars, it was so deserted everywhere.


This is a picture I took of our apartment building. The sky was so blue that day!


Beautiful springtime in the big park across the street. I love walking there.

It's been nice to be able to go outside and not have to put on five layers. It's nice to see everyone else out and about, too. The winter by no means kept people from going about life as usual. But suddenly now I see things like old people riding bikes to and from the store, or kids in the music high school sitting outside under trees and just playing music together like new-age hippies. Not to mention all the Swedish girls laying out in the park in a bikini sun-tanning. Swedes will take advantage of whatever nice weather they can get, because let's be honest, it won't get much warmer than it already is all summer. We'll probably be lucky if it hits 30C (or mid 80s F).

Nothing else is new in the world of blue and yellow. Good weather, still attending SFI, still working my part time job, still volunteering to help kids learn English, and still meeting an older Swedish woman once a week to help her with her English. Nothing too crazy. As the Swedes say, "Lagom är bäst!"

Easter, fashion, and summer on its way

I'll start off with some pictures of the past week, before I forget. =)


Just two of my Easter decorations - I posted a pic in the previous post of the bushes in the big square downtown. These two pictures are my own renditions for a party J and I hosted this past Saturday.




We went into a nearby little wooded area to pick up some twigs for my decorations and I was just so enchanted by the grass being covered in these charming little white flowers.


Last week my friend M and I decided to get some fika at one of the cafes on the main town square, it was so lovely and warm out, I could almost get a tan!


More public Easter decorations.


I felt I had to post this shot just to show how many, if not most, people in Sweden appear to be straight out of some catalogue, like H&M or something.

Living here has made me so fashion conscious. I wear pretty much only skinny jeans now, and nearly cringe when I look at my American-made boot leg style jeans sitting in my closet. This is pretty much my signature look these days. Which is also many of the Swedes' signature look as well. Me being of European descent, I blend right in. Until I open my mouth, none of the Swedes would even know I wasn't one of them!

The weather has been lovely, to say the least. With some sadness I might even venture to say that it would actually do us some good to have some rain. It's been weeks since we had our last truly rainy day. I'm sure all the new leaves and green grass would love some rain. But for now, I'll take all the sunshine and warmth I can get. I still feel almost naked walking outside without a real jacket on. Earlier today J and I rode our bikes downtown and back. It was so nice, it reminded me of being a kid.

This past weekend was both fun and tiring. You would think a four day weekend would mean a lot of rest, but no, J and I just had to throw another party. We booked our apartment company's festlokal and had a barbecue/themed Easter party with some good friends. Needless to say it was a bunch of fun. The next day was spent recovering. And then Monday came along and we did a whole bunch of nothing. I suppose you could say we did get some rest, although the first half to 3/4 of the weekend felt busy and hectic. Planning parties and throwing them takes a lot of effort! Who knows, maybe we'll even get one together in a couple of months for midsommar. For those of you who don't know what it is, the Swedes celebrate midsommar, or the summer solstice by throwing large barbecues and just having parties, or so I hear. It's probably a lot like the 4th of July in the States, except without fireworks. But with giant poles that people dance around. To get back to our Easter weekend, it was good fun, but I'm glad to keep moving forward towards summer. It feels like winter just ended and yet summer is nearly here, the temperatures have been near 20C each day, and I've been told Swedish summer usually hovers around 25C. Spring and fall seem to get the shaft on length here.

J and I have been throwing around the idea of attending Peace & Love, basically a giant music festival that lasts for five days at the end of June/beginning of July. If you visit that link, you'll see they've got some pretty big names booked. It could be a lot of fun! Plus a couple of our friends who live in Stockholm are considering going as well. I'll let you all know if anything develops on that front.

Well I can't think of anything else truly exciting to entice you all with further. I think I've included enough Swedish culture tidbits to keep you satisfied for now. Hope your Easter weekends were relaxing and enjoyable! Here is a belated Glad Påsk! (or Happy Easter!)

The grass is turning green

And the trees are beginning to have buds! I know, I know, you guys might all be getting sick of my mention of spring in every post I do now. But spring is apparently a slow, slow process here in Sweden. Right now in Ohio I'm sure all the blossoms have bloomed on the trees and little leaves might even be all on them. Here, the grass is finally starting to not look utterly dead, and the trees have the tiniest of buds on them. It's exciting. Not to mention the weather being anywhere from 10 - 17C this past week or two. That's low 50s to low 60s Fahrenheit for you folks across the pond. Yesterday J and I walked downtown to have some ice cream because it was just such a nice day outside. I didn't even have to wear my jacket.

This past weekend my friend M and I went to an SFI classmate's home out in the middle of nowhere to ride horses and just hang around. It was great to be able to spend time with someone outside of class where you only get to see one side of them. She showed us the farm/whatever you would call it that she lives on. They have horses, alpacas, chickens, a rooster, and even some peacocks. Not to mention she showed us a pond with a boatload of frogs in it!


One of the frogs was jumping about in the dusty road, and my friend M decided to screech and shove me aside like she was saving me from a cobra. Then I saw this cute frog trying to hop out of the dust.


I mentioned J and I walking yesterday, and I saw such a pretty lonely daffodil. I tried to get a nice shot, but apparently phone cameras still aren't very up to snuff.



Not much else is new in the world of Sweden. Spring really is the biggest happening. All the bikes are coming out (although they never all went away, crazy Swedes ride their bikes in the dead of winter). When I look out at the playground from my kitchen window, there are almost always children playing in it. I never knew how many kids we had in the neighborhood until now.

This coming weekend is Easter weekend. The Swedes get "Long Friday" off and "Second Day Easter", aka Easter Monday. They actually have names from Wednesday through Monday.

- Dymmelonsdag is the first day, the Wednesday before Easter. Dymmel doesn't have a direct translation, but it comes from dymblar, which are wooden sticks that were placed in church bells on this day starting quite some time ago. They replaced the metal at this time to create a quiet, discreet sound rather than the normal loud clanging.
- Skärtorsdag is the second day, the Thursday before Easter. This is known by some as Maundy Thursday.
- Långfredag, which is translated to Long Friday, instead of Good Friday.
- Påskafton, the Saturday before Easter Sunday, which roughly translates to Easter Eve.
- Påskdagen, Easter Sunday. It translates to Easter Day.
- Annandagpåsk, or Second Day Easter.

Here is a picture of typical Easter celebrations. I took this shot in the big town square downtown.


Not only do they have these in public spaces, but live branches with synthetic feathers glued to them are for sale in all the flower stores, and even normal stores. While grocery shopping yesterday I noticed many on display and for sale. It's a very colorful and fun way to celebrate spring/Easter.

The Swedes apparently throw tons of parties or get togethers over Easter weekend. And why not? It's the first weekend of the year where the weather is bound to be pretty good, and it's a four day weekend. Who wouldn't want to throw a good barbecue with friends in the warming weather? J and I are tentatively planning to throw one of our own, and hopefully we can book the apartment company's festlokal. A festlokal is kind of like what in America we would call a clubhouse. The apartment complex has a big area you can book for an evening to throw a party of any sort. Ours isn't in our building, but it is somewhere nearby in the neighborhood. Swedes tend to use them a lot more than Americans, I think. I've never heard of anyone actually ever using the clubhouse of their apartment complex for a party. But maybe that's just me.

I should probably study and work more in my SFI textbooks. I want to start picking up my pace a little bit, and it simply requires discipline at home. In class we rarely get time anymore to just work through our books. On Friday we didn't even have real class and went to the local stadsteater (city theater) and saw a local high school's music production. I thought it was rather good/entertaining for high school kids. What got me thinking was how talented they all seemed to be. In my high school there could be people who were pretty terrible at some instruments or in choir, but this whole show (90 kids) was great, talent-wise. I think it's because here in Sweden you begin to specialize in high school. When you attend gymnasiet (high school) you choose a track to take. For instance, J took the track that dealt specifically with science and math because he wanted to go into engineering when university time came around. It's an interesting way to approach education. On one hand, I think it's great that you can begin to hone your skills so early. And yet the other part of me thinks "I still don't know what I want to do with my life, how is a teenager going to know?" But apparently the system works. To get back to my original thought, all the kids were probably so great because they go to a specific musikgymnasiet, so they all focus on singing, playing an instrument and the like.

This Friday is Långfredag, so no class there either! Two short weeks in a row. One could perhaps say I'm finally getting spring fever. I really hope there isn't a surprise dump of snow in our near future, as I've heard threatened from J. He's told me it can even snow in May. I've got my fingers crossed!

Spring is on its way!

It's been warmer here in Sweden for the past week or two. I think I've finally let myself hope and wish for spring to come. Some people were speaking about and wishing for spring back in February or March, and I just knew better than to think about that so early in the year. Even though this has been my first winter in Sweden, I made myself expect the worst!

This weekend we went to J's parents' house to dogsit on Saturday, and I noticed all these little snödroppar, or snowdrops, all over their backyard. J told me that in Sweden, those are known as the "first sign of spring." They were so charming. It reminded me of all the tulips and daffodils that have surely already sprouted in Ohio. Not only have the spring flowers come out of the ground, but the weather has been fairly nice for the past week or two; and if the forecast is correct, it will continue to be nice and warm. Nice and warm being 10C, or 50F, as the high temperature of the day. It's been raining on and off, but that's spring, you can't complain about that. We also switched from winter to summer tires yesterday! So I've mentioned not one, not two, but three signs of spring. =)

Swedish traditions to be mentioned since the last time I posted: Friday, March 25th was national waffle day here in Sweden. Everyone apparently makes these cute waffles, and they eat them in what I consider to be WAY better than the American way. They whip some heavy whipping cream and procure some raspberry jam/jelly/preserves and top the waffles with those, as you can see in the picture I've linked. They taste way, way better than syrup! No, I did not take part on national waffle day, however, yesterday J's grandmother invited us over for waffles. Maybe I got spoiled since it was grandmother cooking, and who has ever had a grandmother with bad cooking? Needless to say she is quite a sweet woman.

The other Swedish tradition I wished to mention is April Fool's Day! I was glad to hear they do the same thing on April 1st as in America. Except they don't say April Fool's, they say "april, april, din dumma sill!" Which roughly translates to "April, April, you stupid herring!" When put into English it sounds a bit harsh, but really it's just a silly saying to let someone know they've been duped. And yes, I meant to spell April in lower case letters when typing in Swedish - for some reason they don't feel that months or days of the week are true names that actually deserve capitalization. The Swedish media even took part in the joke-playing on Friday. I was tricked! I read this article on The Local, which is an online newspaper of Swedish news in English. I exclaimed to J all about it, and then later saw this article and realized I'd been fooled. Way to go, Swedish media!

I don't think there is really much else to say about my life here in Sweden. I continue going to SFI Tuesdays - Fridays. Our group of friends in that class have bonded even further, we even do stuff outside of class/school time, now! A couple of weeks ago one of our friends had us all over for fika, and we had some really good conversation going. It was quite enjoyable. I helped that same friend find a bakery just last week so that she could secretly order her Swedish boyfriend a birthday cake and surprise him on Sunday. I saw the pictures on facebook, it all turned out well! She ordered what here in Sweden is known as a princess cake. I've never had it myself, and that vile shade of green makes it look not so appetizing at first. Here is a recipe, and the main reason I link it is so you can actually know what is inside of it. Maybe I will attempt to create one at some point?

Well I think this will have to do for now. I need to get ready and go meet a friend for fika soon. Here is another cheer for having free Mondays!

Swedish Radio

This won't be a long post, or an update on life happenings like I've become accustomed to when writing here. I've come this time to have a mini rant, or even a lament!

One thing I truly miss about the States: radio.

I was raised listening to the radio. In the city where I come from, there were a multitude of stations to listen to (although I ignored many stations, like smooth jazz or country). There were at least six stations I would cruise through in my car before settling on one. Rarely did I listen to a CD or my Ipod in the car - that was radio time! Maybe it's only because I was raised on radio that I love it so much. I've talked to others in my generation and they don't seem to have such a love for radio, they usually listen to their Ipods or something.

Anyway, here in Sweden they have like four national, yes national, radio stations. And maybe you might have one local station that comes in terribly. Out of those four stations, one is talk radio, so no good there. Another has quite strange music on it. Yet another is classical (which can be enjoyable every once in a blue moon). So I'm basically left with two stations. One is a mix station, so they are better about it that the other, which is just new pop. And mostly everyone knows that Sweden loves to pump out it's crappy pop music that is forgotten within half a year's time. So what happens when you listen to the radio here? You hear the same five songs on repeat!! For months at a time! I kid you not.

Each morning, as I've mentioned previously, it's my job to make sure J gets up. Well one of our tactics that works quite well is we have his clock radio go off and he'll listen to the radio (songs, and morning talk show of course). When they get to the songs, I just want to cringe! It's always the saaaaame songs. I actually enjoy the morning radio show usually because I try to listen to the show hosts to figure out what they're talking about, but when the music comes on I get so annoyed.

So much for diversity!

P.S.

I meant to mention, the director of that English program I volunteer at has asked me if I might be interested in leading a course myself for 5 - 8 year old Swedish children beginning sometime this coming autumn. It would be something like "English for Fun" and we would do arts and crafts, and stuff like that. I think I might be seriously interested! I asked him to give me more details. Life is certainly picking up, and I feel like I've been networking here in Sweden way more than I ever have done in my life back in the States!