Category Archives: Swedish Life
Top 10 Things To Know About Living in Sweden
A few weeks ago, there was a great This American Life episode called Americans in Paris. In Act 1, Ira Glass followed David Sedaris around his life as an ex-pat. It got me thinking about typical reputations of the French … Continue reading
Top 10 Things to Know About Swedish
This one is for my friends (Zane!) and family (parents!) coming to visit, plus that nice couple from Chicago I met on the Flygbussarna back from the airport: Top 5 words to know in Swedish: Hej / Hejdå = Hello … Continue reading
Swedish National Day!
June 6th is Sweden’s National Day. Technically it commemorates two occasions: on that date in 1523, Gustav Vasa (infamous Swedish hero) was elected king, and on the same date in 1809, the country adopted a new constitution. But it wasn’t … Continue reading
Grattis på studenten!
Today is graduation day in Sweden. This is what it looks like: That right. Trucks full of half naked screaming Swedish teenagers jumping up and down, blaring dance music, screeching whistles, and spraying each other with cans of beer. ALL … Continue reading
Sweden’s road rules rule
A few recent headlines reinforce Sweden’s reputation for having the safest roads in the world. First, new NYC mayor Bill De Blasio has instituted the Swedish model “Vision Zero” – a year with zero traffic-related deaths, with a target of … Continue reading
Happy Mother’s Day!
Sweden is rightfully proud about how great it is to raise children here. Of course, compared to the US, most countries are ahead of things. (Shame on you, America!) Sweden, meanwhile, is embarrassed that they’re only in third place for … Continue reading
Happy Arbor Day
In honor of Arbor Day, here is the oldest known tree on earth: Here in Sweden!
Happy Semla Day!
A semla, for those of you who don’t know, is a wheat bun filled with almond paste and absurd amounts of whipped cream. Historically they were eaten only on Shrove Tuesday (today,) the first day of Lent, but are now … Continue reading
Folk Art & Contemporary Crafts
There’s an exhibition on Folk Art at the Nordiska Museet that I thought my craft-y friends would particularly appreciate. Many people are struggling to figure out how “crafts” participate in contemporary culture, and I think the mission statements here will … Continue reading
Like a Swede
A fun look at what life in Sweden might be like: The organization behind it? The Swedish Part Model, a collaboration between trade unions and employers’ organizations. As they say, “it leads to happy and creative people in the workplace, … Continue reading