Author Archives: Anna

Plastproblemet är löst

November 20, 2008 – 11:14 am

As I’m sure you know, Sweden is big on recycling and being environmentally friendly. And I happen to like that. We recycle our plastic bottles and aluminum cans and get money back (pant) at the store. Those plastic bottles and cans that can’t be returned for pant go into normal recycling bins.
And we have recycling [...]

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Hearing Swedish Abroad

November 16, 2008 – 3:17 pm

It’s always interesting to see how many people abroad can utter at least some words of Swedish. I say “utter,” because I’m not even surprised anymore at how many people actually can speak Swedish. Their degrees of proficiency vary wildly, that’s for sure, but Swedish is no longer a secret language in which you can [...]

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Swedish Foodstuffs Abroad

November 14, 2008 – 5:03 pm

I am abroad again and this time, I’m proud to say that Dearly Beloved is managing quite well. He went shopping all by himself today and bought what he needed. But he did respond with a sigh of relief when he heard I’m coming back on Monday.
This time it was me who needed his help. [...]

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Fars dag - Father’s Day

November 9, 2008 – 6:13 pm

David from Oregon very astutely pointed out that it was Father’s Day (Fars dag) today in Sweden. He wanted to know how it’s normally celebrated. But because I’m the worst daughter ever (in fact, next week I will visit my dad for the first time in about 17 years, yes shame on me, I know, [...]

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Adventures in Healthcare, part 1

November 6, 2008 – 2:38 pm

A few years ago my friend discovered a black spot on her skin. She went to the clinic (vårdcentralen) and showed it to the doctor there. The doctor told her to wait and see if it would disappear on its own. A couple of weeks later, the spot was still there and she asked me [...]

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Quantum of Solace of Assigned Seating

November 2, 2008 – 6:02 pm

I just went to see the new Bond movie, and it’s as explosive as everyone says. That’s true. “Quantum of Solace” opened in some European countries this past Friday, and for once, Sweden was on the lucky list, along with the UK and France. How’s that for speshul, huh? Normally, we get big movies looong [...]

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Is There Halloween in Sweden?

October 31, 2008 – 4:01 pm

It snowed a little bit today, and it was fun to watch drivers and bike riders genuinely surprised that their cars and bikes were sliding sideways out of control. You’d think that people in a Nordic country would be more used to the fact that white stuff on the roads means slippery surfaces. But no… [...]

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Vinterdepression

October 29, 2008 – 1:23 pm

Returning to Sweden after we changed to winter time last weekend was a bit harsh. Suddenly it gets dark at 4PM here. And it will only get worse. That’s one of the joys of living in the North. I like winter, don’t get me wrong, it’s the darkness that kills me.
So, to make sure that [...]

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The Wash Post

October 25, 2008 – 5:47 pm

I am still away and still receiving calls for help from my dearly beloved. Last night it was the wash that required five urgent phone calls to get my urgent attention.
We don’t own a washing machine. Actually, our apartment is not even set up for one. Instead, there is something in our building called “tvättstuga.” [...]

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The Diary of Dairy

October 23, 2008 – 5:30 pm

I am out of town for a while, actually I’m out of Sweden for a week, and I’ve been gone for only one day and my dearly beloved already managed to call me four times.
“I need milk,” he says, “I’m at the store and I don’t know what kind of milk to buy.”
Errr… normal milk, [...]

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