The Dreamer
Me & Emma
The Mango Story
A Constant
For all of the blog stalkers, aka mom, i scatter my thoughts around and don't finish my writings before i start something new, so i just wanted to inform you that the goods are coming and to keep reading. This adventure is just getting started!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
A True Swede...
1. drinks their coffee black
2. snuffs religiously(dips, chews, whatever you want to call it...usually only the guys)
3. eats salty "goodis" aka candy (worst candy i've ever tried, strictly swedish)
4. takes their kids to get "lördags goodis" aka saturday candy (kids don't eat sweets during the week and always look forward to walking to the candy store where there are bins and bins of all diferent sorts of candy and sweets)
5. develops supermom status if one can make good "bulle" (buns), especially "kanelbulle" (cinamon buns...we haven't made them yet, but i have tried one...urgott! (SO good))
6. makes a bookmark book (for girls) and passes them down to the female children in the family
7. owns a volvo (an most of the time you don't even need a car because you walk anywhere and everywhere)
8. puts butter on everything (though that is very european as well)
9. has sparkly blue eyes (haven't met one that doesn't)
10. walks into the church and out with their husband (at a wedding) the father doesn't give the daughter away.
This might be the top ten for a true swede, but there are many other culture shocks as well. I'll start with the children, since i am an Au Pair and a teacher.
Cursing...it's crazy but even the kids curse! Not all the time, but it's not a big deal if the F-bomb slips out every once in a while out of a 7-year-old's mouth. Erik, the oldest, said it one time in front of me and i GASPED loudly and said "inte okej Erik" (not ok erik!!). He kind of just giggled at me and i said huh uh, that is not cool! Funny part was that he was talking to the fish when he said it...(we have a fish tank with about 7 african ciklids)...maybe it is because i'm from the south, but that is strange for me. And they don't bleep out curse words on the radio either!! Needless to say, Eric Iglesias new song doesn't actually say "tonight i'm loving you..."
School...children know their table manners by age 2. They sit on their bottoms and eat with a fork and knife, plastic of course. It is incredible. Most kids also eat whatever their parents prepare for them, including steak paired with a red wine demi glace.
From a teacher's perspective, teaching in sweden would be marvelous. There are zero grades until the 8th grade! I'm not even kidding! There is no pressure whatsoever on the students to succeed, and there is no such thing as retaining the kids. There are assessments in class, the students have reading homework, and the teachers have a review of the student's progress twice a year, but school for the young ones is all about exploration and play. The first standardized test is when they are age 13, and students are also given grades at that age. I see both the advantages and disadvantages of this process, but that might be the biggest culture shock here.
weird.
People/public transportation...again, this has to be because i'm from the south, but when i smile or wave at strangers, they look down and keep walking. People are always only going about their own business, and don't really care that you are there. It's not a bad thing at all, but it's taking time to get used to, especially since i'm used to striking a conversation with just about anyone. there is one type of person you do want to avoid, and they are known as the street performers. you absolutely don't want to make eye contact with them, even if their tune on the accordian is somewhat ok. if you make eye contact, they will follow you until you give them money. it's entertaining, though, to watch how mad some people get when they follow someone onto the tram. hahaha good times. thankfully i haven't been a victim of this.
Also, Göteborg is a place where anyone can fit in. The language is swedish and everyone speaks to you in swedish first, but everyone also knows english. There are so many different nationalities here that you don't just see blonde hair and blue eyes. Somone actually thought i looked swedish, and then i opened my mouth. There is a huge asian culture here as well, which i thought to be very interesting. Göteborg is all one big happy family!
I have been here for a month and a half now, and i am still learning and seeing so much every week. i like it. it's new, fresh...it's europe!! This is the coolest opportunity i've ever been given and i hope to make the most of this experience. Who am i kidding, how can i not?!!
p.s. swedish fish (the candy) does not exist in sweden, so if you've ever believed, like i have, that they did, the world has been lying to us. thought i would share.
2. snuffs religiously(dips, chews, whatever you want to call it...usually only the guys)
3. eats salty "goodis" aka candy (worst candy i've ever tried, strictly swedish)
4. takes their kids to get "lördags goodis" aka saturday candy (kids don't eat sweets during the week and always look forward to walking to the candy store where there are bins and bins of all diferent sorts of candy and sweets)
5. develops supermom status if one can make good "bulle" (buns), especially "kanelbulle" (cinamon buns...we haven't made them yet, but i have tried one...urgott! (SO good))
6. makes a bookmark book (for girls) and passes them down to the female children in the family
7. owns a volvo (an most of the time you don't even need a car because you walk anywhere and everywhere)
8. puts butter on everything (though that is very european as well)
9. has sparkly blue eyes (haven't met one that doesn't)
10. walks into the church and out with their husband (at a wedding) the father doesn't give the daughter away.
This might be the top ten for a true swede, but there are many other culture shocks as well. I'll start with the children, since i am an Au Pair and a teacher.
Cursing...it's crazy but even the kids curse! Not all the time, but it's not a big deal if the F-bomb slips out every once in a while out of a 7-year-old's mouth. Erik, the oldest, said it one time in front of me and i GASPED loudly and said "inte okej Erik" (not ok erik!!). He kind of just giggled at me and i said huh uh, that is not cool! Funny part was that he was talking to the fish when he said it...(we have a fish tank with about 7 african ciklids)...maybe it is because i'm from the south, but that is strange for me. And they don't bleep out curse words on the radio either!! Needless to say, Eric Iglesias new song doesn't actually say "tonight i'm loving you..."
School...children know their table manners by age 2. They sit on their bottoms and eat with a fork and knife, plastic of course. It is incredible. Most kids also eat whatever their parents prepare for them, including steak paired with a red wine demi glace.
From a teacher's perspective, teaching in sweden would be marvelous. There are zero grades until the 8th grade! I'm not even kidding! There is no pressure whatsoever on the students to succeed, and there is no such thing as retaining the kids. There are assessments in class, the students have reading homework, and the teachers have a review of the student's progress twice a year, but school for the young ones is all about exploration and play. The first standardized test is when they are age 13, and students are also given grades at that age. I see both the advantages and disadvantages of this process, but that might be the biggest culture shock here.
weird.
People/public transportation...again, this has to be because i'm from the south, but when i smile or wave at strangers, they look down and keep walking. People are always only going about their own business, and don't really care that you are there. It's not a bad thing at all, but it's taking time to get used to, especially since i'm used to striking a conversation with just about anyone. there is one type of person you do want to avoid, and they are known as the street performers. you absolutely don't want to make eye contact with them, even if their tune on the accordian is somewhat ok. if you make eye contact, they will follow you until you give them money. it's entertaining, though, to watch how mad some people get when they follow someone onto the tram. hahaha good times. thankfully i haven't been a victim of this.
Also, Göteborg is a place where anyone can fit in. The language is swedish and everyone speaks to you in swedish first, but everyone also knows english. There are so many different nationalities here that you don't just see blonde hair and blue eyes. Somone actually thought i looked swedish, and then i opened my mouth. There is a huge asian culture here as well, which i thought to be very interesting. Göteborg is all one big happy family!
I have been here for a month and a half now, and i am still learning and seeing so much every week. i like it. it's new, fresh...it's europe!! This is the coolest opportunity i've ever been given and i hope to make the most of this experience. Who am i kidding, how can i not?!!
p.s. swedish fish (the candy) does not exist in sweden, so if you've ever believed, like i have, that they did, the world has been lying to us. thought i would share.
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