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Midsommar

Midsommar

Nov 26, 2017

A BLOG ABOUT SWEDEN WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT MIDSOMMAR IS NOT POSSIBLE.

What is midsommar?  Midsummer, also known as St John’s Day, is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, and more specifically the northern European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day. (Source: Wikipedia).

IT IS A BIG PART OF THE SWEDISH CULTURE

 

  • Why do Swedish people celebrate Midsommar? The winter is pretty tough! It is an average of 4 to 6 hours light per day. So I can garantee you that everyone is waiting for the spring and the summer!

Midsommar is celebrated every year on the 24th of June. As it is a pretty big deal in Sweden, we have day off from work, yes yes it is even a red day! You usually celebrate Midsommar with your friends and family. Every city has activities too. You will start the day by doing flower crown (like you can see in the picuture) –  don’t ask me why, I have no idea! Then you will have a delicious a Midsommar Lunch with typical Swedish food : Köttbullar – Sill – Potatoes – Shrimps – Salad – BBQ. During the afternoon, it is time to dance around the poll with typical Swedish songs. If we are close to a lake, we all go to swim (even if the water is at 14*c – yes! ). We also play some games – Kubb is one of the most famous in Sweden! But now we also play “Petanque” (French game for old people as they say in Sweden) – Then it is the time to have the dinner with some songs – snap (Aquavit) and food. The food is basically the same all day!

So I like it, it is different than what I am used to and it is really something that you have to experience but preferably with Swedish people, it’s so much fun to see the traditions.

Swedish language

Swedish language

Nov 26, 2017

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE SWEDISH LANGUAGE! 

When I moved to Sweden, I thought I will NEVER learn Swedish. It seems so complicated, and my first goal was to learn English. And, to be honest, why would I learn a language that only 10million people speak… ? But life is full with surprised and after 2 years, it turns out that I actually speak Swedish.

First rule: Be motivated. 

When you get the golden key (in other words your personal number), you are able to go to SFI (Swedish for Immigrants), I really recommend it! You will meet people, be familiar with Swedish Basics and it is free. Every city offers SFI for immigrants and it gives you the opportunity to be familiar with the language

SFI may have a bad reputation (teachers are changing all the time, we are 45 by class), it depends on the school but usually, they are taking care of students and I had nice teachers!

I have to say I stopped after 4 months because it did not match with my schedule and I have the possibility to speak Swedish at home (but we almost never actually do), anyway I learn Swedish with the method “learning by doing”. The best method and how I learned Swedish fast, I got a job and they decided to speak only Swedish to me.

I have to be honest, and it was really tough! I am talkative and I was not able to understand a single (almost) word! It was super frustating and I felt “this is not gonna work”! But after 3 months, I made it! I was able to explain short stories and actually understand what they were telling me! Today, my level is not fluent but I am able to talk and understand almost everything – including TV!

So, choose the best method that suits you! And dont’t be to hard to yourself! It takes time!

Swedish words that you might want to know:

  • Hej : Hello
  • Hejdå : Bye
  • Tack : Thank you
  • Välkommen: Welcome
Mentality of Swedish people

Mentality of Swedish people

Nov 26, 2017

HOW IS THE SWEDISH CULTURE? RESPECTFUL

Every single thing is so different compare to France.

First of all, to me, French culture is full with criticsm, complains but also irrespect. We were having a dinner over French friends and someone asked “What will you risk if you don’t respect a red light?” all the French people answered “4 points on my driving licence! ” – The only swedish one answered ” I will risk my life or someone else life”. That resumes extremely good the difference between the 2 cultures.

Swedish people are VERY respectful. If there is a rules, there is a reason and I am going to respect it. You are not going to cross the road if it is a red light, even if there are no cars! You are not going to try to cut the queue, because it is not respectful. They respect everything but also your private space. If you wait for the bus, you may have one or two meters between every one.

Everyone does his own life, no one cares about what you are doing and no one will EVER judge you. Lots of people have colorful hair (purple, rainbow, green, blue, pink…) and no one will judge it!

Sweden is extremely equal when it comes to Women rights. The stereotype of “women in the kitchen” does not exist and it has really bad reputation! Compare to France where it is still present (even if it is becoming better), it has been a pretty huge change for me!

The respect, no judgment way of life brings also some downsides to the culture. I am really talkative as I already mentionned and it has been tricky at the beginning to get contact with Swedish people. Because they actually don’t really want to open or be your friend. At the beginning of my first work, every one was so friendly but it took a couple of weeks before they asked me to do something with them. So it can be difficult to find real friends. But when you actually do, it is for life.

 

The Lagom life

The Lagom life

Nov 24, 2017

LAGOM – WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

It is trendy, everyone is talking about it but what does really mean LAGOM?

Lagom in Swedish means “not too much – not too little”. I still have issue to actually use it but it doesn’t talk to me. So for example, if someone asks me ” how much coffee do you want? ” – I may answer ” LAGOM “. (A Swed is super polite, so he doesn’t want to say I want 2 liter of coffee please. It is more up to you, what you would like to serve me > this is my interpretation). 

LAGOM is actually a word to resume the Swedish life.

Let’s deep a little bit more into this concept. It is not a concept actually, it is a WAY OF LIFE.

  1. Have a balance in your life. The life conditions are amazing in Sweden and it’s EXTREMELY important to spend time with your family and your hobbies.
  2. Do what you want and do not care about what others think about you or your choices.
  3. Respect others. It is really important to not interfere or disrespect something.
  4. Enjoy what you have. You don’t need more than what you need. (I love this sentence!) But it’s true, why would you spend 700€ in a TV if you already have 3 at home?