Posts Tagged ‘Swedish’
Tired with fever – Saving the matrix no 2
Not awake
When flipping through iphoto this morning, I stumbled over these two pictures. I remember taking them in the subway on my way to work. It was one of those mornings where I felt very much like a foreigner, not at all in harmony with my environment and I had a 700 meter long to-do-list in my bag. Read the rest of this entry »
Upside down or the cars outside B’s window
Life
I ate dinner at Beautiful B.’s house on the weekend. She made the most fantastic meals to prepare us for our trip to northern India and I learned new words and unpronounceable names, how turbans are warm and hurt on your forehead, that Punjabi and Hindi are to each other like Swedish and Norwegian and I tried mouthrefreshing Paan in the most amazing colors – served in my favorite little silver box.
As we talked our welcome-wine through the inner city apartment, P. wondered how it was going with the traffic outside the livingroom window – expecting an answer about the quality of super-sound-isolation-double-glass. Read the rest of this entry »
Sameh, becoming Swedish and a magical son
Get yourself a son
Among foreigners it is a matter of common knowledge that you need a Swedish name if you want a Swedish job. Even though this country is basically bilingual and about half of Sweden moves to London to lead the life of a banker for a couple of years, foreign last names still a menace to society. I got lucky. My last name Read the rest of this entry »
King for a day – Salary weekend in Stockholm
Kungen i baren
Just another small observation from the land of the midnightsun: When people get their salaries, hell breaks loose. The phenomenon is called “lönehelg” – “salary-weekend” and happens twelve times per year, always on the weekend after the 25th.
The entire working population gets paid that day. Swedes then feel so rich, Read the rest of this entry »
Love, waffles, horses and the power of cups
Affirmation
Der hat doch nicht alle Tassen im Schrank. He’s missing some cups in his cupboard!
Han har inte alla hästar hemma. His horses aren’t at home.
Der hat doch ne Schraube locker! He’s got a screw loose – at least this one matches, even in Swedish.
You recognize them when you see one but these expressions always just miss the familiar wording. Why? Bad hearing in the Middle Ages? Read the rest of this entry »
Peas and pancakes, tradition and taste
Any given thursday
Sweden eats a strange combination of pea-soup and pancakes every thursday for lunch. I have been wondering about this since I got here. Any coffee place, restaurant, catering and sometimes even desperate Pakistanis serves these two meals once a week. The pancakes could of course be considered a dessert, but they actually come at the same time. With cream and jam. My oberservations show that Read the rest of this entry »
Kindergarten, Media Circus and a letter from the Queen
"Oh dear......"
When I woke up this morning, P. was still sleeping and I took my phone to read some news. I often start with Svenska Dagbladet and Spiegel, to then check what Aftonbladet has to say. Aftonbladet is an equally good mirror for the Swedish collective mood, as BILD in Germany. Neither of them known for fantastic journalism, but both read by so many citizens, they have a loud voice.
If you have read previous posts, you are familiar with my scepticism Read the rest of this entry »
Lasse behind the pillar, sociable croissants and Vanessa Paradis
Nutritive empty space
Sunny 15 degrees in Paris this morning!
Mama Shelter can only be recommended to those coming from countries with a rich breakfast culture. Lots of fruit, cheese, juices and even sourdough bread. Love it.
In France and Italy, days often kick off with a compelling mixture of sugar and wheat – which reliably makes me feel like a piece of wobbly pizza dough.
Not at Mama Shelter. But something else happened this morning, Read the rest of this entry »
Broken busses and beautiful surfaces
British thoughts under Swedish tree
Someone interviewed Johan Hakelius in Dagens Nyheter the other day. He has written a new book about extravagant British ladies, none of which are alive today. Johan is known for his love for England and long gone centuries. He is also quite cynical and not at all lagom in his statements.
His British-Swedish insights made me smile. Read the rest of this entry »
Swedish U-turns and the introduction of lagom
Beware of the extreme
A radio program on P1 caught my attention yesterday and I still think about it, even though it is called ”Plånboken” – ”The Wallet” – a guide for balanced household economies. The reason it got stuck with me is not my poor bank account, but that it is such a fine example for lagom, Swedens own Yin-Yang. Read the rest of this entry »
