Day 29: There's no need for the carpenter to do that.

I took some books out of the library to help me learn some Swedish. This writer of this particular glossary has failed to realise that *** usually means swearwords are being censored. Hours of fun. "Take a photo with your ASS" or "The clerk fucks things in the store" are just two of the many possibilities!

Day 21: Messing about on the river

Sailing time in the Stockholm Archipelago
Definitely never done anything like this before.

While it is still fairly uncommon for people to own boats, it's definitely more common than in England where boat ownership as a hobby is, well....let's just say I've never met a single person with a sailboat in England.

The experience is a bit like caravanning, you have to take a load of stuff with you including a stove and food and then you have to find a good place to pitch (or moor...). It's a lot more technical and difficult though and the return journey was very treacherous as the winds picked up the next day.

If you get the opportunity to go in the archipelago, do it. It's a unique experience to travel around the little islands while at the same time being very close to Stockholm.

Day 20: Can't have too much cabbage

Pizza comes with Syrkål...pickled cabbage salad.
Definitely not something ya get in England.
Mmm

Day 18: Skogen?

 

Picking berries after work is one potential activity for the average Swede. Unlike my previous home, London, which sprawls out for miles and miles of inhabited space, in Sweden you are never too far away from a forest, even in built up cities. There is Epping Forest outside London which Londoners can make the effort to journey to, but I doubt many would do this after a long day of work.

In this picture I'm picking Lingonberries in, a common Swedish berry. I also collected a substantial pot of blueberries, which grow all over Sweden and can be found easily. The joy of foraging, picking and making your own food is enjoyed by many and I can understand why.

Day 16: Waka waka waka

This is Thorildsplan T-Bana in Stockholm, I'm very impressed with the tiling!
Who knows why? My theories are:

• Swedish people love good design wherever they go, so why not a sharp T-bana station?
• There is a much more widely accepted love of videogames, board games and other "nerdy" such things, many more people may appreciate this walkway here than they would in London
• Thorildsplan is near a lot of schools, and the Campus Konradsberg of the university of Stockholm - maybe one of these large student bodies organised the tiling...
  

Day 15: Dags att gå på återvinning

 

Swedish people queue on Sundays for a long time, hours even, at huge recycling stations. They often sit with their cars running, probably undermining all their morally commendable efforts.

Day 14: An unlikely medium

I suspect my boyfriend is using the medium of cushions to make me feel more at home...

Actually he's more than my boyfriend now, according to Swedish terms, he is my Sambo (living together partner).

In England we don't have the same cultural practice, but this country has a long history of accepting couples who live together and have steady relationships without being married.

Day 13: Arriba!

Swedish people fucking love Tacos.
When my Swedish boyfriend saw me taking this picture he explained that a lot of people have comfort foods on Fridays for "Fredagsmys" (comfy Fridays)
It also reminds me that Sweden has several things in common with America...

Day 12: I would have got away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids

Today I was reading the Metro newspaper on my commute and I thought this was a very Scandinavian story. Usually the Metro paper in London has stories of gang violence, political corruption, poverty and death, but here in Sweden the front page featured a story about a beaver bringing a train to a halt. "Beaver behind the stopping of the Saltlake train. A gnawed tree trunk fell on the tracks"

Day 11: They've got my number

Sweden is a very efficient country! I had my migration registered in 3 days and now, just 10 days later, I have a person number.

I heard a lot of horror stories about how difficult it is to obtain a person number. They may well be true. However, having a job and a boss who can pester Skatteverket (tax office) will make the process much faster! So will being an EU citizen.

Now it's time for me to get out there and do some stuff for the government to monitor!