One of the first impressions a stranger to Sweden might get is that the average Swede is very aloof and reserved. This is often seen on the streets where nobody smiles at each other, makes eye contact, or in any way acknowledges the existence of the other…unless of course they are really good friends. This is often perceived by outsiders to be rude. (At … Continue reading Do not Smile or say ‘Hej’
Yesterday I was walking with K to go see if there were any pinecones ripe for picking in the forest. On the way, we passed a small playground that was bustling with kids. The hunt for pinecones was off as K now focused on playing with these other kids. The playground was a simple structure consisting of two tire-swings and a slide all on a … Continue reading A lesson in making friends from a three year old
My wife and I are were both born and raised in the USA, coming from non-recent immigrant stock. Being so, we are unfortunately fluent in only one language, English. While we can string a few sentences together in Bangla and a little smattering of Spanish, we are essentially useless outside of our native tongue. One of the advantages of raising a family abroad was the … Continue reading Infant Linguistics
M has just been accepted into a ‘dagis’, or daycare, facility starting on Monday. He will be attending 1/2 days five days a week. And with this, my run as a full-time hemmapappa is coming to an end. The original plan, the plan that I agreed to when still in Burma and contemplating the move to Sweden, was that I would stay home with M … Continue reading Sowing the Seeds of Regret
There is a problem with leading a nomadic lifestyle. Well, there are many problems, but the one on my mind today deals with art. My wife is something of an artist, photography, and I am an appreciator of art. Traveling has exposed us to many diverse art forms and we have collected a decent collection. From Bangladesh we have multiple rickshaw art paintings and some … Continue reading Art in a Shipping Tube
This conversation took place between K and the sweet old lady who lives on the first floor of our apartment building. K was climbing the stairs in full winter gear carrying a twig with green leaves he found on the walk home, which he intended to put with his pine cones; and this lady had just opened the door to her apartment. Sweet Swedish Lady: … Continue reading A Conversation
Christmas Eve found this family still in Almhult, Sweden…alone with no family or friends over, but very merry still. This was K’s fourth Christmas and M’s second. Since K has been around, family has become more of a focus for us. One of the joys, and challenges, of living abroad is being away from family. Before we had kids, this did not bother us too … Continue reading Twas a Merry Christmas (God Jul) Indeed
I have been eyeing the sleds for some time, but it was with the first snowfall that I took K out to buy his first sleek red plastic sled. K is 3.5 years old and this is his first snow. K is aware of snow. As a child of the north, I have been doing what I can to instill in K an appreciation and … Continue reading A new highlight in parenting: Sledding
In an earlier post, “Where are all the Vickys”, I shared some of the challenges faced here in Sweden regarding making friends. In essence, I explained that the quiet, reserved, and okay with the status quo cultural traits of the Swede makes if quite difficult to start a friendship. Well, having been here a bit longer, things have improved and my family and I have … Continue reading The Big Rottweiler at Home: Family vs. Friends
Being the awesome country that Sweden is, the State offers free Swedish classes for foreigners living in Sweden. Unfortunately, all of the courses in Almhult are offered during the day, so as a stay-at-home parent, I have not been able to take advantage of this opportunity. But, in hoping that something could be worked out, I went to the administrator/instructor of the program to inquire … Continue reading Swedish for Dummies I
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