A Fig in Sweden Portland

Oh my glögg

Well, we're halfway there ... I've been here nearly 3 weeks and Lewis arrives 3 weeks from now. Being apart has been tough. Some days I worry that we made a mistake. I guess this is natural. I just really miss our life and friends in Denver. I'm glad we sold our house, but sad that it won't be ours anymore.

So I've been a little depressed the past few days. Today I decided I needed to try to snap myself out of it. It helped that I biked to work through 3 inches of snow and slid all over the place. It was pretty funny. The people here bike through anything so I decided to see how far I could push it. I almost wiped out a few times, but it put me in a pretty good mood by the time I made it to the office.

After work, just to fuel my upbeat spirits, I stopped by the systembolaget (government liquor store) to pick up some glögg. Glögg is THE holiday drink ... it's mulled wine, with things like cloudberries, cinnamon, raisins, etc. Have I mentioned that you can only buy wine and spirits at the systembolaget? It's Sweden's way of trying to limit alcohol consumption ... they make it REALLY difficult to buy alcohol. The shop is only open until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and it's open until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. But you don't want to go then unless you're desperate. Instead, I go midweek when I don't have to wait in line. There's only one systembolaget in Älmhult, and the whole town seems to show up on Saturday mornings.

Anyway, I'm not sure what to make of the glögg. I think it would taste really good mixed with champagne. I think I'll try it this weekend. Anyone want to join me? :)

Houston, we have tofu!

I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough work to keep me busy with my new job at IKEA. I don't have to worry. After just a few days of working there, I started writing copy for the 2007 catalogs. And last week was insane, as I wrote all the copy for the Bed and Bath sections for the catalogs going to Asia. It was really fulfilling, but I was also really happy when the weekend rolled around.

I woke up early Saturday, walked through the inch of snow that had fallen overnight and took the train to Malmö. It's about an hour and 15 minutes away, and is the last city in Sweden before the bridge going over to Copenhagen.

My mission was to buy more warm clothes ... instead, I came back with tofu, Asian cooking supplies and CHEESE! I found what many people call Sweden's best cheese shop. It rocked. And it was cheap. I bought 4 blocks of various gourmet cheeses for $12. I was in heaven. Then I walked a few doors down and found a great Asian market. I celebrated the finds by having lunch in a super-cute coffee shop (Sorl, pictured above). Alisa, this is where we will go for coffee!!

Advent started this weekend, which is cause for lots of decorations and celebrating. One of the traditions is planting hyacinth bulbs ... they are for sale everywhere, including this little garden shop in Lund, a really cool University town about 15 minutes from Malmö. People buy pointsettias (sp?), too, but hyacinths are more prevalent. They smell kinda like paperwhites, and I can't wait to put some in the apartment.

I went to the grocery store Sunday afternoon, and girls with white gowns and glittery halos were walking single file down the aisles singing a song for St. Lucia. The whole town was in the town square for the lighting of the tree and various Advent-related events. It was very magical, and I really missed my man. :) I can't wait to see him in a few weeks.

One week later ...

A full week in Sweden has come and gone, and now reality is setting in ... this place is dang cold. Many of you know that we have land in Gunnison and have wanted to settle there. Well, I think Gunnison will feel warm after this experience.

When I woke up yesterday, it was 18 degrees F. I have one of those weather stations that I brought along so I can see how cold it is outside in Fahrenheit instead of having to do the math all the time to convert from Celsius. Today it's been hovering around 33 degrees, so a nice little warmup.

Yesterday afternoon/evening I met up with a girl named Donna (pictured above). She moved here from south China the same day I did. We met while registering for our "personalnumber," a number you need to do everything from setting up a bank account to getting a mobile phone. It's kind of like a social security number, I guess. Anyway, we hit it off and made dinner together last night. She showed me how to make authentic Chinese fried rice, and I showed her how to make Pho, though it wasn't nearly as good as Lou's. She seemed curious about the Indian food I make, so maybe I'll try that next time.

One thing that was really interesting about hanging out with Donna was her perception of Americans. We got on the topic of politics, and I mentioned that I don't like Bush. You should have seen the relief on her face. She said people in China don't like Bush either and don't understand why he has killed so many people. She said when she told her friends in China that she had met me, she had to add, "Yeah but she's not that kind of American." Because of Bush, and the fact that we voted him into a second term, their view of Americans in general is not very favorable. They think of the typical American as arrogant, privileged and superficial.

With IKEA being such an international company, I'm sure this isn't the last time I'll hear things like that. In my department, 99 percent of the employees are Swedes. Five of us are not. Peter is a copywriter from Great Britain, Patrick is a copywriter from Ireland, Mike is a project leader from Great Britain and Jenny is an art director from Australia. Jenny and I work on the same team and sit next to each other, which is really great since everyone else speaks Swedish around us. I've also gotten to know a girl named Jit from Singapore, who is my assigned "buddy" to help me get acclimated. Jenny and Jit are work pals, and the two of them have invited me to lunch a few times this week, which is really nice. Jit has also offered to teach me Swedish swear words! :)

Supermarket fun

I made a salad tonight (17/11/2005), and when I pulled the lettuce out of the refrigerator, I realized that a pot of dirt was attached. It cracks me up just thinking about it. It appears I bought a ready-to-plant head of lettuce. The supermarkets here do the same thing with herbs. Though I was prepared for that one ... the plants were sitting on a shelf and I could see the pot. I thought it was really smart. Why buy cut leaves when you can keep growing the herb and just take a little at a time? I have cilantro growing on my windowsill ... though I think it would be just as happy in the fridge.

The grocery store is definitely an interesting place for a non-Swede. The first time I went, I was all proud of myself because I thought I had done a pretty good job of figuring everything out. I got to the checkout line and all my items ended up at the end of the conveyor. Went to bag everything and realized there ARE NO bags. I asked the girl next to me where she got her bag and she said at the front of the checkout counter ... like where all the gum usually is. I grabbed two and everyone around me looked shocked. Apparently, the woman said, you must pay for them. I looked at the cashier and she said, "Just take them."

So now I keep a bag in my purse, and I feel like a pro when I whip it out to bag my groceries.

Other grocery oddities and things that surprised me ... they don't use maple syrup, they don't have choices when it comes to most things, but they have a HUGE caviar section, you can find taco shells, they don't have tofu, yogurt comes in a milk container, and lots of condiments come in tubes, which makes me happy. :)

David Hasselhoff

REPOST FROM NOV. 15 ... Did you know that David Hasselhoff is a singer? Me neither ... until I came to Sweden. The dude has a commercial for his album every hour on Swedish TV. I've heard his dang "Freedom" song so many times now that within a week I'll be able to recite the lyrics for you. Maybe he's popular here because he hasn't cut his hair since Baywatch, and he looks like a singer from Def Leppard or something.
Anyway, my first official day at IKEA was today. But I was basically at the office all day yesterday ... getting my badge, my bank account and IKEA email. Of course, the most important lesson was learning how to work the Swedish espresso machine. You can get everything from black coffee to a fully frothy Cappuccino just by pushing a button -- FOR FREE. Just what my caffeine addiction needed! Of course, Lewis is just relieved that I won't be spending $600 on a home espresso machine. :)

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to mention, the stores here have mustard (and mayonnaise) in a tube!!!

My first night in Sweden

When I woke up this morning I had a strong, underlying feeling that this was the right decision for us to come out here. Fear is such a strong emotion ... and it could have easily kept us back in Denver.

My HR manager, Karin, is a big reason for my positive attitude. Last night, she picked me up from the train station, loaded my 4 bags in the car as well as a cruiser bike and brought me to our temporary apartment. She also picked up a few groceries for breakfast for me. Then, if that wasn't already plenty, she invited me to her house for dinner. I biked over there at 6:45 and enjoyed a great evening with her and her husband, Per, and her three boys, Jakob (10), Joel (8) and Johannes (2). As I approached their home and went to park my bike, Jakob peeked his head out the door and yelled "Hello!" Little Johannes, with his blond curly hair, kept trying to tackle me once I was inside. Then Joel came home from Swim practice and it was a full house, full of laughter and a lot of positive energy. Per made pasta with mushrooms and bacon ... and, yes, I ate the bacon! :)

I can't tell you how good a home-cooked meal was after traveling all day .. and to be welcomed with open arms by everyone in Karin's family, including her feisty toddler.

As I was leaving, Karin told me to stop by anytime, saying, "If we only have a piece of bread in the house, we'll all share it." 

Pics of our Swedish pad here ...

 

New meaning to HIGH-speed Internet

In theory, being apart from your husband for a month or two may not sound like a HUGE deal. In reality, it means one very weepy goodbye at the airport.

On the plane, I finally managed to think about something besides the fact that I already miss Lewis miserably. Good thing, too, because when I flipped through the Lufthansa magazine, I discovered that they have wireless Internet on the plane. I signed up and then skyped Lewis ... we talked over the Internet while I was on the plane! He knew it was working when he could hear the German-speaking flight attendants on the intercom. That is just so cool. So get Skype and then you can talk to me over the Internet for free! Even while flying over the Atlantic ...

So the journey begins, and I have about 11 hours to figure out how I'm going to get my gynormous bags on the train. Lewis lost feeling in his arm carrying my huge duffle bag to the check-in counter. :)