Day 89: A Nude Awakening

Photo taken from: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Body-Wrap-Towel-After-a-Shower

Coming from the Canadian mecca of yoga and home ground of Lululemon, it’s only natural to continue my yogi ways and sign up for a hot yoga class here in Stockholm.

Here are three things you should know:

1) It’s expensive to practice in Stockholm, but there are discounts for students, senior and the unemployed.

2) They are very accommodating with language, and can switch to teach in English without hesitation.

3) You must be comfortable with nudity of yourself and others

The door to the change room opens and you can look directly into the changing area. So if someone doesn’t close the door behind them, you could be a little eye candy without even noticing if you are in the line of view. The studio I went to has a showering area, however it’s like at swimming pool where there are no shower curtains or stalls. They also are thoughtful enough to provide soap/shampoo, however this was placed away from all the showers and made me just a tad bit uncomfortable.

This is what went on in my head when I was showering:

You mean I have to shower myself in front of all these ladies and then somehow make a nonchalant dash to the dispenser 3 times for soap, shampoo and conditioner? Why couldn’t they put it next to or in between stalls? If there were more people would it be like giving up your space and having to re-queue? Are people looking at me right now from the changing room side? Good thing I kind of shaved my legs… I’ll just keep myself turned in the corner…

One things about Swedes is that they’re very comfortable with nudity, and it’s just a normal thing. They don’t understand when others get a little nervous or uncomfortable about being naked. I guess it is another one of those things that will take time to get used to.

Just remember this and you’ll have no problems at yoga, at the swimming pools and in the sauna!

Namaste.

 

 

Day 86: Swearing in Sweden

I read an article in the Local that points out how English swear words are increasingly common in pop culture and just a part of everyday Swedish speak. And of course you have the shit cool kids who think that saying rude things in English in public is just so awesome. Wait what’s my age again?

I thought it was funny at first that the only words I understood when people spoke Swedish was all the English words used – the common ones being:

Nice!

Shit!

Shit is probably my favourite swear word but I was a little shocked that Swedish TV and radio does not censor out these words. This is very very contrasting to North American standards where all swears and even song lyrics that suggest ill-behaviour and actions can be beeped out to the point that some songs are just pointless to be released.

Perhaps it’s because Swedish swears aren’t so vulgar when translated… you can educate yourself with the video below!

So my new favourite swear to say (for fun) is FAN! But always in a joking way… for now I just stick to the English if I’m really pissed…

Have a favourite swear or a funny story about one?

Day 87: Våffeldagen & its real meaning

Today is Våffeldagen aka Waffle day in Sweden! (and just found out now that it’s actually International Waffle Day…)

I have never heard of this before though and I used to be so indulgent in everything – the complete opposite to Swedish culture – so food days like International pizza, lasagna, macaron, carrot, corn days weren’t something I celebrated.

But now that I’m here, and trying to understand the culture as much as possible, I’ve tried my best to embrace the traditions and the latest one being Våffeldagen on March 25!

I asked my meatball for the meaning of this day, but he didn’t know or didn’t really care for it so I turned to trusty google. Apparently Våffeldagen is a bit of a mistranslation …
The original day celebrated is called Lady Day or Vårfrudagen to honour Virgin Mary aka Vår fru. If you have a thing for languages you will see how vårfru can turn into våffel or våfflor.

The Swedes are known to not really give a rats bum about religion so one clever person could have turned this from a day of celebrating the lady Mary to a day for eating waffles!

Or are we eating waffles to celebrate Mary…

Either it is a mistake or intentional – how will we ever know?

Anyway, I decided to give up whether the chicken or the egg came first and made my own waffles. They’re nontraditional with ham & cheese in the batter, but at least they are heart shaped! That’s what counts right?

Happy Våffeldagen / International Waffle Day!

Day 83: Top 3 on my spotify list!

One of the best start ups to come out of Stockholm is of course the music app Spotify!

Here are my top 3 songs playing on repeat on my Spotify list:

1) Jubel by Klingande. It’s a sexy track with saxophone but I don’t quite agree with the choice of video… somehow I think it slows down the song even more so I’d listen to it without watching but what the heck do I know about videography???

• 2) Addicted to you by Avicii. Of course I have to pick a Swedish DJ. I almost feel obligated for always listening to a swedish track because I’m living here… I am liking the different sounds of Avicii’s new release and this video a little like Bonnie & Clyde. I feel like he’s auditioning for Quentin Tarantino’s next movie soundtrack or something. The singer has a jazzy and powerful voice like Adele but it’s  not Adele!

 

3) Five Hours by Deorro. This track’s got some daft punk influence. It’s one for the progressive house lover out there! Is that the right genre? Or it is deep house… help haha 🙂 HOUSE LOVERS listen to this one!!!

 

When in Sthlm, you gotta keep up with the new house beats!

Day 80: Swede Emotion

There’s a lot of hearsay out there about how Swedes are perceived to be.

It seems like the consensus out there is that they are very reserved, unfriendly and emotionless. It is true that the beautiful people of this country can be reserved, but I don’t think it’s their intent to keep people out because they are mean or unfriendly. It’s just part of the culture where space is respected and I also think most are shy.

However that unruly, emotional side of swedes does exist. If you ever want to see a Swedish man come alive,  then you should go to his natural habit – a sports match.

Here’s a clip from a Stockholm hockey derby match between AIK and Djurgården:

Your preconceived thoughts of a Swedish man being quiet, shy and gentle will be SHATTERED to the last bit. Just like all other people out there, sports brings out the beast inside Swedes, and you will need to wash your ears out 20 times from all the swears you hear. If you ever had a doubt about whether your male Swedish friend ever cared about anything, it will be erased.

OR you can just let that pristine and gentlemanly image remain.

Swedish fans are a very passionate and loyal breed. The atmosphere is exciting with the energy always on the highest notch. Vancouver sports fans could really learn a little something from them.. yes I’m calling out my hometown…

The matches are a lot of fun to attend but to find the right game to watch you should invite your Swedish friend and ask them to decide. Be sure to buy some (expensive) popcorn, sit back, relax and enjoy the show. People watching is a great spectator sport too!

Day 78: Escape to Norway

I’m back from a sweet snowy escape to Trysil, Norway where we spent the week’s end snowboarding until our legs could take no more!

Nothin’ like being a snow-bum (we are not ski-bums) without a worry for time or wifi. It was really nice to just be outside and play!

This time I think I showed the T-bar who is BOSS and confidently grabbed my own T-bar on the lift to the top of the mountain. Now only if they didn’t hurt so much… and also if it weren’t so windy up on the slope tops … then this trip would have been perfect.

Here’s a few snaps from the weekend. We managed to climb to one of the peaks and it felt like we owned the mountain – I felt like the ice queen from the disney movie Frozen! And of course I… LET IT GOOOO (Not sure how you will interpret it, but I’ll leave that to your imagination!)

I think we brought the winter back home during the trip, as we woke up to a white blanket Stockholm this morning. Oops!

Oh & of course I still think Sweden is the better country -haha!

Åre is still on the bucket list! Any other ski/snow bums out here???

Day 74: PROGRESS & a vacation

So after 5 weeks of beginners’ Swedish class aka 3CT… I am finally moving on to the next level! I HAVE LEVELED UP! I am very excited to move into 3C on Monday.

Hmm wait let’s rewind… So because I have a residency permit for Sweden, I am eligible to study Swedish in the class and it is all subsidized by the state. #WIN

So as long as you register and receive a personal number/ID CARD for your Swedish residency, then you can enroll into language school for free via Swedish For Immigrants (SFI).

I am feeling more confident in speaking the language and now that my friends can speak as well, it makes things easier and more fun to learn! I am being one of those annoying keeners that wants to practice Swedish and always cutting off the English speaking with ‘på svenska!’

Anyway I’m off to Trysil, Norway til the end of the weekend for some fun in the…snow! Are you convinced that I’m Swedish yet???

PS Testing out this new theme! Would love some feedback if possible!

TACK FÖR LÄSA!!! Thank you for reading!

Ha en trevlig helg! Have a nice weekend!

Day 72: Lucky thumbs

In the Americas we cross our fingers to give luck to for those we care about and ourselves.

In Sweden, one holds their thumbs to wish someone luck or for themselves.

I wonder if there are any symbols of luck like horse shoes, rabbits feet and four leaf clovers…

Day 71: Spring has sprung in Stockholm

WHO LOVES SPRING? As much as the Swedes and myself have complained that winter skipped them, I am sure we are very very VERY relieved to see the sun shining for two whole days!

Earlier in the week, the ice rinks had to stop operating in the city which was the first sign of giving up on winter. I love winter wonderlands but it was time for Mr. Golden sun to come out and the trees to start greening. Today I saw a sure sign of Spring as I spotted some colour among the brown foliage.

When the sun comes out in Sweden, so do YOU! As my friend would say, it’s a crime to waste the sun in this land.

So in true Nordic fashion, we put on our spring coats at a balmy 10 degrees and the shades were on. We fika-ed outside with a warm cup of coffee in our hands and our breath barely visible in the air.

Of course no sunny day in Stockholm, Sweden make that EUROPE, is complete without grabbing a beer/coffee/ice cream and trying to reach the daily requirement of vitamin D along the canal. Oops sorry I forgot about the nerd alert!

It’s like that back home in Vancouver but there’s way more people out and about. In Sthlm, every – seriously EVERY – cafe is busy, everyone is sitting along the water or in the parks and all the streets are full of yummy mummies and latte daddys! I bet you wanna know what a latte daddy is… I’ll save that for another day!

So what’s your favourite thing about Spring???

Day 70: Melodifestivalen 2014

Haven’t been up to too much this week and I had been anticipating this evening all week long!

Tonight was the finals for Melodifestivalen which is like Swedish American Idol.

The winner goes on to participate in the famous EUROVISION and represents Sweden.

Tonight my friends and I decide to take on the judging ourselves.
We saw copies of Justin Bieber, BSB, ABBA, Miley Cyrus/Avril Lavigne, Beyonce and Celine Dion. It could not get anymore cheesier…

SANNA aka Swedish Celine Dion won! I had judged/guessed right!

For those who followed Melodifestivalen, here were my top 3:

1) Undo by SANNA
2) Busy doing nothin’ by Ace Wilder – so Sthlm!
3) YES WE CAN by Oscar Zia

Cannot wait for EUROVISION!!!