transatlantic sketches

Life in Sweden, as usual? | The Expat Blog

Written on January 23, 2012 by Kate in Expat Life, Family, Sweden, The Expat Blog

When I think about the events of 2012 so far, what strikes me most is how normal it all feels. A friend asked me recently when you stop being an expat and start being something else. I’m not sure that I have a good answer to that yet, but I think I’m on my way to whatever that is.

Everyday life doesn’t feel weird anymore. I have a full time job, friends (both Swedish and international), and a family, if not the one I was born to. I speak passable Swedish. I eat weird Swedish snacks, like leverpastej on Wasa crackers, without thinking twice.

When I think about my life here, I don’t measure successes and failures in terms of whether the move to Sweden “was worth it” anymore. It just is that way now.

Read the full post on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se.

Biggest news of 2012 so far: the arrival of little Luna to our friends Sofie and Adam.

Luna is so adorable that after a couple of hours in her presence, I *almost* wanted a baby of my own. For the meantime, though, being Aunt Kate is perfect.

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No Shoes Indoors! | The Expat Blog

Written on January 16, 2012 by Kate in Expat Life, Sweden, The Expat Blog, United States

To read the whole post, check out “No Shoes Indoors” on The Expat Blog at Sweden.se

Finally, you arrive in Sweden.

Maybe you’re meeting someone—maybe an old friend. A friend who could be more than a friend. A lover.

You’re welcomed at the airport, and on the trip towards his or her home, you’re almost shaking. It could be the tiredness, the effects of the long flight, the rough-edged emotions that can’t be quieted at this particular moment.

You recognize these feelings. Excited. Nervous. Overjoyed. You’ve felt them before, but never like this.

Then you arrive, your friend helping you carry your bags up the stairs and over the threshold. You stumble through the door and into the living room, eager to see the pristine white walls and Ikea-dominated apartment you’ve heard so much about.

And then you hear your friend’s voice, but it sounds different—harsher than before.

Where the hell do you think you’re going with your shoes on?

To read the whole post, check out “No Shoes Indoors” on The Expat Blog at Sweden.se

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Balmy Wintertime Malmö

Written on January 10, 2012 by Kate in Expat Life, Malmö, Sweden, Winter

I’ve been saying that the weather has been pretty mild here, and now I have proof. All you naysayers who were like, Kate has finally lost her marbles once and for all, poor thing thinks that it’s warm in Sweden during the winter. Next thing you know, she’ll be telling us that there aren’t any polar bears there, either.

Proof, I tell you! PROOF!

I took this photo on Malmö’s main shopping street, Södra Förstadsgatan, during the period between Christmas and New Year—conveniently called the “mellandagar,” or “in-between days,” in Swedish. The picture was taken at 17:04:44, give or take a few milliseconds. Not really the warmest part of the day, and yet, and yet…

Against all odds, one brave coffee shop had set up outdoor seating, and people were flocking to it, plopping themselves down in the cold, damp, overcast weather, out with their coffees and coats on. Unbelievable.

A mellandagar miracle.

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“American Soda”

Written on January 9, 2012 by Kate in Drinks, Expat Life, Food Matters, Lund, Sweden, United States

Simon and I went for a quick grocery run on our way home today and came across this at the ICA Malmborgs in Lund. Simon pointed out that the list of American sodas should probably be a lot longer than this, but I guess Vanilla Coke and Mountain Dew are extra-American.

American Soda ("Amerikansk Läsk") according to ICA: Vanilla Coke and Mountain Dew.

Speaking of which, does anyone still drink Vanilla Coke? I feel like that was a fad for a hot second in high school that died once we realized that it’s disgusting. Mountain Dew, though… that stuff is gross but powerful. Every once in a while (road trips, all-nighters), you’ve just got to Do the Dew.

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5 things that are already making my 2012 fantastic | The Expat Blog

Written on January 8, 2012 by Kate in Expat Life, Lund, Malmö, Sweden, The Expat Blog, Winter

Click here to read the whole article on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se

I love the idea of New Year’s resolutions. Keeping them is another thing altogether.

I don’t think I’ve ever kept a New Year’s resolution that has been life-changing… or kept one at all, if we’re being honest. I’m much better with Lenten promises. It’s really hard to forget what you promised to do in just 40 days.

This year is going to be different, though. I swear. I have only two resolutions, and I’ve got a plan for at least one of them. The plan for resolution #2 is still in the works, but I fully intend to create a plan and work on it. Immediately, if not sooner.

My first resolution for 2012 is to cultivate more contentment in my life. I have a tendency to obsess about where I want to be six months, a year, and five years from now, and sometimes I realize that I forget to enjoy the here and now. I’m not giving up on being all my goal-setting and crazy ambition, but I’m going to try to temper all that forward-thinking with more satisfaction with what I have now.

To that end, I’m going to start practicing deliberate gratitude on a regular basis. Numerous internet experts say that gratitude has amazing benefits on your health and well-being, and if an internet expert says it, it has to be true. Right?

At the very least, the New York Times said, “Cultivating an “attitude of gratitude” has been linked to better health, sounder sleep, less anxiety and depression, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior toward others, including romantic partners.”

I can’t really argue with that. So to start the year off right, here are 5 things that are already making my 2012 fantastic.

Click here to read the whole article on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se

Sunshine is playing a big role in the awesomeness of 2012. Can you believe that this is what Lund and Malmö looked like on January 6th??

Click here to read the whole article on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se

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On the Twelfth Day of Christmas…

Written on January 7, 2012 by Kate in Expat Life, Holidays and High Times, Sweden

Yesterday, I was featured on the Displaced Nation’s series on expat writers around the world. What an honor!

You can check out my interview here: 12 NOMADS OF CHRISTMAS: Kate Reuterswärd, American expat in Sweden (12/12)

The Displaced Nation is an online blog/magazine dedicated to writing by “expats, global nomads, armchair travelers and the like.” The whole series has been really awesome and I have discovered a lot of great expat bloggers and writers! You can check out the whole series here.

Thanks again to the Displaced Nation for including me in their 12 Nomads of Christmas series!

Awesome-o! Read the full article here: 12 NOMADS OF CHRISTMAS: Kate Reuterswärd, American expat in Sweden (12/12)

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Work makes me happy

Written on December 29, 2011 by Kate in Expat Life, Quotation, Sweden, The Expat Blog

Because Christmas fell on a Sunday, we had just one day off of work. A day that I spent in my pyjamas, watching TV, surfing the internet, and occasionally stirring myself from the box of chocolates by my side just enough to make it to the kitchen to continue stuffing my face with cookies. (It’s all about balance, you know.)

It took until about 4 pm to hate myself, but no way was I going for a walk outside in the dark or *shudder* the gym, otherwise known as “the single biggest waste of money in 2011.” Around 6 pm, I decided to take a shower because I wanted a glass of wine and I couldn’t bring myself to drink wine while still sitting on the sofa, wearing pyjamas from the night before and surrounded by a ring of my own cookie crumbs.

In any case, it was a one-day thing because the next day I dutifully trudged off to work, happy to be saved from myself. And look at me now! It’s 5:30 and I’m totally still working instead of heading home to cuddle with Señor Reuterswärd, as he is known in more southern climes.

I have taken over my colleague’s computer over the last few days while I am here and she is on break. During this time, I have logged into every single thing it’s possible to log into and have doubtless forgotten to log back out of several of them. Oops.

Anyway, this is a long prelude to sharing what is awesome news for me! My part-time, “paid by the hour” teaching gig has been upgraded to full time work, 40 hours a week. Woot woot for money! And stability! And feeling a sense of fulfillment at a job well done. Happy chiquita over here.

So from now on, when I’m not teaching, I’ll be doing more proofreading than before, plus administrative tasks, and when I have to travel to a company to teach Business English, I won’t have to worry about tallying the hours and whatnot. Excellent.

EQUALLY AWESOME: My blog with the Swedish Institute has been renewed again, and this time for a whole two months at a time! LOVE IT. It’s like I’m a real girl with a real day job with a secret second life as a real wannabe writer! Add in the fact that I live with the best and coolest guy in the world, and life could not be better. Happy happy happy happy happy.

I will leave you with some thoughts on work. I looked them up for this blog post, thinking I was going to be very serious, but that impulse didn’t last long.

“Without work, all life goes rotten. But when work is soulless, life stifles and dies.” – Albert Camus

“Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.” – Voltaire

Word.

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You’re Celebrating on the Wrong Day!—and other things you didn’t know about Christmas in Sweden

Written on December 28, 2011 by Kate in Expat Life, Family, Food Matters, Holidays and High Times, Sweden, The Expat Blog

It’s the night before Christmas, and all through the mouse, not a beach chair is stirring, not even a louse.

Wait, what!?!

Celebrating Christmas abroad can make you feel like things are, well, a little topsy-turvy.

You may have read about the way people celebrate in the country you’re living in, or you might be going into the day free of any knowledge or misconceptions. Regardless of which category you fall under, there will come a point in the day when you look around you and think to yourself:

Now what exactly is going on here?

Last week, I was invited to be on a radio show with two Swedish comedians to talk about the differences between American and Swedish Christmas traditions as I perceived them. I had some thoughts at that time, but now that I’ve actually experienced my first Christmas in Sweden, I’m ready to tell it like it is.

Click here to read the full post on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se:

“You’re Celebrating on the Wrong Day!—and other things you didn’t know about Christmas in Sweden.”

Below, I present to you, the ring dance. Very serious business.

Click here to read the full post on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se.

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My Swedish Christmas!

Written on December 26, 2011 by Kate in Expat Life, Family, Holidays and High Times, Sweden

First Christmas in Sweden! I survived… and even better, although I missed my family and the traditions I grew up with, I had a really amazing time with my husband, his (our) family, and friends.

It felt a little odd to celebrate in the afternoon, and if I could compare it to anything, I would say that the way Simon’s family celebrated was pretty similar to an American Thanksgiving. Lots of food, lots of family, and—of course—the scheduled TV events. Only this time, instead of NFL and It’s a Wonderful Life, it was Kalle Anka and Karl-Bertil Johansson, two time-honored Swedish cartoons.

I’m glad I finally got the chance to experience Christmas in Sweden firsthand since I’ve been hearing and reading about it for so long, and this morning I got to debrief with Simon later about the highlights of the day. The thing I like talking about the most, though, is how we’ll be blending our traditions together and making our own new ones in the Christmasses to come… no matter where we are.

There will be lots more to come soon, but for now, here are a few photos from Julafton (Christmas Eve) and the days leading up to the holiday.

Hope you all are with loved ones, whether you’re at home or not, and are enjoying a little rest in the last few days left in 2011!

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Catch me on the radio!

Written on December 23, 2011 by Kate in Holidays and High Times, Sweden, Swedish

If you were ever wondering what broken immigrant Swedish sounds like, here’s your big chance to find out!

I’m going to be on a radio show today at about 1:30 pm Swedish time (7:30 am EST), talking about American and Swedish Christmas traditions with two comedians, Anders Jansson and Johan Wester. And it’ll be in Swedish. I thought it was a great idea at the time, but now I’m terrified. I purposely avoided wearing my favorite sweater this morning because it’s dry clean only and I fully anticipate experiencing periodic full body cold sweats every time I think about it throughout the day.

So! If you want to stream it or at least check out what it is, you can do that here: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=4245

You should see something like this on the top of the page, and then all you have to do is click on the part with a dot and the little sound waves coming out with a JUST NU next to it.

If you miss it, I think you can listen to it later by clicking on the little box that says “senaste sändingen,” although it might take a little time for it to be posted online.

Basically, though, if you’re at all interested in hearing the show, you should catch it on time, because if I make a fool out of myself, you can bet your last dollar that this little how-to guide here will disappear faster than you can say Sweden.

Anyway, wish me luck. Woop woop!

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