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Category Archives: Expat Life

“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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Christmas Spirit Mania

Written on December 19, 2011 by Kate in Expat Life, Holidays and High Times, Sweden, The Expat Blog, Winter

It’s been nutty around here for the last week, and I haven’t had a chance to write much even though the things to write about are piling up.

I have some exciting things coming up, including an interview with the incredible designers behind Herring + Haggis, so stay tuned over the next couple of days for more!

In the meantime, check out these blog posts I’ve written over at Sweden.se about holiday goings-on in Sweden.

Expat Holidays: How to Create Christmas Spirit on the Cheap

Happy Lucia Day!

Christmas time in Sweden: THERE WILL BE GLÖGG!

ALERT! Test yourself for these signs of Holiday Spirit Fever

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Malmö is all dressed up for Christmas

Written on December 6, 2011 by Kate in Expat Life, Food Matters, Malmö, The Expat Blog, Winter

Malmö is all dressed up for Christmas, and I love it. I took a few photos today as I walked from one office to another. All the beautiful lights are enough to make you kind of glad that it’s so dark outside all the time.

On another note, I posted a blog post today on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se called, “THERE WILL BE GLÖGG!” Get it? Get it?! Well. Ok, then.

COME TO MAMA.

Here goes nothing:

In a country filled with seasonal food holiday traditions, I have discovered the tradition to rule them all. The celebration centers on a certain group of foods and drink, but the focus is much more on the Christmas feeling tied to the smells and tastes than the food itself. You will know it by its name and the sound it makes as it goes down your throat:

Glug, glug, glögg!

To read the whole thing, follow this link to “Christmas time in Sweden: THERE WILL BE GLÖGG!” at the Expat Blog at Sweden.se.

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Christmas Song Showdown

Written on December 1, 2011 by Kate in Expat Life, Holidays and High Times, Winter

Last Sunday, one of my friends was stuck on an airplane in the supposedly hurricane-force winds that hit last weekend, seated besides a man who throwing up so forcefully that it broke through the bottom of his vomit bag. Meanwhile, I was enjoying a glögg-filled night with Simon and friends. Life is so not fair.

Anyway, we were listening to Christmas music, as you must when drinking glögg, and we ended up in sort of a girls-versus-boys disagreement as to whether Celine Dion or Jussi Björling sang a better “Oh Holy Night” (O Helga Natt, in Swedish).

So. You be the judge. Celine Dion or Jussi Björling? Granted, it’s not like we’re comparing two singers from the same time period or musical genre. But like I said, life is not fair, and you can only choose one.

In other Christmas music-related news, I just started listening to Michael Bublé’s Christmas album, winningly titled “Christmas.” I’ve never listened to Michael Bublé before, partially because of his reputation as a singer for the older generation, and partially because his name sounds like a pretentious line of bath soaps. When I realized that he also has a reputation as a Frank Sinatra knockoff, though, I thought he might be the answer to my extremely outdated Christmas music tastes. (I like Bing Crosby, Eurythmics, and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It’s embarrassing.)

Despite a promising start, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stick it out with Bublé’s “Christmas” in the long run. His voice is strangely sensual when singing these Christmas songs, and it freaks me out to have my getting in the holiday spirit tainted by seduction. That, and his face in profile looks a little like Justin Timberlake, and the coming together of Justin Timberlake—my grandma—Christmas trees—Depends products is just too much for me to handle. That, and just the thought of having to say that I would like to listen to Bublé makes me feel older and sillier.

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A Very Expat Thanksgiving | the Expat Blog

Written on November 25, 2011 by Kate in Expat Life, Fall, Family, Food Matters, Holidays and High Times, Sweden, The Expat Blog, United States

To read the whole post, follow this link to A Very Expat Thanksgiving on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se.

In my opinion, it’s all about the stuffing.

Actually, it’s all about the stuffing in most Americans’ opinions and yet, paradoxically, the stuffing is the part that is least appreciated and/or understood by the Swedes I’ve shared Thanksgiving with.

You put it where? Really?! Why?

Yes, we put it there.

To read the whole post, follow this link to A Very Expat Thanksgiving on the Expat Blog at Sweden.se.

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