Category Archives: United States

No Shoes Indoors! | The Expat Blog

Written on January 16, 2012 by 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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“American Soda”

Written on January 9, 2012 by 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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QUIZ MASTERS! Southern Kitchen = New Obsession

Written on December 21, 2011 by in Food Matters, Malmö, Travel, United States, What to do

Did I ever tell you that I was a QUIZ MASTER? No?! Well, IT’S TRUE! It’s going right up there in the trophy case next to middle school spelling bee champion (TWO TIMES) and my gymnastics trophies (I WON FOR PARTICIPATING) and the medal I got for being in the band (SAXOPHONE).

Muwahahahaha.

We got a certificate and everything.

It all went down on what seemed like a normal Tuesday evening, but turned out to be a night of Epic Quiz Proportions.

The place: Southern Kitchen American Restaurant in Malmö

The team: Sarah, Sarah, Marie, Lloyd, Warren, and Yours Truly 

The theme: The Holidays 

The prize: Two free entrees or four free appetizers, redeemable any time in the next three months

BOOYAH.

What makes Southern Kitchen an American restaurant, you might ask?

Well, for one, their menu mainstay is the burgers page: six burgers to choose from and cornbread comes with your meal. There’s only one beer on tap, and it’s Sam Adams’ Boston Lager. They also have Budweiser, Miller Genuine Draft, Samuel Adams Boston Ale, Samuel Adams Black Lager, Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in bottles.

Much like banana bread, cornbread has the ability to spark spirited debates on the existential composition of cake and bread and the differences to be found betwixt the two.

For dessert, they have an apple pie, and that’s great and all, but let’s be serious. Every country has their own version of an apple pie. Southern Kitchen has a Brownie Sundae, which is actually a million desserts rolled into one and served with a cherry on top. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will. It is fate.

There’s also Southern Fried Chicken.

Anyway, our Swedish-Australian-English-American team crushed the opposition, and now I’m hungry for more. More food and more winning. Quiz nights on Tuesdays… I’ll hopefully be dragging a team there next week.

Join me? 

Southern Kitchen is at Östra Förstadsgatan 24, almost in Värnhem if you’re coming from the center and just before Big Bowl. Brunch… Quiz Night… Live Music sometimes…  Dessert specials on Wednesdays…

Be there or be square. 


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A Very Expat Thanksgiving | the Expat Blog

Written on November 25, 2011 by 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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The Thanksgiving Phone Call

Written on November 24, 2011 by in Expat Life, Fall, Family, Holidays and High Times, United States

My parents called and I got to talk to them, two of my cousins, and my aunt. I would have gotten to talk to my middle sister, but she was sleeping… she’s a Teach for America teacher, so I think that’s what she generally does when she’s home. Although my parents said that she made them some ridic whole wheat pancakes with buttermilk and nutmeg as well as an apple cider hot toddy last night, so it could be the exertion from cooking as well.

I have to give Silvia and Daisy, my two little cousins in the picture below, because they’re totally taking the pressure off me to have kids (not that there was any pressure in the first place, but still…). This still captures the moment at which my mom has just wrapped up a story recounting how the girls said she looks old because she has lines on her face and my dad looks old because he has a bald spot! The girls were giggling madly throughout the whole story. My dad (as you can see) retreated to a happy place. Probably one with sailboats.

All joking aside, my mom said that the girls have been totally helpful in the kitchen, so let that stand on record. And my parents seemed pretty amused by their straight talking.

Happy Thanksgiving to my wonderful family!! I wish I could be there, but having seen my parents so recently really takes the sting out of what would otherwise be a pretty sad day without my family. LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

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It’s A Wonderful Life…

Written on November 24, 2011 by in Holidays and High Times, United States

Technically, this is a Christmas movie, but when I lived in the United States I used to watch it every Thanksgiving when it came on after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is my favorite holiday movie of all time. There’s no beating it in terms of either heart-warming or tear-jerking ability. I will not tolerate dissent on this matter.

Here’s the ending… Clarence! Mr. Bank Examiner! Zuzu!!

Just for the record, even just a YouTube clip of this movie makes me cry. Here I am, finally done with work, finally getting around to blogging, and just tearing up like a little baby. So embarrassing. I’m sitting in a glass-walled office and one of the other teachers just walked by… I had to put up my hand against my face and lean into the screen to pretend I was really absorbed in whatever’s on my computer. LOL.

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Obama sausage, anyone?

Written on November 23, 2011 by in Skåne, Sweden, Travel, United States

A few weeks ago, Simon and I borrowed his parents’ car to go to Helsingborg to pick up my wedding dress. On the way back, we stopped at Center Syd, a giant shopping center/outlet mall/bulk retailer place, for lack of a better word. With the parking lots that go on for miles and the feeling of entering a shopping wasteland the second you step inside and see hordes of slack-jawed teenagers milling around, it’s practically American. I’m not talking about an upscale Somerset/South Park mall… I’m talking a Concord Mills, discount shopping bonanza mall. (Anyone who went to Davidson College or lives in the greater Charlotte, NC area knows what I’m talking about.)

Anyway, as a shopping trip it wasn’t great, because the atmosphere immediately sucked the life out of Simon, who did not grow up in suburban America and therefore does not have the necessary shopping fatigue antibodies built up. We cut straight to the chase and found a place to eat an enormous and greasy pizza (me) and fried fish (Simon). It was, however, a giant success in terms of finding one incredible landmark: The Obama Sausage Stand!!! 

Take a moment to bask in its ridiculousness glory. What does it mean? Why is it Obama’s? And why doesn’t the sausage stand have a Kenyan American flag alongside the Swedish one to honor its namesake’s country of origin?

At first I thought it must be an unrelated Obama’s sausage stand, but that strangely-colored man is clearly supposed to be the Obama, President of the United States. There’s no denying that special combination of ears, slogan, and the #1 finger. (Current political debates about American exceptionalism have clearly not reached the Obama Sausage Stand’s owner, or else he/she remains unconvinced.)

Mmm, sausage. Yummy yummy Obama sausage!!

Unfortunately, I had already eaten my fill of pizza, so I didn’t get the chance to try an Obama sausage. If, however, you just so happen to be in Skåne, driving along the E6 between Malmö and Helsingborg, and you find yourself really craving an Obama sausage (I’ve rewritten that last part with four different verbs, there’s no way to make it not sound dirty), then you can find it here:


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The power plant you see on the map is no longer in use, by the way. So no worries, your Obama Sausages are 100% non-radioactive.

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Happy Halloween in Sweden!

Written on October 30, 2011 by in Expat Life, Malmö, Sweden, United States

I’m supposedly busy, working on a bunch of blog posts for my other blog and trying to get moving on some big proofreading jobs, but last night I celebrated Halloween with Steve, Simon, a bunch of my coworkers from my day job, and a lot of people I had never met before but were really interesting, awesome people.

More photos to follow soon, but for now, a little taste of what’s to come…

Bringing the land of the free, home of the brave to a living room near you.

Steve, Simon, and I went as Americans on SPRING BREAK ABROAD!!! Definitely the most comfortable clothing I’ve ever worn to a party, and Simon was very proud of his trophy belt. (I hope that doesn’t become a regular fixture at parties.)

Someone took a photo of the three of us together, but it wasn’t on my camera, so I’ll have to track it down. Steve was wearing a wife beater and was looking extremely sexxxy.

Right, Steve? Right.

 

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Support the American Swedish Institute!

Written on October 9, 2011 by in Sweden, United States

If you’re from the United States and enjoy reading about Sweden and Swedish-related topics on this blog, then you should check out the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota if you have the chance. They have educational programs, holiday events, a museum, a library, and even their own CASTLE! 

The American Swedish Institute is competing to get more than $1 million in funding to help restore the Turnblad Castle, and they asked me to spread the word. I’m happy to do it not least because I can see myself having a couple of half-Swedish kids in the future and needing a place to take them to learn about their culture in the States.

Pretty cool looking, right? http://bit.ly/1VSEJ

According to the voting page,

ASI will restore the [Turnblad Castle's] original kitchen, dry storage room, and butler’s pantry, along with the third floor ballroom and its support spaces. The historic Turnblad castle will open these spaces to visitors for tours, new interpretive programs, and events.

So here’s the deal with the Turnblad Mansion and the American Swedish Institute (taken from their website).

In 1908, the Turnblads—a Swedish immigrant family—completed the construction of their castle-like mansion on Minneapolis’ Park Avenue. Just twenty-one years later, they gave it all away to the community, founding the museum and cultural center that would become the American Swedish Institute.

Today, the American Swedish Institute, housed in the Turnblad Mansion, is a place to learn about and experience Swedish, Swedish-American, and Nordic culture, learn about the role of Swedish and other immigrants in Minnesota’s history, and share stories and experiences.

I’m looking forward to getting the chance to visit the American Swedish Institute sometime in the future, and it would be wonderful to be able to see the Castle in its full glory. If you want to vote for them to get money to keep working on the renovation, go to the voting page and click on the link to the American Swedish Institute.

If you’re interested in following the American Swedish Institute on Twitter, you can find them @amswedinstitute. Check it out, and don’t forget to vote for the Vikings!

 

 

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September 11, 2011

Written on September 11, 2011 by in Expat Life, Sweden, The Expat Blog, United States

So sad, so thankful today.

On the Expat Blog: September 11, 2011

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