Until next time..

That's it for now Sweden, next time I return I want this:

Beach walks at Österlen
Summer "fika" in the garden
Country visits in villages so small you can count the population on one hand!
Kräftskiva -the annual crayfish party
Kubb
Summer cocktails
Sailing
Rainy MFF football games (as long as it doesn't snow!)

Summer puppies so cute you wanna take them home with you

Stockholm week coming to an end

Royal palace
The church where our crown princess will get married this summer I believe?
Parliament house

An intense week is coming to an end. Instead of lazying around in Shanghai avoiding being hit by firecrackers I’ve spent this week attending more meetings that I thought one could possible attend in Stockholm. It’s been useful and great, but now I’m ready to head back to Shanghai’s snow-free streets and comfortable temperatures. I’ve had it with minus 5-10 degrees, snow, wind and ice on the roads. Besides, I don’t have the right kind of clothes for this weather. This winter has been one of the longest and hardest ones in Swedish history (and I think that goes for many countries), and although it was fun for a while (especially around Christmas), I think most people over here are ready for spring!

Heading to Malmö tonight to spend the weekend with my folks before I fly back to Shanghai. Especially keen to return to a life of cheap lunches, rice bowls, spicy eggplants and chopsticks. (Gosh, it has become hard to be away from Chinese food). 

No place like home

Back home with the folks for a quick stopover before I begin next week’s workweek in Stockholm (I didn’t go home for a break, but to work, however, to recharge the batteries at my parent’s place during the weekend was an obvious choice). It pretty much looks the same here as it did when I went home for Christmas 2 months ago: There’s a massive amount of snow on the roads. It’s cold. The forest consists of a bunch of tempting, yet none run-able forest tracks. Still lovely to be home though!

Yesterday we went to the fairly new IKEA in Malmö. It’s the world’s second largest IKEA shop (44 000 square meters!) and as you might be able to imagine, it was huge! I kept wondering why they didn’t build it in Shanghai instead though, considering how little people there were, and considering what a people-packed place the IKEA in Shanghai is…

We then went on to Lund to help my little brother unpacking and building all the furniture he bought (yeah, the IKEA trip wasn’t for me even though I obviously couldn’t help myself and ended up buying some small things), as he has recently moved into a new student flat. Pretty nice deal for students in Lund (when they eventually find a flat, some people have to be in a housing line for 1 year), he only pays 9 months of rent, as the summer months are free of charge. Sometimes Sweden’s real good.

Huge IKEA

My favorite IKEA section! I know it's cheesy but I cannot get enough of IKEA candles. They smell so nice...

Funny thing was that as we were unloading the car a bunch of Chinese students walked by.

-I swear, it pretty much snows like this in Beijing too! One of them said, while the other ones objected. I was tempted to shout: 你们好！but managed to stop myself.

After putting together furniture for my brother for a few hours (mom and dad seriously thought is was a lot of fun? I was falling asleep) we went on to H&M and I, insanely relieved of the fact that in Sweden you don’t have to feel crammed everywhere you go, ended up getting some essentials (gosh, I feel like such Sweden nerd: IKEA and H&M in one day. I swear –I did not start appreciate these two shops until I moved away from Sweden when I was 19. Before then I used to dread shopping at either of these shops).

Typical student flat of a 20-something in Lund. 26 square meters.

Joel's setting up his TV (he promised to help me out the day I decide to move back to Sweden. I'm clueless of how to do some things that is completely normal to him).

Then we enjoyed a “fika.” Fika is one of the most common things to do in Sweden. It basically means hanging out at a café with a good friend/family member, enjoying a cup of coffee (which is the most compulsory part of a “fika”) as well as a small snack (optional –but I always go for it). At the café I bumped into an old school friend. Very old actually, we went to the same class grade 1-5! (I didn’t recognize her until she said my name, which is a bit alarming –she recognized me? Do I look the same as I did when I was 10? I was pencil thin back then. Hm… suppose it’s not a bad thing!). That was kind of weird, but fun. Guess who she’s dating? The same guy my oldest sister used to date when she was in highschool?! Hahaha! This place is too small!

After fika and H&M we went home, spent some hours relaxing, and eventually enjoyed some homemade salmon quiche. Yum! Spent the night watching the winter Olympics while scratching the cat behind her ear, thinking to myself: “Ah, there’s no such place as home!” And really, there isn’t. Regardless of how cold my feet are every time I walk outside. Love being back in beautiful Sweden!

Merry Christmas 2009!

Don't tell me I'm one day early, in Sweden we celebrate on the 24th. Merry Christmas y'all!

Text message mania

When refilling your mobile credit in Sweden (if you have a prepaid card like me, most people obviously have a plan, but I don’t really see the need for that so I stick to my prepaid card) you often get “freebees” like 100 free sms:es (once I received 1000!). One might wonder what you’re going to do with 100 free text messages, but let me tell you, there are loads of things you can do in Sweden simply by sending text messages:

Buy bus tickets/ train tickets/ subway tickets

Buy candy at some vending machines

Use public toilets (it’s city council’s idea to track down people who vandalize public loos. In one amusement park, for instance, you pay a small sum, then a code appears on the screen outside the loo. You text this code to a number, you immediately receive a new code back. And, by pushing the new code in the door will open and you can use the loo. The system then keeps track of all the numbers so if something happens to the loo you might be tracked down). However, I have to say that this system is NOT good if you are a tourist in Sweden (only works if you use a Swedish mobile) or, if you are dying to go (too slow with all those codes). But seeing how many public toilets that are vandalized each year I suppose it is not a bad idea.

Pay for your car park

Bid on an apartment

Do your taxes (especially convenient and encouraged during Sweden’s yearly declaration period: May-June).

Forget about sending the usual messages to your friend. Or, I suppose that’s quite popular too. But it’s quite interesting to see how the sms trend has caught on.

Express shopping

One thing I love about Sweden is that here are so many “smart” little things, making your everyday life smoother. Take grocery shopping for instance. Since my mom is member of a program that goes under the name “express shopper” she scans and packs her own groceries while shopping, and then simply pays for them at the counter. It’s super convenient, especially when doing big shopping sprees like buying all the Christmas food.

When arriving at the checkout counter she simply swipes her card, registers her scanner and that’s it. She’ll pay the sum of all the groceries she’s scanned! It sometimes happens that the system decided that she needs to check all the groceries (she then has to unpack and rescan everything) in order to make sure that the sum is correct, but during the 3 (or 4?) years she’s been an “express shopper” I believe it has only happened three or four times.

I love this system. There are never any lines in this grocery shop where we go. It’s also a great way to keep track of how much everything costs and how much you have shopped for, as the price of the grocery you scan comes up on the screen, followed by the total sum. If you change your mind you can simply “un-scan” a product (by pressing a minus sign) and put it back.

Winter Wonder Land

I’m from south Sweden, and although it normally gets quite cold here during winters, loads of snow at this time of the year is rather unusual. Since I got home last night it has been snowing non-stop, however (it stared on Tuesday) and there’s now about half a meter of snow in our backyard.

Since I spent 18 winters in Sweden + one year in Finland (the longest winter of my life, seriously, there was still snow in May) and experienced -35°C and heaps of snow, dealing with it is not a problem, however… it is kind of odd still to have so much snow already! Still, it’s “only” -7°C so I should not complain. When I middle landed in Finland last night it was -20°C!

The snow and the cold don’t matter, however. It’s still truly wonderful to be home at this time of the year. With all that snow outside and all the Christmas decoration inside (not to mention the Christmas goodies: gingerbread cookies, St Lucy Buns and chocolate breads) it’s impossible not to feel as excited as a 5-year old about the fact that Christmas is coming.

Party like the Danes

A tip for everyone who wants to have a good time: party with Danes. Seriously, Danish people are crazy-funny-mad. Got to love them for being able to start their own little party no matter where they are.

At yesterday’s wedding (my oldest sis married her beloved Dane Michael) us guests were 50/50 Swedes/Danes (+ some people from Belgium), but it was the Danes that took command from the start. Singing, dancing, having their own little “games” and kinds of fun (such as trashing the groom’s socks? Haha! Apparently that’s a Danish tradition). I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun. It was just the perfect kind of party. Some seriously good speeches, amazing food, a good live band (we all went mad to their version of “I just can’t get enough” by Depeche Mode) and so many people dancing that we could barely fit on the dance floor. What an excellent night, and again, Danish people, WOW! There might not be many of them out there but they sure know how to party.

Oh, and by the way, I almost dressed every single family member in dresses I made for them in Suzhou! A wedding success!

Getting our hair and make-up fixed (I could get used to that!)


Wedding shoot in Kungsparken in Malmö

Autumn bride
United family (all wearing clothes made in China -haha!)
A pimped Porsche is a must

Me and my sis Lotta in our cupcake dresses
Groom's speech to the bride
All the men lining up to kiss the bride while the groom hit the bathroom (is this a universal tradition? Or is it just in Sweden we do this?)
Games
Curly cupcakes
The first dance

Trashing the groom's socks (?) -yeah, like I said, Danes are funny!
Yum! I had it for breakfast the next day too
My little brother joining the band