There's only one thing I have to say: the colours of the sky in Sweden are incredible. At least thirty times this year I've looked up and thought: wow.
The blues and pinks and the way it fades from the horizon to the top of the sky. Pictures don't do it justice. It really is fantastic.
Thanks for that, Sweden.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
I live in a garbage house
Det finns 6 skoldagar till jag ska åker till Stor Britanien för resan.
Loosely (very loosely) translated, that should say something about six more school days until I'll be in the U.K. My plan so far is to fly into London, and eventually end up in Edinburgh. I'm pretty excited, and it does feel surreal, because I've always wanted to see London and much else of the U.K, but I always put it off, maybe because I feel like I want to wait for that 'perfect moment.'
It's the same with Paris. I'm dying to go, but the timing is never perfect. It's always too short, too out of the way, or too something else. Maybe I'm afraid I've built it up too much, kind of like how I feel about the U.K. Essentially, taking English Lit at Ottawa U, almost everything we focused on has roots in the U.K. I want to see it all, everything I've read about. Clearly, in ten days, I'll have to settle for the Cliffs Notes version.
Nothing is less and more fun at the same time than marking essays from students who have other mother tongues other than English. The awkward phrases that come up keep it interesting.
In apartment news, I officially released my apartment, which means people are starting to come see it. Well, they WERE going to start today, apparently. I got a phone call from a woman who only spoke Swedish, and I had to explain that , no, she could not come today. I don't know how to say 'shit pit' or 'there is garbage in every imaginable corner' in Swedish, so I settled for, 'Come tomorrow, I must clean this night. Yes, tomorrow please.' Well, it probably sounded much worse.
Swedish lessons: thank you for teaching me the word clean, but not garbage.
Goodnight my three blog friends, good night.
Loosely (very loosely) translated, that should say something about six more school days until I'll be in the U.K. My plan so far is to fly into London, and eventually end up in Edinburgh. I'm pretty excited, and it does feel surreal, because I've always wanted to see London and much else of the U.K, but I always put it off, maybe because I feel like I want to wait for that 'perfect moment.'
It's the same with Paris. I'm dying to go, but the timing is never perfect. It's always too short, too out of the way, or too something else. Maybe I'm afraid I've built it up too much, kind of like how I feel about the U.K. Essentially, taking English Lit at Ottawa U, almost everything we focused on has roots in the U.K. I want to see it all, everything I've read about. Clearly, in ten days, I'll have to settle for the Cliffs Notes version.
Nothing is less and more fun at the same time than marking essays from students who have other mother tongues other than English. The awkward phrases that come up keep it interesting.
In apartment news, I officially released my apartment, which means people are starting to come see it. Well, they WERE going to start today, apparently. I got a phone call from a woman who only spoke Swedish, and I had to explain that , no, she could not come today. I don't know how to say 'shit pit' or 'there is garbage in every imaginable corner' in Swedish, so I settled for, 'Come tomorrow, I must clean this night. Yes, tomorrow please.' Well, it probably sounded much worse.
Swedish lessons: thank you for teaching me the word clean, but not garbage.
Goodnight my three blog friends, good night.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Snarl-City.
This is a post about snarling.
Today, walking home, the weather was amazing. The sun was out, and the mountains of Borås looked great. Spring is in the air. The snow is melting. Happiness is a few short rays of sun away. Naturally, there was a bit more skip in my step (read: I was actually walking without slouching.)
Now, you'd think being on the brink of Spring might bring out sunnier dispositions in the residents of Borås. No way, José.
People in Sweden are either shy, mean, or a bit of both. Not only do people not even awkwardly smile when they walk past you, they actually snarl. I frequently get snarled at simply for making eye contact with another human being.
It could be the lady I see every day at the bus stop, or someone else in the laundry room snarling. No friendly looks. No half-smiles. No acknowledgement that you are a human and not a robot. Snarls.
Another example happened today, as I was doing my laundry and stepped out for a moment to get some air. A person had been out on their balcony. The second they realized I was also outside, they retreated into their apartment, in a tiffy, almost angry at me for being in the same airspace.
This is something I will never forget and will not miss about Sweden. I'm not saying Canadians become best friends with everyone they see, but generally two joggers might extend a small smirk, or two solitary morning walkers will say a quick 'hey.'
Literally the second I arrived in Toronto, in an airport no less, strangers were conversing with me. Small talk. Acknowledgment. Life.
I will end by saying that there are the renegade Swedes. The few and far between who will come out of nowhere, shake your hand, and strike up a conversation. I am under the impression that they are the bane of the existence of other Swedes.
The phrase, ''Well, excuse ME for living'' often pops into my head after I get snarled at by grannies, teens, moms, and children alike.
Peace out Snarl-City.
Today, walking home, the weather was amazing. The sun was out, and the mountains of Borås looked great. Spring is in the air. The snow is melting. Happiness is a few short rays of sun away. Naturally, there was a bit more skip in my step (read: I was actually walking without slouching.)
Now, you'd think being on the brink of Spring might bring out sunnier dispositions in the residents of Borås. No way, José.
People in Sweden are either shy, mean, or a bit of both. Not only do people not even awkwardly smile when they walk past you, they actually snarl. I frequently get snarled at simply for making eye contact with another human being.
It could be the lady I see every day at the bus stop, or someone else in the laundry room snarling. No friendly looks. No half-smiles. No acknowledgement that you are a human and not a robot. Snarls.
Another example happened today, as I was doing my laundry and stepped out for a moment to get some air. A person had been out on their balcony. The second they realized I was also outside, they retreated into their apartment, in a tiffy, almost angry at me for being in the same airspace.
This is something I will never forget and will not miss about Sweden. I'm not saying Canadians become best friends with everyone they see, but generally two joggers might extend a small smirk, or two solitary morning walkers will say a quick 'hey.'
Literally the second I arrived in Toronto, in an airport no less, strangers were conversing with me. Small talk. Acknowledgment. Life.
I will end by saying that there are the renegade Swedes. The few and far between who will come out of nowhere, shake your hand, and strike up a conversation. I am under the impression that they are the bane of the existence of other Swedes.
The phrase, ''Well, excuse ME for living'' often pops into my head after I get snarled at by grannies, teens, moms, and children alike.
Peace out Snarl-City.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Waffle Day /Baffle Day
Today was Waffle Day in Sweden.
Now, I know what you're thinking:' Any country that dedicates a day to waffles can't be half bad,' but, you're wrong.
Anyways, so we had waffles at school (only the teachers: so evil) and I was so excited that I did not use a plate, and spilled whip cream on my maternity pants three times.
No, I am not even remotely pregnant, I just mistook the stretchy band on my pants for the newest fashion statement of 2011 when trying them on. I didn't even know they were maternity pants till I showed off the new style to two colleagues, who laughed at my naiveté and complete lack of fashion knowledge. However, the benefits of maternity pants cannot be overstated, and needless to say, they came in handy on waffle day. I now own several maternity items.
So, Happy Waffle Day, Sweden. Thanks for making today significantly better than most.
Also, 11 weeks. 11 weeks.
Now, I know what you're thinking:' Any country that dedicates a day to waffles can't be half bad,' but, you're wrong.
Anyways, so we had waffles at school (only the teachers: so evil) and I was so excited that I did not use a plate, and spilled whip cream on my maternity pants three times.
No, I am not even remotely pregnant, I just mistook the stretchy band on my pants for the newest fashion statement of 2011 when trying them on. I didn't even know they were maternity pants till I showed off the new style to two colleagues, who laughed at my naiveté and complete lack of fashion knowledge. However, the benefits of maternity pants cannot be overstated, and needless to say, they came in handy on waffle day. I now own several maternity items.
So, Happy Waffle Day, Sweden. Thanks for making today significantly better than most.
Also, 11 weeks. 11 weeks.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Friday Night. . . Tacos?
Fredagsmys :
It’s about time I write about ‘fredagmys’ one of the weirdest traditions they have in Sweden, in my humble opinion.
Fredag is Friday. So there’s the first part. The second part, I’m told, translates roughly to ‘cosiness at home,’ but perhaps someone was messing with me.
So, ‘fredagsmys’ consists of staying in on a Friday night with family, cozying up in front of the t.v (I think watching Idol), eating treats, and eating the Swedish delicacy known the world over as: tacos. Yes, tacos.
Now, upon hearing this, I clearly laughed out loud, and then had a million questions. 'Why tacos?' 'Aren't tacos not even Swedish?' 'When did this begin?' 'Does everyone do this?' 'But seriously, why tacos?'
Not exactly a million questions, but I still find that no one has been able to answer the ever-so-pertinent question of : 'But seriously, why tacos?'
On Fridays when I ask my students, ‘How many of you are having tacos for dinner?’ at least half the class raises their hand. It’s no joke. It’s an ingrained tradition. I call it Friday Night Tacos, and because I love tacos, I often have my own Friday Night Tacos, however there is no cosiness involved.
There are even songs and commercials dedicated to ‘fredagsmys.’ Click the links to see for yourselves.
Commercial 1:
Commercial 2 :
And click hear to watch a very excited Swedish man explain Fredagsmys to you
In the above video, the excited man has at least 5 of these types of videos. He always goes up to people, and the videos culminate with them dancing with him. Pretty strange. He also always just switches between Swedish and English. I wish more people here were as fun as he is.
My next post will be about ‘lördagsgodis’ which means ‘Saturday Morning Treats/Goodies.’ Yes, you would think that I would find eternal happiness in a country that has TWO days dedicated to eating junk!
Last, but not least, the Super Moon last night was pretty incredible. My life revolves around the moon.
Twelve weeks of school left! (but who’s counting?)
P.S If any Swedes read this, please know that I'm not trying to insult/make fun of your country. I am providing observations for friends and family back home! :)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The name of this post is the Talking Heads
’’I wouldn’t live here if you paid me.’’ Oh Talking Heads, how did you know to write this song about my current life situation?
I think I will only bother to write here if I actually leave Borås-, otherwise it feels self-indulgent, and besides, there are only so many ways to say: ‘I can’t wait to be home.’
In two weeks I’ll be going up to Oslo. I’ve wanted to go to Norway since I got here, so that’s something, right?
The sun also seems to be following a sort of pathetic fallacy based on my mood. Hoorah. (sarcasm alert)
Happy March Break if you’re off in Canada.
Oh, and actually, the best thing to happen to me in a long time (yes, this speaks volumes) is that I received Humpty Dumpty BBQ chips in the mail, along with turtles, dinosours, chews, and other assortments of my favourite Canadian/North American candy. MMMM. Daniel, you’re a star.
I’ll be fine, I’m really starting to run a lot, and that’s so good for the soul, and obviously I'm popping corn like there's no tomorrow.
I think I will only bother to write here if I actually leave Borås-, otherwise it feels self-indulgent, and besides, there are only so many ways to say: ‘I can’t wait to be home.’
In two weeks I’ll be going up to Oslo. I’ve wanted to go to Norway since I got here, so that’s something, right?
The sun also seems to be following a sort of pathetic fallacy based on my mood. Hoorah. (sarcasm alert)
Happy March Break if you’re off in Canada.
Oh, and actually, the best thing to happen to me in a long time (yes, this speaks volumes) is that I received Humpty Dumpty BBQ chips in the mail, along with turtles, dinosours, chews, and other assortments of my favourite Canadian/North American candy. MMMM. Daniel, you’re a star.
I’ll be fine, I’m really starting to run a lot, and that’s so good for the soul, and obviously I'm popping corn like there's no tomorrow.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Homeward bound
Well, about three months left of the school year, then off to Eastern Europe for 3 ish weeks, and then home. Hej då Sverige. Hello life.
It's official, in every sense of the word.
In my last few months, I will try to be positive (TRY), eat as many goodies as I can, travel as much as I can, and try not to let the downers of Borås drag me too far down with their pushing and shoving, and general sour pussness.
Also, lamely, I will be in Sweden for Canada day. My plane leaves for Ottawa July 2nd.
I miss my records a little bit too much.
Summer of love, here I come. More importantly, Luskville and Paddle Tennis weekend, here I come. Friends and family here I come. Multiple food dates with my future wife: here I come.
It's official, in every sense of the word.
In my last few months, I will try to be positive (TRY), eat as many goodies as I can, travel as much as I can, and try not to let the downers of Borås drag me too far down with their pushing and shoving, and general sour pussness.
Also, lamely, I will be in Sweden for Canada day. My plane leaves for Ottawa July 2nd.
I miss my records a little bit too much.
Summer of love, here I come. More importantly, Luskville and Paddle Tennis weekend, here I come. Friends and family here I come. Multiple food dates with my future wife: here I come.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
A pause- Conflict Minerals
We think and hear a lot about fair trade, and the conditions under which our clothing is made, and our food is brought to us (well, some do), and yet another pertinent issue that tends to be less at the forefront is the issue of Congo’s conflict minerals.
You may have seen the film ‘Blood Diamond,’ and are now recalling the phrase ‘conflict diamonds.’ Conflict minerals are essentially the same. A quick internet search allows one to discover that conflict minerals used in our electronics are mined in a conflicting manner, hence the name, and are mine in a way that violates human rights.
Time magazine online published a story entitled, ‘’First Blood Diamonds, Now Blood Computers?,’’ in which author Elisabeth Dias informs the public about this issue. She is better versed and has better verse than I do, so you can read the article here: http://www.webcitation.org/5v1B1lxV6 . There are countless articles about the issue throughout the internet.
This is not breaking news, by any means. Organizations and groups have been working for years trying to raise awareness. Change is slow, but that doesn’t mean it’s non-existent. The organisation ‘Raise Hope for Congo’ published an extremely user-friendly overview of which companies are actually working towards using conflict-free minerals. There are none yet who provide entirely conflict-free products, but, according to ‘Raise Hope’s’ findings, companies such as ‘Dell,’ ‘HP,’ and ‘Motorola,’ are “on the right track.” You can visit their website and see all of this for yourself, here: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/content/conflict-minerals-company-rankings?tier=4#list
Now, I know in the face of all the shit (pardon my language) in the world today, it’s so much easier to tune it all out. Caring about things that may seem so far removed from our daily lives takes a lot of energy, and we’re tired, and have other problems. I’m not saying that overnight we can all stop buying computers and cell phones, and that’s not the point. Personally, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we have transparency and a clear view into the things we buy, and we realize that we are part of the problem if we all collectively turn a blind eye to horrors committed in the name of saving money.
I believe that some of us in this world are lucky enough to come from places where we have voices, both with the right and privilege to speak out, and with our purchases. Just like with fair trade, if a consumer demands that a product meet certain ethical standards, and enough consumers share this demand, companies look into alternatives.
Basically, information empowers us. So read up on conflict minerals. The conditions under which these minerals come into the hands of companies are appalling. Follow the links to see if you can lend your voice to an important cause. It’s about empathy, and about doing what we can for those who are powerless.
Also, if you didn’t feel like reading, here is a youtube clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-sJgcoY20
You may have seen the film ‘Blood Diamond,’ and are now recalling the phrase ‘conflict diamonds.’ Conflict minerals are essentially the same. A quick internet search allows one to discover that conflict minerals used in our electronics are mined in a conflicting manner, hence the name, and are mine in a way that violates human rights.
Time magazine online published a story entitled, ‘’First Blood Diamonds, Now Blood Computers?,’’ in which author Elisabeth Dias informs the public about this issue. She is better versed and has better verse than I do, so you can read the article here: http://www.webcitation.org/5v1B1lxV6 . There are countless articles about the issue throughout the internet.
This is not breaking news, by any means. Organizations and groups have been working for years trying to raise awareness. Change is slow, but that doesn’t mean it’s non-existent. The organisation ‘Raise Hope for Congo’ published an extremely user-friendly overview of which companies are actually working towards using conflict-free minerals. There are none yet who provide entirely conflict-free products, but, according to ‘Raise Hope’s’ findings, companies such as ‘Dell,’ ‘HP,’ and ‘Motorola,’ are “on the right track.” You can visit their website and see all of this for yourself, here: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/content/conflict-minerals-company-rankings?tier=4#list
Now, I know in the face of all the shit (pardon my language) in the world today, it’s so much easier to tune it all out. Caring about things that may seem so far removed from our daily lives takes a lot of energy, and we’re tired, and have other problems. I’m not saying that overnight we can all stop buying computers and cell phones, and that’s not the point. Personally, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we have transparency and a clear view into the things we buy, and we realize that we are part of the problem if we all collectively turn a blind eye to horrors committed in the name of saving money.
I believe that some of us in this world are lucky enough to come from places where we have voices, both with the right and privilege to speak out, and with our purchases. Just like with fair trade, if a consumer demands that a product meet certain ethical standards, and enough consumers share this demand, companies look into alternatives.
Basically, information empowers us. So read up on conflict minerals. The conditions under which these minerals come into the hands of companies are appalling. Follow the links to see if you can lend your voice to an important cause. It’s about empathy, and about doing what we can for those who are powerless.
Also, if you didn’t feel like reading, here is a youtube clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-sJgcoY20
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