Sweden Is Not a Large Country
This may seem like an obvious statement. Well, it is, but let me explain. Sweden occupies 173,732 square miles of the Scandinavian peninsula. For reference, the state of Iowa is 56,272 square miles. So about three Iowas fit inside Sweden. Cool. Half of the 9.5 million people that live here, though, live in the southern half of the country. In Stockholm alone there are 1.4 million in the metro area. So there's about 4 million people to live in the rest of the southern half of the country, which is about 1.5 times the size of Iowa. This results in a population density not unlike that which we have in Iowa (52.7 and 53.8 inhab./sqmil).
The more interesting part though, I think, is the fact that everyone knows everyone else, and that everyone else is on TV, or the radio, or in movies. This is a hefty generalization, and it is not literally true, obviously. It is a very connected-feeling country. With not so many people and not so much room (though by European standards Sweden is huge) it is only natural that people are well-connected. I don't know how many times I've heard "oh I went to school with her" or "yea she was in my sisters class" or "I talked with her at a concert once" when people are talking about famous people. People on TV and in movies, and not the shitty local television, or the short film your cousin made for his film class in college. These are people with careers, people like ABBA and Roxette, or Stellan Skårsgard (from Pirates of the Caribbean, Orlando Bloom's dad). I mean there are movie stars that live in Halmstad during the summer, and the king comes and plays tennis in the town to the south. Pretty cool, I think.
The more interesting part though, I think, is the fact that everyone knows everyone else, and that everyone else is on TV, or the radio, or in movies. This is a hefty generalization, and it is not literally true, obviously. It is a very connected-feeling country. With not so many people and not so much room (though by European standards Sweden is huge) it is only natural that people are well-connected. I don't know how many times I've heard "oh I went to school with her" or "yea she was in my sisters class" or "I talked with her at a concert once" when people are talking about famous people. People on TV and in movies, and not the shitty local television, or the short film your cousin made for his film class in college. These are people with careers, people like ABBA and Roxette, or Stellan Skårsgard (from Pirates of the Caribbean, Orlando Bloom's dad). I mean there are movie stars that live in Halmstad during the summer, and the king comes and plays tennis in the town to the south. Pretty cool, I think.
English
English is a massively influential language. It's really pretty incredible. One can read all they want about English as a global language all they want, but experiencing it in the flesh is another matter entirely. I was in Germany just the other day and I heard Mumford and Sons on the radio. My hosts spoke German, as they live in Germany, and their English was so-so. Enough to survive, definitely, but certainly not fluent. And I thought it was weird that they would routinely listen music in a language that they didn't really use. They said themselves that they don't use English very much, so I thought, "why the fuck are people playing English music on the radio then?" Think if US radio stations played German music, or Japanese, or Chinese. Sure there might be a song or two that's catchy no matter what language you speak, but I think that many people would tire of the lack of lyric comprehension quickly.
English is imperative to the world of business. If you wish to conduct business in or with the US, a knowledge of English is invaluable. If you want to communicate with someone that does not share a mother tongue with you, English is your best bet. If you want to watch movies and not have to read subtitles, English is where it's at. If you want to, as I said, listen to music, English is handy there as well. It has become abundantly apparent to me that the US, and Britain, and Australia, English speakers wherever, as a collective, have created a hugely influential culture, through movies, music, television, business, and historically, the colonization of much of the world by Britain and the rise of the US to superpowerdom. These trends have cemented the English language as the first truly global language. This seems, I'm aware, a bit English-ego-stroking, but I'm not trying to say that English is better than any other language. I mean the same thing could have happened with French, or hell, had Hitler won, I very well could be writing in German right meow. But it happened that English is the language that went global, and I find it pants-crappingly-fascinating that any language can do that.
On a related note, with the extent of people who speak English as a second or third language, there are lot of people pretty bad at English. I've noticed this with different things the Swedes say routinely, such as "do you want to follow me" when they mean "would you like to come/go with me" (This one in particular I found to be a fascinating example of how things are lost in translation, as the Swedish is "Vill du följa med?" or literally "Do you want to follow with?", which, in context, means the same thing as "Do you want to come/go with me?" but I think that as Americans we have it fairly ingrained in us that following somebody is a sign of obedience/leadership (if someone says "follow me" they're asserting themselves as a leader,) or a necessary means of showing someone where something is, as in "You can follow me, I'm going there now." When asked outright as a direct translation from the Swedish, "Do you want to follow me [to a location]?" it isn't understood as, not at first anyway, "Do you want to come/go with me [to a location]?" it is understood as "Do you want to follow me, because I am a leader and you are a follower, [to whichever location]? It may seem that I'm hugely over-thinking this, but I think most people agree that when they think of "following" they think of one in front of the other, and when most people of "coming/going with" they think of one beside the other, especially when talking to one's peers, which is who I hear this from most often. This is the difference between treating your peers as equals and treating yourself as superior to them, albeit unintentionally.This is a lot to insert in the middle of a sentence but deal with it, I'm not going through the trouble to edit it.) or "will happen something" when they mean to say "something will happen" or when they say "take it in English, Swedish, etc" when they mean to say "speak/say it [in] English, Swedish, etc." It's mostly syntax and verb conjugations/usage, but if you only speak English with other people who have it as a second or third language and you are all making the same mistakes and lack the knowledge to correct each other, then the mistakes become commonplace, and eventually, accepted.
Some more examples:
"I didn't found it."
"When we was looking bought a house, them bought it before it we buy it"
English is imperative to the world of business. If you wish to conduct business in or with the US, a knowledge of English is invaluable. If you want to communicate with someone that does not share a mother tongue with you, English is your best bet. If you want to watch movies and not have to read subtitles, English is where it's at. If you want to, as I said, listen to music, English is handy there as well. It has become abundantly apparent to me that the US, and Britain, and Australia, English speakers wherever, as a collective, have created a hugely influential culture, through movies, music, television, business, and historically, the colonization of much of the world by Britain and the rise of the US to superpowerdom. These trends have cemented the English language as the first truly global language. This seems, I'm aware, a bit English-ego-stroking, but I'm not trying to say that English is better than any other language. I mean the same thing could have happened with French, or hell, had Hitler won, I very well could be writing in German right meow. But it happened that English is the language that went global, and I find it pants-crappingly-fascinating that any language can do that.
On a related note, with the extent of people who speak English as a second or third language, there are lot of people pretty bad at English. I've noticed this with different things the Swedes say routinely, such as "do you want to follow me" when they mean "would you like to come/go with me" (This one in particular I found to be a fascinating example of how things are lost in translation, as the Swedish is "Vill du följa med?" or literally "Do you want to follow with?", which, in context, means the same thing as "Do you want to come/go with me?" but I think that as Americans we have it fairly ingrained in us that following somebody is a sign of obedience/leadership (if someone says "follow me" they're asserting themselves as a leader,) or a necessary means of showing someone where something is, as in "You can follow me, I'm going there now." When asked outright as a direct translation from the Swedish, "Do you want to follow me [to a location]?" it isn't understood as, not at first anyway, "Do you want to come/go with me [to a location]?" it is understood as "Do you want to follow me, because I am a leader and you are a follower, [to whichever location]? It may seem that I'm hugely over-thinking this, but I think most people agree that when they think of "following" they think of one in front of the other, and when most people of "coming/going with" they think of one beside the other, especially when talking to one's peers, which is who I hear this from most often. This is the difference between treating your peers as equals and treating yourself as superior to them, albeit unintentionally.This is a lot to insert in the middle of a sentence but deal with it, I'm not going through the trouble to edit it.) or "will happen something" when they mean to say "something will happen" or when they say "take it in English, Swedish, etc" when they mean to say "speak/say it [in] English, Swedish, etc." It's mostly syntax and verb conjugations/usage, but if you only speak English with other people who have it as a second or third language and you are all making the same mistakes and lack the knowledge to correct each other, then the mistakes become commonplace, and eventually, accepted.
Some more examples:
"I didn't found it."
"When we was looking bought a house, them bought it before it we buy it"
"I don't know if it will happen something"
"Napuwallie" when he meant "Napa Valley", the famous wine country in California
"I was living one year in France"
"I live there some years ago"
"I have live there for lots of years ago"
"Put down the prices" It's like you're euthanizing the prices instead of reducing them.
I am not discouraging people from practicing their English, but god damn is it laborious to listen to so many people make so many mistakes. Especially in group situations, I can't stop each conversation and correct people, one because that's impossible, and two because if I were to try I'd look like a dick. And sometimes even I doubt whether or not they're really wrong. This is due to the obscurity of the way they articulated it. Sometimes they choose words that in some contexts would work just fine, but in other contexts, it throws me for a loop, preventing me (or any other native speaker) from coming up with a more acceptable way of saying what they want to say, at least in that moment. Combine this with incorrect verb conjugations/tenses, different syntax, and "ums" and "ers" sprinkled in and you've got to do work to understand them. I should also note that this is not the general trend, most people are very good. Some people though could stand to improve their skills, and others really need to. The thing that worries me more than having to close my eyes and focus on intently on people's English is that other L2 (second language) English speakers don't. They know what the other L2 English speaker is trying to say, if not totally precisely, precisely enough to answer in an often equally imprecise way. Given a long enough time, the trend of "wrong" English turns into "right" English, and I think it has already started to happen. Just like in the US, if enough people use a new word long enough, it becomes accepted as a word. With enough people using English in their daily lives, but not with native speakers, they are bound to come up with their own tendencies and idiosyncrasies which a native speaker would consider incorrect. And that's kind of shitty, I think, that English is developing more and more branches that aren't necessarily attached to or born from any culture in particular, rather from a utilitarian need to communicate. Given enough time and enough isolation of different branches, there won't be the English language but the English languages. This already exists to some extent with the differences between British, American, Australian, and Caribbean English. However, these differences are relatively minute when compared to, for example, the differences among Chinese languages. I'm not claiming that I know that English will absolutely change to such an extent, I'm saying that this sort of thing is happening, and mostly it's just annoying. Like a scratchy tag on a shirt. Both native English speakers and those who are L2 speakers are inconvenienced by the differences that come about by way of "mistakes" becoming commonplace that they're accepted, which makes them that much harder to reverse, and that much more difficult (annoying) to understand.
We are not so different, you and I
This is something that I've thought about people in general for a long time. Just the fact that we are humans makes us similar in more ways than we are different. Though, it only takes one difference, i.e. our skin color, to have us think that we are massively different, too different in fact to ever get along, which of course is a ridiculous notion, but the history books tell us otherwise.
All that aside, being here I've noticed that people are, even if just at a basic level, very like another. To confirm conventional wisdom, we all like to laugh, have fun, drink and carry on, etc. There may be different cultural tolerances or tendencies for these things, but on a general level, these are unifying characteristics. In addition to these, there are those that we don't generally think of (at least I didn't): there are awkward people, moments, and topics, kids are annoying, parents are frustrated with their annoying kids, the kids scream and throw tantrums, the parents yell, etc etc. Kids misbehave. They hit each other without warning. They throw stuff, make messes, what have you. They're fuckin kids! Adults make pointless small talk. They say stupid or socially inappropriate things. It's absolutely fascinating. I think many times when we think of different people in different places we tend to glorify them. We think of, hell, whichever group or culture, and we're quick to praise them (or the opposite) for whatever traits or characteristics they're known for. We think of Germans, we think of lederhosen and beer, and I bet that you've got a picture of what a German should look like. Or a Frenchman (that funny little hat, a red bandanna around the neck, thin, pointy mustache, black and white striped shirt). Or a Spaniard (mustache and goatee, dark-haired, tan, shorter than a white guy, likes to party). Hell, what do people think of when they think of Sweden (or the US, though I won't write about it)? Tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed. Busty, athletic women. It may be true that there are a disproportionately large number of blonde people in Sweden, and many of them have blue eyes, but there is an even larger number than dye their hair blonde, and that don't have blue eyes. There are people of all colors here. The people look nothing like I expected, and exactly what I didn't expect was for them to look like normal people. That sounds stupid and crass, but I expected what many people think of they think of Scandinavia: tall, blonde, blue eyes. Sure, there is more of that here, but Sweden is just as much a melting pot of cultures, creeds and colors here as anywhere. Well, maybe not, as there are still mostly white people here, but you see what I mean. The world is getting smaller, and as a result, we are becoming more and more like each other. If you wanted to see "the pure Sweden" as people here call it, you have to travel back in time about sixty years. That was, apparently, when Sweden looked like people thought it should look, in all its Aryanness.
We had brunch a few weeks ago, and I was absolutely shocked. There were several people in the house, mostly friends I think. I was shocked that adults and children alike were giving awkward hugs, greeting each other enthusiastically, saying "hi" and "good, great, you?" several times in rapid succession. We did that for some time, just stood around and greeted each other. When it was time to eat there was the ever-familiar politeness of "oh no, you can go first" thing, followed by the meal, which involved, for me personally, several conversations where I was asked about things I really wasn't interested in or where I wasn't allowed to get a word in edgewise. I was asked about hockey. Have I ever talked about hockey? I know fucking nothing about hockey! I was asked several times about Sweden and Swedish and English and the US and everything, and there were several times where I wanted to continue developing a thought, but I was cut short by those who were already dominating the conversation. I'm not criticizing anyone, either individually or as a group, I think it's great to converse with people, my point being about being cut short or asked such things I have nothing to contribute to is that it reminds of family gatherings back in the US.
We had brunch a few weeks ago, and I was absolutely shocked. There were several people in the house, mostly friends I think. I was shocked that adults and children alike were giving awkward hugs, greeting each other enthusiastically, saying "hi" and "good, great, you?" several times in rapid succession. We did that for some time, just stood around and greeted each other. When it was time to eat there was the ever-familiar politeness of "oh no, you can go first" thing, followed by the meal, which involved, for me personally, several conversations where I was asked about things I really wasn't interested in or where I wasn't allowed to get a word in edgewise. I was asked about hockey. Have I ever talked about hockey? I know fucking nothing about hockey! I was asked several times about Sweden and Swedish and English and the US and everything, and there were several times where I wanted to continue developing a thought, but I was cut short by those who were already dominating the conversation. I'm not criticizing anyone, either individually or as a group, I think it's great to converse with people, my point being about being cut short or asked such things I have nothing to contribute to is that it reminds of family gatherings back in the US.
At Thanksgiving, Christmas, whatever, there are exceedingly few relatives with which I can have a conversation longer than a few minutes. That, or if we're both determined to talk to each other, it goes in stripes. "So do you know where you're going to college" "Nope, I might go here here or here" "Ah, cool". Thirty seconds silence. "Do you know what you want to major in" "Nope, I might do this this or this" "Oh, yea, this is really good, or this is not worth your time, do this". Two of the major conversational pieces have been exhausted, both of us are aware of this, so at least thirty seconds more silence. Neither of us have come up with anything, resort to small talk. "Weather!" "Oh, weather!" "Yea, that weather, it happens and shit" "Haha, it sure does". All conversational points exhausted. Shit.
Having brunch was remarkably similar to such family gatherings we've all been to, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just the opposite! I thought it was massively entertaining to see that other peoples put themselves through the same social malarkey.
Having brunch was remarkably similar to such family gatherings we've all been to, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just the opposite! I thought it was massively entertaining to see that other peoples put themselves through the same social malarkey.
Pictures
Most of these were taken in Germany, when we went to visit Sebastian, R&A's first exchange student. The text is always describing the picture above it.
This was next to my bed at Sebastian's house. Don't know what it is, though it looks remarkably like a bong.
Sebastian's village
Me standing one step inside the bathroom at Sebastian's house. The toilet was to the left, or my right as I am in the picture. In order to reach the toilet, one had to squat down where I am standing currently, then back up to the toilet.
Sebastian's house
Grapes from the garden. They were good, but they were really really dark (wam bam flavor, not for pussies) and had big seeds in them.
Parking like a douchebag knows no bounds.
This is a big building, might be the opera.
"the true, the beautiful, the good"
Street art
Goethe sat in this spot. Taken in the Goethe House.
Skyline
Must have been cold that day
Ducks
The fuck you lookin' at?
In a big church. This display was massive.
So was this. That man is fully grown about five foot six, for reference.
This Halloween exhibit seems a little inappropriate.
Skyline at night
It's 19.5 Celsius (67 Fahrenheit) at 11 o'clock. We sat outside in short sleeves.
This was one of our dinner setups when the power was out. Food put in the pan with water (already cooked, delivered by my host grandparents) and warmed by the candles, enjoyed by candlelight.
