Images of Spring

I decided to bring a camera along with me on my excursions out running and also on horseback. Here are some images that I believe best represent what I'm seeing as Spring here in Helsingborg. 

First of all.... Flowers 

                       

Unfortunately I have yet to encounter a moose here, but I have found these little critters scampering around in the forests. If you can see, they differ a little from the red squirrels we have at home- I love the hairy ears!

Overlooking to Denmark- both while riding and running

 Running through parks and along the seashore on my way to pick up Mira from school is becoming a daily routine... as long as the sun is out!

The famous white flowers that I've been talking about for a long time have finally began their fine carpet along the forest floor. I love it!

Well, this weekend I went on a journey with my friends to a town called Karlskrona to visit another friend  who is going to school there. I was so happy to be seeing new things and traveling around again, that's something that will always fill me with joy! We stayed overnight and then headed back to our side of Sweden and spent the night in Lund, which is always a good time. 

Many exciting things coming up in the next few weeks! Next week- Valborg. 

59 Days

The countdown is on! At this point in my adventure I am thoroughly looking forward to coming home and reuniting with my family and my friends. Although of course I am enjoying myself tremendously here in Sweden, I still am excited to go back home and catch up with everyone.

I can’t believe how quickly this year is going by! I have always heard how life goes by faster and faster as you get older- but this is ridiculous! It does not feel like it’s been 11 months, but when I read back on all of the things I’ve done with this time I realize it really has been that long.

While I’m sitting here typing this blog- the little girl Mira is playing the whole star-wars theme song on her cello… so cute. I still really appreciate her presence in the house because it fills that hole that would be left from having my little brother Wells around. Call me a sucker but I love those kids! Of course it’s quite a bit different having a little brother than a little sister- instead of getting shot at by fake guns and arrows I’m helping with hair and nail polish but whatever the case it’s fun to be around their energy.

I’m still keeping up the running- now when I go through the woods I am surrounded by a blanket of white flowers. It’s so beautiful, I’ll have to put up a picture of that later! 

It's funny to see how Swedes respond to weather changes clothing-wise. I remember noticing this last fall, it's hard to find a balance for some people- you can see people walking around with t-shirts and jeans and if you glance to the other side of the street you will see others who are wearing their warmest winter jackets!

Also- after being reprimanded by friends for calling korv "bratwurst" in an earlier blog I will now correct myself. There are all types of korv. Korv is a general term for sausage. I'm sorry for those who were offended by my translation!

'Till next time

Glad Påsk!

Happy Easter! Or as they say in Sweden, Glad Påsk!

I've mentioned a few times before how highly celebrated Spring is when it comes back around here to Sverige, and Easter is yet another extension of Swede's embracing this season.   

I honestly didn't expect Easter to be that big of a deal here in Sweden, or at least I didn't expect more of a difference from the typical candy-day and painted eggs. I was thoroughly and happily surprised that my predictions were wrong. 

I was riding the bus into town when I noticed several huge baskets that were spewing with color. I wasn't sure what they were but the beauty of it brought a smile to my face. Swedes certainly don't hesitate to bring out the light and the happiness from their holiday celebrations! As I got a closer look at these constructions of color, I soon found out that they were branches from trees or bushes decorated at the tip with different colors of feathers. I have done a little research as to where this bunch of feathery sticks idea came from- and there are several theories. Either it is meant to symbolize a broom that will wipe away winter, to symbolize a witch's broom and the feathers to induce flight, or more religiously symbolize the suffering of Jesus. 

Not only were there these massive collections of branches scattered across town, but smaller and simpler versions adorned almost every shop and home. 

One thing that is very new to me is that Swedes relate Easter with witches. I found this information about them on TIME Magazine's website-

"In Sweden and parts of Finland, a mini-Halloween takes place on either the Thursday or Saturday before Easter. Little girls dress up in rags and old clothes, too-big skirts and shawls and go door to door with a copper kettle looking for treats.

The tradition is said to come from the old belief that witches would fly to a German mountain the Thursday before Easter to cavort with Satan. On their way back, Swedes would light fires to scare them away, a practice honored today by the bonfires and fireworks across the land in the days leading up to Sunday."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1889922_1890008_1889927,00.html #ixzz1rZoHF8TM

Unfortunately no little witches came and asked us for candy so I didn't get to experience this part of Easter- but I hear that is a common thing to happen here. 

Swedes have four days to celebrate Easter. Good Friday and all the way through until the Monday after Easter. Most Swedes have some kind of Easter dinner on Saturday- but this year my family decided to pick up the American tradition and have a nice Easter brunch with friends on Sunday. 

Our brunch had three courses; first we started off with the delicious homemade herring, cheese and hard bread, the deviled eggs that I made, and some schnapps, (I still can't get over how funny it is to have such strong liquor and drinking songs invited at the holiday tables!). 

Then we moved onto the main courses- we had a choice of either moose meat or salmon, potatoes, and several other mouth-watering dishes. Eventually our brunch concluded with a lemon pie and ice cream topped with a yellow Marshmellow Peep that I got from home. It was a very nice meal. 

The funny thing is that since the Monday after Easter is also considered part of the holiday weekend, many go out on the town on Sunday because they can rest all day Monday! Many were out in Helsingborg this year especially because our local soccer team had won a game. 

All and all, a Swedish Easter was a fun thing to experience. I'd have to say that all holidays abroad are especially unique and interesting- and I'm so happy that I'm able to experience this first-hand. 

Typisk Svensk Familje Tid

      After a long, dark, depressing winter- Swedes attempt to make the most of the spring. One way of showing seasonal appreciation which is typical Swedish is to take your family out in the woods for a hike and a picnic. I joined my au pair family and some family friends for this very type of excursion.

Our group of three mixed families got dressed up and ready to go and were in the cars around 11. It was funny for me to see everyone getting so bundled up. I had on a long sleeve shirt and jeans with a jacket and thought I was ready to go; while everyone else was wearing long johns and three shirts and warm fleece sweaters. One thing that really made me chuckle was the Norwegian who had packed a large hiking bag to bring along- equipped with the warmest of winter jackets, and a hiking helmet.

   We crowded ourselves into two cars and started our venture into the Swedish countryside. The father of my au pair family told us on the way out that he and his family used to do this kind of thing every weekend in the spring for the majority of his childhood. I think it is so cute- just imagine these Swedes going out with all of their wilderness equipment and food ready to take their children into the woods and show them how to enjoy and appreciate the spring. It wasn’t too long of a drive; and very soon we were shuffling back out of the vehicles and loading our arms with picnic supplies for our hike. I really love walking around in the Swedish woods, it’s so peaceful! We hiked around for about 2 kilometers enjoying the scenery and talking about a ton of things. 

   Along the way I learned an old Swedish superstition that if you walk underneath the roots of a toppled-over tree, you will get trapped underneath the tree forever. Gruesome, hm? 

When we finally reached our picnic destination, the adults began preparing a fire pit whilst the young children went shrieking and playing around in the woods. After a combined effort we go the fire started and soon our korv, (almost like bratwurst), were pleasantly roasting on the fire. Being around this kind of grilling session confused me- it felt a lot more like the fall than the spring.

After I was sure that the fire was taken care of- I went and joined the little kids at a game that they were playing. It was a lot like tag but there was a base and… well I was thoroughly confused but the girls really appreciated that I wanted to play with them, it was cute. One of the best things about being around little kids is that I can actually speak to them in Swedish. One would think that perhaps it would be more difficult to speak to that age group but it’s almost like they know who to ‘dumb down’ their language enough to speak with a novice speaker.  

Very soon I had a few more friends to add for my forever growing list of Swedes. 

We feasted on the most delicious pasta salad and korv, and had saft, (Swedish Juice), hot chocolate, and coffee with kanelbullar (cinnamon buns). 

Even though it has been sunny and somewhat warm the past few days, by the end of our picnic my hands were freezing and the sky had become rather cloudy. Before I knew it, little white specks were floating down and landing on my nose and my plate. SNOW! It was quite bazaar, it really didn't feel like it was cold enough to snow, but that's Sweden for you! That weather didn't last for too long thank goodness, and I hope I won't see it for a few months at least. 

When we finally packed everything into the cars and were heading home, I sat dreamily in the back seat and wondered how my family would enjoy doing this kind of thing. Not only am I making a list of friends and people I meet here- but I'm also making a list of traditions I want to bring back with me. 

'Till next time