We will all be taking a cultural training class soon to help us to integrate into our new society. When we moved to France, it was imperative that we did this before we left the U.S. There seems to be a much more laid back approach here as we are now in our 6th week as Swedish residents, and they are just starting to schedule the classes. However, as we prepare, we were given some forms and personality type quizzes to fill out. We were also given some basic information about Swedes in general so that we could compare our personalities to theirs. I thought this was a little interesting summary of Swedish people and seems to be pretty accurate by what we have seen so far!
Swedes are sometimes perceived as serious and a little silent but they are enjoy a reputation of being educated and egalitarian. They enjoy an extremely high standard of living and a welfare state second to none, funded by high taxes.
They pride themselves on their country's neutrality. They are entrepreneurial, open to ideas and technically astute. A key Swedish value is 'less is more'; displays of ostentation are not encouraged here. Balance is everything - balance between work and private life, and between urban living and time in the vast tracts of countryside. In the workplace, everybody is on first-name terms, decision-making is consensual and women have complete equality with men.
In the spirit of joining into our new culture, Tabitha and I made some cookies today to show our Swedish pride!
It was cool and rainy here today but up in Luleå, Josh had snow and ice! Yuck! But, pretty. Besides baking cookies and running a few errands, I have to admit that I did not do much except have fun with some of my new friends. I joined one friend for lunch at this great little French crêperie near by and enjoyed wonderful galettes, very reminiscent of our years in France.
I then joined another friend for fika at a near by coffee shop. It is such fun because we are all relatively new to Stockholm and love comparing experiences, ideas, and things we have found or not found along the way.
After all of this pigging out, I was walking back home and decided to stop at the local Office Depot for some address labels as I prepare for the Christmas card season. I found exactly the normal Avery pack of printable labels that I would find at home, picked them up and then discovered that they were 695 kronor for the pack! That is $106.46!!! I just about fell on the floor! Needless to say, my Christmas card addresses will be handwritten this year...
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