Now that it's sinking in that I live here and am not on vacation, I have started to see some negatives of Sweden. It's hard to admit that my native country has flaws but it does. I would like to share them with you. None of these are to imply that I am not enjoying myself here. I love it here. Actually love it. I just thought I would share some things that are not totally awesome when it comes to Sweden.
Expensive. Now I knew that when I signed up for coming here but still. Not my favorite thing about Sweden.
Google, my homepage, is now Google Sverige so all the results are in Swedish so that's always fun. Along with that, I believe that hanging signs is an effective way to spread information. However, they are zero percent effective for me here unless they include detailed pictures that illustrate the information on the sign or if they're in English. But I'm in Sweden so it's not.
The laundry room closes at 10PM. Who does laundry before 10? If you have clothes in the washer past 10, the machine will actually lock so you can't remove them until 7 the next morning. Not that that happened to me or anything.
Come to the library! Check your backpacks at the door! What? That makes no sense. You're not allowed to bring any bags or jackets into the school library so you have to check your things at the coat check and take all your books, notebooks, pencils, and computer out to carry into the library. I have checked my jacket and bags more frequently in the 3 weeks I have been here than I did in my whole 20 years in America. So. Many. Coat Checks.
Once you check your coat and bag at the door, you can use the printers. But wait! They only print on one side of the paper. Ring ring, Hello? 1998 called. It wants its printer back.
Swedes have not mastered the ability to properly plow sidewalks. It's not for lack of plows. I see people driving around tiny Bobcat sized plows every time it snows. They just don't actually remove all the snow.
The whole decimal/comma situation is a strugglefest for me. It's 0 point 5 so it should be a period. If I wanted 0,5 I would say 0 comma 5. Luckily I only have 3 classes left of math and I've already finished 2 of the 3 assignments.
Not an actual problem but annoying nonetheless: the clocks in the building where I have class aren't synced. In one room I get out of class 5 minutes early but in another we always go past simply because the clocks aren't correct.
Toll free numbers mean I don't have to pay for them, right? WRONG. When you're in Sweden and if you want to call Visa or Wells Fargo, it's not toll free if you're using a cell phone. Why would I have a landline if I'm only here for 5 months?
Tissues without lotion. If I wanted to wipe my face with paper, I would use paper. But no, I use tissues. But in Sweden they're not nice and soft like Puffs. They're terrible. There's the same problem with toilet paper.
Small dogs in jackets that pee everywhere. And you can tell because there is snow everywhere. Here's an idea: if you want a small dog that can't handle the cold, move. Or better yet, don't get the small dog. Alyssa, some of them were small enough that you could just kick them across the street. I'm sorry if you love small dogs and Nordic country climates.
Peanut butter. It's weird and natural looking. All I want is normal, processed creamy Skippy. I've grown to appreciate signature American foods so much. I will never take Kraft Mac and Cheese for-granted ever again. The food here is great. It's just funny that I have grown so accustomed to particular American foods that either don't exist here or are just different.
Next week, I head to London with Signe for a long weekend! For those that prefer pictures, my next post will be picture-full. Promise, promise!
Birthday Shoutout to Mom-Jann! I hope you are celebrating your birthday right, Nine Fingers!
Hej då!
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