Posted by Kevin Ferguson (24.49.192.25) on December 23, 2000 at 13:12:25:
Wow, I can't believe that it's already December!! So yes, it's been 4 ½
months since I arrived and Lidingö and Stockholm are two places that I feel
like I could be a tour-guide in. This month's edition will discuss Christmas
in Sweden, my happenings in the past month, and much more. Enjoy! -Kev
WEATHER
Most of this past month weather has been filled with rain, clouds and
darkness. Temperatures have been incredibly warm and are about 5C (9 F)
above normal-between 4-8C (39-46F). Although it is the Christmas season,
it's really hard to get into the spirit without the white stuff on the
ground. As for the rain and clouds, it's been nearly a daily occurrence, so
when I saw the sun last week, for the first time in 3 WEEKS, I was
overjoyed! Today, (16 december) it's also sunny and everyone is out buying
their Christmas trees and presents. Sweden's weather service, SMHI, is
predicting snow for Stockholm for Christmas; so it looks like it won't be a
"Wet" Christmas after all.
You might've heard that during the summer Sweden is the known as the "Land
of the Midnight Sun" . But now, it's the "Land of the Noon-time Darkness."
(Ok, I made that one up). It's true though, With Stockholm's latitude being
the same as southern Alaska (59 N) we don't receive a lot of sunshine during
this time of year. As you go up farther north, it's less and less. In
Kiruna, an Arctic city I visited during my fall break in Oktober, they now
have NO sunlight for the next month. Here in the Stockholm area it's not as
bad as up north, but it's considerably shorter than what I experienced in
good ol' Central New York. Today's sunrise was 08.40 and sunset is 14.46
here. It's pitch-dark when I get to school and leave school now.. a really
weird experience. That all turns around on the 21 december, so in June I'll
be bragging of an 11pm sunset!
HEALTH&FITNESS
I said last month that I would be starting my marathon training for the
Stockholm Marathon on 9 june, but one big obstacle stopped me. 9 june is
also the my graduation day here at my gymnasium (high school) on Lidingö.
So, unfortunately, I can't run Stockholm. I am planning on either running
New York City or Montreal's marathon next fall, though. I haven't run much
since I found out that I cant run the big race, but of course I'm still in
good form and reached a new bench press max of 110kg (242.5 lbs). My host
dad and I are planning on doing an 80km (48 mile) ice skate from Uppsala to
Stockholm in february, so know I must keep my fingers crossed that there'll
be ice to skate on! My physical education class has also been quite fun.
Played badminton, squash, and some really intense ping-pong matches, too!
Actually, the class went to a shooting range last week and I got to shoot a
9mm pistol amid the questions of: "Do you have a gun" and "do your friends
own guns" and "do you sit on your porch with a gun"..gotta love the American
stereotypes!
OUTINGS
I've done a little more travelling within the past month. In early december,
I visited two exchange students whom I've previously met. Us 3 Americans
went to a rock concert marathon in Sundsvall a city 400km (240 miles) north
of Stockholm, bordering the Gulf of BothniaThey also had a Christmas fair on
the main street in Sundsvall and it was wonderful seeing so many people out
in the town and getting into the spirit of the season. . I've also been
going out quite a bit with friends and other exchange students on the
weekends and have had a lot of fun. Our school has had two recent parties:
"200 dagar" (days until Graduation) and "Fotballsfesten", A party after a
football game between our school and the rival school on the island. I also
had taken part in a Rotary-Inner Wheel (Women Rotarian) meeting on 5
december. They had the traditional christmas foods on the "julbord" (which
I'll discuss later) and I stood in front of a group of 40 or so and talked
for 3-4 minutes in Swedish, told them my funny and embarassing experiences
and even made them laugh! I never thought I could be funny in another
language! Also, since Saint Lucia day was on 13 december, I went to "3
Luciakoncerts" (one at school, one for my little sister's school, and one in
Stockholm). The concerts were usual traditional Swedish Christmas songs and
I actually heard "Jingle Bells" in Swedish, too. For Christmas break (from
30/12 until 6/1)I will be going on a ski holiday to Ramundberget, a ski
resort 500km (310 miles) northwest of Stockholm with the family. It should
be a blast!!
LANGUAGE
My "Svenska för Invanrare" (Swedish for Foreigners) class is ending this
coming Thursday (21 december) and I am all smiles. I'm not smiling because
it's concluding, but because I received my "betyg" (certificate of
completion), meaning I passed the final exam that I took last week. The test
included listening, writing and speaking, and honestly I didn't think I'd
pass because sometimes the rules of the language, I felt, were a little over
my head. How's my French coming along? Haha..Very funny. Well, It's really
funny for the other kids in my French class because whenever the teacher
asks me a question I respond in SWEDISH. A few weeks back, I did a
presentation on Rouen, France. I've never had such a struggle in my life
with French- and now it's such a task to speak it, although I still read and
hear it fine. It's sort of a surprise to me, for the most part, in realizing
that my 4 months of Swedish is better than my 5 YEARS of French.
WHAT DO THEY DO HERE IN SWEDEN FOR CHRISTMAS??
Well, It's a lot different from the States, believe me! Advent candles are
seen in windows of nearly every house here. There are no gawdy or flashy
light displays, either simply the candles or some white lights in the trees
and bushes around the home. Of course they have Christmas wreathes,
Poinsettas, and the all important Christmas tree, but are usually sold
beginning on this weekend (15-17th). In Sweden, the Christmas holiday is
celebrated on two days- 24th and 25th of december. The big day (presents,
etc..) is on the 24th, not the 25th. The 25th (julafton) is mainly regarded
as a day to rest and to eat the left-overs from the day before. So yes,
"Jultomte" (a.k.a. Santa Claus) comes a day before then in USA. It is a
yearly tradition to watch "Kalle Anka" (Donald Duck) and "Musse Pigg"
(Mickey Mouse) on television here in Sweden with the family. I bet I'll
enjoy hearing what those two characters sound like speaking Swedish.
The food of the Christmas season is different from the US's delicious "fruit
cake" and "Holiday-coloured" M&M's. The "julbordet" (lit. Christmas table)
is everywhere. This smörgåsbord of meats, fishes and cheeses is a sight to
be seen. Beginning with fish (usually salmon or pickeled herring) and on
then on to the meats- including "julskinka" (lit. Christmas ham)
"princekorv" (little hot-dog weenies) and not to mention, köttbullar
(Swedish meatballs). After that, digest a variety of cheeses and your
Christmas meal is complete! Of course, one must wash-down all this delicious
food with "glögg", a hot, spiced drink (mulled-wine) served with raisins
and almonds.
NEW FOODS:
Other than "sill" (pickeled herring), which tasted quite slimy, I also found
a taste for shrimp, which I never had before. (Wasn't much of a seafood
lover back home). In school, I had something very Swedish: blood pudding.
No, this isn't red pudding! If you look at blood pudding, it looks like a
piece of meat that has been left in the oven for a week- completely black.
Along with some Lingonberry jam, I thought it was quite tasty. That was
until I asked my friend why it was called blood-pudding. Well, he informed
me that blood pudding is the result of congealing pig's blood and adding in
a few other flavors and ingredients. (I guess I shouldn't have asked
because I liked it a lot!)
ANYTHING COMING UP SOON??
On Monday (18th) the 3rd grade (my grade) is having a formal Christmas ball,
so I had to buy a blazer from a second-hand shop in town for the occasion.
On Wednesday, is the last day of classes for the year and my Swedish for
Foreigners class is going to "Cosmonova" (the only IMAX theatre in Europe,
right here in Stockholm). As I told you earlier, I will be going skiing in
the mountains to celebrate the New Year. In March I will be heading up above
the Arctic Circle, for an Rotary exchange-student get-together, and will be
staying overnight in the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi (like I was trying to do
in Oktober)..costs $85 to "try" to sleep in a bed made out of ice
overnight..but it's the experience that counts!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Well, all is well here. I am doing fine..and still looking good (of course!)
I know that there's snow back home in Central New York and they had a little
blizzard in late-November back out in Buffalo. (Saw it in the papers over
here!) I'm relieved that CNN International has finally resumed their
coverage of the rest of the world, instead of having Bernard Shaw boring me
with the month-long election chaos. I hope that everyone has a great holiday
season and all my now-college friends have a long-deserved enjoyable break
from school and exams. "God jul och gott nytt år!" (Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!) -Kevin
Kevin Ferguson
Idetunet 5
181 48 Lidingö
SWEDEN