Author: Gian Reinardy

Part of living in a new country with a new family is learning lots of new things. For example today I learned that oranges are actually originally from China. This may be common knowledge to most, but I was dumbfounded. Anyway this all came about because today is Chinese New Year! Normally in America I do not celebrate this, or even know when it is to be quite honest, however, due to the fact that I now have two lovely host sisters from China I have the great opportunity to learn more about it.

A few basic facts are:

• The day the holiday takes place is based off of the moon cycles and always falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice.
• This is a very important family event and time for family to come home for the holiday and relatives to gather.
• Right after the 12:00PM of the New Year’s Eve, fireworks will be launched to celebrate the coming of the New Year as well as driven away the evil. It is believed that the person who launches the first Fireworks in the New Year will get good luck.
• There is a feast at night that consists of dumplings, Tang Yuan  (small ball made from glutinous rice flour), New Year Cake, and LaBa Congee (a mixture of rice, nuts, and beans cooked together).
• Red Packets called “Ang Pow” are given out containing money in hopes that the money will suppress evil and promote a long healthy life for the children.
• People will often decorate their homes in red and orange because in China these color represent luck, happiness, and wealth.

The holiday festivities go on for many days. I find it a truly fascinating holiday. Here in Sweden though there is only so much we can do, but we still had fun with it! Bea gave the kids red packets which can be seen in one of my photos below and Bea and I even dressed up a little bit for the occasion. We ate Oranges for wealth and then we proceeded to devour some surprisingly good Chinese Takeout. You gotta work with what you got sometimes.

It was a really fun learning experience for me and something I hope to celebrate again in the future! Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what my Chinese New year was like:

Swedish Word of the Day: Apelsin – noun Means Orange! The Swedish translation of this is “Apple from China” which makes sense after learning that Oranges come from China.

Muesli cooking in the oven, smells so heavenly I could hardly wait!

The finished project! I always love to top my yogurt and granola with a banana as well, but you can eat it with milk too and any kind of fruit you want. I am sure it would aster just as good.

I then store it in this cute little glass container. Although the recipe does yield about double what is shown here, so I just put the rest in a bag.

God Morgon!

I am starting off this beautiful Torsdag by making some homemade muesli/granola! Since living in Sweden I have been eating so much more homemade foods such as bread, sweets, casseroles, granola, etc! It has been amazing -not only for my taste buds, but also my health and wallet. When you make home made goods you can control what goes in it and how much. This way you can really cut down on unneeded sugar and fats, not to mention that you also do not have to put in all of the crazy chemicals and preservatives that store bought goods contain. Another benefit of making homemade bread and granola is that it is cheap! A average bag of granola can cost anywhere from $6-12 dollars. While if you make it yourself you can make tons of it for half the price – best part is it tastes even better too! I will post the recipe for the granola I made today at the bottom of this post.

Today I have got a lot of little errands and things to do, but I have the day off of school. This is because my teacher has to take the RT3s up north for the week to live in tents our in the middle of no where. RT3 means that those are the third year Rescue Program kids. They are training to be fire fighters and police men so part of their schooling is to do crazy things like this.

I am in school as a BE2 which means Social Science major year 2. Although we do not et to go live in tents for a week, in March I get three weeks off of school for “job training”. My classmates will be following around psychiatrists and helping out at hospitals, I however am lucky enough to do something slightly different and geared toward what I like to do. My amazing host mom, Bea, helped me get in contact with Varbergs leading health and fitness instructor in hopes that I will be able to follow her around and see what life is like as a nutritionist/personal trainer! This person is very busy, she was even named “Varbergs Citizen of the Year” for all of the great things she has done to promote a healthy lifestyle. All this being said she is obviously a very busy women, so she is still thinking about if she will be able to mentor me for those weeks and we should hear back from her by Monday. Likewise, there is a back up plan that is equally as amazing – a fashion internship in a nearby city. I would get to take the train everyday, and attend a fashion school. So either way I am very much looking forward to the month of March!

Currently, Mei-Mei (my younger host sister) is having a friend stay with us for a few days while her mom goes to LA – jealous! So we have a very packed house at the moment, it is a lot of fun though. On Friday it is Chinese New Year so we will have Chinese food in honor of Olivia an Mei Mei and perhaps go sledding by the hill next to us. Then Saturday Bea, Mur Mur, and I are going to see a musical that is being put on by the students at PS. Busy, busy weekend.

Swedish Word of the Day: Ogooglebar – This is a newer Swedish Word and means “Un-google-able” It is used to describe something that cannot be found on Google.

Granola Recipe:

Ingrediants-

• 4 cups Oats
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 1 cup nuts/seeds of choice ( I mixed flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkins seeds, and crushed walnuts)
• 1/4 cup oil of choice (coconut oil, canola oil, melted butter, etc)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure-

1. Preheat over to 350F
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl
3. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl
4. Combine the two bowls
5. Spread out mixture onto tray and place in over, stir every 8-10 minutes and cook for about 30 minutes or until granola is dry. Then let sit for 5 minute and enjoy!

pronounced YAH-HAW

Every culture has its own unique expressions that people say, I just happen to find Sweden’s quite hilarious. In my 3 weeks being here I presume I have heard this phrase at least 500 times. I swear the Swedes are not even aware they are saying it because they use it so frequently! The word basically means like “I see” or “yes” or “okay” even. It is rather hard to translate because in Swedish culture it is acceptable to say it after every sentence apparently. For example, if I were to say “School today sucked” a reply may be “Jaha! Why was that?” or if I said “School today was cancelled!” the reply would be “Jaha!”.

My willpower is strong and I have yet to utter my first “Jaha!”, but I fear it is only a matter of time till I succumb to the pressure. Only time will tell, but for now it is off to bed. Godnatt!

Today I took the train to Gothenburg for the first time! It was a lot of fun and very exciting, but also a tad challenging as everything was in Swedish. Not to worry I made it there and back in one piece.

The trains are a lot like the ones in America, except maybe a tad narrower. It was a short ride, only 40 minutes, and it went by very quickly because I got to see a lot of beautiful Swedish landscape along the way.

Gothenburg itself is truly a stunning city. Unlike Americas cities that have huge sky scrapers and lots of taxis, big cities in the Scandinavian countries are much more quaint. The buildings are a lot shorter and have much more color and detailing giving the cities more life. The people do not swarm the streets – practically running to wherever they may be going like in Chicago or New York. Perhaps the best part was the city transportation, or lack there of for that matter. There were next to no cars in the city! The streets were almost empty, I was amazed. In order to get around people used a subway like system that was above ground.

The shopping was lovely, although in the end I did not end up buying much and did a whole lot more exploring. Not to worry though I will be back to do some serious retail damage another day. The stores are a lot different here. While I did see some that I recognized from America like Topshop, Zara, and H&M, there are a lot of stores that are very different which was nice.

Once home again, I went with Bea to the opening of her friends Cuban art exhibit at a local Cuban Hotel called Havana which is quite famous actually. I understand why too because it is gorgeous on the inside. The halls are decorated with ethnic pictures, colorful rugs line the floors, and it overall just has a very cool vibe.

Here are some pictures from my day.

Swedish Word of the Day: verb – “Jumpa” This word is local to Varberg and means to put ones foot in water with their shoes on.

Not much exciting is happening this week so I though I would share with you guys what a typical day of the week looks like for me.

7 – Wake Up. Depending on when my classes are this can vary, for example on Wednesday I do not start school until 10, so I can sleep in.

7:30 – Breakfast. In Sweden a very typical breakfast would look like butter, cheese, and hard bread which is what my host family eats. Luckily they do not mind me having yogurt instead. My host family normally eats around 6:45 as a family at the table; however, I eat later than them because I like to get dressed before I eat. Then at 7:30 everyone is out the door to head out for school and work. Except me that is, my commute is about 5 minutes so I then get the house to myself for a half hour.

8 – School Starts. There are no bells or anything at school because everyone has such different schedules so we are just expected to be in our rooms when the class is suppose to start. Normally I only have 1 or 2 classes in the morning, but on Tuesday I have 3 .

12:30 – Lunch. My classmates and I then decide what restaurant we want to eat at and go have a nice lunch. We are lucky they are all within 10 minute walking distance and it feels good to get some fresh air.

13:30 – Finish Up Classes. After lunch we then drag ourselves back to school for our final lessons of the day. Mine happens to be Psychiatry on Tuesdays.

15:00 Freedom! Schools out for the day and I head on home to change and head over to the gym for an hour.

17:00 – Emails/Cook After the gym I come home check my emails, do a little homework if I have any, and then every Tuesday I help and cook the family dinner. Tonight I am making Cod with vegetables an rice. Normally Bea does the cooking because she truly is the chef of the family, but it is nice to have the day off every once in a while and I am more than eager to show them some traditional American food.

18:00 – Dinner Time. By now the family is home and every night we sit down, eat, and talk about our day. This is also the time when we really try and work on my Swedish (which is slowly improving!).

19:30 – News. Every night we watch the news for a half hour before bed. While I must admit it can be mycket långtråkigt (very boring) because not much really happens here in Sweden, I find that it really helps my Swedish.

20:00 – Bedtime. Most days by 8 pm I am in bed. I know that is really early for mist teenagers, but by the end of the day I am so worn out mentally that the second my head hits the pillow I fall asleep.

So that is my typical day in Sweden, not very exciting, but this weekend I am going to Götenberg, a major city that north of Varberg. I will be sure to take lots of pictures!

-Hannah

Went for a nice walk this morning with Bea. When we got back I saw that there were tons of ducks in the moat outside the fortress. Normally feeding the ducks is for small children or old people here in Sweden, but I simply could not resist! Special thanks to Bea for being such a amazing photographer and capturing my fun.

As many of you know, I love to read. I always like to have at least one book on me, that way you always have something to do. Books can take you to places you can only dream of and tell amazing tales that can keep you entertained for hours on end. This is why I was so excited to see how Sweden, a country where Literature is taken very seriously and thousands of authors reside in, libraries compare to the USA libraries. Sadly, I would have to say that there is almost no comparison – Sweden wins hands down.

Now do not get me wrong I am well aware that in America we do have some stunning libraries, like the ones in DC, but in my opinion, Sweden just does the whole “library thing” better.

For example, the way they check out books is so much easier. They have these little Kiosk things all around the library and all you have to do is scan you card, put your little piles of books under the machine, and that is it! You can check out all your books in one swift motion with no line, no stamping of books, nothing.

Another thing about the libraries is just how pretty they are. Yes I know I feel as though I keep saying over and over again just how pretty things are, but it is true. Everything is so neat and well designed I cannot help as to fell very impressed by it all. The sections are clearly labeled (in Swedish though) and the library is kept very neat. The little coffee shop in the front really adds to the whole feel and it is almost always very crowded because you know the Swedes do love their coffee.

The selection of books is another aspect that amazed me for the library alone was 3 stories tall and took up an entire block! This is in my little town too keep in mind, I cannot imagine how big the libraries in the main cities are.

Finally one of my favorite parts is you get to keep all the books you check out for an entire month, rather than just three weeks.

I will admit there are a few things American libraries do better than Sweden’s, like renting movies for free. In Sweden libraries only the kid movies are free. Also, the fines for late books in Sweden are very high! That could be looked as a good thing though because then people will hopefully remember to turn their books in on time.

The English section takes up about two shelves and has a complete variety of books from classics, to romances, to biographies. it is nice and I look forward to reading all if them! So far I read “The Snow Child” and “Breakfast At Tiffanys”.

It has been snowing like crazy here all day! I get out of school at 14.00 then plan in doing a few quick errands, one of which includes going to the library of course, and then having a nice movie night with my host family.

Hope everyone has a bra (swedish word of that day that means “good”) weekend!

-Hannah

When living in a new country it is very important to always keep an open mind to everything. Whether that means trying new foods, wearing new clothes, or going into the Kattegatt Sea in the middle of January. Some of the best experiences in life come when we force ourselves out of our comfort zones and try new and exciting things. I am a firm believer that you must always first try something before you decide that you do not like it and it was this exact belief that had me trudging up the walkway to the local Kallbadhust (Bathing House) in Varberg.

Let me start off by saying just how beautiful this building is. It is over 100 years old and the detailing on it is amazing, not to mention that it is on stilts standing over the water with a breathe taking view of the harbor. Inside there is a small coffee shop where people can hangout and enjoy the view, or you can choose to pay 65Kr and get to experience what a traditional Swedish Sauna is like.

I suppose I shall start off with a little disclaimer – if you have a problem with nudity then I highly suggest you refrain from entering any Sauna in the Scandinavian countries. Saunas/Baths are very common in  Sweden and almost all of them are nude. In my town alone there are at least 5. These can be female/male only or coed, I would say more are sex separated though.

The process begins by first stripping out of all clothes. Then you take a little towel to sit on and head to the Sauna to heat up. The temp in the Sauna is almost a staggering 200F! I know that may send some people running, but the heat felt so good and was very relaxing. It really opened up your pores and mind – personally I loved it. The Sauna had huge open windows facing out toward the sea and everyone in there was chatting it up. I even managed to have some nice conversations with some people who were very fluent in English. There were lots of moms an grandmas who come to talk about their weeks, it was a very social thing.

One can only take so much heat and after about 15 minutes most people reach their breaking point.  This is when the real fun begins. Dripping in sweat I stood up and went to the door that leads outside. Once I opened it I saw that the building made sort f a rectangle shape, but the entire middle was empty, leaving only the freezing sea. On the right side were some stairs which the women then go down plunge themselves in the sea (which for the record was a cool 4 C) and then make a beeline for the sauna. I knew that if I stood there thinking about just how cold it would be jumping in, I would never do it, so without thinking I sprinted down the stairs and dived into the water.

The coldness was stunning, it took my breathe away. My heart rate skyrocketed and my skin felt like needles were punching it. The feeling of having pure adrenaline run through your body is exhilarating – I was hooked.

Panting, I made my way back to the sauna. I sat down again and closed my eyes. My muscles were tingling and relaxing, my skin felt silky smooth due to the salt water, and my blood was pumping. At first I will admit I thought that the Swedes were a little crazy for doing this. My family and I always talk about how insane the people who do the Polar Plunge are, but after experiencing it for myself first hand I now understand why they do this and if I am to take any American with me when I come back to visit Sweden you can be sure I will be forcing to experience this great Swedish tradition too!

Had I not been brave enough to try something new and different, I would not have had this amazing experience. There is so much in the world out there just waiting to be discovered. I know how corny the saying “You Only Live Once” is, but it is true. Why go through life afraid of trying new things? You never know what you could be missing out on! After all in my opinion life begins a the edge of your comfort zone. So I challenge you all whether it be big or small to go out and try something new. Maybe a new type of food, a new haircut, bungee jumping, whatever it may be. Stop letting your fears of the unknown hold you back and just do it. I guarantee you will not regret it.

Today I was all set to do a fabulous blog post about what an amazing experience I had in the Swedish Sauna yesterday, but that simply will have to wait because I have something much more important to discuss – pizza.

It was your typical Monsdag (Monday). I slept in, as my classes did not start till 9, had a little Frukost (breakfast), and walked over to school. After working on a Sociology project all morning, or rather my classmates worked and I merely translated things, we decided it was time for lunch. Everyone agreed that we needed some good old grease and carbs to make it through the rest of this dreary day so we headed over to the local pizza place. My life was forever changed after that.

Upon entering I was greeted with a smell so luscious, cheesy, garlicky, and warm I thought for sure it was heaven itself. I looked up toward the menu and that is when my jaw dropped. There were 50 different pizzas to choose from! Not to mention they also had salad, pasta, and sandwiches to choose from. Here a few examples of some of the pizzas:

Africana – ham, peanuts, bananas, pineapple, with a curry sauce

Mama Mia – mushrooms, beef tenderloin, garlic, gorgonzola, with a special béarnaise sauce

89000 Special – minced meat, French fries, peperoni, various cheeses, with kebab sauce

Columbus – shrimp, crawfish, crab, mussels, tuna, and garlic

I am sure by now I have everyone’s mouth watering, so I will put you all out of your misery and stop there. That just gives you a little taste of what I was dealing with. So we all ordered our pizzas and went to go sit down. After a few minutes of small talk, our orders were ready. I stood up to go grab them and was very confused. I thought for sure they had gotten our orders wrong because what lay before me were 5 FULL SIZED pizzas. Not slices, not giant slices, not even Ians pizza size slices, I am talking full blown 14 ‘ pizzas. Free pizzas at that because of the deal with the school and the restaurants.

After stuffing my face, I was not sure that I would ever be able to move again. I slumped in my chair with my hands on my belly in a position of defeat. The pizza had won this time, but not to worry I would be back – after all I still had 49 pizzas left to try!

All in all I am not sure if this glorious find was a blessing or a curse. My taste buds have never been happier, but if I am not careful my jeans will soon be a lot tighter!

-Hannah