Sweden 2017 or Bust
I've decided that I'm going to Sweden next year. I'm sure this statement begs a ba-jillion questions. I mean seriously, Sweden? Yes, Sweden. For real. Why???????
(1) I'm Swedish. Nope. Not like even 1-128th. Near as I can figure (without the assistance of genetic testing), my ancestors are mostly from lands to the south and east of Scandinavia. My mom's family came from Hungary and Romania but called themselves Germanic. My dad's family... I think some were German and others Scotch-English. But Scandinavian? Yeah, not so much.
(2) Jag talar svenska. Again, nope. I'm hopelessly American and speak only English. That said, my goal is to learn enough Swedish to get around and not seem hopelessly American. After just ten days of lessons, I can already count to twenty, recite the days of the week, ask how you are, tell where I'm from, and say 'I love you'. It's a process and I'm traditionally not good at languages (just look at the way I massacre English), but I've promised myself I'm going to persevere even if I suck at it.
(3) I love gelatinous and pickled fish. Gag. I hate fish. The kind that swim are fine as long as they are still swimming. Once declared edible, however, I'm out. While I do believe that when in Rome one should experiment with the local culture and cuisine, pickled herring, lutfisk, and all other native fish and fish-like delicacies are off the table.
(4) I like Volvos. Bucket List item aside (Recall: Drive Volvo in Sweden), I'm not a fan of Volvos. While durable (a co-worker drove a mid-80s station wagon well into the 20-teens), in my experience (while selling cars at Car Max) they drive stiff and have minute backseats. I recall wondering, while riding in the backseat of a larger model SUV, about the stature of Swedish people. I mean, are the Swedes a small people?
(5) I like Ikea. Yes, in fact I do. It's a fun field trip here in the States and I always enjoy going. Seriously, though, what could I possibly buy at IKEA while in Sweden that would fit in my suitcase for the return trip? Plastic serving spoons? A pillow case? Yeah, I think I'll skip it.
(6) Blonde, blue eyed women. Sweet, naked, nursing baby Jesus. I'm fond of saying that I don't have a type and (with the exception of an infamous decade and a half when 'crazy' seemed like it topped the list) this is historically true. Simply stated, blue eyed blondes don't catch my eye. They never have. I certainly don't expect a vacation in Sweden to change that.
(7) I've been everywhere else in Europe. I've actually never been to Europe. Not England, not France, not Italy. The sum total of my non-US travel experience? I went to Australia and New Zealand twice in high school and cruised to Jamaica and Grand Cayman in my early thirties. My passport expired twenty years ago. I've never been anywhere and I chose Sweden. It makes it even weirder, doesn't it?
(8) I have a friend or pen pal who lives there. To my knowledge, I don't know anyone in Sweden. Hell, I may not even know anyone who's been there. Right now I'm struggling to think of someone Swedish that I might know. There was a woman I went to grad school with... No wait. I'm pretty sure she was Norwegian. Yeah so no... No Swedes.
(9) I like frozen, arctic regions. Trust me. I've done my research. I won't even visit my mom and sister in Minnesota in winter. Why would I go all the way to Sweden to freeze my ass off? I'm planning to go between May and August when the weather is the most seasonable (ie. warmest). July, given that there's a women's pro tennis tournament in Bastad, is my first choice.
(10) Swedish cinema rocks. I do like Swedish film...about as well as I like American film. I did prefer the Swedish version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (and the two other films in the series). But, no, the Stockholm Film Festival won't get me on a plane any more than the South by Southwest Film Festival gets me to downtown Austin during the craziest time to be in downtown Austin.
Ok, there are ten reasons that fail to explain why I'm going to Sweden. So then, why am I going? I honestly can't say. I can't. There's just something in my soul. A feeling? A calling? A spiritual pull? I really don't know. What I do know is that I've always wanted to go there for reasons that remain inexplicable. I feel the same way about Idaho and the Outer Banks. There's just...something. I haven't been to Idaho or the Outer Banks either so I have no idea what I expect to find in Sweden, if anything at all.
Regardless, I need an adventure and a goal. Sweden seems as good as any destination. Why does anyone want to go anywhere? We just do. And that's good enough for me.
(1) I'm Swedish. Nope. Not like even 1-128th. Near as I can figure (without the assistance of genetic testing), my ancestors are mostly from lands to the south and east of Scandinavia. My mom's family came from Hungary and Romania but called themselves Germanic. My dad's family... I think some were German and others Scotch-English. But Scandinavian? Yeah, not so much.
(2) Jag talar svenska. Again, nope. I'm hopelessly American and speak only English. That said, my goal is to learn enough Swedish to get around and not seem hopelessly American. After just ten days of lessons, I can already count to twenty, recite the days of the week, ask how you are, tell where I'm from, and say 'I love you'. It's a process and I'm traditionally not good at languages (just look at the way I massacre English), but I've promised myself I'm going to persevere even if I suck at it.
(3) I love gelatinous and pickled fish. Gag. I hate fish. The kind that swim are fine as long as they are still swimming. Once declared edible, however, I'm out. While I do believe that when in Rome one should experiment with the local culture and cuisine, pickled herring, lutfisk, and all other native fish and fish-like delicacies are off the table.
(4) I like Volvos. Bucket List item aside (Recall: Drive Volvo in Sweden), I'm not a fan of Volvos. While durable (a co-worker drove a mid-80s station wagon well into the 20-teens), in my experience (while selling cars at Car Max) they drive stiff and have minute backseats. I recall wondering, while riding in the backseat of a larger model SUV, about the stature of Swedish people. I mean, are the Swedes a small people?
(5) I like Ikea. Yes, in fact I do. It's a fun field trip here in the States and I always enjoy going. Seriously, though, what could I possibly buy at IKEA while in Sweden that would fit in my suitcase for the return trip? Plastic serving spoons? A pillow case? Yeah, I think I'll skip it.
(6) Blonde, blue eyed women. Sweet, naked, nursing baby Jesus. I'm fond of saying that I don't have a type and (with the exception of an infamous decade and a half when 'crazy' seemed like it topped the list) this is historically true. Simply stated, blue eyed blondes don't catch my eye. They never have. I certainly don't expect a vacation in Sweden to change that.
(7) I've been everywhere else in Europe. I've actually never been to Europe. Not England, not France, not Italy. The sum total of my non-US travel experience? I went to Australia and New Zealand twice in high school and cruised to Jamaica and Grand Cayman in my early thirties. My passport expired twenty years ago. I've never been anywhere and I chose Sweden. It makes it even weirder, doesn't it?
(8) I have a friend or pen pal who lives there. To my knowledge, I don't know anyone in Sweden. Hell, I may not even know anyone who's been there. Right now I'm struggling to think of someone Swedish that I might know. There was a woman I went to grad school with... No wait. I'm pretty sure she was Norwegian. Yeah so no... No Swedes.
(9) I like frozen, arctic regions. Trust me. I've done my research. I won't even visit my mom and sister in Minnesota in winter. Why would I go all the way to Sweden to freeze my ass off? I'm planning to go between May and August when the weather is the most seasonable (ie. warmest). July, given that there's a women's pro tennis tournament in Bastad, is my first choice.
(10) Swedish cinema rocks. I do like Swedish film...about as well as I like American film. I did prefer the Swedish version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (and the two other films in the series). But, no, the Stockholm Film Festival won't get me on a plane any more than the South by Southwest Film Festival gets me to downtown Austin during the craziest time to be in downtown Austin.
Ok, there are ten reasons that fail to explain why I'm going to Sweden. So then, why am I going? I honestly can't say. I can't. There's just something in my soul. A feeling? A calling? A spiritual pull? I really don't know. What I do know is that I've always wanted to go there for reasons that remain inexplicable. I feel the same way about Idaho and the Outer Banks. There's just...something. I haven't been to Idaho or the Outer Banks either so I have no idea what I expect to find in Sweden, if anything at all.
Regardless, I need an adventure and a goal. Sweden seems as good as any destination. Why does anyone want to go anywhere? We just do. And that's good enough for me.
I've been there, twice (and a bunch of other countries, most of them multiple times). And I'm not looking to go back. But, if it's calling you, go. Personally, I can think of several places I'd rather go for a travel experience. As for my passport, I had to have pages added and it also includes work visas for Canada and India.
ReplyDeleteHave fun!
Rich E.