So, a quick note on Swedish candy obsession! You can't walk down a street without running into a "godis" store lined wall to wall with plastic bins filled with goodies ranging from salt licorice, jelly candies, chocolate and marshmallow.
Swedes eat the most bulk candy in the world! Young people and working women between 25 and 60 eat the most candy....(you little snackers you)! Swedes eat over 18 kilos candy per person per year. That's equivalent to 39.6 pounds per person per year! Over 100 million bags a year are sold in Sweden. Who knew that this population of slender, tall people were chowing down all this candy. You'd never know it by looking at them.
Source: Wikipedia
A list I found online ranks Sweden as #1 in Kilo's consumed per year, followed next by England and then Germany. USA ranked #8. (study from 2007). Over 1/3rd of the candies consumed in this study was bulk.
Prices range from about 6 Kr to 10 Kr per Hg. (There are 10 Hg's in 1 Kilo). My husband made sure to let me know that 10 Kr is way too much and not to buy from places so expensive. So don't buy your bulk candy from the movie theater (for example)!
America' favorite Swedish candy....Swedish Fish. Are they even called Swedish Fish here in Sweden...NOPE. I've seen two types of these "Swedish Fish". Black licorice fish are called "Salt Sill", and the bulk candy with many colored fish are called "Pastellfisk".
Want to know more about this fun fact? Check out "Godis Åt Folket", by Thomas Hedlund and Andre Persson.
Now you are gonna want some Swedish Fish aren't ya?
Until next time...
Today, like many other days, I went into the local High School in Kungålv while I waited for my Swedish language course to begin (located just across the street). It's just a lot more fun to sit and people watch at a H.S. This school is called Mimer's Hus, and it's nothing like PCH (my old H.S) in St. Louis. Some of the kids take public transportation to school, (no yellow school busses here). Some drive cars, and many ride bikes or Vespa's or other types of mopeds to school. In this posting you'll learn about some of the fashionable and not so fashionable trends here in Sweden.
Outside the school, you will see no smoking signs posted, however, you'll also find many teenage girls smoking cigarettes. *I notice that many more girls smoke in Sweden, while the boys opt for snus. Snus is a unique smokeless tobacco product, commonly referred to as snuff in the U.S. A "fun" snus fact (if we can call it that), is that one of America's biggest snus enthusiasts was aviator Charles Lindbergh (who is of Swedish decent), discovered the product after one of his trans- Atlantic flights. "The Spirit of St. Louis" was the aircraft designed to get Lindbergh to Paris. St. Louis supporters paid for the now infamous aircraft.
Inside the school, it more closely resembles a modern university. Newly constructed with clean lines, an incredible library, cool cafe, and even a little foosball to play during breaks. I notice that most of the kids are simply carrying small laptops in green "Mimer's Hus" cases. I'm wondering if this school has rid itself of the need for notebooks by adopting modern technology.
This morning I walked up to the cafe' and ordered an Apelsin (Orange) Vitamin Water and a Yoggi (drinkable smoothie)--trying to knock out this awful cold that struck me just yesterday. The girl working behind the counter was chugging down a Red Bull. I kinda thought that Britney Spears made the whole Red Bull for breakfast thing kind of not so classy, and therefore, not really a trend anymore. But alas, alongside mostly healthy food options stood several of the recognizable silver, red and blue cans. Not quite the breakfast of champions. On that note, I have never seen teenagers down cups of coffee like I have seen here in Sweden. I even remember seeing my husband's younger cousins drinking the stuff black at the young age of 11!
This coffee drinking gets me thinking about how these kids seem "older" in a way, than me and my friends seemed at the exact same age. Seems as though kids at this age are viewed as more mature, and able to make decisions for themselves at a much younger age. For example, at the tender age of 16, kids here can choose to quit high school if they want. If they choose to stay in school, they decide what area they wish to have their career, much earlier than we did back in the States. In H.S, they can choose from a plethora of programs including (Economy, IT, Electrical, Caregiving, and more). These are decisions most of us in the states didn't have to worry about until we attended university.
Looking around, I can't help but notice the fashion trends at the school.Well let me say this, when there is a trend in Sweden, it is not subtle. Just after about 5 minutes in the school (or walking down ANY street), these trends can be pointed out immediately because nearly EVERYONE participates. I'm really not exaggerating here, this goes back to the culture of Sweden which we'll have to get into another time. To name just a handful of the obvious trends here:
Converse- mostly white if they are the regular sneakers, or you'll see high tops in a variety of colors, but usually in black or grey. Black Leather Jacket for girls- thank goodness for affordable options for great trendy black leather aviator style jackets. Skinny Jeans- I'll revert to my previous posting...WTF? Die trend die! Although, I personally am dealing with this trend by simply trying to get in better shape so that I may also participate to be more aesthetically pleasing to those having to look at me. And why does everyone wear skinny jeans? because of the.... Boots! Kickass Black and Brown leather nearly to the knee boots. This year, it's all about the lace-up boots. These boots just don't really look right with Boot Cut, or other style jeans. I can't believe I'm seeing Dr. Martens again! Hunter Boots- Back in the states, these are popular, but not because you need up to the knee rain gear. But no, not in Sweden, not only are they extremely fashionable, they are a necessity!
Check out an amazing pair of Hunter boots by Jimmy Choo at http://www.hunter-boot.com/2/29/Shop-Online/Hunter-and-Jimmy-Choo/BLACK/W23612_BLK.aspx?col=29 Tights & Leggings- The only way Swedes can continue to wear their spring and summer dresses, skirts, shorts etc all year long. These are not just worn in plain old shades of black and grey, no, no, no! Paisley, neon, flower, striped, polk-a-dot..you name it! Plus, this is not just a teenage trend. Middle-aged women can be seen sporting these in-your-face designs. Luckily there are places like H&M, Ellos and Lindex to find affordable and trendy options.
Another note about tights...I understand the long, flowy top trend (yah, it's cute), but let's say it this way gals - sheer pantyhose and tights are not pants girls....no, they are not pants!
Pearls- large, fake pearls in earrings, necklaces and bracelets can be seen all over the place.
Layered Jewelry and Personalized Jewelry: the girls layer on bracelets made of gemstones, pearls and suede. New moms sport silver jewelry with their children's names and birthstones dangling
Lastly, I have noticed an extremely unfortunate trend, that these poor girls will look back upon and cry....this is the trend of shaving one side of your head. Girls - this ain't pretty or cool, and it's gonna be a bitch to grow back, so DON'T DO IT!!!
I pick up my virtual pen now that I have been living in Sweden for nearly 4 months. Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, I'm far from home. I mean this both physically (I'm seriously far away from St. Louis), around 5000 miles, and culturally- ( Ummm, I wave to the cows and laugh as I walk to the city of Kärna). I use the term "city" loosely, very loosely, as there is only a small grocery store, a hairdresser, a florist and goodies/movie rental/post office and an elementary school in this "city" of Kärna.
I stepped off the plane, and arrived in Göteborg on June 2nd, 2010. The first month just felt like a long vacation. Sleeping in, enjoying fresh potatoes and salmon cooked by the world's most domestic woman (my mother in law), and relaxing were just common practice in the beginning.
By far I have found that the most enjoyable thing to do in Sweden is to take advantage of the incredible weather and visit islands by boat. Marstand, Dyrön are just a couple of my favorite places to visit. Breathing in the fresh ocean air, letting the wind blow thru my hair, I took in the amazing views of the archipelago and crystal blue sky.
However, life isn't all butterflies and salt licorice. Leaving family and friends behind wasn't easy, although I have to admit that Facebook and Skype have probably made this trip possible. I don't know that I could have moved without the ability to check up on my adorable little niece in St. Louis, or seeing what my friends were up to.
Quick list of things I love in Sweden
-Summer weather
-The fact that I've already seen 3 FULL rainbows since I've been here
-Archipelago
-Clean Air
-Proximity to other amazing places in Europe
-Sense of Community
-Walking everywhere and riding my bike
-Free education (my swedish language course is free)
-Free child daycare
-Contributions from the government for having children *thank you very much Sweden!
-Free healthcare
-An overall healthy lifestyle (organic foods cheaper and more readily available than back at home), people walk, bike everywhere
-Public transportation that doesn't suck! In fact, the busses are clean and the people watching is fantastic.
Things I dislike in Sweden:
-The fact that I don't speak the language (my own fault for not learning sooner, but I'm on it now)
-Skinny Jeans (WTF?) Why won't this trend go away?
-Everything more expensive(high quality, less quantity)
-Systembolaget! The Swedish government controls the liquor distribution. So basically, you pay about 40 percent more for liquor compared to in the states and you can't really get it when you want it.
-Hours of operation: retailers only open short while on Saturdays and not really on Sundays.
Things I miss from home (STL/United States)
-friends and family (a given!!)
-A close second...is.....TARGET! Nothing even comes close here.
-Having a car (and driving everywhere).
-Tostito's (don't you laugh!) .
-Pei Wei.
-Oishi, Kobe Steakhouse, Hibachi.
-Ability to go out to eat whenever I want.
-Good customer service (waiters don't get tips, so don't expect your water to be refilled).
-My TV shows.
-Being busy (it's a love/hate thing).
It's been an interesting 4 months. I have realized, however, life is pretty much the same no matter where you live. The day to day doesn't change SOOO much, it's really the people that make a place a home.
There's my rant..I promise future blogs to be much shorter!
Peace!
Brandi
