Vaxholm? Waxholm?

Apparently this island is named two different ways, at least that is what it seems. It was sometimes spelled with a V, and other times with a W. Either way, it was a fun adventure to head out to the archipelago in the winter. Most of the Swedes looked at me like I was a bit crazy when I gushed about my planned day trip to the archipelago in winter. This is usually a trip saved for warmer weather and time spent at a summer house. I will not be here to experience either of those things, so I figured experiencing Vaxholm in the winter was better than not at all! So Riku and I boarded a boat at 8:30am on a Saturday morning as dedicated tourists. We arrived to a town that was still asleep...seriously felt a little like a ghost town. We found a visitor's center in true tourist fashion, and mapped out our day. The island is apparently only 3km long, so we decided to see all 10 points of interest and walk the island. The weather was actually pretty nice. Never thought I would think 30 degrees Fahrenheit was nice weather. Only in Sweden. So we hiked the island and saw adorable houses, a cemetery, the town hall, and browsed the stores on the small main street. We even convinced two people to let us borrow their sleds and race down a hill. We ended the day trip with a couple beers that we bought at the "special" store in town. The beers weren't quite cold enough, so we took advantage of the snow. I knew snow was good for something!

Hiking the island.

I want this to be my summer home.

A good use of snow.

Out of the norm

I do things here in Sweden that are not normal. Or at least not normal for me. So I decided to make a little list.
1. I drink coffee. My trips to Starbucks in the States usually consist of ordering a green tea frapp or a white chocolate mocha...definitely not typical Swedish coffee. But everyone here drinks coffee, multiple times a day, and they drink it strong. We also have a little espresso shot machine. You name it coffee wise, and we've got it. I hope I don't return to the U.S. as a shaky coffee addict.
2. I eat bananas. Most people who know me well, know that I don't eat bananas. I'm not really sure what my reasoning was to eat one last week, but I did...and it wasn't terrible. One of the many perks to the job is the large fruit bowl that sits in the break area. Every day it is filled with lots of fruit, but mostly bananas. Call it desperation or not wanting to make another grocery store trip, but now I eat bananas. I'm a changed woman.
3. I type on a keyboard that has a few additions. In Swedish, there are a few letters that have strange little symbols over them. I haven't quite learned the rule of pronunciation for them, but I have to type them all the time now. It takes some getting used to, that's for sure.
4. I can't crack open a bottle of wine whenever I want. Okay, that might read a bit wrong. I'm not an alcoholic, but I do love my wine. The thing is that here in Sweden, alcohol is only sold in "special" stores. When I first arrived in Stockholm I remember running some errands after work and then hunting down the special store to buy a bottle of wine. When I about walked into the door (most doors are automatic in Sweden, so I just assumed it would open), I realized it was closed! The hours for the special store are, um, special: open until 6pm on weekdays, 3pm on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays. There are no 2am beer runs in Sweden.
5. I venture outside in bad weather. Back in SoCal, I live for sunshine and warmth and when the temperature drops below 60, I like to hibernate. Well, the temperature in Stockholm is about one-third of my "hibernating weather." And although it doesn't really rain here, it definitely snows! I have to leave my house when it's snowing and freezing to get to work. But, oddly enough, I still explore on the weekends even when I don't have to be anywhere. I finally got over my fear of freezing to death in a snow embankment.


Notice those three letters that are not in the English language...



Whistle while you work

 I spend my weekdays at Kungsgatan 49, which is considered the city centre of Stockholm. The location is perfect for a shopaholic like me. Or it's the worst location for a shopaholic like me. The jury is still out on that one. There are three H&Ms within two blocks of each other. NK, the best and nicest department store in Sweden, is less than a 10-minute walk from my office. And when I'm feeling up for some exercise, my apartment is only a 35-minute jaunt. But it can be a long 35 minutes when it's -12 Celsius. The Bonnier AB office I work in is much more professional than my TransWorld home. Before I came to Sweden, I realized I needed some business casual attire. And it was a good reason to go shopping. I ended up buying sweaters, black pants, leggings, etc. in order to prepare for a nicer dress code. If I dressed in my Sweden digs back in Carlsbad, people would probably think I was going on a job interview. The expression "dress to impress" is what Swedes live by and I think it's a good motto. It's nice to put a little pride into my appearance every day, even though I'm still guilty of a ponytail now and again. I'm convinced I will never have a good hair day while I'm here. As soon as I think my hair is looking okay, I step outside and the hat I have to plop on my head ruins it. It's a small price to pay for warmth though.

Notice the H&Ms on both sides of the street.

The centre plaza near my metro stop.

Kungsgatan 49, Bonnier AB is on the sixth/seventh floors of the gray building 

in the middle.

Day of firsts

Saturday was a "day of firsts" for me... I will start at the beginning. The day began with an all-you-can-eat brunch at Kvarnen. Paul had three friends in town from New York, so we all decided to try a new restaurant. When I saw the white chocolate fondue fountain surrounded by brownies, marshmallows, cakes, and pies at the dessert table, I was in heaven. But then I saw the table filled with herring, prepared about five different ways. Okay, I think I can be somewhat adventurous when it comes to trying new foods, but herring scares me a little bit. Somehow after almost three weeks of being in Stockholm, I've completely avoided trying it...until the brunch. I loaded up a plate with small bites of each kind of herring, and also grabbed a piece of bread and some mushrooms in case I needed a chaser. All in all, I tried five different herring dishes and I liked 2.5 of them. I gave the pickled herring a half vote because I liked it at first, but the aftertaste lingered too long. Good thing I had the fondue to ease my pain. After brunch we walked around and showed Paul's friends Gamla Stan. I think it was the first time that I felt kind of like a "local." I was pointing out things and sights and and easily navigated my way through the streets. I'm living in another country halfway across the world, no big deal. Our next stop was the Nobel Museum to learn about the origination of the prestigious prizes, history on Albert Nobel, and look at a few exhibits. Later after we had all rested and relaxed, we met up with a plan to try a metal bar. Paul's friends from New York are "metal heads" and very into the metal scene in New York and worldwide. So we ended up at Harry B. James bar and restaurant expecting something different than what we found. Not really knowing much about the metal scene, I didn't know what to expect and I was a little worried. I guess we didn't do our research about the place because when we arrived Def Lepard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me" was playing and I busted out laughing. If this was metal, then I loved metal! I guess it was KISS night at the bar, and that was confirmed by the amount of people walking around with painted faces. Needless to say the New York friends were very unimpressed, we gulped down a beer, and booked it out of there as quick as we could.  Paul suggested we go to Sky Bar, which was at the top of the tallest skyscraper in Stockholm, had no cover, and was a little more upscale. After the "metal" bar, we were all ready for something different. The walk to the metro was a little more than chilly. At -14 Celsius I knew it was cold, and my trusty metric unit iPhone app told me it was 6 degrees Fahrenheit! What? It was probably the coldest I've ever been in my life. Another first. In the metro we found the train we needed to take and all jumped into the elevator to save some time. The doors closed, it moved up about two floors, and then stopped. We all looked at each other in fake panic, internally thinking, "Yeah right, this thing will move any second." It didn't. I started doing the nervous, hysterical laugh and the boys started pushing any button they could find. The capacity on the elevator said eight people, we had six, but it was still pretty cramped. A voice finally came on the intercom in the elevator and said help was on its way. I didn't want help on the way, I wanted it NOW! Forty-five minutes later, we were finally freed. Rob joked that now we knew how the Chilean miners felt, and once I was free, I could actually laugh about it. Our imprisonment almost ruined the night, almost. We made it to Sky Bar, tentatively taking the elevator up 23 floors, and Noa and I ordered tequila shots. I don't think Sweden does tequila shots because the guy hunted around for a while looking for Patron. He came back with something similar, but it ended up being really good. Then again, any alcohol at that point would have been good. What a night. I'm all for trying new things, but this "day of firsts" was a bit much.

My plate of herring, prepared five different ways.

Our "aftermath" drink at Sky bar.

I'm famous!

Well, not quite famous, at least not yet. But I was interviewed by the Bonnier Communications department since I'm part of the GROW program. Eventually all the "GROWers" will have their turn, but I was the guinea pig. The interview was published on the Bonnier website for all to see.
Check it out: http://www.bonnier.com/en/content/meet-kim-oswell

Being a tourist is fun

It was fun to play tourist on Saturday with Paul and Riku. We boarded a ferry to Djurgarden to visit the Vasa Museum. In 1628, the Vasa war ship sank on its maiden voyage in the middle of the Stockholm Harbor. The ship was restored and excavated in the 1950s and now sits in a huge building for everyone to see. The history and artifacts were very cool for a museum nerd like me. After the museum we took a walk to Gamla Stan and grabbed a coffee at my favorite place, Chokladkoppen. Then we found a random bar that had a live band playing. The band was awesome and we enjoyed hanging out with all the cougars. We moved on to the Vampire Lounge after, but unfortunately I didn't find my Edward. It was underground in a basement with a low-light setting. Totally a cool place with a chill vibe, and it was fun to try the "vampire theme" drinks. All in all, it was a long, but totally fun Saturday. Sunday we went to a hockey game at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm for a Sweden vs. Finland match. It was a lot of fun and Sweden pulled out the win in an overtime shootout. Next time I will paint my face blue and yellow like a real fan. 

The Vasa ship

The Ericsson Globe Arena

Hockey time!

Two weeks

Well, I made it almost two weeks. That's a long time for me to go without Mexican food. I've been fighting my favorite food craving for a few days, but it got the better of me today. Since Stockholm is not exactly filled with authentic south-of-the-border cuisine, I decided to cook my own. I bought some groceries on the way home and filled my cart with the makings of a yummy taco dinner. Black beans, tortillas, avocados, ground beef, jalapenos, etc. My dinner ended up being amazing and totally hit the spot for my ethnic need. I've been out of the country for almost two weeks now, and in some ways it feels much longer. I think I've adapted somewhat of a routine this week and that feels like I'm settling in a bit. My new job is a little more comfortable and I'm remembering a few more names of co-workers each day. And today was "massage day" at work. A benefit of being a Bonnier employee at the main office is that massages are provided monthly for free. My massage was 30 minutes of bliss and was a fantastic way to end my Friday. My plan tomorrow is to visit the Vasa Museum and the Nobel Museum. There are so many things I want to do and see while I'm here! Stockholm will never be my home, but this city is quickly becoming a good friend. 

I survived my first real snow storm. I woke up this morning and peeked 

out my balcony door to take this picture. 

I love cheap stuff

One of the benefits to living in Europe is that travel to other countries is fairly inexpensive and easy to arrange. When a co-worker told me about an airline that was cheaper than cheap, I had to check it out. Ryanair is located about an hour from Stockholm and you can get there by bus. That is probably one of the reasons flights are so cheap. After figuring out how to put the website into English, I discovered that flying to Berlin, Germany, would only cost me 50 dollars! How could I pass that up? So I booked the flight for the second weekend in March and am staying two nights. The only thing is that my flight is at 6:30 a.m., which means I need to catch the airport bus at 3:30 a.m. to make my flight! It’s okay, sleep is overrated…especially when I find amazing deals. I always love a good deal!

A nice little Sunday

Today was my first official day exploring Stockholm. I was in hibernation for all of Saturday trying to kick a bad head cold, so I was stir-crazy by Sunday. I met up with a few of my fellow GROW friends and had a delicious lunch at a cafe around the corner from my apartment. Then we set off for Gamla Stan, which is the old town of Stockholm. The architecture is beautiful and the town dates back to the 13th century. Gamla Stan is filled with cobblestone streets and medieval alleyways, and it was so exciting to walk down the ancient paths. We saw Kungliga Slottet, which is the royal palace built in the 18th century after the previous palace burned down. After the sightseeing in the old town, I headed north on the metro to the Life Church of Stockholm. I found this church online after I searched for Christian churches in the area. It was small and cozy, but full of welcoming people. Some of the worships songs were familiar and it made me feel at home. After church I stopped by the market, for my second go at grocery shopping. It wasn't so bad this time. I even found salsa and chips! All in all, a great Sunday! The only thing missing is the Superbowl...

Me in front of the royal castle.

A peek of the German Church on Gamla Stan.

It's definitely wintertime! 

A few thoughts/discoveries about my time in Sweden thus far...

1. Cars, buses, and taxis all slow down for pedestrians. I hesitated at a crosswalk my first day here, even though people boldly stepped out into the intersection. Yes, the light was green and I had the "walk" sign, but I've never known vehicles to actually slow down when pedestrians are crossing the street. After my two-day jaunt in London, and having nightmares about being taken out by a bus as I was crossing the street, I had many qualms about trusting vehicle operators. But I was assured by a fellow co-worker that pedestrians have nothing to fear because all vehicles always stop and slow down for pedestrians. Apparently if you are caught speeding or not giving the right of way, your license is revoked immediately. Perhaps the US should adopt this brilliant policy!
2. I'm the only one excited about the snow. I was sitting at my desk at work and watching the mass of snow flurries falling from the sky. I've never lived or really experienced snow before! But I heard the murmurs around the room about the current weather conditions, and nobody was smiling. Hmm...I'm sure the novelty of it all will wear off very soon.
3. My job is completely different than my TransWorld position, and that is a good thing. This whole GROW experience is based on the fact that you will do something different and be able to experience various facets of the Bonnier Corporation. I've already helped create part of a powerpoint presentation for a meeting next week, and I've begun helping with the GRID conference planning by doing research and contacting speakers. I'm so excited for the coming months!
4. The language barrier is much harder than I anticipated. In my previous blog, I wrote about my grocery shopping experience. That is just one small example of how difficult the language difference is! I'm really going to try and pick up some more Swedish, but man, this is a complex language!
5. I love public transportation. I take the metro to work every day. The closest station is only two blocks from my apartment, and from there it is only three stops until my destination. And then I walk three blocks to the office. All of this takes less than 20 minutes and only costs me 100 dollars a month. Considering the fact that I spend about 75 dollars per week on gas driving in California, I'm thrilled!

Hej!

Nope, I didn't spell that wrong...it's the first Swedish word I've learned. It is pronounced "hey" and it means hi. Easy enough, right? The second Swedish word I learned was tack, which is pronounced "toc" and means thank you. I'm not exactly ready to converse with the Swedes, but I think I'm on my way. At least the optimistic side of me is trying to believe that! Today was my first official day of work at the Bonnier office in the center of Stockholm. I know I'm going to like my life here when there is an H&M around the corner from the office...and two more within three blocks. I got an iPhone to use for work and to make calls to the US, but I plan to mostly use it to find my way around. Google maps and the Oanda currency converter are my new best friends. I'm feeling a little under the weather (probably due to the germs I accrued along my travels and the major lack of sleep), and decided to stop by the market after work to get some food. That's when the magnitude of the language barrier really hit me. Good thing I was carrying my Swedish English dictionary, which I pulled out right in the produce aisle. I couldn't quite look anything up because of the people rushing/bumping past me. So I scurried over to an aisle toward the back of the market and downloaded a dictionary app to my new iPhone. Once that was downloaded, between looking up words and prices, it only took me half an hour to pick out eggs, milk, butter, and apples (total sarcasm). And after I checked out, I stood waiting like an idiot looking at my groceries sitting on the counter. When the cashier started ringing up the next customer, I soon realized that I was the bag boy (errr, bag girl). With bags in hand, I walked the two blocks home. Needless to say, I need to do a little more reading on food words, or perhaps make flash cards like kindergarten. Maybe I should skip eating and stick to H&M. Tack for reading!