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...