After being here for 2 and 1\2 weeks, there are several things I miss and American music is one. Internet radio is not an option on our lap top so I was excited when I found 107.2 FM which plays all songs in English. I enjoyed the nostalgic songs for a while but it seems this radio only had a few songs by the Monkey's, Elvis and Neil Diamond. Who ever thought you could hear Crackling Rose on two morning drives in a row.
I am also missing several food items...soft wheat bread, chunky Jiff peanut butter and milk or meat that lasts more that 3 days. Two of the most missed items for a housewife is a disposal and a normal dryer that circulates warm air to dry your clothes. Sink disposals are (I think) not allowed in Sweden although I have not confirmed that or find out the reasoning behind the restriction. And the Swedish have only allowed "environmentally friendly" dryers which means they are not "mommy friendly". IF you have a dryer here, it is machine that supposedly sucks the water out...which means it takes two hours to get your clothes to a still damp stage and that you have to empty the container that fills up with water or else you end up with really wet clothes and a mess to clean up. The other option is the drying rooms but since I have not bought Swedish fabric softener yet, our clothes end up VERY STIFF!
Finally, we are missing several hours of peace and quiet since Davis is still not completely comfortable with his little Swedish crib. He is sleeping now and we walk on pins and needles to not wake him.
Despite these little inconveniences, I am very much liking our new home!
William started futbol today with several class mates. His coach is a German expat who also works for Ericsson. I need to ask him how he got off to coach at 4:30 because Dwight is working some long hours. One of the benefits of our location is now that when Dwight goes to France next week, he will only be gone one night!
Check out the phto above...guess what color William's new jersey is! It matches the new European push chair we bought - a stroller with big wheels for outdoor...especially in the snow and ice. Oh, I forgot to mention about William's 250 SEK or $40 haircut. The photo also shows Davis eating his first Nutella (sp?) sandwich - white bread with chocolate spread.
Below Davis finds something what looks peculiarly familiar...only where is Dad to take his for a ride. Dwight will have a blast when his mini bike arrives. Thank goodness it passed customs on the US side.
2 comments:
Wow. Reading your post was like re-living all the things that shocked me when I moved to Italy back in 2005.
1. Radio will always suck abroad. Unless you live in England, in which case it will only be really bad. I recommend you get some nice laptop speakers and use internet radio. Good stations are www.wncw.org (NPR - Asheville, NC), www.wdvx.org (Bluegrass - Johnson City, TN), Shoutcast stations are pretty thorough in genre, and www.dead.net (Grateful Dead streamed 24-7).
2. The milk and bread will drive you crazy at first, but you will get used to making a few, very small trips to the supermarket two or three times a week. Meanwhile, when you get home, that American bread that strangely lasts a week and a half will start to worry you. Is it really bread? Or some reconstructed plastic foam? It never molds!!!
3. It's funny that in Sweden they blame their dryers on the environment. In Italy, they say they don't want to destroy their expensive clothes. Anyway, it is still very common to hang clothes (in Italy and in the UK for that matter). Yet another thing that you might get used to.
4. Nutella is what brings Europe together. They are crazy about the stuff. I don't eat nuts, and it's got hazelnuts....but I'm glad you have found the staple product of this continent. (England, by the way, self-consciously avoids being a part of "Europe," thus avoiding the Nutella craze. But if you think it will cure your homesickness, think again...it's still very much not-America.
I love hearing about all your "adventures"! I feel much moe a part of the experience, I will start a list of must haves to mail in a flat fee box!! I can not imagine how you are doing with all of you in a small small place and the cold weather and all the other changes, by Aug you will be a PRO and show us the ropes!! keep'um comg!!
Post a Comment