Basic info

I have a million things that I could type, but I guess I'd better start with the basics. Lake Malaren is a huge lake in Sweden that flows east into the Baltic Sea. The two bodies of water meet amidst the world's largest archipelago, composed of 24,000+ islands. Stockholm was built on 14 of these islands and has sprawled onto the mainland as well. Apparently the water in the lake is so pure that it is drinkable. If the tap water is an accurate reflection of the quality of the lake water, I might actually believe it.

Miranda and I live on the island of Kungsholmen (King's Island), which many people refer to as the "fine" area of town. The island is shown in the picture on the left, and we live at the green arrow. My walk to the office heads in a straight line, slightly southeast across the island, then crosses the canal where it gets really narrow and congested. It's about three blocks to the office after crossing the canal. Kungsholmen has lots of restaurants, shops, etc. Then again, almost every street I've walked in this city is lined with restaurants and shops. I guess the commerce in Kungsholmen must just be a bit more upscale.

The buildings on Kungsholmen aren't nearly as old as the old areas of town, but this area's architechture is still quite cool. Our apartment is a tiny apartment on the 4th floor (5th in American terms as the ground floor is the 0th floor) of an apartment building. The apartment is located atop the highest point in Stockholm, looking out over the northern part of the city. Most of the lake lies to the east, south and west, but it's still a pretty amazing view, made even better by the city's colorful buildings. There are two separate subway stations each located about four minutes from the apartment, and the subway can get someone to any point in town in a very short amount of time. The apartment is exactly a mile and a half from my office, so it's about a 25 minute walk to work. It's actually a very nice walk as well, making the location much more enjoyable. The picture at left shows some of the buildings along my walk to work.

Now I'll get to the people. Ideally I'd like this blog to focus on the Swedish people and the Swedish culture, but as I still have stories to tell, I guess it'll have to be a mix. In my mind, it's the people that make Sweden so interesting. It's tough to say what it is exactly, but based on my first week with the Swedes, I have nothing but good things to say. To begin, they are quite diverse. Throw all of your visions of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Swede out the window. They do exist, but the only place I can consistently find the stereotypical Swede is behind the counter at McDonald's. A bit ironic that the stereotypical Swede works at the stereotypical American restaurant, don't you think? I have only lived here for a week and I do not speak a lick of Swedish, but multiple Swedes have picked me out of crowds to ask me directions. Why me? I have black hair, a dark skin tone and I dress like an American. Apparently I still look Swedish.

I do not feel tall in Sweden. I have seen women in the street look down at me. Whenever this happens I look at the woman's shoes. Is she trying to trick me or is she really that tall? Miranda tries to trick me with heels. These women are really that tall. I also feel large in Sweden. The men in Stockholm are the typically very thin. I'll need to rebuild my former runner body if I really want to look like a man from Stockholm. I don't have to deal with this at work as most men wear normal business clothes, but the people on the street, men and women, wear the world's tightest jeans. Tight to the point that men walk funny. Tight to the point that skinny thighs and calves still find ways to bulge. They really should switch to Spandex with a denim pattern. It's probably less revealing and still more comfortable.

Then there's the personalities. The Swedes are genuinely nice. Unless they're discussing work that does not involve me, they switch every conversation to English as soon as I join the group. When we go to lunch, my coworkers order in Swedish, but as soon as they sit down they turn into American businessmen, rattling off perfect English without thought or hesitation. Yeah, it's inconvenient for them, but they never seem to mind.

A couple financial guys in the office are quite intrigued by the U.S. financial world. Lucky for me, that's something I love to talk about. Everyone is interested in my view of the primaries and elections. Obama and Clinton are making waves around the world. Republicans don't make the news over here as the most right-wing Swedes have the same views as Obama. It's baffling to them that conservatives and single-issue voters even exist, or that there are even enough conservatives in America to elect a Republican president. Swedes may or may not be very religious, but it's something they keep to themselves. It is actually frowned upon to be outspoken about your faith.

I started typing this post a week ago and have since lost track of what I really wanted to say. I'm sure I'll get back to the point later. For now, I just need to get this posted.

I've already shared the pictures from the apartment (panoramic from the balcony), but I want to post them again for those of you that don't use Facebook. We'll get some pictures of the apartment posted once we've unpacked and settled in. The last picture looks down on the rocky hill that leads to the water.

Also, Miranda just got here yesterday. Our air shipment arrived later in the morning, so our place is full of boxes and suitcases. My next post will be about the joys of having a companion here. Her first post will probably be about the shitty weather. I actually hope she's had a favorable first impression, but I'll let her share that with you.

You stay classy America.