As it is fast approaching four months since leaving home, I thought it was due time for me to write greetings with some news of life here in Sweden- and photos too.
The last time I wrote, I recounted the events surrounding the removal of my appendix. For those who may be wondering, I am fully recovered now and am getting on with the busy pace of life in Stockholm.
So, welcome to Sweden...
Trains, Buses, Mushrooms and Flowers
Coming from the laid back pace of Marg. River, it has taken quite some adjusting to public transport. For the most part in Stockholm, people don't own cars and therefore rely heavily on public transport. There is a lot of walking to be done also- between bus stops and train stations. Often you find you are running down escalators to catch trains that have come early from a bus you were on which arrived late. You need to allow room for delays and for the fact that, try as you may, you will miss buses from time to time.
Perhaps it would be cruel to pin it on Swedes alone, but the fast pace means that often you may be pushed or bumped into by a person who is making their way to a train in a hurry. It happens often, there's nothing you can do about it (I think a simple 'Sorry' would not go astray, but it seems most are too busy for that. Unless of course they also are foreign- then you might get an apology).
On the flip side, there's some really pretty scenery around Stockholm. Trains drive over tall bridges that tower over glassy lakes. There are green birch and pine trees, velvety moss and large granite rocks.
Walking to bus stops also allows you to enjoy the vegetation. Maybe it's coming from a small town and noticing the little things, but I love my walks to and from the bus stop close to my home. There are plenty of different mushrooms that grow near the footpaths, pretty flowers, wild berries and interesting snails. I know that you're thinking 'a snail is a snail' but these ones are different... they have dark swirls on their backs and some of them are GIANT!
A lot of the berries are edible as are the mushrooms- and apple trees grow like weeds here. If they grow in park land or on empty blocks, anyone is free to pick them... it's quite nice to see people out picking apples. A lot make their own jams and cakes etc... and many freeze the apples, mushrooms etc... for the winter months (when it is literally impossible to grow any fresh produce).
Get a haircut and get a real job.
Not long after arriving here I was interviewed for a nannying position. I was successful in securing the job soon after arriving (although it did not begin right away).
So after leaving hospital from having my appendix removed, I moved from the small apartment I shared with a young Swedish sister, to where I am now- a nice suburb 20mins north of the city centre.
I am working for a Swedish couple, Andreas and Maria (both in early to mid 30's) who are hardworking business persons. They have one small boy, Hector (about 16months old) who I am employed to take care of. My position is a live-in one, so I live down stairs and have my own bedroom, kitchen, bathroom etc... It's a nice arrangement we have. I have my own entrance downstairs also so that I can come and go when I am not working.
Hector (like most Swedish children) attends day care Mon- Fri so my job is basically to get him ready for Daycare each morning (breakfast etc...) drop him off early, and then collect him in the afternoons around 4:00pm. The time in between is for me to do as I please which has allowed me to take up reg. aux. pioneering (but more about that later). In the arvo's Hector and I often walk along the waterfront nearby home and feed the swans and ducks that hang out there.
Occasionally go to a nearby park also. Hector has his own sand pit and swing set at home though so we play there a fair bit also.
Recently I converted a large cardboard box into a cubby house complete with newspaper curtains, and as the weather is beginning to cool down here we've been spending a fair bit of time indoors with that also.
Once either Andreas or Maria arrive home of an eveing (whoever is first) and Hector is ready for bed, I am free to go downstairs and do as I please.
The job is going well. I like my bosses- they look after me well, and Hector is a pretty cool little guy.
He's at a great age where he's learning a new word every day it seems and many of them in English. My Swedish is slowly developing too- mostly thanks to Hector (No! Be careful! Gentle Hector! Don't Touch- Hot! etc...) All in Swedish obviously- but don't ask me to spell them- pronouncing them is difficult enough. I've been singing him loads of songs I liked when I watched Playschool (in the late 80's early 90's, ah what a fossil eh?) and have also introduced him to the Wiggles. In particular he likes 'Wags the Dog.'
(Next I think I'll have to teach him the West Coast Eagles team song in preparation for the 2012 season when we bring home the flag!)
You've got a friend in me.
Everyone's english is very impressive though none will admit to it- they are not overly confident but I am blown away how well we are able to communicate (their english compared to my Swedish is 1, 000, 000 to 1)! I'm in a very privelleged position in that I serve in the English speaking congregation which is made up of people from (literally) all over the world. Never did I think I would move to Sweden and have such a wonderful variety of friends of all ages and from all backgrounds.
Congregation and Preaching
I belong to the Stockholm English congregation- there is just one english cong in Stockholm. The congregation has approx. 120 publishers from quite literally all over Scandinavia and the rest of the world- USA, UK, Africa, Asia, Europe... there's even a small hand full of Aussies here. I cannot express to you enough how grateful I am to have landed here in the is congregation. It's a completely aglow with the pioneer spirit and the quality of the meetings is just incredible. There's such a nice warm & fuzzy feeling each time you walk into the Kingdom Hall.
I belong to the Stockholm English congregation- there is just one english cong in Stockholm. The congregation has approx. 120 publishers from quite literally all over Scandinavia and the rest of the world- USA, UK, Africa, Asia, Europe... there's even a small hand full of Aussies here. I cannot express to you enough how grateful I am to have landed here in the is congregation. It's a completely aglow with the pioneer spirit and the quality of the meetings is just incredible. There's such a nice warm & fuzzy feeling each time you walk into the Kingdom Hall.
You really have to keep up with your personal/ pre-study to keep up with the meetings. There are so many willing and eager hands ready to comment and with brothers and sisters from all backgrounds you hear many points from the material you may not have considered yourself. I feel like I am constantly challenged to improve myself here and for this I am very grateful. There are approx 20 reg. pioneers, two special pioneers and several Gilead Graduates. You can just imagine the quality of each part delivered- so much time and effort put into preparing the parts with perfect execution. I was completely nervous delivering my first talk here and English is my first language- imagine how these brothers feel here delivering talks in their second language. But oh how well they deliver them.
Here is a photograph taken attending the convention in Oslo, Norway shortly after I arrived here. It was a wonderful three days- felt like a mini international convention. The countries represented in the photo (below) include (L-R) Australia, Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Russia and Denmark.
Here is a photograph taken attending the convention in Oslo, Norway shortly after I arrived here. It was a wonderful three days- felt like a mini international convention. The countries represented in the photo (below) include (L-R) Australia, Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Russia and Denmark.
The ministry is unlike anything I ever did in both Esperance and Margaret River. Much of the territory is carried out in high rise apartments which means patiently standing out the front for residents to leave or enter in order to get inside. Once inside, not every door is knocked on as we are specifically looking for English sounding names- either Smith or Brown type names, or African / Indian names.
There are many other foreign language groups here so it's important to leave Chinese, Ethiopian, German, Russian, Finnish, Arabic etc... sounding names for the other groups to call on.
Informal witnessing also is a big part of the ministry here. This includes preaching on trains and buses, walking around the central station and also standing out the front of (for example) the large immigration offices located just outside Stockholm. We are looking for typically African or Indian looking persons, plus your ears are always open to english speaking persons should they pass you by.
Here is a photo of some young ones out preaching during summer (well, waiting for a train to get to their territory) it's so nice to see how eager all of the young brothers and sisters are to get out and give a witness.
Here is a photo of some young ones out preaching during summer (well, waiting for a train to get to their territory) it's so nice to see how eager all of the young brothers and sisters are to get out and give a witness.
Platform witnessing is also very effective. The idea is to stand with your hands full of literature at peak times on the train platforms and, (with your 'Kingdom Smile' in tact) wait as different ones approach you on their way to or from buses to take the (current) magazines. You can have several languages in your hand- English, Swedish, Spanish, French etc... it's incredible how many people can approach you to take the literature.
I began reg. aux. pioneering just last month and have already received so much support from everyone in the congregation. For the month of October, my days for service were all booked but three days before the month even began. It's been great working with different ones and getting to know about where they are from (many not Sweden) and how they came to be Witnesses. I hope to progress to Reg. Pioneer service after some time also.
Food for thought...
Swedes eat a lot of potato, a lot of fish, lots of bread (stale at that) and a lot of cheese. I have to admit that the fish is taking a bit of getting used to, but the bread and cheese I have taken to 'like a fish to water.'
Sweden is also famous for it's 'candy' (lollies). Mostly every supermarket, convenience store etc... has a large section of these clear boxes filled with different lollies (much like the loose fruit and nuts you can buy at home) but these are BIG and they are everywhere. You can pick and choose from any lolly- the price is fixed. You scoop them into these coloured paper bags which are... everywhere. I think it's probably something a little difficult to explain but it really is something typically Swedish and should you ever venture to these parts, you will understand. There are coloured paper bags littered about the city and you frequently see people walking along with their hand in a coloured bag eating 'candy.' I've tried these once or seven times by now but must admit they aren't exactly like lollies at home. One thing Scandinavians are mad for is salted licorice and I for my part loathe it. It really is an acquired taste and not a taste I look forward to becoming better acquainted with.
And finally...
I'm too sexy for my hat...
Swedish men are not afraid to wear red pants. It is not uncommon to see a Swedish man (of any age) wearing a blazer or cardigan with a bright red pair of pants. In fact, Swedish men aren't afraid to wear anything. They are very stylish, they like their hair to look nice, and I'm noticing a lot of bold block colour. It seems tight pants are in- even if you might be 'carrying a little more' than others too.
The bigger the frame, the thicker the rim of your glasses- the cooler you are. Or so the majority of Swedes seem to think. There are even different ones in my congregation who wear ridiculously large glasses. It's almost like an unwritten law that if you have giant glasses you are in a category above. Even television presenters are in on the act- you have to see it to believe it.
I have decided to set as a personal project over the coming months, photographing men wearing red pants and Swedes in general wearing large, ridiculous glasses. I will present my finding when I email next... Challenge accepted.
So that's been an education of my first four months here. I must admit to completely loving the place with no intention of returning any time soon. My current visa lasts only 8 more months but I am hoping to extend it if possible. There is a good chance I will need to leave the country in order to do so- possibly even return to Australia- but nothing has been finalised as yet. I find that I'm not homesick unless I Sykpe someone from home or talk to my family on the phone, so I'm trying to do it less often (as cruel as that may sound). I hope you are all in good health and enjoying beautiful spring time in Australia (or autumn if you are in the Northern Hemisphere). I hope you enjoy the photo/s attached and hope to hear a brief G'day or hello if you get the chance.
Sending smooches and squeezes and a swag full of love in your (numerous) directions...
