Hockey, soccer and other games dominate the Swedish sports scene, while basketball has a long way to go before establishing a strong following.
However, last night, I experienced the Svenska Basketligan (Swedish Basket League) thanks to an invite by new friends Holly and Gabe. A crowd of a few hundred people cheered on the game between the reigning national champs, Norrköping Dolphins, and our very own Eco Örebro.
Clad in green uniforms, Eco, according to the team’s website, makes a claim that they are the most environmentally conscious team in this league.
UPDATE: Thanks to help from a Swedish person (in comments), I was able to find where the environmental policy was on the website, and read about how the team has "planted rainforest equivalent to the amount of emissions caused by the team's travel."(note, this is the rough Google translation). They also have strict waste separation at events and sell only organic tea and coffee. I did a search to see if there were any other such movements on other basketball teams, but all I could find were basketballs made from recycled materials.
Trying to be more environmental is of course a good thing and a particularly strong focus in Sweden and Scandinavia. My global journalism class is going to Finland in November for a media and climate change course, and multiple professors at my university are working on climate change-related research.
Eco put up a good fight but lost to the Dolphins. It was still within 10 points, which is pretty good since they were playing the championship winners, so I have a feeling I’ll go again, and perhaps buy one of those shirts with the greenery surrounding the logo. Russell, whose obsession with American football is followed by basketball as a close second, was pretty sad to miss the game since he was in Germany for a business trip. He proposed we make a fan group called “Eco freakos,” but that’s still up for debate.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Stockholm in photos
After living in Sweden for almost four months, I finally took a train to the country's capital, Stockholm, with Russell last weekend. Other than going to the famous Vasa museum, we didn't have anything specific planned, and decided to go on foot and discover the sights as we explored. Below are some highlighted photos from the trip.
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Friday, October 8, 2010
Newlywed adventures in a Swedish kitchen
Russ and I love watching “Masterchef Australia” and aspiring to one day create culinary perfection, but that day hasn’t come. This goal becomes more of a struggle when you go from cooking in America to Sweden.
On Russell’s birthday, I decided to make a pot roast. Cooking roast beef in an oven for half a day in Texas produces a wonderful, succulent meal. Cooking roast beef for the same time in Sweden creates a dry, chewy, “I’m sorry your birthday meal isn’t good” result. Why? Our assumption is the difference in meat quality. I know, I know, I should have known better, but when you see it in the store and it looks like it could be good and you've been craving it for a long time....well, you get the idea.
But we continue to persevere and experiment with different ingredients that go beyond our former bachelor/bachelorette food groups. Yesterday, I came home from the university and heard Russ coughing in the kitchen. I asked, “Are you OK?” This was shortly followed by breathing in a strong smell and my own coughing. Between gasping for air, I asked Russ what was going on, and he said he had (through his coughs) cooked a chili pepper in a pan, causing some kind of pepper gas to emit in the air.
We think this has something to do with not taking out the seeds before cooking, but if anyone has a better explanation, please let us know. We finally opened some windows and the balcony and were able to breathe a little easier. Russell had the strongest whiff directly in his face from the pan, so he was sniffling the rest of the evening. I’d share one solution he tried to help alleviate the problem, but he repeatedly asked me not to do so on this forum.
How was the food? The spices Russell used on the pork actually tasted pretty good, albeit a little too overpowering for my taste. I only got through half a chop while Russell ate his in full along with my half. Every time I kissed Russ during the evening, my lips burned a bit. You can imagine the jokes he made about this.
If Russ is able to reduce the seasoning and not cook the seeds, we may have a great meal on our hands. Sometimes, like any budding chef, you have to learn the hard way. Let’s just hope next time, no gas is involved.
On Russell’s birthday, I decided to make a pot roast. Cooking roast beef in an oven for half a day in Texas produces a wonderful, succulent meal. Cooking roast beef for the same time in Sweden creates a dry, chewy, “I’m sorry your birthday meal isn’t good” result. Why? Our assumption is the difference in meat quality. I know, I know, I should have known better, but when you see it in the store and it looks like it could be good and you've been craving it for a long time....well, you get the idea.
But we continue to persevere and experiment with different ingredients that go beyond our former bachelor/bachelorette food groups. Yesterday, I came home from the university and heard Russ coughing in the kitchen. I asked, “Are you OK?” This was shortly followed by breathing in a strong smell and my own coughing. Between gasping for air, I asked Russ what was going on, and he said he had (through his coughs) cooked a chili pepper in a pan, causing some kind of pepper gas to emit in the air.
We think this has something to do with not taking out the seeds before cooking, but if anyone has a better explanation, please let us know. We finally opened some windows and the balcony and were able to breathe a little easier. Russell had the strongest whiff directly in his face from the pan, so he was sniffling the rest of the evening. I’d share one solution he tried to help alleviate the problem, but he repeatedly asked me not to do so on this forum.
How was the food? The spices Russell used on the pork actually tasted pretty good, albeit a little too overpowering for my taste. I only got through half a chop while Russell ate his in full along with my half. Every time I kissed Russ during the evening, my lips burned a bit. You can imagine the jokes he made about this.
If Russ is able to reduce the seasoning and not cook the seeds, we may have a great meal on our hands. Sometimes, like any budding chef, you have to learn the hard way. Let’s just hope next time, no gas is involved.
Monday, September 6, 2010
First week in a global newsroom
Journalists from across the world converged in Sweden last week as we all started a master’s program in global journalism.
Our 25 students come from Germany, Ethiopia, Romania, Russia, Pakistan, Uganda, Poland, Armenia, Turkey, Iran, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Vietnam, Egypt, two (including me) from the U.S., Sweden, and I’m sure others I’m missing. Most have journalistic or language-related experience, such as the man from Egypt who has spent time converting English to Arabic, or the woman from Vietnam who worked for the Vietnam News Agency.
We’ve only had our introductory class so far, but already I can tell this is going to be an interesting group for many thoughtful discussions.
Whenever I'm asked where I'm from, I say the U.S., which gets a generally acceptable response from most, but when I mention Texas, I'll either get an outspoken person say, "so, you're a red-blooded Republican from Bush country" or another who just stares at me awkwardly. Let's just say I've had many a conversation about the various viewpoints that (to many, surprisingly) can be found in this state.
This semester we're taking two courses, an intro class called “global journalism, global media” and another called “online investigative journalism.” Toward the middle of the semester, we’re going to Helsinki, Finland, for one week of an intensive study course and then will return to complete the work on this class.
We’ve had some orientations for all international master’s students, not just my program, that in some ways made me feel like a starting undergrad. We were taken step-by-step through processes like how to research in the library, how to set up your student account, and so on. But, in this case, it makes sense because much of the system is in Swedish, and so we need the extra guidance to understand.
Another orientation topic was Swedish customs. A constant custom of discussion is fika, which is a break or meeting with others, socially or professionally, for coffee and a pastry. This typically is in the mid-morning or afternoon, but really can be anytime. It was amusing to me how very important the Swedes made this custom.
Tomorrow I have intro to the global journalism program, Part 2. On Wednesday, it’s an intro to the first course. And, finally, we begin with our first official class on Thursday.
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Our 25 students come from Germany, Ethiopia, Romania, Russia, Pakistan, Uganda, Poland, Armenia, Turkey, Iran, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Vietnam, Egypt, two (including me) from the U.S., Sweden, and I’m sure others I’m missing. Most have journalistic or language-related experience, such as the man from Egypt who has spent time converting English to Arabic, or the woman from Vietnam who worked for the Vietnam News Agency.
We’ve only had our introductory class so far, but already I can tell this is going to be an interesting group for many thoughtful discussions.
Whenever I'm asked where I'm from, I say the U.S., which gets a generally acceptable response from most, but when I mention Texas, I'll either get an outspoken person say, "so, you're a red-blooded Republican from Bush country" or another who just stares at me awkwardly. Let's just say I've had many a conversation about the various viewpoints that (to many, surprisingly) can be found in this state.
This semester we're taking two courses, an intro class called “global journalism, global media” and another called “online investigative journalism.” Toward the middle of the semester, we’re going to Helsinki, Finland, for one week of an intensive study course and then will return to complete the work on this class.
We’ve had some orientations for all international master’s students, not just my program, that in some ways made me feel like a starting undergrad. We were taken step-by-step through processes like how to research in the library, how to set up your student account, and so on. But, in this case, it makes sense because much of the system is in Swedish, and so we need the extra guidance to understand.
Another orientation topic was Swedish customs. A constant custom of discussion is fika, which is a break or meeting with others, socially or professionally, for coffee and a pastry. This typically is in the mid-morning or afternoon, but really can be anytime. It was amusing to me how very important the Swedes made this custom.
Tomorrow I have intro to the global journalism program, Part 2. On Wednesday, it’s an intro to the first course. And, finally, we begin with our first official class on Thursday.
Subscribe to this blog using the tools on the right side of the homepage.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Translated worship
Wearing headphones in church has always seemed disrespectful until we attended our first church service in Sweden Sunday.
A kind woman who first greeted us with “valkommen” and then “oh, engelska” led us to the back two rows of the church where headphones were placed over the pews. We were told someone would translate the message from Swedish to English through these devices.
The church wasn’t large, so it didn’t seem like all the internationals were segregated to the back of the congregation as one might think. We were the first who sat in these rows, but by the time the service started, almost every headphone was in use. A man from Australia who moved to the country with his Swedish wife said sometimes there aren’t enough to go around.
The music wasn’t translated from Swedish. By the end, though, we recognized the music of one popular worship song. In this moment, I didn’t feel as out of place as I sang the words in my native tongue.
There is something beautiful about listening to a new language worship and find faith in something bigger than our individual selves. Witnessing this made me feel closer to a people I still have much to learn about.
It was difficult at times focusing on the message when I couldn’t stop myself from trying to understand the Swedish while also fully understanding through the translation. I hope I get better at this as time goes by.
While it was a good experience to take a step toward finding an area church, there were a few key things we didn't agree with in the message. The Australian said there are other churches in town that offer a translation. We’re going to check these out and see what works for us. The best solution, of course, is to continue to work on our Swedish so we may not miss anything that’s lost in translation. Until then, it’s nice and a very Swedish thing to make foreigners and everyone feel included, which, in my opinion, is also something a true follower of God would do.
A kind woman who first greeted us with “valkommen” and then “oh, engelska” led us to the back two rows of the church where headphones were placed over the pews. We were told someone would translate the message from Swedish to English through these devices.
The church wasn’t large, so it didn’t seem like all the internationals were segregated to the back of the congregation as one might think. We were the first who sat in these rows, but by the time the service started, almost every headphone was in use. A man from Australia who moved to the country with his Swedish wife said sometimes there aren’t enough to go around.
The music wasn’t translated from Swedish. By the end, though, we recognized the music of one popular worship song. In this moment, I didn’t feel as out of place as I sang the words in my native tongue.
There is something beautiful about listening to a new language worship and find faith in something bigger than our individual selves. Witnessing this made me feel closer to a people I still have much to learn about.
It was difficult at times focusing on the message when I couldn’t stop myself from trying to understand the Swedish while also fully understanding through the translation. I hope I get better at this as time goes by.
While it was a good experience to take a step toward finding an area church, there were a few key things we didn't agree with in the message. The Australian said there are other churches in town that offer a translation. We’re going to check these out and see what works for us. The best solution, of course, is to continue to work on our Swedish so we may not miss anything that’s lost in translation. Until then, it’s nice and a very Swedish thing to make foreigners and everyone feel included, which, in my opinion, is also something a true follower of God would do.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Why I love Örebro
I’ve been living in Örebro for more than a month, and I now understand how appealing the city was to Russell when he first visited last September.
For someone who has always lived in cities where driving everywhere is the norm, walking to stores just around the corner is a welcomed change. And, since we don’t have a car here, we regularly walk and bike to longer distances on the other side of town, which can only mean good things for our health.
History: Örebro was founded in the 1400s. Interesting, unique buildings fill the city, which is paved with cobblestone streets. A 13th century castle sits in an islet in the middle of town. We’ve come a long, long way from McMansions and celebrations for 100-year-old sites.
Strawberries: This is seasonal, but right now there are several outdoor vendors selling this delectable fruit all over town. You can smell the fresh hint of the berry everywhere you go.
Kaffe: There has got to be one coffee (kaffe) shop for every 100 people in this city of 150,000. As an admitted coffee addict, I couldn’t be happier. The best part is, none of them are Starbucks.
Nature: A river runs through the city and a beautiful, peaceful nature preserve and lake are just a 30-minute walk from our apartment.
Shopping: I’m still discovering the various kinds of stores here. There have been a couple times when I’ve walked into a store and realized it’s part of a bigger mall I hadn’t seen before. Russell says since Örebro is the county seat, many of the surrounding cities come to this town for shopping, making it a marketplace hub. I’m not complaining.
Recycling: As I mentioned in a previous post, an apartment dweller has no problem finding a place to recycle here because it’s downstairs in our building. In fact, it’s expected that you separate your paper, plastics, aluminum, compost, etc.
Language: One of the best experiences is learning a new language. Yes, it’s easier for us because most people speak English. But I have no desire to be the lazy Americans who never knew the little nuances of the culture because we couldn’t communicate in the native tongue or read the local newspapers. Every time I talk to someone in English and the conversation is semi-confused, I get a twinge and wish I could say what I want to in Swedish. I’m working on it.
For someone who has always lived in cities where driving everywhere is the norm, walking to stores just around the corner is a welcomed change. And, since we don’t have a car here, we regularly walk and bike to longer distances on the other side of town, which can only mean good things for our health.
History: Örebro was founded in the 1400s. Interesting, unique buildings fill the city, which is paved with cobblestone streets. A 13th century castle sits in an islet in the middle of town. We’ve come a long, long way from McMansions and celebrations for 100-year-old sites.
Strawberries: This is seasonal, but right now there are several outdoor vendors selling this delectable fruit all over town. You can smell the fresh hint of the berry everywhere you go.
Kaffe: There has got to be one coffee (kaffe) shop for every 100 people in this city of 150,000. As an admitted coffee addict, I couldn’t be happier. The best part is, none of them are Starbucks.
Nature: A river runs through the city and a beautiful, peaceful nature preserve and lake are just a 30-minute walk from our apartment.
Shopping: I’m still discovering the various kinds of stores here. There have been a couple times when I’ve walked into a store and realized it’s part of a bigger mall I hadn’t seen before. Russell says since Örebro is the county seat, many of the surrounding cities come to this town for shopping, making it a marketplace hub. I’m not complaining.
Recycling: As I mentioned in a previous post, an apartment dweller has no problem finding a place to recycle here because it’s downstairs in our building. In fact, it’s expected that you separate your paper, plastics, aluminum, compost, etc.
Language: One of the best experiences is learning a new language. Yes, it’s easier for us because most people speak English. But I have no desire to be the lazy Americans who never knew the little nuances of the culture because we couldn’t communicate in the native tongue or read the local newspapers. Every time I talk to someone in English and the conversation is semi-confused, I get a twinge and wish I could say what I want to in Swedish. I’m working on it.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The cereal aisle is judging us
Don’t expect to find Lucky Charms or many other sugary cereals when visiting a Swedish grocery store.
Most of the cereal is Muesli, which is crunchy, unsweetened oats with raisins or another dried fruit. There are several varieties of this stocked on the shelves. Other than Muesli, you can find Special K, corn flakes, multigrain Cheerios or high fiber selections.
Yes, there are Coco Puffs and Frosted Flakes, but these are typically in a small box, and there are very few of them on the shelf compared to the healthier choices.
I went shopping with Christine, our Swedish language teacher, so she could help me differentiate between the various kinds of cheese, flour, spices, and so on. She said Swedish people tend to frown on eating too many sweets, especially when it comes to their children.
Now this is of course an admirable thing. In the U.S., there clearly is a major childhood obesity problem that Michelle Obama and others are trying to solve.
What’s interesting, though, is Swedes must really love gummy because there are aisles dedicated to many different kinds of this sweet in grocery stores and movie rental shops. Christine explains that kids can fill up bags with this once a week.
Russell’s co-worker Peter says he will get ice cream with his children, but only every Wednesday.
Now, it seems Swedish people are eating in the healthiest way I know: having good-for-you meals most of the week, but allowing yourself sweets in moderation. All the fad diets where you cut out everything sweet just don’t seem to work. We can certainly learn a valuable lesson from the Swedes.
Most of the cereal is Muesli, which is crunchy, unsweetened oats with raisins or another dried fruit. There are several varieties of this stocked on the shelves. Other than Muesli, you can find Special K, corn flakes, multigrain Cheerios or high fiber selections.
Yes, there are Coco Puffs and Frosted Flakes, but these are typically in a small box, and there are very few of them on the shelf compared to the healthier choices.
I went shopping with Christine, our Swedish language teacher, so she could help me differentiate between the various kinds of cheese, flour, spices, and so on. She said Swedish people tend to frown on eating too many sweets, especially when it comes to their children.
Now this is of course an admirable thing. In the U.S., there clearly is a major childhood obesity problem that Michelle Obama and others are trying to solve.
What’s interesting, though, is Swedes must really love gummy because there are aisles dedicated to many different kinds of this sweet in grocery stores and movie rental shops. Christine explains that kids can fill up bags with this once a week.
Russell’s co-worker Peter says he will get ice cream with his children, but only every Wednesday.
Now, it seems Swedish people are eating in the healthiest way I know: having good-for-you meals most of the week, but allowing yourself sweets in moderation. All the fad diets where you cut out everything sweet just don’t seem to work. We can certainly learn a valuable lesson from the Swedes.
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