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What I have grown to like about Sweden—

The other day I heard Gary tell someone that we have been here four months!  FOUR MONTHS!  I can’t believe it, but he’s right.  As a matter of fact, tomorrow we begin our fifth month.  So, in honor of that I want to share what I have grown to like about living in Sweden…

·     The view on the long drives is breathtaking.  For example, on our drive to the Oslo airport a few weeks ago the mountainside was filled with pine trees  that were covered with snow.  They looked like they were coated with frosting by Mother Nature.  I would post pictures but they were blurry.  It was very early in the morning!

·     The produce – some of the best I have had.  I love a good cantaloupe and at home at this time of year they can taste almost muddy – they’re just not ready for consumption yet.  Here, they have a juicy sweetness that reminds me of Texas Pecos melons. The lettuce – some of the prettiest I have ever seen and those avocados that I thought I would never get – are perfect for a great guacamole that we have for Friday's Mexican fiesta!

·     Lofberg’s Lila coffee.  After I ran out of my many bags of Starbuck's that I brought from home, I switched over to the local brand.  In an earlier post I mentioned this is a family-owned coffee roasting company that dates back to 1906.  The taste is rich and robust.  Yummy!  But, unfortunately I can still only drink it in the morning.  Still no fika for me…

·      Our new church. We have attended an English-speaking church, Koinonia International Fellowship (koinonia is a Greek word meaning ‘true fellowship’).  This is a smaller group that meets in the afternoon in a room of a larger Bible-preaching church.  The praise, worship and fellowship is sweet.  We realize we are the oldest ones there, but we have enjoyed getting to know many of the young members. Areas of Africa, the Philippines, Sweden and the US are represented in the fellowship. The Biblical teaching is wonderful and it’s refreshing to see those who are new believers in Christ.

·     Easy access to stores and restaurants. On any given night Gary can walk in the door from work and if I need something at the grocery store he’ll run down and get it and be back in fifteen minutes or less.  How easy is that? One of our favorite dinner spots, Fontana di Trevi, is directly below us.  In fact, from our second bedroom window we can look down into the kitchen!  Not sure if that’s a good thing or not…

One of my favorites - wienerschnitzel! 
I don't have it very often - it's very rich.
(That's bearnaise on the side)

·     People who are willing to speak English to us when we ask.  One young woman at the local pharmacy told me she liked it when I came in because she could practice her English with me.  What a kind thing to say!  We haven’t met anyone who hasn’t been willing to help us by speaking English, and yet, we chuckle over how many words we are now able to decipher!

·     Karolina Nilsson has been a wonderful help to us since we moved here.  What a sweet friend we have made.  She is as lovely inside as she is outside.

·     Our apartment – it wasn’t our first choice but it turned out to be the right choice.  I love the sweet smell when we enter.  It’s interesting that my kitchen here has only a fraction of what I have at home and yet I get by just fine.  Makes me realize the excess is unnecessary.

·     The bright sign across the street.  There is a huge sign across the street and the light streams in the windows around the slats of the blinds.  For some, in the city, it's very irritating.  To us, it makes a perfect night light until they turn it off late in the evening. 

·     The sign is nothing compared to the glorious sunlight we are starting to experience most days. When we first arrived, it was dark most of the time each day.  Very soon we are entering into the time where the sun stays up until late in the evening.  It will be fine.  Gary and I plan to take many walks.