some more ramblings on Sweden

So quite a few people have asked I write another one of these, so I’ve been gathering a few more things that are different between the US and Sweden.

It’s now been just over a month since my big move out of the states and into the small (though, still large for Europe) Scandinavian country of Sweden. While our cultures are largely very similar to each other, there are a few quirky differences that I find funny, sometimes fascinating, and always entertaining.

I focused on a lot of really cool things last time; things that Sweden has that the US doesn’t or things I think Sweden does a little better than the US. Well, this time I’m gonna have to talk about the things I… don’t find so great about Sweden. Though, most of these things aren’t “bad”, they’re just not what I’m used to.

For example, bathroom towels. Swedes must think we’re barbaric and dirty for only typically having one towel to dry your hands with after washing your hands. In Sweden, every person gets their own towel in each bathroom. Your mom, your dad, your brother and sister, and you, all get your own separate towel. There’s even one for guests!

Well, there’s not always one for guests. Which sometimes makes it a little confusing. You go to a friend’s house or maybe even the friend of a friend for some drinks or for some food, and you have to use the bathroom. Sometimes, it’s great, there’s a towel there labeled “guests” (well, gäster because we’re not in ‘murica) and you pick it up and everything is great. But other times, there’s three or four towels, none of them are labelled and you have no idea which one to use. You stand there for what seems like an eternity deliberating which towel to pick, and what your chances are of picking the right one, afraid that you might pick the one of the host and they may notice that their towel is all wet when they use the bathroom after you and then they’ll think you’re a dirty barbaric person and then suddenly all Americans are dirty barbarians since you’re representing your entire country and influencing all your country’s stereotypes with every person you meet.

Anyway, I’m getting distracted. Long story short, sometimes there’s not a towel for you (or at least not clearly labelled) and you have to just pick one and feel sorta awkward about it. This whole issue could be solved if we all just used the same towel because, well, your hands are clean when you use it (hopefully) so it shouldn’t make that much of a difference.

Another big difference is Sweden’s well known trash program. I really can’t complain about this one at all — it’s awesome. Yes, it can also be a little inconvenient, especially for a newcomer, to have to learn which trash can to put which item of trash, but it’s great they have it at all. For those that don’t know, here’s (i think) all the different trash cans:

• Biodegradable items (mostly food, like apple cores, leftover spaghetti, etc)
• cardboard and paper (but not newspaper)
• newspaper
• clear glass (of any sort, bottles etc)
• colored glass (yes, you have to separate your heineken bottles from your sprite bottles)
• plastics of any sort
• batteries
• metals
• lightbulbs
• electronics (this is sort of tricky, some places are broad and you can throw any sort of electronic thing in them, from phones to tvs to old charging cables, others are more specific where you put your phones in one box and your tvs in a different box)
• wood
• any sort of “outside” things (tree branches, for example)

These are just the “basics”, some places are a bit pickier and you have to separate more things. But your typical household will have at least five trash bins to put things in their proper space. When they fill up, you take most everything (with the exception of the general trash bin and the food bin) to some location with a bunch of dumpsters (one for every category) and there you throw everything away yourself.

Like I said, the exception is the general trash bin (for things that don’t really have a place, or things you’re too lazy to separate) and the food bin. Those you have actual big trash cans that sit outside (like the ones we have in America, but half the size-ish of ours) and a garbage truck comes and pick it up. Though, in a small town like this, the garbage truck comes by on the very regular basis of — once a month. Yup. Not every week like in America (well, i speak for my hometown, Louisville, which is significantly bigger than Piteå), just once every month. And remember, the can is half the size of the American ones. So you really have to have a good excuse to not separate whatever trash you throw in that bin, since you have to make that small space last a month. (the food garbage truck comes every two weeks, which is nice, since we obviously eat every day, a few times a day).

Like I said, the program is great. Sweden incinerates 90%+ of their trash. In fact, they’re so efficient at it that have to import trash from Norway to keep up with themselves, making energy and heat and saving the world from more landfills. However, you do feel a little silly at a fast food restaurant and and feel dumbfounded by where to put everything on your tray when you’re done eating. Leftover food goes here, leftover drink/ice goes here, soda cans go here, your paper cup goes here, along with the paper things your food came in.

One final difference (for now, at least) between the US of A and Sweden are our styles of sandwiches. Now, to clarify, I don’t mean sub sandwiches, I mean the simple, homemade sandwich your mom would make for you for school. Take a ham sandwich, for example.

Everyone knows everything in America is bigger. Because bigger is better. And I do really miss our comparatively massive sandwiches. In America, when I say I want a ham sandwich, you would visualize two soft pieces of bread, some mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, cheese and ham. Even if you’re being simple, the cheese, ham, and mayonnaise are a necessity. And when I say ham, you of course know that I mean several slices of ham. Like, a good handful of ham.

In Sweden, by contrast, a ham sandwich would be a single slice of bread, some butter, and a single slice of ham. (I use “bread” loosely here, it could be bread more akin to what we have in America, or a hard, cracker-like bread.)

Very simple. And, unfortunately not very filling either. But Swedes tend to not eat sandwiches as meals, more as snacks. Some families eat them after a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

Oh, one last, very quick difference. Cereal. When I say a bowl of cereal, I mean you pour a bowl full of cereal and then pour just enough milk to get all the cereal sufficiently dunked. When you say a bowl of cereal in Sweden, you actually mean a bowl of milk (or fil, which is sort of like sour yoghurt) with a handful of cereal on top. Maybe some jam of some sort. Oh, and not delicious, amazing sugary cereal like Captain Crunch or even Cocoa Pebbels, cereal like Havre Fras (a very bland, tasteless celear). Still good, just not American.

That’s all I can think of for right now. A bit longer, but, meh, oh well.