Interview

So after thinking for a bit about what this post should be about, I decided that questioning Anton about his experiences could turn out interesting. He has been here to the United States twice, and I think that he has gotten a pretty good grasp as to what life is like here, at least in North-west Ohio. Interviewing him, as to what he thinks are some of the main differences should be at least a bit eye-opening.


Katie: What was the biggest differences that you noticed in the way that we celebrate Christmas here in the U.S.?

Anton: My family has always had one single event where everyone gets together. Which is different from what I saw last  year where there was several different dinners on different days with different parts of the family. The food was also very different. There was lots of casseroles that I had a hard time dealing with, they were just so filling. In Sweden there is a lot more focus on meatballs, sausages, ham and potatoes. Of course there's also "julmust" to drink, a traditional swedish christmas beverage. I have also never gone to church during christmas, something that is much more common to do over in the U.S. than here. Sweden is a very secular country so going to church in general is less common.


Katie: What differences did you notice in the weather during your two weeks here last winter, from your weather during that time of year back home?

Anton: Sweden is normally a lot colder and a lot snowier. Especially if you live in the northern parts where most of my family lives. Just the other day they had about 20 inches of snow in 24 hours. So I'm definitely used to cold and snow, the weather in Ohio was fairly mild in comparison.


Katie: What was the most annoying thing about Christmas here?

Anton: I know a lot of the american readers will disagree with me on this, but I have to say the christmas decorations. Comparing it to what I'm used to it feels way overdone, people just put up so much more stuff on their houses over there. In my experience, if someone does that in Sweden they end up being the laughing stock of the neighborhood because it  is seen as tacky and tasteless.  The swedish word "lagom" comes to mind in this situation. It has no direct equivalent in English, but its meaning is basically "just right, not too much and not too little". It reflects the swedish stereotype of modesty and lack of desire to attract attention.


Katie: You came here for two months over the summer, what was the biggest difference that you noticed in the weather?

Anton: The humidity! Oh dear, the humidity. Compared to what I'm used to, it feels like walking around in a rain forest. Step outside for ten minutes and your feel like you just took a shower with your clothes on. At least in Sweden the heat is dry, so you can escape to the shadow if it gets too hot. Definitely prefer the weather back home.


Katie: You spent some days at home while I was at work, I assume that you watched some television, What are some of the differences that you noticed?

Anton: There are so many reruns and marathons! You do have a bigger selection of channels and programs than back in Sweden, but I was amazed to see so many channels showing a single show for an entire day. Back home, an episode of a show is usually shown twice, once when it's first aired and then a second time the same week as a rerun. After that you're forced to watch it online or wait until they show the whole season again which could take years, if it even gets shown again. This makes us value our TV time a bit more I think, if we care about a show we make sure to catch it or record it, and when it's done we can move on to doing other things. In the US it's so easy to just get stuck watching TV because there's always something on, always something you enjoy, even if you've seen it already. There's also a much higher number of reality shows over there. They do exist in Sweden too, but the number people who are willing to completely throw away their private life seem to be bigger in the U.S.


Katie: What are some of the biggest differences that you noticed, during your trip here over the summer?

Anton: Here's a short list of things that are different: Everything over there is either a) covered in cheese or syrup or b) deep fried. Everything is bigger. Through most my life I've been able to walk to most places I need to go in 20 minutes, even now when I live in the third biggest city in Sweden. In the US you'd be looking at a 20 minute drive instead, and that's just in relatively small city like Toledo. Your banking system is atrocious. For starters, you still use checks, something that we stopped with a long time ago. Sending money to others is a pain regardless of how far away the recipient is. In Sweden we can go online and send money to anyone's bank account and they will recieve it instantly (if they use the same bank as you) or within a few days.

That's all the questions both of our brains could handle for now, if I think of anymore later, I will post them. I also want to encourage you, as the readers, if you have any questions about his trips here, or once I get to Sweden, my trip, that you would like answered, to post them on here, I check for comments quite often, and will ask him if necessary, and be sure to post the answers for you!