Komkommertijd

Realising today, that I have not heard from several friends for quite a while, I scrolled through my blogbookmarks to check out what they have been so busy with the last couple of weeks. Funny enough, none of them have updated their blog since...april! So if neither blogging or social activities is consuming their time...what are they in fact doing?

June and July are the quiet months. In Dutch, we use the expression 'komkommertijd' - literally translated 'cucumbertime' - for the summer months in which there is no real news. Nu.nl, the most popular Dutch website for the up-to-date news, shows newsitems such as 'gasoline prices raised again', 'supermarkets sell well due to increased ice cream sales', 'mobile phone condom penetrates the mobile market', and 'sales of newspapers decrease'.

Even my blog suffers of komkommernews, such as this blogpost. Due to the heat, I do not ...

Okay, I now need to use a Swedish word that expresses best what I would like to say here: Due to the heat, I do not 'orka' to sit and write intelligent posts.

And this brings me to my lingual observation for this month. The top three of expressions used most frequently by Swedes in conversations seems to be: 'att orka', 'att hinna' (by persons), and 'att återkomma' (by authorities). Translated: to cope' (with meeting up, working out, going on holiday), 'to reach' (to catch a train, to manage with an assignment etc.), and 'to return' (as in..getting back to you). Imagine a people that consequently does not cope with things and does not manage doing things. On top of that, you are consequently being told that they will get back to you with an answer...if they ever will. This leaves us with a lot of tired, stressed and sjukskriven people.

To end on a positive note, Stockholm must be one of the best cities to work and live during the summer. There are special summer schedules, which means that you leave from work at 16.00 (because you work some extra hours during the winter), you go to the nearest beach - in the middle of the centre - and you take a refreshing dive in water that is so cold and pure that it feels like it just came down from the mountain. Trevlig sommar!

Den stora stadsmänniskan

Idag funderade jag på min livsstil i den stora staden jag levar i. Jag kom fram till roliga men också skrämmande insiktar. Här kommer nio signaler på att man har blivit en storstadsmänniska:

1. Man är hemma endast då man behöver ta en douche eller sova.
2. Man betalar även ens latte med kortet, därför att man helt enkelt aldrig har några kontanter i fickan.
3. Man råkar bara handla på 7-eleven.
4. Man äter en lunch som består av en fullkornshamburgare fylld med ruccola och lax.
5. Man tar rena kläderna från tvättkorgen för att man aldrig hinnar vika upp och röja undan dem.
6. Man har Comviq kompis abbonemang och därför kan man ringa hur mycket som helst, var som helst.
7. Man fikar så mycket att man har stammiskort på CoffeeCup, Coffeehouse by George och Wayne's.
8. Man blir förälskad i utsiktet varje gång man sitter i tunnelbanan mellan Gamla Stan och Slussen.
9. Man har SL kortet i handskan p.g.a. frekvensen med vilken man drar det.

Känner du igen dig?

Call me an alcoholic (but my way is better than the Swedish way)

I have never been in a country with such a strange relationship to alcohol. The first thing that struck me, obviously, was the fact that you can only buy alcohol in designated places, namely the state-owned Systembolaget. These booze shops have office-like opening hours, and close at 15.00 on Saturdays. Yes, planning is required! Forget sprinting to the late night opened supermarket around the corner to buy a nice bottle of wine for an unexpected visitor. The state-owned systemet has not a commercial, but a social function. Their vision is to create a 'good drinking culture'. It wants people to focus on quality instead of quantity. Their most sold beer is a cheap one called Sofiero original. A lot of cultivation remains to be done.

What I noticed next is the puritan attitude towards alcohol during the week and the overexcessive drinking in the weekend. Yes, this is a completely subjective and unscientific observation. But I am not the only one who thinks this. All of my expat friends (from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Danmark) agree.

Another thing: in front of every single systembolaget, there are the alcoholists. They hang in front of the shop and drink and have a good time together, even when it is minus 10 and they freeze their buts off. Men and women in all ages. Everyone just ignores them and does not seem to mind that they hang out there, because they never harm anyone. The police knows these
people and conducts small talk with them. And I cannot help but wondering what keeps these people alive. Surely, they must enjoy some sort of social benefit. Does it not infury anyone that they spend their time drinking instead of getting better? Yes, I know, an oversimplification of the horrible problems that these people assumingly deal with, but still.

An observation that I found most worrying, however, is the hidden drinking problem of many people. I got to know a charming young Swedish guy and liked him. But during a dinner at my place that included wine, I saw how frustration combined with an overconsumption of alcohol changed this seemingly lovely person into an aggressive and intimidating monster. Afterwards,
I asked around and most people seemed to know at least one person with a drinking problem in their circle of friends. Usually, these people have jobs and maybe families and they function reasonably. But the drinking poses serious trouble for their health and for their relationships under the surface.

When people find out that I am a christian, they are surprised to see me drinking wine. It turns out that many christians (especially in the pfingströrelse) do not drink out of principle, due to the problems that Sweden has had and still has with alcoholism.

I am so puzzled by all these double signals. The sale of alcohol is strictly regulated and alcohol is very expensive. Yet, there seem to be many alcoholists - both openly and hidden. Alcoholconsumption happens not on a daily basis, but in the weekend and in large quantities. But on average, Swedes drink less than other Europeans. Did Sweden's policy work after all, seeing the average low consumption? Or does the excessive drinking and the alcoholism problem outweigh that result?

Personally, I prefer one or two glasses of wine every evening. Healthy and enjoyable. Some would classify me as an alcoholic, but from a perspective of health and sociality, the Saturday-concentrated drinking is much less desirable.

Typical Swedish: obsession with safety

Let us call this post no. 1 in a series on typical Swedish phenomena. I found one that made me burst into laughter and then, worry about the poor busdrivers in Sweden...

The Swedish 'local traffic assiciation' (lokaltrafikföreningen) is launching a pilot projekt, starting 15 January, aimed at researching how digital displayers on which the speed of the bus is visible to passengers influences the speed of the bus, increases safety and gives good information to passengers (syftet är att undersöka hur digitala displayer där bussens hastighet åskådliggörs för passagerarna påverkar hastigheten, ökar säkerheten och ger en bra passagerarinformation).

Imagine a stressed busdriver that has had a rough day, that has seen hundreds of grumpy faces getting onto her bus, that has been called names by a bunch of young guys who did not make it in time to get on, that has been pushed by tight time schedules to perform to her best ability....imagine a dozen of passengers shouting at her because she drives 55 km/h instead of the allowed 50. In my opinion, a such system would certainly not increase safety, it would only stress out the busdrivers even more.

As I was growing up, a documentary-like Dutch television series called '12 steden, 13 ongelukken' taught me one thing: traffic accidents happen when the driver is disturbed, angry, stressed or tired.

A quick peek on the website of one of the biggest Dutch public transport companies Connexxion shows that this company's concern with safety is mostly aimed at making the bus environment safe for passengers, that is to say, free of trouble-makers.

It almost seems that in the absence of other - more serious - problems, the Swedish local traffic association is overregulating and obssesed with safety concerns.

Translational humour

Don't you get embarrassed when you literally translate a word from your mothertongue into another language where it gets a different meaning...

I do this all the time. Today, for example, I complimented my Sri Lankan friend for the excellent 'flesh' that he prepared. Surely, he understood that I was not mistaking him for a cannibal, but it is understandable that he looked questioned anyways. Why is it that German and Dutch use the same word for 'flesh' and 'meat' (vlees, Fleisch) and two other Germanic languages - Swedish and English - do not?

Another lingual habit of mine is to enswedish Dutch words. This usually works out quite well, although some people mistake me for an oldfashioned lingo-purist. Many Dutch words are alike the older Swedish words that nobody uses any longer. Like the Dutch word 'beginnen' (to begin), in Swedish 'begynna', which is only used in the bible or in old expressions. The advantage of using such words is that I come across as an intelligent and literate person.

Ocassionally, I would endutch Swedish words. One of my favorite Swedish words is 'kissnödig'. It means that you have to pee quite urgent, literally: 'peenecessite'. I would love to tell my family during dinner once that I am 'plasnodig' and check out their faces.

Don't you love playing with words... This post-subject will be continued.

En riktig svensk jul

Igår, så fick jag uppleva en riktig svensk julafton hos en svensk kompis' familj i Jakobsberg. Det var en skön upplevelse. Jag jobbade på den dagen och kunde inte komma innan kl.16. Fy! Jag missade jag Kalle Anka på tv:n! Det var väl synd, för det preglar en svensk julafton nog mest, tror jag. Alla andra goda jul-ingredienser fanns: familj, grillad skinka, köttbullar, sil, kladdkaka, mycket glögg och vin, en nästan-gräl, en 'tomte', presenter, en härmning-julgran och två stressade hundar. Jag njöt av att vara mittibland en familj som jag aldrig hade träffats förrut och som var så hjärtligt mot mig. Amerikanska kvinnan i sällskapet verkade gilla mig. Endast min svenska kompis gjorde hon det för att jag är annorlunda jämfört med svenskar, d v s öppnare. Jag undrar varför alla, till och med svenskar, tycker att svenskar är så reserverade och distanserande. Jag var ensam under julen i två andra länder förrut (Portugal och Österrike) och det var det ingen som bjöd mig hem till familjen då. Det var en underbar gest som jag tackar för!

De psychologie van een bar

Een bar dient als ontmoetingsplaats voor mensen onderling en behoort altijd de zinnen in precies de juiste mate te prikkelen. Het licht gedimd, zodat onze ogen niet overbelast worden en zodat we er allemaal wat aantrekkelijker uitzien. De muziek op de achtergrond van de conversaties, maar tegelijk op de voorgrond van de ziel die macht naar gevoelsmatige voeding. Een zachte zee van geluid die de ziel smeert, als een geoliede machine, die de stemming aangenaam, zelfs draagbaar maakt. Het meubilair dat het lichaam doet rusten, dat de kleine smarten van de dag absorbeert en het oog rustig maakt. Kaarsen die het warme gevoel van veiligheid geven. De barman die aanwezig is, maar geen aandacht trekt, die dient, niet vraagt. De olijven die de zijlingse bittere smaakpupillen strelen en een aangemaan gevoel van verzadiging geven. En dan de wijn, die de mond op een virtuele smaakreis neemt en alle rijkdommen van de grond, de druif, de wijnmaker, en het vat in zich heeft. Tegen het decor van dit alles speelt zich het sociale spel af. Mensen mingelen, kijken, verleiden, stoten af, praten, versieren, willen zich allemaal van hun mooiste kant laten zien.

Maar zij wil daar juist dwars doorheen kijken. Zij observeert, analyseert en kijkt mensen aan. Soms kijken ze terug, met een open en geïnteresseerde blik. Maar meestal trekken ze zich terug, betrapt op een poging tot echtheid.

Verrijking

Onlangs sprak ik een vriend van me. Ik kreeg de indruk dat zijn prioriteit ligt bij het intellectueel onwikkelen van zichzelf. Hij geeft niet om bezittingen, wat iets zeldzaams en moois is. Maar het uitbouwen van kennis, dat is het! Daarom vind hij het interessant om iedere zoveel jaar naar een nieuw land te verhuizen. Na dat gesprek vroeg ik me af of kennisverrijking superieur is aan materiële verrijking.

Ik heb de indruk dat het neerkomt op hetzelfde, namelijk zelfverrijking. Je doet iets totaal voor jezelf, een ander is er nauwelijks bij gebaat.

Als je Gods doel voor de mens bekijkt, dan ligt de nadruk anders. Dat doel houdt in: 'houden van'. Namelijk van God, van jezelf en van andere mensen (als jezelf). Ik vind zelf dat Gods doel voor het menselijke leven nogal goed klinkt. Het is een win-win-win situatie. God ervaart vreugde van een schepsel dat thuiskomt bij Hem, de Vader. Ik kan me voorstellen dat Hij ervan geniet als wij onze talenten ontplooien en deze aanwenden tot Zijn eer. We leren te geven zonder er iets voor terug te verwachten. God is blij, wij zijn blij (omdat we tot ons recht komen) en onze omgeving is blij, omdat ze er rijker van wordt.

Is een leven zonder God net zo voldoenend?

Dumplings and cannibalism

As I locked my bike and went up to my room, I realised that I could not just go to bed and sleep quietly. The thing is, I have just seen a film shown by the the Stockholm International Film Festival, called 'Dumplings'. I will not outline the story as it is perfectly done so here. Instead, I would like to pose you a question that has been snorring in my head since I walked out of the cinema: is cannibalism wrong?

As you may have read by now, the most noticeable detail in the film is that a woman eats dumplings in which foetuses are processed to regain her youthful appearance. Irregardless of her motives, I surprised myself by thinking: what is wrong with eating foetuses? Even though one noticed a chock amongst the spectators when the preparation of the dumplings wass explicitly shown, I was not repulsed by the sight of a five-months old foetus being chopped into pieces. Maybe it is because of my background as a daughter of a vetenarian that sometimes by accident found little kitty foetuses in the uteras of a tomcat that was about to be sterilised. But I can imagine that foetuses are nutricious. It is just the purpose of rejuvantion that I find ridiculous in the whole act.

Now, I know that you probably think: but a five-months-old foetus, that is a little human being. Why would you want to kill that and eat it? Please remember that this film plays in China, where the adoption-rate under the one-child-policy must have been extremely high. But apart from that, let us assume that it is repulsive and immorily wrong to kill and eat foetuses. How do you feel about eating human flesh in general then? If the person died a natural death, what is wrong with eating its flesh? I am positive that this has happened in all civilisations in times of famines and war. What makes cannibalism such a taboo in all times and all over the world? Why do we not eat that which is edible and nutricious?

I can think of some answers, but I would really like to hear yours first!

In the meanwhile, I do not think I will be ordering any dumplings in the nearby future, due to funny associations.