Before coming to Sweden, I can admit that I really did not know all that much about the place. I guess it flies a little under the radar in Australia compared to other more"touristic" places such as France or Germany. Add to that, my rather limited knowledge of anything to do with the world and its geography and you get a rather un-cultured Aussie living in Sweden! I'm getting used to this. I'm also learning a whole lot about Europe and the world that I didn't know - especially in terms of languages.
Did you guys know (and I'm sure you guys do) that there is a part of Canada which speaks French as their main language? Did you guys know that Dutch can be spoken as the official language in more countries than just the Netherlands - even going across continents! It's been so interesting seeing how people interact with each other here as the international program basically brings together a mishmash of people from all over the world speaking different languages and all trying to speak English now to each other.
For me, I have come to realise I should count myself lucky to have English as my first language whereas for others here, they are not afforded this luxury. I can tell you that without a doubt, one of the greatest things about being here, is hanging out with such a range of International people. The one's who don't speak English as their first language add a whole new depth to the conversation as they express themselves in ways which aren't really as conventional. It can make for a great laugh!
"can you please make a picture for me?" (to take a photo)
"I'm going to bake the potatoes" (apparently means pan-frying)
"I am a unique child" (I am an only child)
"I would like to present to you...." (when introducing someone to the group)
"I would like to proposition you..." (I have an idea/proposal)
Such a shame I can't remember them all - there's so many better ones that have slipped my mind! I'll start writing them down. They say that they want us to correct them whenever they make mistakes, but sometimes it is just so funny to hear things expressed in a certain way. Despite how much I enjoy talking to my international friends, my friends, Mina and Manon both complain that they feel that here, they must sound like "babies" when they talk because they cannot express themselves more than in basic english. They are always telling me that they speak so much more eloquently in their own language and I guess that is to be expected. It must suck to have to spend all your time speaking a language that is not the one you are most comfortable in. It makes communication such a chore, when it is something I really just take for granted.
Here, all classes we take are in English which is of course, fine for me. I give presentations with easy (except for a bit of nervous shakes) and I write my essays as I do back in Australia. For other people I've talked to, they take weeks to write their essays as they have to constantly refer to the dictionary and spend hours making sure the grammar is right. That's pretty hard yakka! I definitely respect the people who have come here who are in this situation. Last night, Kelsey and I helped my friend Manon edit her essay (as Dutch is her mother language) and it amazed me how well she could express herself. Yet, there was always in some instances better ways to express herself and it was usually hard to explain why - although we tried. English can be such a funny language sometimes. Saying "it just sounds better..." really doesn't help someone learning english because for them, the way they said it before sounded perfectly fine!
Another thing I've found interesting is how many words we don't realise are actually Australia - or at least I didn't. A "singlet" brought up confusion for my Canadian friend who called it something really quite strange. A "beanie" for a Canadian is apparently a "tuc" (funny word, right?). Here in Europe, I've had a few instances where people didn't understand what a beanie was! Another one recently was "fortnight" - which when you think about it, is actually quite a strange way to explain 2 weeks and apparently is another thing that is not known around here and in Canada. Another cool thing is that people seem to be able to recognise my accent very easily here as Australia. In Australia, I get told I don't have an accent and here they say I do. Hilarious!
The other thing that has been a pretty big deal this week has been the weather! (fascinating topic I know) It has begun to get really quite sunny and warm! By warm, I mean that it is about 6 degrees max, but that is enough for me to go parading around and walking to University wearing just some jeans, a tshirt and a light cardigan over the top (holding my down jacket in case). It's amazing but it really does feel hot. People are opening their windows to their rooms and sitting outside absorbing as much sun as they can. The sky right now is completely blue and the sun is out. I have seen grass! There is grass outside my window, when a week ago there was all snow and a snowman! It snowed again yesterday but not enough and now it is all melted away. Yet, we have been told that this won't last and that the winter is far from over. We shall see...things are looking pretty great out here!
The unfortunate part of this "fake transition to Spring" is the ice. As the snow melts, it seems to be turning into ice making it really quite a chore to leave the house to go anywhere. Before, we walked around with the expectation that we might slip and fall, and now it is just accepted that we will definitely. It is so incredibly dangerous and scary to walk around even my campus and I have heard so many stories of people slipping and some even ending up in hospital from breaking bones or getting concussions. To get to my supermarket which is just next to Flogsta, we have to go down a rather steep slope (which I believe I've shown you photos of) and that is now a sort of walking slippery dip. It is such a funny site to see people walking up and down it with grocery bags taking the most careful of steps trying to find the least slippery part to walk on and nobody talking or looking at each other. The other day, I was walking up (carefully) and a guy walking down I knew said Hi to me - that brief moment of looking up caused him to slip and stack. After that, we decided to go on our way and talk later.
These are some photos I took on my walk to the gym on Sunday. That's right - I went to the gym! First time here and we plan to go again soon. But check out the ice. Pretty crazy if you ask me. Anyway, that is all for now. In terms of what has been happening: I have not been taking many photos unfortunately lately but I will try to keep that up again. Things I have been doing have included the gym, going go the International Gasque (which is like a fancy ball and dinner), getting the most epic of bruises you can imagine, and some very interesting classes at Uni. On the books for the coming month, I will be going to London in about 2 weeks, followed by Copenhagen and then Riga which is in Latvia on another crazy cruise. Oh and in April.... RUSSIA!!!! Lots happening! And I also want to write a lot more on just normal life here in Sweden. Boy, it's going to be a busy month!
Did you guys know (and I'm sure you guys do) that there is a part of Canada which speaks French as their main language? Did you guys know that Dutch can be spoken as the official language in more countries than just the Netherlands - even going across continents! It's been so interesting seeing how people interact with each other here as the international program basically brings together a mishmash of people from all over the world speaking different languages and all trying to speak English now to each other.
For me, I have come to realise I should count myself lucky to have English as my first language whereas for others here, they are not afforded this luxury. I can tell you that without a doubt, one of the greatest things about being here, is hanging out with such a range of International people. The one's who don't speak English as their first language add a whole new depth to the conversation as they express themselves in ways which aren't really as conventional. It can make for a great laugh!
"can you please make a picture for me?" (to take a photo)
"I'm going to bake the potatoes" (apparently means pan-frying)
"I am a unique child" (I am an only child)
"I would like to present to you...." (when introducing someone to the group)
"I would like to proposition you..." (I have an idea/proposal)
Such a shame I can't remember them all - there's so many better ones that have slipped my mind! I'll start writing them down. They say that they want us to correct them whenever they make mistakes, but sometimes it is just so funny to hear things expressed in a certain way. Despite how much I enjoy talking to my international friends, my friends, Mina and Manon both complain that they feel that here, they must sound like "babies" when they talk because they cannot express themselves more than in basic english. They are always telling me that they speak so much more eloquently in their own language and I guess that is to be expected. It must suck to have to spend all your time speaking a language that is not the one you are most comfortable in. It makes communication such a chore, when it is something I really just take for granted.
Here, all classes we take are in English which is of course, fine for me. I give presentations with easy (except for a bit of nervous shakes) and I write my essays as I do back in Australia. For other people I've talked to, they take weeks to write their essays as they have to constantly refer to the dictionary and spend hours making sure the grammar is right. That's pretty hard yakka! I definitely respect the people who have come here who are in this situation. Last night, Kelsey and I helped my friend Manon edit her essay (as Dutch is her mother language) and it amazed me how well she could express herself. Yet, there was always in some instances better ways to express herself and it was usually hard to explain why - although we tried. English can be such a funny language sometimes. Saying "it just sounds better..." really doesn't help someone learning english because for them, the way they said it before sounded perfectly fine!
Another thing I've found interesting is how many words we don't realise are actually Australia - or at least I didn't. A "singlet" brought up confusion for my Canadian friend who called it something really quite strange. A "beanie" for a Canadian is apparently a "tuc" (funny word, right?). Here in Europe, I've had a few instances where people didn't understand what a beanie was! Another one recently was "fortnight" - which when you think about it, is actually quite a strange way to explain 2 weeks and apparently is another thing that is not known around here and in Canada. Another cool thing is that people seem to be able to recognise my accent very easily here as Australia. In Australia, I get told I don't have an accent and here they say I do. Hilarious!
The other thing that has been a pretty big deal this week has been the weather! (fascinating topic I know) It has begun to get really quite sunny and warm! By warm, I mean that it is about 6 degrees max, but that is enough for me to go parading around and walking to University wearing just some jeans, a tshirt and a light cardigan over the top (holding my down jacket in case). It's amazing but it really does feel hot. People are opening their windows to their rooms and sitting outside absorbing as much sun as they can. The sky right now is completely blue and the sun is out. I have seen grass! There is grass outside my window, when a week ago there was all snow and a snowman! It snowed again yesterday but not enough and now it is all melted away. Yet, we have been told that this won't last and that the winter is far from over. We shall see...things are looking pretty great out here!
The unfortunate part of this "fake transition to Spring" is the ice. As the snow melts, it seems to be turning into ice making it really quite a chore to leave the house to go anywhere. Before, we walked around with the expectation that we might slip and fall, and now it is just accepted that we will definitely. It is so incredibly dangerous and scary to walk around even my campus and I have heard so many stories of people slipping and some even ending up in hospital from breaking bones or getting concussions. To get to my supermarket which is just next to Flogsta, we have to go down a rather steep slope (which I believe I've shown you photos of) and that is now a sort of walking slippery dip. It is such a funny site to see people walking up and down it with grocery bags taking the most careful of steps trying to find the least slippery part to walk on and nobody talking or looking at each other. The other day, I was walking up (carefully) and a guy walking down I knew said Hi to me - that brief moment of looking up caused him to slip and stack. After that, we decided to go on our way and talk later.
These are some photos I took on my walk to the gym on Sunday. That's right - I went to the gym! First time here and we plan to go again soon. But check out the ice. Pretty crazy if you ask me. Anyway, that is all for now. In terms of what has been happening: I have not been taking many photos unfortunately lately but I will try to keep that up again. Things I have been doing have included the gym, going go the International Gasque (which is like a fancy ball and dinner), getting the most epic of bruises you can imagine, and some very interesting classes at Uni. On the books for the coming month, I will be going to London in about 2 weeks, followed by Copenhagen and then Riga which is in Latvia on another crazy cruise. Oh and in April.... RUSSIA!!!! Lots happening! And I also want to write a lot more on just normal life here in Sweden. Boy, it's going to be a busy month!
6 comments:
Awww, a post on my bday :). You can tell you've been busy cos the blogs are getting fewer and fewer lol. Yup, that ice looks pretty hectic. You'd think that theyd have developed some sort of shoe that allows people to walk on it without so much fear of slippage. I mean, its not like ice is going to be a one off thing over there and animals have adaptations to deal with it... Have fun over the next few weeks!
What did you go to the gym for? Don't you get enough exercise walking awkwardly over the ice? Are gyms more popular in Sweden because it's colder in the winter, and you can't go out as much?
Also, to clarify, I'm most surprised you don't have a new Zealand accent. I doubt that Europeans in Sweden with English as a second language can distinguish Aussie and nz accents, but I sure can. And you don't. Nor do you sound much like anything else, you also don't have a heaps Australian accent. Because some people sound more australian than others. Take the way Alex talks. And Steve Irwin. Different...
Oh, and you know that clucky swallowing noise you used to make? The one that we all realized you made when you recorded messages on the computer? My cat does that. So of everybody I know, the way you talk reminds me most of a cat. An Australian cat. I'm sure I'm the only one who thinks that though.
Lol thank you for that wonderful observation erin.
Um in regards to my accent. That is true that I don't have as much of an aussie accent as other people here. Some of them have it to the most freakin max that even if they were in Australia people would be like...whaaat? But nevertheless. I have been told I have a aus accent and people I talk to on the phone can even hear it. I called copenhagen yesterday to book a hostel and she could hear it. When I talk to people they usually ask if I am australian cause of my accent. But then they usually observe that they are surprised that they can understand me! Apparently aussies are usually a little hard to understand and I am perfectly clear when I talk. I take this as a good thing. There are a few new zealand people here - and its funny because I have trouble understanding them. Their accent is SO STRONG! Yet, people here think they have the same accent as an aussie :S
EVERYONE GOES TO THE GYM AND IS ACTIVE AROUND HERE ITS RIDICULOUS. WE AUSTRALIANS ARE SO FREAKIN LAZY. GET YOUR BUTT OFF THE COMPUTER AND GO GET ACTIVE OUTSIDE
Hey!
I resent that! I got up off my butt and made a cake and three pies as soon as I sent this! Well, I helped my mum make a cake and three pies. And I can't go outside cause its been raining for what seems like 10 years!
And I was I my on the computer in the first place to comment on your blog! Which probably takes longer to write than to comment on! So you were on the computer first! And for longer! And I can't afford the gym! Is it cheaper there?
The gym isn't heaps cheap but it's not that expensive if you really use it. The facilities are not bad at all. I wanna give it a proper go so I've paid for a month and I will see how it goes. I think from memory Fitness First clocked up to be about 60 bucks a month or something and here it is about that too if you go by month and if you get the session pass it's a fair good deal... like 40 bucks a month. But I'm already halfway through so it works out to be the same or something but hey it's not too bad for the stuff we can do there.
I'm glad you were so active to make pies and cake. musta really worked up a sweat there pixie :P
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