This week has been a treat! The weather was perfect and I had a lot of fun things going on!
On Friday I had a work lunch with my supervisor, coworker, and several other people involved with the organization. It was so interesting getting to meet all of them and hear about what they did and their opinions about the foundation that I’m interning for.
That evening I headed over to the airport to fly up north to my grandparents house! The trip was not bad – there’s a train that goes directly from Stockholm’s downtown to the airport that only cost about $18. The airport itself is so nice, and has lots of shops to look at while waiting for the plane. At my grandparent’s house, I got to see them and my aunt Malin. We had fika (Swedish coffee break) with a family friend, and dinner together that night. The next day I already had to leave, but me and my aunt went to a flea market and got lunch with a couple of her coworkers.
Since I’ve been to Sweden before, I had a general idea of what Swedish people were like, but working here and being here on my own for so long has given me a lot more experience. One of the biggest things I’ve noticed in general is that Swedes do not do small talk like we do in America. I knew about this, but I’ve really seen it on this trip. When I try to have any small conversation with a stranger all I’ve gotten are strange looks and what seems like discomfort from them. In a way I understand this, but I do really miss it.
In the workplace, I’ve found that I really have to ask and push for more work to do. Swedes give a lot of freedom in the workplace, including to interns; I have to come up with my own ideas to bring to the table. This is good in some ways, but I personally have been struggling with this because of my inexperience and the tasks that are very different than what I’m used to working with.
Overall, any foreign country takes adaptation. Differences in Sweden can be a little harder to see sometimes, but it really has made me realize how unique every country is, including the U.S.. I love Sweden, though I really can’t wait to get back to the sates so I can make small talk again.