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Tag archives for host family

Top things I’ll miss in Sweden

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While studying abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the hardest part isn’t going to your host country: it’s coming back home.

Meeting new people from around the world is just one of the many advantages of studying abroad. Photo: Ben Mack

I’ve been studying in Sweden for about a year, and am definitely going to miss a few things. Here are the 14 I’ll miss most.

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1. Strawberries

 Back where I come from in Oregon, we’re known for having some of the best-tasting strawberries in the world. But even they pale in comparison to the Swedish variety, which taste like a combination of ecstasy, fulfillment, and a satisfaction in knowing you will never have better.

2. Winter

I know what you’re thinking: how can anyone love a season where temperatures can dip below minus 20 Celsius, snow is almost a meter thick, and it’s dark 18 hours (or more) a day? That’s precisely why I love the Swedish winter: it’s so different than what I had been previously used to. In Oregon, winter is marked by over 100 centimeters of rain, and in Boise if it’s snowing… well, if it’s snowing, then that’s the least of your problems. But in Sweden mayors don’t declare a state of emergency when it snows, and the glistening white stuff is also, I’ve discovered, a lot of fun to play in.

Swedish pancakes are, in a word, delicious. Photo: Anne Balonier

3. The food

Sweden may not usually be the first place that comes to mind when people think of tasty national cuisine, but I’ve found Swedish food to be surprisingly scrumptious – and much more diverse than herring and köttbullar. It’s much more affordable than it is in the U.S. (where you usually have to go to a specialty store or IKEA), and obviously more authentic too. And, when I was tired of traditional Svensk mat, grocery stores carry foods from all over the world, including the artificially preserved,  flavorized, prepackaged, hormone-treated, sugar-infused fare I – unfortunately – was raised on.

4. The people

This one comes as a no-brainer. Life isn’t just about what you do: it’s about who you meet. And in Sweden, I’ve met some amazing people, from Swedes such as my host family and close friends to fellow exchange students who’ve helped me broaden my horizons and taught me a lot about myself, too. If it wasn’t for this motley cast of characters, there’s no way my time abroad would have been as magical as it was.

Any time is a great time for a fika! Photo: Anne Balonier

5. Fikas

A uniquely Swedish creation, a fika is a great way to spend time with friends, family, classmates, coworkers, or just about anyone. It’s also a great excuse to consume more coffee and sweets than your mother would have ever allowed you to have growing up.

6. The queue system 

Back home, when you go to someplace like the bank, housing office, etc. you have to wait in line. And wait. And wait. And wait. But in Sweden, you just take a number and wait for your number to be called.  It’s great for people such as myself who can never stay in one place for more than three minutes.

7. Traveling by train 

Trains in the U.S. are few, far between, and incredibly expensive. In Boise, a city of more than 200,000 people and a metro area of half a million, there isn’t even a single operating train station. Pretty much every town in Sweden has a train station, and – in my opinion – paying 400 kronor to travel from Växjö to Göteborg seems pretty cheap. It’s a great way for students without cars to get around.

Kronobergs Slottsruinen, located north of Växjö, dates back to the 15th century. Photo: Ben Mack

8. The history

Some Swedes may gripe that there isn’t much history in Sweden, but it’s a whole lot more than where I come from. Back in Boise, the oldest building is an old log house from the 1800s. In Sweden, people live in houses older than that. Heck, the Växjö Domkyrka (Växjö Cathedral) was built in the 12th century – more than 300 years before America was even “discovered.” Every town has its own rich and unique history.

9. Allsvenskan football

Few things are able to match the passion — and intensity – of Allsvenskan football matches. It’s one of the rare times you’ll see Swedes lose all emotional control, and is certainly not to be missed.

Few things match the passion and excitement of Allsvenskan football. Photo: Ben Mack

10.  My host family

Host families are a fantastic way to see the “real” Sweden, and I had a great time with mine. From going to football matches, to barbecues, to fishing, to speaking to secondary school students and to jumping in frozen lakes, I will miss them greatly.

11.  The summer

If the Swedish winter is spectacular, then the summer is even more so. Photo: Ben Mack

If the Swedish winter is spectacular, then the summer is even more so. Temperatures around 20 Celsius, clear skies, 18 hours of sunlight, Midsummer… what could be better?

12.  Nature

Swedes have a special connection to nature, and it’s easy to see why. Never in my life have I seen a country as green as Sweden is. From the forests to the meadows to the thousands of lakes, it’s hard to imagine more beautiful scenery anywhere else on earth.

13.  Teleborgs Slott

Sure it’s not that old (built around 1900), and sure it’s not that big, but it’s the first castle I’d ever seen. And when it’s only a five-minute walk from your flat, you tend to spend a lot of time there. Truly, it’s the most magical place I’ve ever been. No matter the occasion – whether I was having a bad day, was stressed out, wanted to enjoy nature, meditate, hang out with friends, take a girl on a date, study, or whatever – I could just walk through the castle’s spacious grounds or inside to have a fika. Every moment spent there was spent in timeless bliss.

Though not very old, Teleborgs Slott is nonetheless magnificent. Photo: Ben Mack

 

14.  The Swedes

Whether it’s their closeness to nature, tolerance of others, friendliness, ingenuity, or helpfulness, it’s obvious the Swedes are special. Never before have met friendlier, more tolerant, or helpful people in my life. With them, the glass is always half-full. And their smiles can power a small city. And they’re the most loyal friends you can ever have.

My advice to anyone coming to Sweden: enjoy every moment of it. Because when you’re gone…

You’re not in Sweden anymore. And that’s what I’ll miss the most.

When you're in Sweden for a year, you tend to meet at least a few Swedes. Photo: Tiina Syränjen

Ben Mack — Student

June 26, 2011

Keeping up with the Nordmarks

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You’re in Sweden. Lost. Alone. Don’t know a word of the language.

Having a host family is a great way to experience Swedish culture. One thing you might learn is how to row a boat. Photo: Lennart Nordmark

What are you to do? Get back on the plane? Call your parents? Head to the nearest singles bar?

How about call your host family? You know, the people who volunteered to show you Swedish culture and provide support when you emailed the international office at Linnaeus University saying you were interested in participating in the “Friend Family” program.

It’s an idea, isn’t it? They’ll be glad you called them.

You’ll have a lot of fun. I know I have. Heck, I’ve had more strange adventures with them than Indiana Jones in any of George Lucas’ movies.

Let me tell you about my host family, the Nordmarks. They’re an average, middle-class Swedish family that lives in Växjö. They have three children, and like many Swedish families own a summer house which they share with my host father Lennart’s brothers. They’re both school teachers, and have lived in Växjö their whole lives.

My host family's "summer" house in winter. Located on the shores of Lake Helgasjön, the house has been in the family since 1907. Photo: Ben Mack

Sounds rather bland doesn’t it? Well read on, Einstein.

I’ve had a lot of fun with this “typical” family. I’ve spoken several times to students at both the schools my host parents teach at, showing Powerpoint presentations about the U.S. and answering the kind of questions most teenagers have when encountering a visitor from a foreign country, especially the U.S. Seriously, the knowledge these students have of hip-hop music and the Twilight series is extraordinary.

With them, I’ve also survived multiple encounters with soccer hooligans, failed to catch a fish in three attempts, helped repair a lawnmower, successfully navigated a fika with a 97-year-old woman who has been to 37 U.S. states and five continents, dropped by unannounced for waffles, and consumed more sausages than any previous human in history. Oh, and I’ve also jumped into a frozen lake in the middle of February, spent multiple hours attempting to pick up a drill out of said lake with a magnet and string, and watched prepubescent girls march around with candles in their hair in a show of pageantry and pain tolerance known as Lucia.

Forget trying to keep up with the Joneses. Try keeping up with this family.

On Lake Helgasjön near the Normark's summer house north of Växjö. Photo: Ben Mack

But really, having a host family is about more than random adventures and going on more side trips than the guys in The Hangover. It’s about cultural exchange, sharing your own culture while learning about Swedish culture in an environment other than just an on-campus pub or from your Swedish classmates who are as equally broke as you are.

While with the Nordmarks, I’ve learned about Swedish cuisine, how Swedish families interact, and of course what life is like in Sweden when you’re not just a student. And through that, I’ve been able to examine my own culture, and realized that – in the end – we’re all human and share the same values and beliefs.

And if it wasn’t for them, I’d never have realized pickled herring is absolutely delicious, despite the odor.

So, what are you waiting for? Pick up that phone and make that call. You made the effort to be paired up with a host family, so why not meet them? At the very worst you’ll be getting a free meal.

At the very best you’ll be meeting people you’ll hopefully stay in close contact with for the rest of your life.

Sure makes that 20 kronor phone call worth it.

My host family, the Nordmarks. Photo: Ben Mack

Ben Mack — Student

June 6, 2011

Outside class, its ice and death

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BENJAMIN MACK - The Nordmarks' summer house, located near the shores of Lake Helgasjön north of Växjö. The house has been in the family since 1907.

Ever since I was a child I’ve had a penchant for over-dramatizing things, making even the most ordinary days sound like they came straight from one of the “Die Hard” movies. And since I’ve been in Sweden, I’ll admit that I’ve sometimes made things sound much more extraordinary than they really are.

But when I say jumping into a frozen lake recently was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done, I’m not kidding.

In my usual flair for theatrics, I thought leaping into an ice-coated body of water wearing only a bathing suit would be a great thing to write about. While that’s debatable, one thing I can say is I have never known cold like the waters of Lake Helgasjön, located just north of Växjö.

And mind you, I’ve dealt with below-zero temperatures on more than a few occasions.

Nothing has ever come close to the cold I had to endure, a numbing of the body so intense it even made my last breakup – which caught me so much by surprise I had just gotten out of the shower when it happened – seem enjoyable by comparison.

But I also have a weakness for not being able to say no to things. Some friends wanted to travel to Yellowstone for Spring Break, spending a week with nothing but freezing temperatures and grizzly bears. I said yes. When Girl Scouts appeared at my door last summer selling cookies, of course I bought some. And when my host family, the Nordmarks, invited me to their “summer” house for the day, I couldn’t refuse.

One cool thing about being an exchange student at Linnaeus is this: every student has the opportunity to be paired with a host family to show them what life in Sweden is like outside the classroom, student pubs, and the cultural enigma/tourist black hole known as Stockholm. And as far as host families go, mine is pretty cool – minus the fact that someway, somehow, I get the feeling they’re going to be witnesses to my untimely demise.

With the exception of trying to retrieve the head of a drill used to make holes in ice that had fallen into the lake – by ingeniously attaching a magnet on the end of a string – most of the day was going pretty normally by Swedish standards.

We were sitting in the sauna my host father Lennart had built several years earlier, losing large amounts of weight in temperatures well above 100 Celsius, when he proposed something radical: a dip into the lake. I laughed; there was no way he was serious.

But then I saw his face. He wasn’t joking. In that instant I knew this wasn’t going to end well.

Crazy as it was, I couldn’t exactly say no. I often crave attention, and this would definitely get me more than just a little of it. Plus, I didn’t want to give the impression that Americans were wimps. The hopes of a nation of over 300 million people were riding on me. It was my patriotic duty to do this. For some reason I suddenly had images of the fall of the Roman Empire.

I slipped on some flip-flops, threw on my bathrobe, and plunged into the blinding light shining through the open door and out into the subarctic air.

Lennart took the lead, sprinting to the hole we had sawed earlier in 40 centimeter-thick  ice. He hopped in without missing a beat. Within seconds, he was out.

BENJAMIN MACK - Växjösjön is another lake located near Växjö. According to locals, during some particularly harsh winters it is possible to drive a car across it.

Now it was my turn. I said a silent prayer.

“You don’t have a heart problem do you?” Lennart asked through chattering teeth, breath more visible than Charlie Sheen’s alcoholism.

For perhaps the first time in human history, I actually wished I did.

I disrobed, already shivering. I threw off my flip-flops, and leaped in. I was genuinely surprised my life didn’t flash before my eyes, or think about that within a couple of seconds I might very well find out if there’s an afterlife.

The cold hit me with the equivalent force of a charging bull. Blasting, penetrating, all-encompassing. “Bone-chilling” didn’t even begin to describe it.

My body was shutting down. I needed to get out faster than the Shah in Iran.

Summoning my last reserves of strength, I exploded out of the water. For the first time in my life I actually saw what the benefits of being on swim teams for more than 10 years were.

Almost slipping on the ice, I threw on my robe, grabbed my shoes and ran back to the sauna. If only the Guinness World Records people had been on hand.

Feeling was just beginning to return to my body after near-death encounter No. 413 of my life when Lennart walked in.

“It’s cold, isn’t it?” he said of the lake.

“Not as cold as I thought it would be,” I lied.

If Pinocchio had been in my place, his nose would have reached all the way to Norway.

Ben Mack — Student

March 25, 2011