During my four months in Stockholm, I lived in a residence of sorts called "Campus Lappis." Lappis takes you back to your undergraduate days filled with students learning how to do laundry for the first time, cook meals from home (all in a shared kitchen...), master the fine art of balancing studying and socializing, and ultimately making life long friends. The only residence actually on campus, Lappis is surrounded by forest, perfectly located right on the edge of Stockholm University and a quick five minute walk to a local beach. Perhaps the most interesting part of Lappis is a tradition occurs every Tuesday at 10pm. If you are not aware of it, the first time can be quite terrifying...
Ah, the Lappis scream. It is quite disturbing but I must say, a pretty great tradition.
At 10pm every Tuesday night, everyone puts down the books, highlighters, and/or beer, opens their windows, and screams at the top of their lungs. No one has any idea where the tradition came from, or how long it has been around, but no one seems to care.
I admittedly felt too old to participate with my 18-20 year old counterparts for the first couple of weeks. The day I finally opened up my window and let out a scream, I was hooked. What a stress release!! I now believe we could all use a good old weekly scream to let any current frustrations.
Is it really Thursday?! Forgive me it's the holidays and I can barely figure out the time of day let alone the day of the week. I'm not the only one right? Speaking of the holidays, the instant I was introduced to this Scandinavian holiday tradition, I knew it would become a staple back home.
Glögg!(Pronounced glooog).
I am now convinced there is nothing tastier than a cup of warm glogg (ie: mulled wine with spices), on a cold winters day. In Stockholm an alcohol free version is given away on the streets. What a treat to warm your frosty fingers and noses! The best thing, there is no one-way to make glögg. Aside from the staples: wine, cinnamon, cardamom, almonds, raisons, orange peels, and sugar, glögg allows you the freedom to don your chef hat and concoct a creative version perfectly fit to your own taste. I have quizzed Swedes and scoured recipes: some add brandy, others vodka or aquavit, and if you're my moma, diluting with water is key. Interestingly, in the 1890's glögg became very popular throughout northern European nations, used as a "health potion" to cure various winter related ailments. Since returning home I have been experimenting with glögg recipes, trying to find that perfect taste. After accidentally straining the first batch straight down the kitchen drain, (cue jet lag tears of exhaustion), a cringe worthy vodka batch that surely puts hair on your chest, and a few other concoctions involving ginger ale, I have found my favorite version! If you have a cheap bottle of wine kicking around your liquor cupboard, I assure you, it is up for the glogg challenge! Glögg Basics:
1 ltr inexpensive dry red wine
50ml inexpensive brandy
8 cinnamon sticks broken in half
1 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds - Most recipes call for cardamom seed pods. If you can find them, use about 10. Lack of selection at the Yorkton grocery store had me substituting with dried cardamom - avoid at all costs! It is just not the same.
15-20 whole cloves
1 orange peel
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup sugar
Mix all ingredients together over low heat. Do not let the concoction come to a boil. Let simmer for 45 minutes. If your house starts smelling like Christmas and you are anxious to dive in, strain it, adding the almonds and raisins back into the mugs, and serve! Other varieties include letting the wine mull for 4-5 hours, or even overnight, it is all up to you! If you're an aquavit or port fan, feel free to experiment adding different things to the mix.
In this subarctic Saskatchewan winter, glögg is quickly becoming a post-cross country ski tradition... can you blame us?
Three days late, I know. But I just finally battled the exhaustion that came from working 32 hours straight without sleep. This is a post I actually wrote on Saturday and forgot to publish. Better late than never...?
Last week has been one of the most fun weeks in Stockholm. I think it is in part due to the huge snowfall we received, stranding three of my friends in the city and "forcing" us to pack my room with mattresses. Snow day sleepover complete with popcorn and a chick flick.
My favorite part of the week however has been working construction for Nobel Nightcap each day! Let me back up...
Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm in 1833 and remains infamous for two things: inventing dynamite, and establishing the Nobel Prizes. But how exactly do the two relate? Nobel was born into a family of engineers, and when he was 9 years old, relocated with his family to Russia where his father held government contracts to build defense weapons. Nobel was home-schooled and self taught, and soon became a brilliant engineer. In 1862, after two years spent travelling the world, Nobel returned home to Stockholm and began experimenting with nitroglycerine. After creating his first explosion he successfully registered for a Swedish patent under the name of "Nobel lighter." Two years later Alfred's experimenting resulted in his factory blowing up and killing several people, including his younger brother Emil. Despite the tragedy, Alfred continued experimenting and in 1867 invented what we now know as dynamite. Alfred hoped this destructive product would actually be a tool for peace and is famously quoted explaining, "my factories will make an end of war sooner than your congress. The day when two army corps can annihilate each other in one second, all civilized nations, it is to be hoped, will recoil from war and discharge their troops." The public however, did not agree with Alfred. Eight years before Alfred passed away, a French newspaper incorrectly reported his death confusing him with his deceased brother. The obituary was titled "The merchant of death is dead," and is thought to have caused Alfred to become apprehensive as to the legacy he would leave behind. Alfred died in 1896, leaving behind a will ensuring his family name would be remembered in a positive light. Alfred Nobel's last will and testament left over 90% of his total worth to the establishment of 5 annual prizes in categories of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and lastly peace. The will read that the awards were to be granted to "those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind."
Five years later, the first Nobel Prizes were awarded, and since 1901 have been presented to the Laureates on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. Many incorrectly assume that the Prizes are Norwegian, as the Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, but the remaining four prizes are given out at the Prize Award Ceremony at the Stockholm City Hall.
Now what does this have to do with me? Well tomorrow is Dec 10th, and the Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony will be held downtown boasting guests such as the Swedish Royal family, laureats, etc.
Each year, a local University hosts the "Nobel Nightcap Afterparty," an exclusive and incredibly elaborate event allowing the Nobel Prize winners, and other Awards Ceremony guests to celebrate in Sweden. I was lucky enough to secure a job working the Nobel Nightcap Afterparty and could not be more thrilled. I will be working the actual event from 5pm Monday until 8am Tuesday, decked out in full costume and makeup. Aside from working the actual event and having the chance to mingle with famous Swedes, I have also spent the last week transforming the event space, a 3 floor building, into an incredibly creative, amazing venue. I was absolutely thrilled to be able to use engage in two of my favorite activities: construction, and being bossy. The event theme is top secret, and as such I will not know what my costume will be till the evening of. I cannot wait to find out tomorrow, and to fill you in on how the event goes!
(Clearly an old post, I have finally cleaned off all my makeup and caught up on sleep. I will scrounge up some event photos asap and show you the venue and costumes!)
Sweden is dark. Yes, I, a non-daylight savings time Saskatchewanite said it. It is darkhere. The sun currently rises at approximately 8:30am and sets by 2:45-3pm. I thought I knew dark, but this is bringing it to a whole new level. Come 3pm each day you are not sure whether to eat dinner, go to bed, or turn on every light in your home. As you can imagine, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a real issue. In an attempt to battle SAD, Umeå, a city 500 km north of Stockholm, has introduced a new light therapy. Keep in mind, Umeå currently sees a maximum of 5 hours of sunlight per day, this total shrinking with every day that passes, and settling around 4 hours a day mid December.
In attempt to provide Umeå residents with the requisite vitamin D, the local energy company has introduced solar lamps at a number of bus stops throughout the city. The idea is to provide light therapy as a treatment to SAD, compensating for lost sunlight exposure through the dark winter months. Locals have complained about the lights being distracting, but as of now, I am all for it. Bring the lights to Stockholm! And next, to Saskatchewan!
During our first week here, one of my friends asked, "is today a holiday in Sweden or something?" She asked as we sat in a cafe surrounded by men with parked strollers and babies strapped to their chests. It was not a holiday. It was 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon. During regular business hours on almost any given day you will cross paths with dozens of men strolling the streets of Stockholm with a coffee in one hand, pushing a stroller with the other. While I knew Sweden had one of most generous maternity and paternity leave programs in the world, I had also been led to believe that Canada's program was right up there as well. Yet, I have never witnessed a sea of men pushing strollers back home. So, what's so special about Sweden....?
In the 1960's the Swedish labour force faced a shortage of workers. Instead of opening borders to immigrant workers, the Swedish government opted to further incorporate Swedish women into the workforce. Consequently, in 1974 maternity leave was replaced with "parental leave," allowing fathers to take off work for as long as 240 days with government support. The new legislation was a first step, but flawed in its design. It was assumed that more men would take the parental leave, allowing more women to work. While the number of women in the workforce increased slightly, women continued to dominate parental leave. This meant that while more women were working, they were also taking on "double roles" acting as the primary caregiver, and managing a full time career. As the number of women in the workforce increased, Sweden's population growth dropped drastically as women struggled to balance the demands of managing the double roles. In 1995 the Swedish government attempted to correct the issue, introducing new legislation and an incentive too great for Swedish families to ignore. Now parents are entitled to a combined 480 days of parental leave, which may be shared in almost any way between the couple. Under the 1995 legislation no father was forced to stay home, however, if he chose not to, the family would lose one month of government subsidies. As a result, 8/10 new fathers began to take the leave, consequently taking on caregiver duties, and lessening the burden for working mothers. In 2002 the government introduced a second nontransferable month. In order to receive the government benefits, fathers must take at least two months leave before their child reaches the age of 8. Another interesting feature; parents may use their days however they wish. The leave can be split monthly, weekly, daily, even hourly, and can constantly transfer back and forth between parents. The state money and flexibility in designing the leave appears to have been the incentive needed to bring about social change. From what I have observed there seems to be little to no negative social stigma attached to paternity leave. Furthermore, a recent study by the Swedish Institute of Labor Market Policy Evaluation found that for every month a father takes leave, a mother's future earnings increase by an average of 7%. And importantly, under the new legislation the Swedish population growth rate increased. For 13 months, the government will provide up to 80% of a parent's salary, (capped at approximately $65,000), with many Swedish companies offering to pay the difference if an employee's salary is above the government salary cap. The trend is catching on, and in 2007 Germany created similar legislation, reserving 2 of the 14 months of paid leave exclusively for German fathers. By 2009 the percentage of fathers taking leave was said to have increased from 3-20%. The power of the parental leave program amazes me. Adjusting Swedish's parental leave has allowed the country to reverse their negative fertility rate, increased women's role in the workforce, and led to a more balanced disbursement of child care duties between parents. And yes, 3/4 of the strollers hold beautiful Swedish babies with blonde hair, blue eyes, and incredibly stylish outfits.
If you spend any time in Sweden, you will undoubtedly Fika. And, you will more likely than not, love it. Sweden is said to rank 2nd in the world in terms of coffee consumption per person. This high coffee consumption is fostered through the fika (pronounced fee-kah). "Fika" is both a verb and a noun and used to describe an afternoon break which it seems as if the entire city partakes in. Around 3pm each day, coffee shops overflow with people eager to visit with friends over a cup (or two) of coffee, and most importantly, a freshly baked kanelbullar (a traditional cinnamon bun), or a spread of cookies. While we have coffee breaks back home, they are not taken nearly as seriously as the fika. All workers in Sweden are guaranteed a 10am and 3pm break to facilitate their fika. (Good luck trying to do any sort of business at 3pm, no one answers anywhere. Might as well fika!) Most importantly however, the fika is not a solitude event. It is about friends, family and colleagues relaxing in each others company, and bonding over coffee. You rarely see anyone sitting alone in a coffee shop. The word fika originates from a former spelling of the Swedish word for coffee: kaffi. I struggled for months to determine if it was a noun or a verb, only to discover it can be used as both. It is not uncommon for someone to ask, "would you like to come have a fika with us," and also say "let's fika!" Here is a commercial for a Kraft-owned Gevalia Coffee, founded in Sweden, which highligts the fika. Also an introduction to Swedish humor...
The fika is a wonderful tradition, embraced by every international student who discovers it, including yours truly. My next task is to discover how Swedes stay so slim while eating cinnamon buns daily... but first, time to fika!
I have been blessed to have visitors in Stockholm for the last couple of weeks. Seeing this City through fresh eyes has me appreciating the beauty of Sweden all over again. So here is the first in what will hopefully be a regular Swedish update. To set the stage, some Swedish music...
We all know that ABBA hails from Sweden, most will know the same applies for Roxette, but you probably didn't know that one hit wonder Eagle Eyed Cherry is in the same boat. Remember, saaave tonight, fight the break of dawn, come tomorrow, tomorrow I'll be gone....
I nearly lost my mind when I heard Roxette was playing in Stockholm at the grand opening of the Friends Arena; a building under construction for four years, and named after a local charity fighting bullying. Needless to say, I bought tickets.
The grand opening was a concert celebrating Swedish artists; from Roxette, to the Hives, recent Eurovision winner Loreen, and Icona Pop. There were over 20 different artists in total, some we knew, and some we did not.
The show was absolutely amazing. However, crazier even than the pyrotechnics, dozens of acts, and spinning stages was the crowd. While A, P, and I were bouncing our seats, belting out lyrics, and flailing our glow sticks about madly - the entire rest of the crowd sat dead quiet, politely golf clapping between acts. Mind-blowing...
If you happen to be enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon (Sunday Funday for some), here are some Swedish sounds to enjoy.
Did you catch the reference to Stockholm in the first few lines?
Warning, a couple explicit lyrics in the video below. I considered leaving it out but the Icona Pop ladies are so big here, and this song is played everywhere. It wouldn't be right...
Now excuse me while I dance around my room singing screaming Roxette lyrics. Happy Swedish Sunday!
