The Continuing Deposit Saga

Hi again,

Another anecdote to add to my obsession about coin deposits in Sweden is that at any grocery store there is a little lock on all shopping carts and you have to put a 5 kronor ($.75) in to unlock and use the cart. Then when you are done you take it back to where all the shopping carts are and it latches into the lock of the last cart in the row and then the 5 kronor comes out. So, it alleviates any need for employees to go round up the carts in the parking lot. The deposit is for the little kid shopping carts too. Kind of trippy! Oh, and on that note. All grocery stores and convienence stores (most stores actually) charge for bags. They are about 2 kronor ($.25) per bag. They are much more durable than the bags at home and can be reused. What an environmental plus.

Another sidebar, I was watching "The Sopranos" last Sunday night. After it ended, I realized it had aired on one of the two public stations here. You know, the stations in which the TV tax are used. Well, I don't really see PBS buying the Sopranos for their general audience at home. So funny, and sooo different. What a chuckle.

Halloween, is just catching on here, or so I hear. Saniya is dressing up as a princess. There is a party, here, in our apartment complex which we will attend. I am unsure about this, but I think there is very limited to mostly no trick or treating. There are Halloween parties and that is kind of the whole shebang. We'll see this weekend!

Oh and another comment to add to this cornucopia of tangents. As Daylights Savings Time approaches this weekend, Rob and I were just discussing that is will be almost dark for us by 4:30. Can you believe it? At the end of October! We were saying that is what it would be in December, January at home. So, the darkness is closing in. I feel like a bear bedding down for the winter.

Happy Halloween and Booooooo!

Yasmiene

Mini Update

Just to clarify. When Rob spoke of 2000 Kronor for a TV tax that is about $300.

So, just to what we have been up to....

Rob and I both begin language classes next week. They seem pretty intensive in that they are twice per week for three hours each session. We will go alternate nights from 6-9 pm and see each other on Fridays. I feel like we are back in the routine of our first year with Saniya when we were both working and trading off our time at home. Memories. It will be a challenge, but we are both excited to learn and feeling it is time to dive into this aspect of Swedish life.

Saniya is adjusting to school. She likes going, but is struggling with the language barrier as well. It is hard for her to connect with the other kids because she does not know what they are saying. We are hoping it will get better in the next few months as she learns more and Rob and I learn and can work with her on it as well.

Rowan is a tireless toddler. He is just so cute, and exhausting all in one. I am considering an open school for him to begin maybe in the Spring. I don't think I am ready to send him off to daycare on his own. We'll see. Things may change, but the thought of my going with him is more appealing right now. Open school is where you go a few times a week, but the parents stay with their child. Leaving him in daycare is better for him to learn Swedish, so we will see. No decisions.

Another thing I was contemplating the other day was around the serious effect of pregnancy. I thought I would mention it to all of you pregnant and new moms out there. I feel like I am just now getting back to my pre-pregnancy self. I think it takes about a year after giving birth to really feel like yourself again. I know that we all feel better after the baby is out and then progressively better as the months continue. But, really to physically and emotionally get completely back to normal and feel fully functional and rational all the time. Ok, no one is always rational, but pre-pregnancy amount of rational. I remember feeling the same way after Saniya and then now with Rowan. I think it is about a year. Amazing to give the 9 months of pregnancy and then another year after to all the freakiness and extremes. So, hang in there. It does get back to normal.

Missing you all,

Yasmiene

Swedish style

Another entry to satiate the masses. Today we are going to check out the apartment. A few pictures to show you how we're living in Stockholm. But before we go there I'll fill you on what has been going on. A most exciting week because Saniya got a bicycle! We took it out today and it was quite a hit. There are no training wheels and Saniya is still trying to find her balance but she did great.

More TV info. Apparently there is a TV tax that everyone should pay if you have a TV. It is ~2000 kronor. This money is used to support the 2 public stations which don't have commercials. The new culture minister didn't pay this tax and is therefore dealing with a scandal.


The entry to our apartment shows yours truly typing out this blog entry


To the left are our two bathrooms. One has a bathtub and the other does not.


To the right is our kitchen with a view of rabbits and the Wenner-Gren center


Our spacious living room



View from the balcony


Kids room




Saniya's bike and Yaz


Rob

Swedish Ways

All I have to say about the above video is "too much!". Rob is obsessed with his white and nerdy status. I thought I would discuss our immigrant adventures here in Sweden. It is interesting to be an immigrant. We feel we are not permenant immigrants as others who are looking to remain here and have a life. Also, we have been taken care of by Rob's work so well that we really have not had the hardships of others that come from more impoverished environments. But, it is truly a great experience to see how hard it is to set up and understand the basic infrasture in another culture.

The bank has been one challenge here. Bank hours are from 10-3 Mon through Fri. So, if you have a job that is inflexible, I am not sure what people do. We used Rob's ATM the other day and it ate the card. I went into the bank and they relayed that if the wrong pin is entered three times, not at once, not in the same day, but ever, then it takes the card and we must order a new one. So, that process takes what they say is 4 days. But, I can't say I believe this because I ordered a card at our last place and it never came in two or three weeks. I canceled that because we moved and had just ordered a new one to our new place two days before the machine ate Rob's card. So, we are fine as we can go into the bank to get $ and have credit and things, but what about those people that do not speak English to understand this and have no extra money, etc. Another interesting note is that their ATM card is called a "Visa card" and a credit card is called a "Mastercard". Weird huh. So, they were confused with I spoke of getting a debit card and finally figured out "oh, a visa card". I think they may have a heart attack if I were to show them my American visa card and tell them it is a credit card. How could it be!

Another difference is table manners. People are very well mannered here. Saniya's school has "Dinner" at noon. They set the table, get the food from the kitchen and take the dishes to the table. They all sit and pass the dishes to the left and wait until all are served to begin eating. They cut their food and pour water from the pitcher. They wait until everyone at the table is done and then everyone gets up together. Food is served in courses. The first couse, salad, is eaten and then cleared. Then the main meal is served. The children will take a serving and then wait until all are done with the first servings to send the plate around for a second serving. Also, one would never take the last spoonful off the serving plate unless they were the last in turn at the table during the second go around. It is orderly and there is polite table conversation. The children are all just turning three to less than four. Amazing to me. I recently went to a party at Rob's work. It was the same way. It was casual, but the dining was very structured. It was a buffet, but people would go up for a first serving and then after everyone was finished, then they spoke of going to a second helping if we liked. Then as it was a buffet and at home there would just be a desert area. Not so in Sweden. Desert is announced after dinner is over. Then the desert is put out on a buffet table and everyone gets a piece and it is expected to all sit again and eat together with coffee. So, it is the courses that are very ordered. Also, when someone would speak everyone in the room would stop eating, put down their silverware and drinks and look at the person talking. The differences are subtle in some ways and exteme in others. With the kids it was a very different feeling than the chaos at home when we have a bunch of kids together. With the adults, it was more subtle, but still noticable.

I just returned from the laundry room so it is on my mind. The way a communal laundry is organized here is very different than at home. First off, there is an appointment calendar and you sign up to use a specific washer. Some places have keys that allow you to move the calendar button to the date and time you want, other places have just a sign up and you write in your apt. #. The washers are also free. In all of the places we have been there are no coin machines. So, that is really great. You go at your appointed time to wash and dry. I love it.

Laundry is free, but the bathroom costs $. Another oddity is that if you use the toilet in a restaurant or store or wherever it is common that you insert money in a box on the door to open and use it. If it is a business or restaurant and you just go in and ask to use it, they charge you 5 kronor ($.75). Sometimes even in cafes or stores where you are dining or buying something the bathroom will still cost $ and there will be a sign to pay up front or a coin box on the door to let you in. Kind of different. As, Saniya uses the bathroom alot, we know all about the toilet or "toalleter" situation here.

So, as we learn about these Swedish people, we realize we know less and less.

Yaz

White and Nerdy

You go Alfred! My question to you is: Kirk or Picard?



I also removed the ability to comment anonymously. Looking back at some older posts revealed some spam.

Rob

Where's Rob?

So it has been brought to my attention that I haven't posted in awhile. I really am quite surprised. It seems like yesterday I entered something. So I have a lot of catching up to do. Some pictures as well.

Where to begin? I'll start with our move. 3 places in 5 weeks. The first apartment was in Hornstull which is on the western edge of Södermalm in the city. If you've followed this blog closely you will know that it was very small and dirty. It did give us the chance to see that part of the island and it actually is quite charming. Fortunate for us because we decided to be out of the apartment whenever we could.

Rowan and Saniya just before beginning the move



While we were out in the city Saniya got to jump really high and Rowan watched







The next place was a house in the woods on the island Värmdö. It was a little larger and clean. It was very relaxing to stay in the woods. We could hear crickets and pick wild blueberries and lingonberries. Nearby was a great beach where Saniya and Rowan would play at on the sunny days. One saturday there were small hydroplanes doing a race on the water which was a hit.

Hydroplane races




Rowan and Saniya in Värmdö at the beach





At the house Rowan eating outside on the porch



Cornstarch is fun



Cuteness



After 3 weeks of commuting to the city I was ready to move to our newest place. It is quite large and has all the amenities you could want. We went to IKEA last weekend and bought a few things for the kids room and miscellaneous other stuff. How Swedish of us. I finally feel like we are starting to settle in. There are a few things that are up in the air right now though.

Saniya started pre-school last week and she is doing quite well. She is excited to go to school each day and I walk with her. Right now I am staying with her at the school in the mornings and then Yaz comes with Rowan for lunch. Then off to work for me.

Work has been going well. I am still learning where things are and how things are done. I spent a good part of the first couple months solving a structure and writing a paper. It has been published online. First structure of a eukaryotic phosphohistidine phosphatase if you would like to read it. I will continue some work with this protein and might have something else to say about it in the future.

We appreciate the pictures and emails. Saniya is still sad she has no friends but hopefully now that she is in school she'll make some.

Rob