When I first saw snow back in October I was excited and felt very English – or perhaps childish – for pointing at the flakes saying ”Look it’s snowing!” as if I’d never seen snow before. Now when there’s winter for real in Sweden the novelty is gone.
And I’m worried.
Will I survive the Swedish winter? I haven’t spent a whole winter in Sweden
since 2002/2003. The snow is like an unexpected the guest that you are happy to
see briefly in October and can put up with in December, but when that guest is
overstaying until April you’re very fed up. Perhaps this white guest will leave
for a few weeks and you’ll feel the vibes of spring, but just as you put your
winter coat in the cupboard you can be sure that Ms White returns once again
...
At least the
Swedes are better prepared for winter than the English. For a start: it is very
warm indoors! No one is saving on the heating as most people who live in flats
whether they’re are renting or owning have the heating included in the rent or
fees. The traffic doesn't stop even though there are delays.The schools and
shops and libraries don’t close. People don’t panic buy food in the
supermarket. In a way I miss the days of occasional snow in Brighton when I
could leave work at 3pm because there was no public transport ... (Ironically
my host this week couldn't leave work because they were removing snow from the
roof outside her office.)
And I’m not just
worried about the snow. I've only got two weeks left of Swenglish, two
weeks of deciding whether the live in Sweden or England. The snow is
definitely going against Sweden, but the standard of housing is a big big plus.
PS. If you wonder
about the skull on my coat pocket, it's not a Christmas tree decoration as an
English friend once thought. They are ”reflectors” and a majority of people
wear them in Sweden so they can be seen by cars in the dark.
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