Bless you!

Scenario:

I walk down a busy street in London and I happen to sneeze. An older lady in the crowd smiles at me and says bless you. I immediately think ”this would never happen in Sweden”.

A month later I walk down a not-so-busy street in Gothenburg. A man happens to sneeze. Another man says prosit (the Swedish equivalent to bless you). I immediately think ”this could happen in Sweden after all”. But when the man walks past me, I get a whiff of alcohol in my face. I change my mind to ”this only happens in Sweden if you’re drunk”.

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Do you Celebrate Friday 13?

One of the Swedish Swenglish participants claimed that she celebrated Friday 13.

"I like Friday 13 because then it's a bit scary. You can have bad luck without it being any problem. If something bad happens you can use Friday 13 as an excuse."

However she didn't tell me how she celebrated. If she had 13 ice-creams or did some other 13-related stuff. Perhaps it would be a fun tradition to create. Run round the house or block 13 times for example. 

One of the English project participants really disliked Friday 13 and would never fly on that day. But he had no problem booking a flight for September 11 ...

England and Sverige have a few common myths around Friday 13, but Wikipedia tells me that in Spain Tuesday 13 is an unlucky day and in Italy it's Friday 17 that is considered unlucky.

If you have a story relating to Friday 13, please get in touch!

PS. The picture is from my Swedish diary and if you wonder about what "Sture" means it's a male name. In Sweden every day has a name and some people celebrate their "name day". Mine is on August 25.

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Question 11a: What would you like to study if you had the chance?

Back to school. A banner that is to be seen in every shop at the moment. However there are still a couple of weeks until the university courses start. There were only 4 of the 30 people I stayed with who had NOT studied at university. (2 in England and 2 in Sweden). A majority had done a degree, a few had studied short courses. Even though most participants had studied before, I asked what they would like to study now if they had the chance.

What people in England would like to study:

MA in art

Critical theories

PhD about the truth in poetry or comedy or both, comparing it

Creative writing

Learn to fly a plane or mathematics or "gaming physics"

MA in art history

Ethnology, oral history, looking at history within different cultures and communities

PhD in creative writing, learn Russian

Music and language, pick three instruments and learn to play them properly

Therapeutic writing

Philosophy

Journalism

What people in Sweden would like to study:

National economics

History and religion

Something to do with music

"The Author school"

Study a specific author

3D-animation

Queer theories

Something within visual arts or photography or gold- or silversmith or something with textiles 

A design degree

Ethnology

Something within the worker's union and the political

"The Author school", publishing, literature history

Latin, political science, quantum physics, astronomy, more art

Money matters

Most of the people who had studied, no matter the country, were happy or very happy with their university education. I followed people to uni in both England and Sweden and can't say that I experienced any massive differences in the lecture halls. But if you look deeper there are a lot of differences. in Sweden all education at university is free. In England it could cost as much as £9000 per year. And that's one reason I'm in Sweden right now.

"Become something"

Inspired by the people I stayed with, I've decided to give the foundation course in ethnology a go, a course that a couple of the participants in Sweden had studied and found rewarding. And what do you become then? I hate that question. (And in my experience, talking to friends and people in pubs, Swedish people seem more obsessed about "becoming something" and sticking to it than English people do.)  

There were a lot of the people who had studied who did NOT work within the field they had studied, but yet they had learnt something and developed as human beings, gained knowledge that had shaped them to the people they are today. If it costs £9000 there might be more pressure to "become something", but whatever you study I think it makes you stronger as a person and if you become stronger it's more likely that you'll find something to work with. At least ethnology will inspire my writing in all genres. But if I had the chance I'd also like to learn how to sing!

Alternatives

Before I was quite anti studying and have had a romantic view of being self-taught, but thanks to the Swenglish project, I realised that the academic world wasn't as difficult and intimidating as I thought it would be. But I'm not saying that everyone has to study. There are alternatives. In Sweden there's something called folkhögskola ("folk high school") where you can learn things in a more organic way without getting any grades or tests, more evening class style. I was very fed up with school when I was 19, but I did two "folk high school" courses (one term English in Portslade, Brighton and three terms writing workshop in Stockholm). It didn't feel like studying at all, I just had fun. In general I think there should be more work experience as part of any education and more collaborations with "the real world".

The picture is from Halmstad when I followed a person who studied bio medicine with focus on physical exercise.

This study is by no means scientific, the answers are based on interviewing 15 people in England and 15 people in Sweden, aged 22-59. Look out for the next question: What do you think of the education system?

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Question 6c: What's Your Favourite Word or Expression?

I asked all the people I stayed with during Swenglish if they had a favourite word or expression. There's a big difference between a word and an expression because an expression can sometimes also work as a motto, but most people chose to answer with just one word. And some people didn't have an answer. I've chosen to keep the Swedish words in, very useful words to know if you ever plan on visiting Sweden!

FAVOURITE WORDS/EXPRESSION BY PEOPLE IN ENGLAND:

Panoply, Ruffle (" I like the sound of them.")

Bof! (French. "I like things you can’t translate. The French communicate a lot without speaking, with sounds and shrugs .” )

Indigo

Silver (”In a poem I have to be careful to put it in, so I don’t always use it.”)

Think less, do more. (“ Although I think a lot, keeping busy has been really good for me.” )

Chthonic (From Greek mythology = of or relating to the underworld    )

You live and learn, but in my case you live.

Swirlingly (The person who said this word thinks she has invented it herself.)

Amazing (“And Awesome, but that's a Kiwi-thing.”)

It’s like Picadilly Circus in here.

Heirloom ("It sounds so nice, a word in its own right, it’s not part of any expression.”)

”Apparently the fave word of Brits is Serendipity, but I'd say ’Somewhat’ – I'd rather that be my favourite word.’

FAVOURITE WORDS/EXPRESSION BY PEOPLE IN SWEDEN::

D’accord (”Okay” or agreeing to something in French.)

Verkligen, Väldigt (= Really, Very. ”When I write school stuff I want to add words that aren't very suitable for academic writing …”)

Nu knullar det i munnen. (= Now it's fucking in the mouth. Said about very tasty food.)

Neo (”The name of my cousin's child. At the moment I notice people's names. If you've got a name you've got an identity.")

Amazing, Laila tov (= Goodnight in Hebrew.)

He (= Put, a word from the North of Sweden.)

Fantastiskt, Enastående Ljuvligt (= Fantastic, Astonishing, Lovely. ”I use a lot of expletives, for example ’det var helt sinnessjukt’ = 'that was totally insane". That's part of how I express myself.”)

Horisont (= Horizon ”I find it so pretty, unattainable, but still new ... Well, I don't know, I'm just talking bullshit.”)

Merde (”Fuck it” in French.)

Fair enough (”As my English teacher used to say all the time.”)

Vidrig (= Obnoxious, Disgusting. ”Then it's really bad. I saw that someone described some food as "vidrig", but if you use it too much it loses its meaning.”)

Det ordnar sig alltid. Allt löser sig. (= It will always work out. Everything will work out.)

Rövelen! (Untranslateable! Something you say when you're angry, but with a sense of humour)

Kanon! (= Great! it does not mean cannon!)

YOUR FAVOURITE WORD?

I find it exciting that some of the participants choose French words or other words that weren't their mother-tongue. Some people picked words because of the meaning, others because they liked the sound of them. I like words beginning with v: verkligen (=really), viadukt (=viaduct), vemod (= sadness, melancholy). And I actually really like the word really. What's your favourite word or expression?

This study is by no means scientific, the answers are based on interviewing 15 people in England and 15 fifteen people in Sweden, age 22-59. Look out for the next question: How did you end up where you live now?

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Question 6b: How does it affect you if people make language mistakes?

8 of the 15 people I stayed with in Sweden are "language police" which is a common expression in Swedish for someone who gets annoyed if people use the language in the wrong way.

But only 4 of the 15 people i stayed with in England are bothered about mistakes.

What the "language police" in Sweden said:

"I'm a bit of a language snob unfortunately. I get anxious if I've sent a text with spelling mistakes and can't take it back. I can also get turned off if a guy writes a sloppy text."

"I notice how language is used and if it's not used according to the norm I react. If someone makes a mistake on Facebook I'll write an ironic comment. It's fun to take the piss. I also have this obsession if someone writes an exclamation mark or put dots at the end of a sentence I have to count the exclamation marks or dots."

"If someone makes spelling mistakes, I think they're stupid. Or if they split a compound word ... Then I can't be their friend. I'm very honest, I feel bad if I've spelt something wrong."

What the "language police" in England said:

"I do notice when people make mistakes. I immediately wonder how educated they are, what class they are, it’s terrible."

"I’m a bit of a pedant when it comes to written English, partly being a teacher. Whenever I read I pick up mistakes, I'm an unpaid proof-reader."

"I’m quit sensitive to people who make mistakes and I correct them. Especially English people" (said by Swede in England.)

And there are some English language rebels:

"I like the damage of language and how new things develop. That "google" * can be used as a verb and people using “literally” in the wrong way."

"I’m not bothered at all. Languages are evolving. Without changes there’s no revolution. If you’re strict about language it’ll never change. There wouldn’t be words like "LOL"."

What I say:

I think the language police exists to a bigger extent in Sweden because Swedish is such a small language and hasn't been as influenced by other cultures. Both Swedish people and English people are tolerant if foreigners make mistakes though. The biggest case for the language police in Sweden is the splitting of compound words, e.g. in English you would write "police station" - in Swedish you world write "policestation".

I really don't care about language mistakes. After having lived in England for many years I now struggle with both English and Swedish! My English will never be perfect and I've lost some of my Swedish from living abroad. When I was interviewed on telly about my novel I kind of spoke English in Swedish. I said that I was from a small town. In Swedish you'd say "I'm from a smalltown".

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*Although the Swedish invention "ungoogleable" was disliked by Google!

 The picture is from Matilda's blog and is hard to translate, but can possibly be compared to the language difference between "You and I" or "You and me".

This study is by no means scientific, the answers to this question are based on interviews with 15 people in England and 15 people Sweden, aged 22-59. Next question: What's your favourite word?

Question 6a: What does language mean to you?

The best thing I have and know of. I hear language in colours. It’s a system of noises.

Communication. That’s the word most people mentioned. In general the people in England found it a very difficult, abstract question to answer. But once they answered they gave thoughtful answers about colours and sounds. The Swedes found it easier to talk about language. My theory is that this is due to English people often being able to speak their language when they go abroad, but Swedish people are forced to speak another language (read English) as soon as they leave Scandinavia.

WHAT LANGUAGE MEANS TO PEOPLE IN ENGLAND:

“I like it when foreigners speak, their different ways of constructing a sentence. I adore the sound of another language. But I feel alienated if I hear a lot of foreign languages on a bus, and long to hear English.”

“It allows me to communicate. I’m lucky to be born in Britain, the international language for travelling, it’s horrible to say but it’s the best language to know. You can go anywhere and do anything.”

“I like to know grammatical structure. I don’t like being in a country, not being able to speak to the people, I’d like to break the tradition of English people thinking that everyone knows English.”

“Communication. I like playing with language when I write, I like changing it, describing things in a way you normally wouldn’t.”

“I went on date and went round to his house and he had the telly on the whole time, saying he wasn’t a good conversationalist, so language is really important to communicate.”

“It represents communication, keeping in contact with people.”

“I hear language in colours, when people speak, I see it in bits of colour.”

“It’s a system of noises. If we decided not to speak we would develop a sign language. We have to accept evolution of language, developing sounds to mean something.”

“It’s a variation of what chimpanzees do, but a bit more elaborate than that. Another part of me loves it when it’s used well, like a drama that has a good script. And I can sometimes use it in a way that entertains people.”

“It’s the main thing that gives my life meaning. I have a facility for learning language and that also goes into creative language.”

“Dialogue means a lot, I like to remember things, and quote them word by word.”

“It’s a source of fun and amusement, a constant hobby, definitely something I’m forever fascinated by. I love learning new words in other languages.”

“It gives you your cultural identity.”

“Sometimes it drives me mad and I want to get right away from it, get into music or painting or whatever, but it’s just essential to me. It’s like asking what blood or water means to you.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a tool, it pre-exists us, it’s the air we breathe, the medium through which we spin. It gives a chance for everyone to be creative with it. It’s used in law, politics, government. Power can be played cause we can play with language, it’s a structure we can’t escape.”

WHAT LANGUAGE MEANS TO PEOPLE IN SWEDEN:

”There’s something special about your mother tongue, the language you can express yourself best in.”

”When you live in Sweden, I don’t think it means that much, but when you’re abroad it means much more. It’s nice to listen to Swedish songs and understand what they sing about. That you can actually communicate in a language that no one else knows where you are.”

”When I write poems I always return to Swedish. It’s easier to express complicated things. But song lyrics I find impossible to write in Swedish, everything sounds so naff in a way.”

”In my everyday life I seldom reflect over what language I speak. The times I’m aware of my relationship to language is when I write lyrics. I’ve chosen to write in English even though I’m better at Swedish. In Swedish the lyrics would be in your face and I don’t want the words to take that space.”

”It’s natural as you speak it and have it in yourself. But Swedish is a difficult language to learn. Many dialects, variations, influenced by other languages as well. It’s a good way of communicating with other Swedes, a very small language.”

”It’s an important tool, communication. I find dialects amusing. The language I speak is important, but then it doesn’t matter that much that it’s Swedish in particular. It’s exciting that Eskimos have so many words for snow, but no word for sun. And that “lagom” doesn’t really translate.”

”I’m so bad at other language so in that aspect, Swedish means a lot. I like reading and writing and argumentation and interpret words, to describe reality or distort reality with words.”

”Swedish is the only language I master. It means very much. I like the words, to write and use the language.”

”It means everything, it’s the best thing I have and know of. Whatever happens I can always write something.”

”It’s about understanding and being understood. I’m fascinating by the way people write, I love enjoying a book that just flows, it’s like seeing a painting or hearing music.”

”I don’t like translations, some words annoy me. Every language has its own sentence structure, it can’t really be translated. I’m often hit by Swedish authors – often it’s just the language that does it.”

”My feeling is that Swedish and English aren’t just different because they are different language, but the whole structure, how you express yourself and make your voice heard is very different. That creates one English identity and one Swedish identity.”

WHAT LANGUAGE MEANS TO ME:

Language is my life! I’m hyper aware of what words people use and it can annoy me to see or hear words I don’t like. Now that I’ve been in Sweden for a while I notice that I’m a bit more relaxed when I use the language. I don’t worry about making mistakes in the same way as I do when I’m in England. I feel less tense when I have conversations, because I don’t stop to think about if my accent sounds terrible. 

But as a contradiction I feel more shy in Swedish. In English I feel more cheeky, there’s more space for making a joke – often on my own behalf; I can get away with things because I’m Swedish. So there’s definitely such a thing as having one Swedish identity and one English identity.

This study is by no means scientific, the answers to this question are based on interviews with 15 people in England and 15 people Sweden, aged 22-59. Next question: Do you mind if people use the language incorrectly?

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Week 2 Revisited - Beer Festival on International Women's Day

I remember International Women's Day from last year very well. Swenglish host number 2 (in England) took me to a beer festival at Hove Town Hall.

As part of your entry fee you got a glass and in that beaker you could be served pints, half-pints or a third of a pint. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The same hall where I had worked as a ballot steward at the local elections was now lined with beer and cider barrels. There was no music and all areas were brightly lit as if we were at a conference.

Arriving at six o’clock there were pre-dominantly men between 40 and 60, perhaps older, sipping their pints or halves or thirds, nodding knowingly, searching for the perfect brew: pale, bitter – or dry if they had cider. An organisation called CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) was behind the festival and was originally formed in the 70s by four men in the North who were disillusioned with the UK beer market.

A couple of hours later the know-it-alls had left and the crowd consisted of mainly 20 and 30-year-olds who drank just to get pissed even if sips were swapped and the occasionally comment about flavour slipped into the conversation. Most people seemed to pick their pint by name: Kama Citra, Snake Slayer and Nightmare were only a few of the choices. Others looked out for the ales with the highest alcohol percentage.

To say that the beer festival was a male dominated event isn’t an exaggeration. There weren’t that many women in the room who gave their opinions on real ale. In England, as well as in Sweden, I’ve experienced that people (often the ones who are a bit older) have been surprised when I’ve wanted beer instead of wine or a drink at the pub. Times have changed, but the older generation still frown if a woman orders a pint. Once I went to an informal job meeting with a male colleague and the person we met up with asked what we wanted to drink. Pint of Harveys my colleague said, and I said that I wanted the same. The person who offered the drinks looked at me and said: half pint? As if I wasn’t allowed a full pint because I was a girl.

I’m not saying it’s a good thing that girls drink as much as guys nowadays, but it’s not fair to assume that a girl drinks a certain drink and a certain amount just because she’s a woman. And the same goes to say for guys. I’ve met men who towards the end of the night only wanted half a pint, but haven’t had the guts to order one because it’s not considered macho enough.

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Question 5: Where have you travelled?

Colombia. Vietnam. South Africa. Greece. Denmark.

The countries above are only a few examples of where the 30 people I stayed with had travelled. Based on the talks with my study subjects I've learnt that people in England and people in Sweden are equally well travelled. Everyone had travelled to at least another country in Europe. About half of the Swedish people and half of the English people had been outside Europe. Most of the participants were open to living abroad for shorter or longer periods of time, but not many would like to live abroad permanently.

It's not very interesting to make a list of all the countries you've visited. The interesting thing is what you've learnt from other cultures. A weekend break at a hotel doesn't give as much as staying with or spending time with local people.

Thanks to my Swenglish project I gained new insights even when staying with people in my hometown. I thought I knew everything about Swedish food culture, but I learnt that you can have bananas in your mince sauce and cheese on your pancakes. You can't read about that in the tourist catalogues. Maybe because it's not typical for Sweden. But I'm after what's not typical! Going to London and have tea is boring. But to get invited to a Londoner's home and have Turkisk coffee is exciting.

When I went to Barcelona for my 29th I felt stressed out running around photographing the sights I'd read about in my guidebook. Never again! The best about the Barcelona trip was talking to a couple of Spanish guys at my hostel. They lived just outside town but had chosen to stay at the hostel so they could have a night out in the city. After five minutes chatting I learnt more about Barcelona than I did from two days of sightseeing. 

There's a difference between holidaying and travelling. If you just want a holiday and relax it doesn't matter if you just see a hotel, a pool and some old church. But to really travel you have to spend time with the local people. Pretty obvious. Not always easy though ... 

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This study is by no means scientific, the answers are based on interviewing 15 people in England and 15 people in Sweden, aged 22-59. Look out for the next question: What does language mean to you?

Swenglish - A year later

On Tuesday I'll be 31 and then a year will have passed since I started my Swenglish journey.

Last year was the most eventful and adventurous years in my life. I learnt so much from staying with 30 different people during 30 weeks. I've realised that there's no such thing as the perfect life. Everybody's got their own struggle. Some people want change. Others are quite happy.

"People often talk about being scared of change
But for me I'm more afraid of things staying the same
Cause the game is never won by standing in any one place for too long."

- Nick Cave, "Jesus of the Moon"

The personal purpose of my Swenglish project was to decide whether to live in England or Sweden. It's not that black and white anymore. I'm a person who's addicted to change, but maybe that will change too. Perhaps I don't want any change once I've found a life that I'm happy with. 

This week I'm visiting Brighton & Hove. It gives me a melancholy feeling, a bit like seeing an ex lover that you still have feelings for, but you know that things aren't right. At the moment. I haven't made a final decision. In fact I don't have a "real" life at the moment.

Next week I'll carry on living in the bubble I've lived in since I finished the project: staying in my parents' basement in my hometown, spending my days writing writing writing. The first draft of the Swenglish book is completed and I have a plan for the autumn. I'm not thinking more than 6-10 months ahead, like I've always had. So that hasn't changed.

And I still like Nick Cave. He's got a new album out. He lives in Brighton. I saw his car the other day.

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Question 4b: What do Swedish People think about England?

Photo: Adriana Pusha

Poor housing, bad food, but the humour is good and you are well looked after …

Thirteen of the fifteen people I stayed  with in Sweden had been to England at least once. But the question is whether a weekend in London gives a true picture of England or just contributes to preserve stereotypes? Although five of my study subjects had lived in England for longer periods.

"They’re polite and say " love "and stuff like that to strangers. They drink a lot of tea. They eat bad food. Disastrous school dinners and not so good schools either. "

"I have met many English people who have lived cool lives and had cool thoughts. But I have a bit of a problem with Englishness, there’s too much talk. Everything is "lovely" and "darling" and "nice to meet you." You’re always well looked after, but I have not met anyone, have never had a true meeting. "

"It's a cool language, I like English ladies, they call you " love "and" darling ", you feel looked after in some way."

"Bad food, anyway. They drink tea a lot. I don’t know much about the culture, it’s similar to Sweden.”

"Courtesy."

"There’s nothing weird about saying hello to people in the street. They’re very nice and polite, you get a cup of tea, you’re always invited. Very homelike. "

"There’s not much of a food culture. But there’s history, many events, festivals and things like that. I also think they’re very nice. Some people just start chatting to you, like the lady on the bus. "

"Not good food in general, but super good breakfasts in particular. Full English breakfast is a treat, that you can have breakfast in the middle of the day is a special thing. "

"Not very high standard, cold flats."

"All the houses are cold. But I like the houses and the villages, the old stone houses. "

"The fucking fitted carpets, the draught, the mould, the damp and on top of that the unreasonable rents, damn it!”

"Usually they’re quite nice but sound pretty posh because they speak English. I’m more used to American English, Americans are more relaxed. Great beer, ginger-haired people, rowdy football fans."

"It feels more open. People talk to you just like that, it doesn't happen very often in Sweden. For example I have done coach surfing there and it’s so natural. Here, people find it a bit weird."

"They're very polite, respectful. They’re respectful towards each other, but don’t have respect for authorities. "

"I like British humour, Monty Python."

"Fish 'n' chips. The Royal Family. Humour, comedy, they have the best TV series. "

"They’re not that complicated. They are light-hearted, have a certain kind of humour.”

"The rain. I have watched the Time Team, a series of archaeologists in Britain. It always rain, they’re always soaked. "

"The class system, social division. People voted for Margaret Thatcher. And they voted a second time! A lot of neo-liberal crap. Poor housing. But a lot of culture, music and stuff. "

"A colonial empire. The standard of living and the living conditions are poor. Low wages, crappy jobs. There’s no paternity leave. They still have gender-segregated schools, which is so incredibly conservative and affects people a lot. Their view of women.”

"I'm not particularly drug liberal. The country is a bit passive and it doesn't feel like an exaggeration to link it to the drugs."

"I keep returning to England to get cultural kicks. I watched the Olympic opening ceremony and realised how much I love English culture, it’s the country that has influenced me the most culturally. I almost forget about it because there’s so much that is destructive and sad."

"Brighton is the most vital, vibrating, inspiring city I've ever visited."

"Very old houses. Architecture. A lot of countryside, pub culture, and a lot of football. Rain."

"People are more extreme and stick out more than in Sweden. They say what they mean, but I don’t not know if that’s true. "

"I think a lot about London, it's like other European cities: shopping and musicals, but that’s such a small part of England. There are many people who have been to Stockholm and think that’s Sweden. London is not the whole of England. "

"More familiarity, I picture a pub in front of me, the whole family goes to the pub. A football mad country. The Queen, conservative and royalist. "

"More crowded, more packed, more density in cities."

"Very conservative, but I don’t know if it’s like that, I don’t have in-depth knowledge. I was in London many years ago. It was stern and strict. At Harrods we were not allowed to stand still, a little stiffer than Sweden."

"Divided, more conservative, hierarchies. More rebellious, artistic."

"Spontaneous, simple, easy to understand. Easy to find your way, easy to go on the tube, easy to live there."

This study is by no means scientific, the answers to this particular question are based on interviews with fifteen people in Sweden, aged 22-52. Next question: Where have you travelled?

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