When I was interviewed for the job at IESE I was asked where I would be planning to live should I be offered the position. I explained to them that as Nicklas would be working in Västerås we would base …
One Hel’ of a Weekend – the staff social.
In my opinion, one of the best things about teaching internationally is the sense of comraderie that develops amongst your work colleagues. This seems to be very different from the UK when everybody already has their own group of friends, …
Need a place to stay? Check out these wacky hotels!!
Last weekend I went to prison. I was to spend the night in a cell at the infamous Långholmen Prison, Stockholm.
The hallways were long and narrow with row after row of bolted and numbered doors harbouring their confining cells behind. As expected my …
The Final Countdown (to a night in the cells)
In the good old days of vinyl my parents bought my sister and I a record: ‘The Final Countdown’ by 80s rock band Europe. I was 7 years old and little did I know how much this record would come …
Snus
Something that really surprised, and impressed, me when I first visited Sweden two years ago was the apparent lack of smokers. Initially I put this down to the smoking ban in all public places: I was living in Vietnam at …
No Room at the Inn
Whilst the picture above may raise a slight smile, it conveys the serious problem of Stockholm’s housing shortage.
Finding accommodation is Sweden is surprisingly difficult with most people having to join long queues in order to be considered for apartments. …
Weddings and Castles
On Saturday I attended my first wedding in Sweden. I am hesitant to say Swedish Wedding as, despite the geographical location, there was probably very little about the wedding that was traditionally Swedish. The bride is Swedish but has Finnish …
Anyone for Banana Pizza?
Nicklas once told me that Swedish pizza is ”The best pizza in the whole world”. Even better than pizza in Italy apparently. As he has never been to Italy, and he has the typical Swedish belief that everything is better …
Välkommen till Västerås
Welcome to Västerås: Sweden’s sixth largest city and the place that I will be calling home for the next year or so. The city is one of Sweden’s oldest cities and was the second largest city in the 11th…
Back to School
The phrase that every teacher (and student) dreads the most is: Back to School. Probably because these 3 words are usually splashed across every shop window and inside every supermarket aisle about 2 days after the Summer Holiday – …
Keeping the Tradition Alive
July 30th has officially been labelled as National Cheesecake Day. Admittedly this is in America and as far as I am aware the day is not widely celebrated in Sweden, if at all. Those of you who know me …
An Afternoon of Fika and Shopping
This afternoon I met my new friend Jordan to enjoy two of Sweden‘s finest traditions – Fika and H&M. I met Jordan last week after responding to her post on expat website TheLocal where she had asked if …
Sweden’s Drinking Culture
The good old houseparty is probably most common amongst students in the UK and usually serves as a precursor to the evening’s main event at the latest bar or club. Organising beverages is pretty easy: simply head down to Tesco, …
Learning a New Language
Ms. Redford, my Year 11 Spanish teacher, predicted that I would get a D for my language GCSE. And that was only if I tried very hard. It was the only grade below a C that I was predicted out …
