And the winter sales are also still going strong. Ryanair recently had its winter sale with hopes to boost revenue during what is a post-holiday travel slump. The specials from Gothenburg started at 93SEK ($14) one way which to us was worth considering. The four cheapest destinations included Brussels, Edinburgh, Paris’ Beauvais airport (situated an hour north of the city), and Kaunas in Lithuania. Restrictions included having to complete travel by the end of March.

We know nothing of Lithuania, so we crossed that off the list first. If Beauvais had been conveniently closer and cheaper to travel to/from, Paris would have absolutely won. But it came down to the first two. In the end, Edinburgh won out so we’ll be making our debut in Scotland in mid-March. I look forward to an English break on my ears, assuming that we can understand the thick, rolling accent.

Although we are quite pleased that the total cost came to about $150, I have to put in my one complaint about Ryanair. If you are unfamiliar with the company, they keep their base prices low because they charge à la carte for everything else: seat reservation, carry-ons, priority seating, insurance, drinks, food, standard-sized luggage. They even sell lottery tickets on board. If you travel light, then you can keep your costs low. Which we did, until we got to the final reservation page, the page for payment. We were presented with a $35 fee for using a credit card, the only method for payment. Unless you have a pre-paid MasterCard, which we (and most people) don’t. So if you ever plan to travel with Ryanair, consider signing up for the card.

But between now and Edinburgh, we’ve also got our second annual skiing trip in Sälen to look forward to. The Swedeheart and I have both decided to try snowboarding, which means we plan to spend a lot of time on our butts. And in November, we look forward to our first trip back to the U.S. since my move. Christmas in Sweden is just too cozy to give up, so Thanksgiving will deliciously welcome us instead.

During this time, I have thought much about my journey through the Swedish language. I am very pleased with my progress in just one year’s time. It feels really good when people who last met me a year ago comment on how impressed they are that I’m now speaking with them in Swedish. I’ve put in a lot of hard work, patience, and tears, and I’m slowly realizing my life-long dream of becoming bilingual.

But now I have reached a point where I have a deep longing to be part of the conversation. One-on-one chats are pretty simple, but group situations, where the conversation moves quickly, are entirely different. It takes my brain just long enough to process what I’ve heard and then formulate something to say, but by then everyone is on another subject. This means that I spend a lot of time being quiet, and sometimes I have feelings of isolation or of being invisible.

I’m not extremely outgoing but I am social. It’s tough thinking that Swedes have a completely different view of who I am based upon the fact that I don’t talk. Inside I’m screaming, “I’m really not this shy and quiet! If only you knew me!” But will people here ever really get to know me?

It’s hard to explain exactly what my level of comprehension is. Usually, I can pick out keywords that tell me yes, we are still talking about such-and-such. And I can understand most of what is said. BUT, if someon asked me to quote them back but in English, it would be nearly impossible. For example, a discussion about training for a marathon: I could never repeat phrases or sentences, but I would know that I heard the words running, shoes, exercise, gym, reflective vest (it’s dark here after all), energy, and tired. It’s a strange phenomenon to only “get the feel” for a conversation.

Over Christmas, I realized that maybe I was being too hard on myself. Of course I need to practice listening and speaking if I want to get better, but maybe it’s not optimal to be thinking in Swedish 24/7. The brain needs a rest, and maybe it’s counterproductive to express some of my more complex thoughts in Swedish. So I’ve given myself permission to speak English once in awhile.

As with all bumps in the road, I will soon leave this one behind. And when I am fluent, I will talk everyone’s ears off!

As you probably know, today is the shortest day of the year for 2011, i.e. the darkest. Here in Gothenburg, Sweden, we had a sunrise at 8:55am and the sunset will at 3:26pm for a total of six hours and 31 minutes of sunlight. It has looked like the black of night until around 7:50am the past week when I finally notice a faint, dark blue hue in the sky. If I squint really hard. Does this not boggle your mind?

Up in Luleå, they had a whopping three hours and eight minutes of sunlight, from 9:56am to 1:04pm today. Talk about depressing. Especially when the clouds block the sun all day.

But have no fear, music is here to lighten things up! I was exposed to a Swedish Christmas song the other week that made me laugh. “Julen är här”, translated as “Christmas is here”, is a very beautiful piece. The lyrics talk about peace on earth and the joy in a child’s eyes, and calls for people around the world to join hands at Christmastime. But here’s the line that got me:

Julen är här i våra mörka länder
Christmas is here, in our dark countries.

Of course Sweden would write a song about darkness! Yes I know, “Silent Night” talks about, well, the night, and “The First Noel” describes a cold winter’s night that was so deep, and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” gives a nod to silent stars going by.

BUT this Swedish carol specifically chooses the darkness instead of nighttime and stars. It’s so Swedish!! They sing about the darkness because that is exactly what enhances the cozy feel Swedes love. How cool would Sankta Lucia and her crown of fire be if not for the seemingly endless dark hours? Not very. Could fredagsmys have been born out of a sunlit, tropical paradise? NO.

So there you have it. And accompanying that song in the Swedish repertoire are a host of others about lighting candles (there’s even one titled “Tänd ett ljus” or “Light a candle”) and of course Lucia herself to help shine throughout the darkness of a Scandinavian winter.

Julen är här och lyser frid på jorden
(Christmas is here and peace shines on earth)
Glädjen är stor i ett barns klara ögon bor den
(Great joy is present in a child’s bright eyes)
Julen är här i våra mörka länder
(Christmas is here in our dark countries)
Kom låt oss ta varandras händer när julen är här
(Come, let us join hands when Christmas here)

Luciatåg

Literally translated as Lucia train (choo choo!), Luciatåg is actually centered around a choir concert in which girls and boys dressed in white gowns process–like a train–into the darkened room with lit candles while singing “Sankta Lucia.” One girl is designated as Saint Lucia herself and bears a wreath of candles on her head. The other girls wear plain wreaths, and the boys, known as stjärngossar or star boys, wear dunce caps and carry staffs with stars attached to the ends. Warning, those caps can cause problems in areas with low ceilings… Concerts usually consist of other songs relating to Lucia herself as well as songs about the season.

Luciatåg come in all sizes:

• Small–The company I work for has a long-standing tradition of inviting singers from one of the Chalmers University choirs in on the morning of. So this morning, we were treated to a 20-minute concert from about 10 singers, men and women.
• Medium–My Swedeheart sang in an audition-based choir for high school-aged kids back in the day, and that 70-person group gives a concert every year.
• Large–In Gothenburg, there is a very large annual event in which seven women are voted upon by SMS as to whom will be crowned Lucia at the concert. Gigantic banners (we’re talkin’ at least 10 feet tall) with their faces and voting numbers are hung in the mall during the weeks leading up to Luciadagen.

Lussekatter

Directly translated as Lucifer cats (this oughta be good, right?), lussekatter are actually saffron buns shaped in the form of a reverse S with a raisin in the middle of each curly-que. This tradition stems from Germany in which Lucifer, i.e. the Devil, went around in the guise of a cat and gave children a spanking while Jesus handed out buns to good kids. Thanks to the infusion of saffron, the buns gave off a bright gold color to keep Lucifer away.

Unfortunately for our weight, Lussekatter are found in bakeries and stores during the entire Christmas season and not just on its special day. But given that I have a very high metabolism, I’m eating them at every chance! And kudos to Sweden for having days dedicated to saffron buns and waffles.

So if you’re feeling down during these dark days, light a candle in your room and enjoy a baked good. The combo is sure to lift your spirits.

Picture the traditional American fireplace, its mantle covered with white, synthetic pillow stuffing for snow and decorated with miniature houses and street lamps that depict a Norman Rockwell winter landscape. Now that you’ve got an image in your mind, change out the stuffing for real moss purchased in bags at the grocery store, and switch the houses to tiny gnomes, toadstools, and other figurines. Place them all on a large dinner plate or other surface and you’ve got the Swedish version!

I must clarify that by gnome I actually mean tomte, or the Swedish version of Santa. But he looks more like a gnome—very long beard and a witch-like, pointy hat pulled down over his eyes so that you only see his nose sticking out. And there’s usually a heart somewhere on his clothing (hearts are not just for Valentine’s Day!). Tomte is very cute and mysig.

When I told a friend of mine about my excitement over this new Swedish tradition I was going to embark up, he made a very good observation of Swedes—they like to bring nature indoors. Hence the moss (no, it cannot be fake). And my Swedeheart told of how, when he was a kid, he would bring in twigs and upright them in the landscape to resemble trees, maybe hang some decorations on them. I uprooted a couple sprigs of rosemary from our pots and gave them a temporary home. They look a bit like palm trees giving the tomtar some shade from our dining room lights.

I’m sure I’ve said it more than once already, but despite the weather being depressingly dark and wet, Swedes know how to surround themselves with ideas of comfort and warmth.

You’ve heard me mention the Swedish phenomenon that is the fika, or the coffee break. It only intensifies in the work place. My colleagues are religious about taking not one but TWO fikor every day. Like clockwork, we make our way down to the lunch room at 10am and 3pm. Two coffee makers are provided, one labeled weak and the other strong, and two huge coffee machines (like what you find in truck stops) that, with the push of a few buttons, will give you any combination of milk, sugar, and coffee after 30 seconds. In addition, you can help yourself to an assortment of teas and hot water. On Fridays, an assigned person in the department brings along a baked good to share. I am very ok with this whole ritual.

Sweden seems to be into the whole ergonomic trend. Everyone’s chairs are really funky, and some have strange-looking keyboards I’ve never seen before. On my third day, I discovered up- and down-arrow buttons on the surface of my desk. When I pushed one, I exclaimed, “OMG, my desk moves up and down!”  This allows people the option to work standing up, and some do.

It’s easy to take your native language for granted until you are presented with Microsoft Office in Swedish. Do you have any idea how hard it is to navigate my mail in Outlook? And although most of the shortcut keys in Word are the same as in English, bolding text throws me off everytime: Ctrl+F = fet or fat.

But even the slightest roadblock has proven to be a good case study in the life of the Swedes. Plus, it’s much more fun to make observations while getting paid.

Last week, our American Women’s Club celebrated with a Thanksgiving potluck at our monthly meeting. How unbelievably wonderful it was to smell and taste those familiar foods that I hadn’t had for two whole years!

Over the weekend, I baked a pumpkin pie and brought it to work today to share with my colleagues. Before they dug into their very first (!!) bites of pumpkin, I gave a little background on the holiday and read some interesting facts about turkey. But then I continued that it’s not all about food and thanks, after which they got to view some Vikings vs. Packers action and some snippets of last year’s Macy’s Parade plus live video from NYC as this year’s parade was under way.

The Swedeheart and I decided to round off our evening with a smörgåsbord of cheeses, meats, fruit, wine, bread, stuffed peppers, and smoked mackrel. Our in-house entertainment included the final two episodes of “The West Wing” TV series, followed by the rest of last year’s Macy’s Parade.

But it’s not just Thanksgiving today. Nope, it’s also my one-year anniversary from when I arrived in my new country. And so looking back, I am thankful today for an amazing year full of new traditions, new friends, a new job, and of course my reason for coming here in the first place.

• Reuters – “Facebook Building Massive 120 MW Server Farm Near Arctic Circle”
• The Telegraph – “Facebook to build server farm on edge of Arctic Circle‎”
• Washington Post – “Facebook confirms first data center outside US on edge of Arctic Circle”
• Fox News – “Facebook on Ice: New Data Center to Be Built Near Arctic Circle”

I’m sure those headlines caused a lot of Ooooos and Ahhhhs. I mean gee whiz, near the Arctic Circle?! Really?!

If you had been in Sweden when this news came out, this is what you would have read instead:

• Svenska Dagbladet – “Sweco får Facebook-uppdrag i Luleå” (Sweco gets Facebook project in Luleå)
• The Local Sweden – “Facebook named as Luleå server hall backer”
• Göteborgs-Posten – “Regeringen ger stöd till Facebook” (Government provides support for Facebook)

Not as exciting, ey? As you may well know, Sweden is a long and narrow country. So long, in fact, that it extends up and into the Arctic Circle. As for the mention of Luleå, it’s just a town way up north, nothing special. But thanks to journalists finding that catchy spin on the latest news story, I’m sure it will now be remembered by many who know nothing else about Sweden.

But despite the long, frustrating process, I can now excitedly announce that I’m now employed! And it goes to prove that networking, no matter where in the world, pays off. My thanks goes to a friend through the local American Women’s Club chapter who hooked me up.

So yes, my big piece of advice for those moving here is to NETWORK. If there’s an expat group in your town, join it. If there is any type of club that caters to your hobbies, even a book club, join it! Many people have been in your situation and they want to help you just as they were helped by others.

But don’t forget the usual online job search options:

• Arbetsförmedlingen – Sweden’s job agency is a no-brainer. Go to its nearest office, get yourself signed up and assigned a contact person, and search its online listings. Even better, create a few search filters and have the job matches sent daily to your inbox.

However, I read somewhere that only 60% of job vacancies are listed on the government’s site. Register yourself on various Swedish job sites:

• Monster
• Academic Work
• Manpower
• Mercuri Urval

And don’t discount locally-targeted job-listing sites, such as the following two which were created by an American expat (both of her sites list jobs in English!):

• JobsInGothenburg.com
• JobsInStockholm.com

Have your sambo or a Swedish friend translate your resume for submission. And for the job sites that want you to fill out your skills directly on their sites, doing so in Swedish will aid companies in finding you more easily. You can always explain in your cover letter that you aren’t yet fluent but are eager to be someday.

The best tool in getting this paying job, however, was Arbetsförmedlingen’s Nystartsjobb (New start job) program. In short, the government will pay an employer 66% of your salary as an incentive to hire you. I’ve written a separate page on how to apply for a Nystartsjobb.

Whatever you do, just hang in there. Your time will come. A new job is a great way to celebrate having lived in your new country for a whole year!