This post contains an affiliate link
Sweden and Denmark
When I was 17, I participated in an exchange program through Rotary Club. A family sent their daughter to spend a month with my family and then I stayed with her family in Malmo, Sweden. It was an opportunity to travel independently, but in a controlled environment. The cost to me was the price of the flight. Sweden was amazing and will always have a special place in my heart. My family lived in Malmo, which is the southern tip of Sweden. Living with a family obviously means complete cultural immersion. They made their beds differently than I did. It was much more streamlined, like a bedroll, as opposed to my big fluffy duvet at home.
At home, my breakfast was usually cereal. But for breakfast in Sweden we had a type of bread with a fishy spread that we squeezed from a tube. If I didn’t want the caviar, then it was bread with butter and cheese, sliced by a specific slicer, similar to one you can find on Amazon. Maybe it’s weird that I was so intrigued by the slicer, but my mom always used a knife at home. It does make slicing cheese much better! Other than breakfast, the food didn’t stand out to me. I never had Swedish meatballs, so I’m convinced that is an American thing.
One thing that did stand out to me was alcohol. The alcohol culture in Malmo was different than I had ever been exposed. There was alcohol everywhere, and it was no big deal. Candy shots. Coffee shots. All sorts of fancy shots that I had never heard of before and have never seen since were the norm there. My Swedish family took me to Stockholm for a couple of days. It was much larger than Malmo and I felt a little overwhelmed. However, I loved seeing the changing of the guard and learning that the lead horse, a black mare, was a gift from the Queen of England.
Another thing I vividly remember is going to Glimmingehus, a well preserved medieval fortress from 1493.
One of the coolest things about Malmo is how close it is to Copenhagen, Denmark. Obviously a must for a girl that wants to see literally EVERYWHERE. Now there is a bridge so it is even easier but, back then, we took a boat. I went to the Tivoli and wandered around the city. I remember vividly seeing the Little Mermaid. There were no tourists around and it was SMALL.
It is my understanding that there are now people crowded around her for touristy pictures. I don’t want to be that person. I love to see the “sights”, but once they are crowded, they lose their appeal. Hearing things like this has made me for more interested in going off the beaten path.
One of my most memorable experiences was a crayfish party my Swedish friends put on for me. It usually occurs in August, but I was leaving at the end of July. I was taught how to suck the juice out and the eat the meat.
It was such a fun experience and my Swedish Family is still part of my life.
