Wi nøt trei a høliday in Sweden this yër?
Tue Oct 30, 2012 22:53 (UTC -7)The Hotel Micro lived up to its name. It was a lot like a dormitory, actually. It had a small common room with a TV and one of those vending machines that makes coffee. There were separate men’s and women’s restrooms with shower facilities. Our own room was the size of a small closet. The bed took up half of the room, and it got crowded when we were both standing up at the same time. But it was clean.
It was raining, and we needed to do something. Down the street, we found a convenience store that had hot coffee and just enough room for two people to sit. As we drank, we told each other in full detail how we had made it to Stockholm: Kate by ferry from Finland, I by plane from Seattle. And after we had had enough, it was about lunchtime, so we went to an Asian buffet around the corner from the main train station.
I still wasn’t entirely sure what there was to do in Stockholm, but we walked around and saw old, palatial-looking buildings, the likes of which you never see in the US. And after crossing a few bridges (for Stockholm is a city of islands), we encountered the Kungliga Slottet: the Royal Palace. But by that time, it was getting late, and we probably wouldn’t have much time for a tour even if we wanted to go. So we didn’t go in.
Nearby was the Swedish Parliament. We wandered around the front yard, and I tried to avoid stepping on the grass. I remembered a detail from my trip to Washington, DC, with some friends. It was a quiet Sunday, and a Capitol police officer sat in his patrol car, just waiting for us to step outside the lines delineating a crosswalk that spanned a narrow section of a deserted parking lot that lay between us and the seat of the legislative branch of our government. We didn’t give him the satisfaction and/or authority to kick us out. But here, with Kate, in front of the Riksdag, there was no one.
For previous trips to foreign countries, I had taken pains to learn common phrases in the local languages. I would practice saying “Excuse me,” “Do you speak English?”, “Yes,” “No,” “Thank you”—the basics. For Sweden, I hadn’t done that, and I felt extremely anxious about having to ask if people spoke English in, of all things, English. There’s nothing I hate more in the world than sounding or looking like a stupid tourist. For the same reason, I had gone out of my way to avoid wearing obviously touristy clothes.
So when we went to have dinner at a hole-in-the-wall place that was teeming with locals, Kate encouraged me to face and/or get over my fears. I placed my order with something approaching total humiliation, even though Kate had already spoken to the cashier in English, and even though I think I had heard other people doing the same. I felt a little better once I had something to eat, but I was still a stranger in a strange land.
Waxy.org’s Andy Baio muses on the legally baseless but extremely common phenomenon of YouTube uploaders including disclaimers with videos they don’t own the rights to. See also: the YouTube Disclaimer Blues.
10 comments
I wish I could help you overcome your fears, but it seems like you’re pretty comfortable with them and you don’t need any help. Anyway, if you feel anxious, let me know and I can talk to people for you. It’s not a problem for me since I don’t care what they think about me.
What is obviously touristy clothes?
I liked the names in cursive, looks fancy. Hope to read more from you very soon. :)
#1 by Kate: Wed Oct 31, 2012 04:15 (UTC -7)
Hi,
I speak several languages, and like you, I always try to learn a few words or sentences when working or vacationing in a country I don’t speak the language. Also, I’m a globe-trotter. I love Stockholm and I was in Sweden this summer with my niece (I’ve worked for a couple of weeks in Stockholm in 2007 and 2008). Everybody in the Scandinavian countries speaks English (they learn very young). I’ve not come across a single person who didn’t. I’ve done all the must dos: Skansen, Vasa, City Hall, Nordisk Museum, etc. There is a lot to see…even in 48 hours (http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/To-Do/Tips/Stockholm-in-48-hours/, http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/travel/36-hours-in-stockholm.html?_r=0). The train from Stockholm to Kiruna is a must (summer=midnight Sun or winter=aurora borealis).
Don’t let fear stop you from enjoying life, particularly in the most civilized countries in the world: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland. And people don’t steal for the sake of stealing.
#2 by Yvonne: Wed Oct 31, 2012 05:17 (UTC -7)
Most Swedes speak English, and are nowhere near as snooty as the French when you speak it. Even learning one word, such as tack (thank you), will bring big smiles from the Swedes since they don’t expect anyone from outside Sweden to know any Swedish words.
I went to Sweden quite a few years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed my time. I grew up hearing a few Swedish words, since my great-grandparents came from there, but don’t know anything beyond that. I didn’t have any trouble getting around or communicating with people like I did in France, and I studied French from grades 7-12.
#3 by Kirsten: Wed Oct 31, 2012 06:14 (UTC -7)
@Kate: Thanks. Obviously touristy clothes would be T-shirts with silly slogans or cartoon characters on them (not that I have any of those) or shorts when it’s not hot (I did wear them when it was hot). Things that Americans wear.
@Yvonne and Kirsten: Yeah, I figured that English might be commonly spoken—I don’t think I met anyone who didn’t speak it—but it still felt presumptuous to have to use my own language. I just count myself lucky that the situation wasn’t reversed. I do feel bad that people everywhere have to learn my language and that I don’t have to learn theirs. Maybe I should have learned a few simple phrases. I was wondering what tack meant as I saw it a lot.
#4 by Jordon Kalilich: Thu Nov 01, 2012 08:43 (UTC -7)
And I just thought, trying not to seem to be the thing you really are (a tourist, for instance) must be so difficult. Probably even more difficult than trying to seem to be a thing you’re not. It reminds me of how some Russian tourists try to seem to be not Russians and are very proud for themselves when they’re mistaken for some European nation. Funny games people like to play sometimes.
#5 by Katya: Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:33 (UTC -7)
Oops, somehow I missed notifications of followup comments…
The clothes selection you talk about is just common sense, I guess. I can’t think of any American I’ve seen while travelling in Europe who would wear silly slogans or shorts when it’s cold. Not that I would mind anyone doing that, though.
You don’t have to feel bad for other people having to learn English. It’s not your fault. There has to be some common language. And if other people chose to speak English, it’s an expression of their free will. No one makes them do that, so nothing to complain about.
#6 by Katya: Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:04 (UTC -7)
Hi,
I congratulate you for understanding that people shouldn’t be obliged to learn English. My experience of 30 yr of travel, is that people from the country you visit, will always appreciate when you make an effort to speak their language the same way you appreciate when they speak English. As for dressing code, I do heed the countries’ costumes. And yes, Americans are very easy to spot by the way they talk and dress, which in many countries would be considered disrespectful. Not everyone in the world cares to be next to someone wearing ripped dirty Jeans and T-shirts with ads or text that’s not suitable to all cultures, dirty sneakers, and lacking common sense manners. Countries like Scotland and Japan, for example, don’t care for the trash they generate (throwing things everywhere). Some places now do have signs who tourists (especially for those taking tours) that you’re not allowed to trash tour buses and points of visits (NO trash bins), and many will post how much it cost to clean up after tourists, particularly those from N.America.
#7 by Anonymous: Thu Nov 01, 2012 11:19 (UTC -7)
I forgot to add my name on comment no. 7. Apologies.
#8 by Yvonne: Thu Nov 01, 2012 12:31 (UTC -7)
@Katya: Children in schools around the world often have no choice but to learn English. I would prefer if we all learned Esperanto as a second language.
#9 by Jordon Kalilich: Thu Nov 01, 2012 22:38 (UTC -7)
I would LOVE to visit Sweden, I’m from the UK and it looks like a beautiful place and a change from just visiting hot southern europe all the time!
#10 by Ben: Thu Nov 08, 2012 06:17 (UTC -8)