On my way.

I was going to school this morning, minding my own business, reading the newspaper, or at least trying to with my basic swedish skills. I happened to look up when the spårvagn stopped at gamlestan torget, and I took notice that everything was dead quiet and every single person surrounding me in the front car of the spårvagn was reading a newspaper, including me.

I got turned off by this and set my paper down. Here in sweden everyone does the same thing, wears the same thing etc etc. Of course I can't complain too much because I too follow the trendy clothes etc etc, and I try to be as swedish as my american side will let me....However this moment just happened to bother me and I couldn't do it anymore.

I hope everytime I notice something here, that it doesn't make me cynical.

Everyone looks the same

It's true. When there is a fashion here in Sweden everyone follows, including myself.
Everyone dresses the same. It's cute but..hmm---Where is the individuality?

I had a VERY long day at work, listening to Swedes talk to me too fast when I asked them to speak slower for me.....long lines, and me standing in front of the hot stove to cook for them. I felt like my back would break. I didn't have anyone to help me in the kitchen today either.........That's thanks to my boss.

I won't say anymore. Except I got a box of jelly beans for free for my hard work today instead of the lunch break I should of gotten..Oh wait, thats right. I never get a lunch break..ever, not even after 10,5 hours like today.

Anywho..... There was a demonstration today in central so all the spårvagns got re-directed. Lucky me. Actually I didn't care. I just sat on the damn thing until I had to switch to another one, last minute.

I think swedes are cool though. These girls I work with are something else. And then I look at all the others that are around me everyday in the city. They are a funny bunch, very stylish and sometimes to the extreme. Right now the 80's are whats in. I can't complain. They threw in a dash of the 50's and 60's in with the styling...now I hear the 90's might be making a comeback. I don't give a shit, I am sticking with the clothes I bought because I love them and wouldn't trade them for the world.

As for how I look when I am at home in the US? Like a foreigner in my own country. I actually managed to try and keep it neutral when I flew home 2 months ago...was kinda hard though.

Tid för mina läxor....Jag måste studera mer svenska, oj oj oj !!!!!!

Turkey day

Well Thanksgiving is comming and for us Americans it's not exactly a small dinner.
I have FINALLY found the turkey, or I should say turkeys because I had to buy 3. They are smaller here then they are in the USA. Either way I am now ready to prepare for the huge feast that will be in 4 weeks!

Can't wait to shove my face full till I turn blue and stuffing comes out my ears and gravy dripping off my chin.

What I sometimes do.

In the winter some of my favourite hobbies come out. Reading, crocheting and of course knitting. No I am not an old granny. It's just something I like to do. I have been crocheting for about....I don't know, 9 years? Somewhere around there but only within the past year or two have I gotten into doing more difficult things like doileys that are made with small thread etc.

I think I got pretty good at it. I can even crochet with my own pattern instead of using something that I have to follow directions with...well just when I make simple things like blankets and scarves. I don't know when I started to knit..it's been quite some time but not as long as crocheting..or has it? I don't remember really. With knitting it's the same thing, I only did blankets etc and the easy stuff that I can do with or without a pattern to follow.

Just this past winter I tried something new called 'cable' and I am trying to make a scarf with it but I am not too into it, it's not easy. And then for the first time this past week I knitted my first pair of mittens. They aren't the prettiest things but they work and I am proud of them. I squashed them down when I took the photo so they look funny....I didn't think about that before I took it.

See...


As far as anything else thats been going on, I have to say my swedish is improving quite a bit. I have had 3 tests so far in school, the first one I didn't have any wrong and these last 2, I got 18 right out of 20! And then on top of it all of my homework projects lately only have 2, maybe 3 little things wrong, like maybe I forgot the 2 little dots above a word or maybe I accidently said 'a lot of' when I should of written 'many'...silly things and mostly dumb things.

This one packet had like 30 pages or something in it, and each page has shitloads of stuff to do on it. I got freaking 3 wrong on the whole thing! That's it. I am so happy, but it's not over..it's getting tougher. I am hoping I can get this all down so I can graduate school in December.

so.....

I am going to make this fast because I feel like posting but not that much. I have a pair of mittens I'm working on knitting, my first pair and I'd rather be doing that now instead of this. So anyways...Paul was surfing blogs and found some interesting cookies that looked like checker boards, but we followed this girls idea and swirled them instead...Paul made them, I just went up to help roll them out and cut them. He did the real work.

Cool huh?

Also I went to see my friend Eliana's first baby. He is only 11 days old in this pic, about 15 days old now. His name is Hamzeh (Arabic name in case your wondering)....He's a cutie!

Today at work I felt like taking pictures of 2 of my co-workers. This one is of Kalle.

And this one is of Therese getting ready to eat something and saying to me "Kimberly don't you dare!"...obviously I didn't listen.

Then she says to me 'Maybe I should look like I'm really hungry, Don't touch my food!'..soon as the words were out of her mouth and she started making the face, I snapped my camera..crazy girl..lol

I finally made my appointment to get my tattoo covered. The one on my right ankle. I can't wait, but it won't be until the end of next month till it gets done. Got some bills to pay first! It will be my first real tattoo, not like the others I did myself..dumb!!!!!

Hell's Kitchen...and not Gordon Ramsey's either.

One day at work feels like a thousand.
I think I'll curl up and die now.
Today I actually questioned myself as to why I became a chef...Oh yeah, because it's what I love to do. However when I got to work I was informed yet another person was going to be 'sick' today...that's 3 people..ugh!!!!!

So I was left to deal with the hundreds of customers today on my own...nobody to help me do anything...of course I only cook, but thats not the point. I run out of shit and don't have time to prep anything, thats where the other chef comes in. We help each other out. Especially on days like today when I have a HUGE line of order tickets. I don't want to take my time and keep people waiting for their food. It's got to be hot.

They can just get their food, swallow it up, and get the fuck out..lol...kidding, sort-of.

I only think this way at this job because I get annoyed here very easily. It's because the owner has no sense. Well she does, she just doesn't give a shit about it being illegal for people to work 10 hours straight with no break!

Apparently the only one helping me today was my shadow....lazy fu%ker. Doesn't do a damn thing but stand behind me all day, like everyone else at work. No...excuse me, they do stuff,their stuff, they just get in my way. GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!. If only once I could yell at them. Oh wait, I can..hehe

I just choose not to.

However, there was like 2 or 3 of them right behind me today,for no reason at all,(waitresses) when I turned around with a hot pan, I told them they can't be here, someone's going to get hurt. For god's sake!!!!

My best friend just had her baby!!!
I am so happy for her and will post a picture of him when I see them at home. She is still in the hospital right now...His name is Hamzeh..I'll bet he's cute!!!!!

Saturday

I haven't really had anything to post about the past few days. I have just been working and studying my swedish. Today seems to actually be really nice outside for once. The winter chill seemed to wear off for today at least, so we went for a walk with our dog Tyson this morning. Even though it is actually only fall, I guess I need to accustom myself with the new seasons here in Sweden.

I have almost marked my first year here. It's comming soon on December the 10th.

I was also discussing with my husband how I am going to manage Thanksgiving here in Sweden, seeing as it is an American holiday. It can be done, but not with a turkey as big as we have in the USA, but thats ok. I will just make a few small ones with all the fixings etc. Though getting some of the ingredients that I need may prove to be a small challenge but I am up for it. I just have to do some research and maybe pay a little more for the right products that are, I know, imported.
Today is a really good lazy day. I laid on the couch and read my book from my favourite author Anita Shreve. And of course it made me sleepy as reading always does. I caught myself a few times waking up with my mouth wide open. Paul gave me a comment saying he should of taken a picture of me sleeping close-up like I did to him once..lol

He is the one napping now..Oh as for the book, I was excited to see I can get my books in english here. I really only have 3 favourite authors, Nora Roberts, Anita Shreve and Barbara Delinsky. Of course I like Anne Rice too but she is kind of second hand for me.

Maja said something to me in my previous post about the swedish chef on the Muppets...which reminded me of something. I love the muppets chef!!!! In fact last month we watched him on YouTube...I cracked up laughing. We watched a lot of episodes. I love when he says 'Mork Mork' in the beginning before he throws his utensils. I told my one co-worker at the restaurant about him, so now he always says 'mork mork' because he is a swedish chef..lol...considering I am a chef as well, and in Sweden, I wonder if I have the rights to use it too?..kidding!


I am really hungry now so I think I am going to see what I can stir up..I'm really hungry for cookies for some reason.

Hubby found this too!!!

CLICK HERE

How cool is this??

I got to sit in a press conference with Fredrik Reinfeldt.
He was very nice and it was cool except for the fact there was a thousand cameras around snapping pix constantly and the tv cameras made me nervous. However I spoke swedish, bad swedish i'm sure, on national tv. At least I tried.

When he first started comming into the building, we could see him walking through the courtyard with his entourage of bodyguards and reporters just surrounding him. Was crazy but so cool. Then within seconds he was in the room, shook everyones hand. Then we all sat and the cameras started to go click crazy. The meeting started and we got to talk about what we thought of the 'instegsjobb' which is what I have...I won't bother to explain.

I got to talk twice which was crazy because when it's your turn, everyone shuts up. I didn't really get to say what I wanted to say because all the cameras made me nervous and all eyes on me freaked me out, so therefor my swedish was kept short. My friend Tatiana happens to also have an instegsjobb and she was there too. Was great to have an experience with my friend like that. I am sure on Sunday when we meet for coffee that we will have plenty to talk about.

Me and Fredrik Reinfeldt (Swedish Prime Minister)

Oh, if you want to see the rest of the pictures I took...CLICK HERE

There was only one other foreigner besides me and her who were there. But there were other job owners who were invited to the meeting to see what they think of instegsjobb. Maybe a total of 15 people?? who got to be on tv etc...there were maybe 5 or 6 others who sat in the background...and then of course reporters like crazy. So now I wait for the news to come on and we are going to record it. I got a little video of him talking, but I don't think there is a point of me posting it when it's all in swedish anyways.

Of course I don't have any pictures of during the meeting because it's not allowed, However I will see what I can get from the newspapers tomorrow.
Anyways, time to eat!

And the latest......... I have the video news report..i'm at the end,twice..it's not long really, but it's so cool! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKw963r9EjA