Words you need to know at Midsummer – Midsummer vocabulary
Midsummer freebie for you who are interested in learning/knowing some Swedish words related to the festivities.
Start learning! Click the link Midsummer
Missing words? Comments below!
Category Archives: expatriate
Midsummer – what’s it all about?
Midsummer
Midsummer in Sweden or elsewhere, or just interested in learning what it is all about?
Flowers in your hair – as a crown -, Swedish smörgåsbord when it comes to food or just the herring and new potatoes. Midsummer pole and traditional dancing, picking wildflowers and … rain. All is Midsummer.
I found an article in New York Times very well describing a Midsummer Day’s Dream. Read it here!
Any point in making friends with expats who leave?
In my last post I very briefly talked about summer time as the time when expat friends leave. You can read it here. A reaction I received was that it can be quite exhausting with the constant effort of making new friends, and the sadness when people leave. I agree; it is. Of course it is. But it doesn’t make it not worth it.
When I was about to move the last time, two new expatriate families moved into the village where I had been living for 3,5 years (with no other expats with young kids – how’s that for timing!). We met a few times but there was really not time or energy enough to bond properly before we left.
On the other hand I have met people last minute at other expat locations with whom I have kept contact through the years.
You never know, do you? So, grab the chances, but cut yourself some slack – if you believe timing is way off then be okay with not trying too hard.
Here is a link discussing the point of making friends with people who leave. Click!!
Expat friends leaving
Summer. That single word promises a lot. Time off, no school, days at the beach, travel, sun, shorts … and people leaving. Relocation prime time. Dear expat friends moving on to another country – or perhaps yourself. Time to say goodbye; to promise you will see each other again. Soon.
Personally, I like to leave first. How about you?
Read some tips on leaving/being left by Olga Mecking.
Why the word out there really is international
International words
We love to travel and expatriate all over the globe. These days we connect on line with almost every country, and languages spread and sometimes mix. At least single words. There are loanwords, there are words mixed from two languages we often refer to as Swenglish (svengelska) or Frenglish (franglais) and so on, and there are international words. An international word is a great buddy when learning a foreign language. It makes it easier for you to start speaking and understand the language (but watch out for so called false friends!). A brief explanation of the international word follows, from a language perspective.
An international word is a word that
- is spelled or pronounced similar in different languages, that are not related to each other
- has the same or at least the similar meaning
- shares etymology (history of the word)
The word following the description above – again referring to linguistics – is also called an internationalism. There are no set rules on how many languages the word needs to be detected in to be called international. Different major cultural areas can have their own set of internationalisms.
Here are a few examples in the Swedish language – I’m sure you recognize them:
polis
radio
blogg
fotboll
golf
taxi
stress
tsunami
hotell
maskin
mikrofon
visum
komedi
transport
Can you think of more words?
here is a link to English international words
Moving abroad – top tips on how to prepare
Moving abroad – what does it mean in reality?
You can never entirely figure out or fully prepare for what an expatriate assignment will hold in store for you. Even if you are a seasoned expat most relocations are different from the previous ones. But preparation goes a long way when it comes to moving abroad. It will be easier to cope with change and your reactions if you know what is likely to occur. Preparations will facilitate integration and is strongly encouraged. It also raises your confidence in helping your children to relocate.
“So, how can I prepare for moving abroad?”
Start learning the language
Knowing just a few words upon arriving will help you feel less of a stranger. Make sure you and the children at least know words for greeting. “Thank you” and “please” are also valuable for not making you feel completely at a loss when it comes to speaking. Add “my name is …” and “I don’t speak …” and sign up for a language course as soon as possible. Perhaps even before moving abroad? Knowing the local language helps with integration. A language also shares a strong cultural bond with the country and the locals. Also, why not take the opportunity to learn a language on location? Opportunities to practice in real life should be plenty and are excellent!
Learn about cultural shock and its stages
People say we all go through cultural shock at some point when moving abroad. To some expats it is a highly recognizable fact, to others it might not be that obvious or severe. It can vary from person to person, but also from expatriation to expatriation. I have experienced both really smooth relocations and settlements, and more difficult, longer ones. But they still all contained elements of frustration. Knowing the stages and the estimated timings hereof makes it much easier to endure and cope with. I often hear “I never knew; I thought I was the only one!” These words and the reason behind them is what makes me so passionate about helping expats!
If you have children, it also makes you feel more confident helping them in the process of establishing their new life if you know what to expect.
Make sure you know tools and ways to cope with the new situation
So, you’ve brushed up on your knowledge of signs and stages of cultural shock. This in itself is a step in the right direction of dealing with moving abroad. But also make sure you have a backup of ideas, tools and ways to handle the new situation. You need to be proactive – if you’re usually not; this is the time to be. It is not a question of not coping with change; most of us more or less do given a certain amount of time. The questions are rather how we cope with it and how we define coping, and how soon and what we can learn from it.
Learn about cultural awareness
Culture has a high impact on life. Culture is life. When moving to a new country it is extremely valuable to be aware of cultures and that there are differences between them. This will help you to settle.I usually recommend to start your cultural awareness journey with giving a good thought to your own culture. What is it really to be _____ (fill in your culture)? It is not always an easy question to answer. We tend to come up with a few, stereotype characteristics but I’d say it is the less obvious and not thought of ones that cause most confusion and frustration.
We often take things for granted and quite naturally have our own worldview. That is why reflecting on our own culture helps us understand the potential clashes. Haven’t we all experienced situations where we asked ourselves what just happened and why? Being aware of our own culture also helps us open up to different values and approaches. In the workshops on expat life I do you can imagine the discussions are vivid on the topic of cultural awareness!
Furthermore, think about your own attitude towards the unknown or different. We do not have to share or accept other values but most of the time we must accept that they exist.
Invest in yourself – prepare, learn and feel confident!
I am happy to help you preparing for moving abroad. Contact charlotta@globatris.se for details on rates. I also work via Skype to assist you all over the globe!
If you have already expatriated; perhaps you want to have some light shed on what’s going on, to learn on the above, or to simply talk to someone who knows what you are going through? charlotta@globatris.se for details
Compare cost of living tool for moving abroad
Moving abroad and local cost
Are you thinking of expatriating? If you haven’t yet decided whereto local cost of living might have an impact on the decision. Even if you know which will be your new expat country it can be interesting to find out the local price ranges. Expatriating or not; perhaps you are just interested in comparing cost of living in different countries and locations.
Cost of living calculator
On expatistan.com you can enter cities for comparison to get an overall percentage of how much cheaper or more expensive a city is to another. You can also get down to details as how much a bottle of milk is. The website service is based on user input of prices. Why not help adding prices to the cost of living comparisons?
Red and ripe and Swedish lesson
Swedish strawberries.
Svenska jordgubbar.
So sweet and longed for. We Swedes always claim Swedish strawberries are the best; special. Grown in the open, taking their time to ripen they are a must on Midsummer. As almost every day during summer. Is there a better snack really? I love having them for breakfast too. On top of the muesli and sometimes on a piece of freshly baked bread with cream cheese.
Sometimes I pick my own strawberries; living in Switzerland a Swedish friend and I hired a babysitter to take the babies on a walk along the fields so we could introduce the toddlers to strawberry picking! Not price smart, however that was not the point.
Swedish lesson:
en jordgubbe – a/one strawberry
två jordgubbar – two strawberries
den jordgubben – that strawberry
mogna jordgubbar – ripe strawberries
Jordgubbarna är söta. The strawberries are sweet.
jordgubbssylt – strawberry jam
jordgubbssaft – strawberry juice/squash/cordial
en jordgubbstårta – a strawberry cake
att rensa jordgubbar – to rinse strawberries
att snoppa jordgubbar – to hull strawberries
Are merry-go-rounds culturally different?
The other day I learnt that merry-go-rounds in Sweden, as well as in the rest of Europe, generally turn clockwise whereas they in North America run counter-clockwise! A search on Google confirms this. Reality? Even though I’ve been an expatriate in both locations I must admit I don’t know; I never thought about it. What are your experiences? Comments please – let’s solve this expat problem!
En karusell (a carousel)
#blogg100 post 100
My 100 days of blogging are over. I’m glad I joined the challenge #blogg100 but right now I’m also relieved it’s over! I’ve tried to keep most posts on the subjects of expats, TCKs and Swedish/language learning. Sometimes I’ve posted photos of Sweden; simply sharing this beautiful country with you.
Over and out for now!
Good night!