Read time: Approximately 16 minutes for average reading speed (~2050 words, not including photo captions & short videos… ~30 minutes for leisurely perusing of photos and captions).

(See January’s post here for how to view photos and their captions… ).

What We’re Doing

February was our last month in Gothenburg. The main picture above is our last time at our favorite grocery store in town (ICA Kvantum in Hovås, with our beloved X5 in the background <3). It’s an odd feeling for me, because in many ways I am just getting settled in Sweden! To establish all of our familiar spots for daily life and leave knowing life as it is will never be this way again. The last few years have been atypical for me/us and I had spent a lot of time in the USA. February 26 and 27 we had movers coming to get all of our stuff from our apartment. We stuck around for the Nordic Coffee Festival (March 1 and 2) with our Japanese futons and a couple suitcases before hitting the road to our new apartment and life in Linköping. Here’s a little bit of what we’ve been up to this past month.

February 7 - Last Day in Swedish Class Level C, February 10 - First Day in Swedish Class Level D

Last summer I re-enrolled in SFI (Swedish for Immigrants or ‘Svenska för invandrare’) and began the full time courses in September 2024. They are fifteen hours a week. The enrollment is a fluid and on-going thing at this school. Every five weeks new students are enrolled at the school and current students are given exams and move into higher level courses as they become ready. I should mention that these are government-provided language courses. They are free (FREE !!) to immigrants/expats. Quality varies and the schools are not all created equal. I was fortunate to specially request to get into this school after hearing amazing things from other expats/immigrants (and having a not-so-great experience with evening classes at another school). There is a ‘new beginner’ level (about 1-2 months in length), a ‘continuing’ level (about 3 months), and now I am in the next level (‘course D’, or ‘Kurs D’ in Swedish). Kurs D is a much more intensive course and which takes some mental acclimatization/getting used to. My previous teacher for course C offered that I just take a break from Swedish classes knowing we are moving only three weeks after beginning course D and have a lot going on with the activities surrounding the move. I thought briefly about it and just could not pass up on the opportunity for more time at my amazing school (‘Folkuniversititet / Sundbybergs Folkhögskola’). I was SO SAD to be finishing with my most recent course. I did NOT want to move up because my previous teacher was such a delight. And just like the last time I moved up, I have yet another phenomenal instructor. I am so sad I am not staying for more of her course D class because I am learning like crazy and loving it all. I finally feel like I have “my feet on the ground” solidly here. The course D teacher speaks about two to three times as fast as the course C teacher… I spend an hour each night for homework just to keep up with the class in addition to the three hours of class time each day. I could easily spend three hours on studying nightly. I was really worried I wouldn’t understand anything that was being said and would be very behind the other students. The first day (every minute of three hours) felt a bit like stepping off of one of those Gravitron rides at an amusement park (the one where it spins so fast you stick to the wall and the floor drops away). And yet, somehow, I can follow most of what is said and I am even speaking in class. By the next couple of days only, I can feel my brain adapting to the language and it is the coolest feeling. I love languages and Swedish is a far cry from French and Japanese… the sounds and way it is spoken are so intriguing and unique and different. I am so thankful for my language experience in Gothenburg so far and very curious to see what my Swedish classes in Linköping will be like. Below are photos of my classmates from Course C and the instructor, Swantje, whom everyone adores. She’s originally from Germany. The large picture is me with the Course D instructor, Marina, who I only got to spend three weeks with. I would have learned so much if I could stay in her class and not move! But life moves on.

Me and Marina! She’s another incredible teacher at Folk University in Gothenburg. I can’t keep track of all the languages she speaks - Arabic, Russian, German, English, French, Swedish (all fluent), plus she is learning Italian and Japanese. She is full of passion and energy and was so fun to have for a short three weeks for course D. She loves what she does and it shows. I asked her where she’s from and she said “it’s a long story for another day.” Of course this only peaked my curiosity. Suffice it to say Arabic and Russian are her first languages. In the USA, almost all of us have simple backgrounds. In Sweden it isn’t so uncommon to meet people from all over. My hair dresser was born in India to Chinese parents and moved to Sweden from Pakistan and Canada.

I saw these huge flags while out in downtown Gothenburg one day early… It was no holiday and I noticed they were at half mast also. I saw the news online - it was Sweden’s first mass shooting. It occurred in Örebro at an SFI school & adult education center about 2 hours north of Linköping. 11 lives were lost. A very sad time for Sweden.

February 11, 25: Spa Time

Justin got me a gift card for a local spa for Christmas; they were my first massages in Sweden!! I also realized I was getting a “Swedish massage” in Sweden… After living in Japan with its onsen culture (natural hot spring baths) and ryokans (traditional Japanese inns often centering around food and onsen where you are issued what amounts to pajamas and slippers that you wear most of the day in between hot tub soaks) it was interesting to find myself in yet another country who takes relaxing so seriously. We have discovered Sweden also has it’s own version of this spa experience which is so rare in the USA (does everyone know how to relax better than us? possibly!). There is Hagabadet in Gothenburg - an ancient bath house dating back to the 1870s turned private spa/fitness club. And Sankt Jörgen Park to the north of the city - a hotel, golf course, conference center and spa. Both have multiple pools (Sankt Jörgen has indoor and outdoor pools) and saunas (Hagabadet in Haga has multiple saunas!!). While there, I noticed it was particularly popular with what appeared to be work groups. Justin mentioned he has noticed people at work who have had “Spa Lunch” on their work calendars. This is a work outing I could get used to! I booked myself a couple of massages and enjoyed a dip in the outdoor hot tub with a glass of champagne. Luxurious!

The swinging chairs area overlooking the indoor and outdoor pools at Sankt Jörgen Park (spa/resort)…

February 22: Gothenburg Horse Show

In the thick of the moving activities and the extra homework for my new Swedish class, we could not miss the Gothenburg Horse Show just before leaving town. It happens yearly in Gothenburg and is the last qualifying competition for the Western European League before heading in to the World Cup Finals (the finals change locations yearly and are held April 2-6, 2025 in Basel, Switzerland this year). For those of you not aquainted with the horse world, they are Olympic-level athletes and horses (last year we got to see Henrik Von Eckermann and King Edward - gold medalists from the Tokyo Olympics in 2020/1… the first Swedish gold medal since 1924). The venue here is a ten minute drive from our apartment and it feels local… until you are a couple meters from the hoof beats of the best horses and riders in the world. It’s pure magic. This year we got to experience the joy of the crowd as Swedish rider Linda Heed on Skylander placed first in her home country, very special! The first woman to win at Gothenburg since 2013. Scroll down for a video of the jump-off ride that secured her first place… (1:35 min).

Linda’s award ceremony with the Swedish national anthem and flags!

The horse show in Gothenburg is nearing its 50th anniversary.

Linda Heed’s tie-breaking jump-off round which secured her first place.

February 26, 27: Moving Part I

It has worked out to be every two years or so we’ve changed apartments. We moved within Nagoya once. From Nagoya to Gothenburg. Within Gothenburg we moved twice (from temporary to second-hand contract and from second hand contract to first-hand contract). And this will be our first move to a new city entirely within a foreign country. Linköping is about 3 hours from Gothenburg to the northeast. We will now be 2:20 min by car from Stockholm! Linköping has a small airport with twice-daily KLM flights to Amsterdam (6 am and 6 pm). The movers packed up our things on February 26 and came back and cleared out all the boxes and furniture on February 27. We remained in our apartment with suitcases, REI camp chairs, a cooler, and our Japanese futons over the weekend, driving to Linköping on March 2…

“BEFORE”… 8:27 am on Feb 27… Moments before the movers come to take all of our stuff away. Moving is always such a surreal feeling. It doesn’t feel real somehow even when it’s happening. We’ve been in varying states of disbelief for months now. Giving notice on our hard-won apartment, finding and signing another apartment… Showing our apartment to potential tenants…

“AFTER"… 1:33 pm on Feb 27… Only five hours later… I go to Swedish, come home, and the movers are done just in time for me to do my workout.

February 28: Last Visit to Morgon Coffee Roasters | Farewell Gothenburg Coffee Scene

Justin has worked in the Lindholmen area about half the time we lived in Gothenburg. We live on the south side of the Göta River and Lindholmen is on the north. There are free ferries back and forth across the water. Justin went often to a great little coffee roaster there called Morgon and I’d walk, ride my bike, or ferry over to meet him. From my Swedish class it was a ten minute walk to the ferry, a five min ferry ride and a five minute walk to the Morgon. Made for a fun coffee break and we’ll miss the novelty of visiting them along with Gringo Nordic Coffee Roasters, Alkemisten (the best coffee shop in the city for chilling), and Da Matteo…

5 minute ferry ride over to Morgon Roasters or Alkemisten Coffee Shop in Lindholmen!

What We’re Eating: ‘Chokladbollar!’ (Chocolate Balls!)

Carrot Cake Day fell by the wayside amidst the other activities of February. However it has been replaced with something very worthy. Travel to Sweden and go to almost any cafe and you’ll see some curious round, dark, coconut or sugar-covered balls. They vary in size from large gum balls to the size of those super-jumbo jawbreakers. Is it a doughnut? Solid chocolate? Other? I had never seen such a thing before and they were literally everywhere. Naturally my curiosity is peaked and I must try one. This month, for fun, I made my own for the first time. Sunday, May 11 is Chocolate Ball Day (‘Chokladbollensdag’ in Swedish). So, you have plenty of time to get the handful of basic ingredients and create your own Chocolate Balls to impress all of your friends and family and celebrate Chokladbollensdag (bonus points if you can pronounce this word ;-) ). Or maybe make it for Mother’s Day in the USA? They have about 20 different kinds of sugar here in Sweden at any average grocery store, and THREE of the eight ingredients in this single recipe for chocolate balls are different kinds of sugar. Intriguing. Here is the recipe I used (open in Google Chrome and right click to select to translate to English). Requires no baking, only assembly and chilling time in the fridge. Justin brought them to work for fika and the Swedish people said this is a common recipe to do with children/as kids. Enjoy!

Ingredients (from left to right in photo below): pärlsocker (pearl sugar or nib sugar - can use shredded coconut instead), coffee (we used a darker roast - Radical Brew from Gringo Nordic roasters… local!), havregryn (rolled oats), vaniljsocker (vanilla sugar), kakao pulver (cacao powder), lakrits pulver (licorice powder… only for a variation, not standard in recipe), strösocker (granulated sugar). Not pictured: butter.

Tell us what YOU are up to

We got so many responses to our January blog! Actually the best part of writing the blog was hearing from all of you. I hadn’t heard from many in so long. So, huge thank you for taking the time to write us back. And big thanks to those who sent photos! There was cabinet-building, knee surgeries, commissioned painting of beloved sail boats, new families have been started on new continents, books have been authored… Quite the newsy bunch.

What’s happening with you all this month? If you did not send us an email last month - send one this month. Bonus again for a photo. Are you eating something tasty? Reading anything good? Traveling near or far? Have you met foreigners or immigrants in your town? Special celebrations for Valentine’s, St. Patty’s Day or Easter? Are you curious about anything Sweden or Scandinavian or have tips on places, food, adventures - send me a note or comment.

If you are here from social media and would like to be on the blog email list, just shoot me a message or email and I will add you.