I was only gone for a month but coming back is like almost a re-culture shock. The same one I had when I came to Uppsala in December after not being in Sweden for over a year. The first thing I noticed was on the plane landing in Stockholm nobody helped this elderly man with his bags as he struggled to pull them out of the overhead.
Now I’m not implying that Swedes are rude or anything, just that generally many swedes kind of keep to themselves unless you specifically ask them for help.
So as a result, getting out of the plane took a million years.
I once got commended on a bus for giving up my seat to an elderly person. I just automatically stood up, no big deal. In the US the bus driver will yell at you if you don’t offer your seat in that situation.
But that isn’t the only thing that is hard to re-adjust to. There is also the cold weather. I missed the best part of Sweden. I missed the sun and the warmth. I left for America after only 1 week of good weather…and I came back and the good weather was gone. Windy and cold and gloomy. I hope it gets better. I hate having to wear my fall coat in summer….that means it is a summer coat and I will be screwed this fall!
//Caitlin
