Archive by Author
A Swedish Take on Modern Timber Construction Posted by Chelsea B on Oct 1, 2021
As a bright-eyed college grad, I relocated to the southern Swedish city of Växjö, Sweden for an internship. Nestled between thick forests and glittering lakes, Växjö has earned the title of “Greenest City in Europe” for trailblazing a number of environmental initiatives, including their timber construction program. While working for Växjö kommun I gained perspective…
Pronunciation Breakdown: Swedish Sj-Sound Posted by Chelsea B on Sep 24, 2021
Learning about phonetics is cool. And if you ask me, pretty difficult! A recent blog commenter said they have difficulty with the Swedish sj-sound and asked for tips to practice it. Classified as a “voiceless fricative phoneme” it’s one of the most difficult sounds in the Swedish language to reproduce. While I’m not a phonetics…
Swedish Jews Observe Yom Kippur Posted by Chelsea B on Sep 16, 2021
Yom Kippur, is considered the holiest day of the Jewish calendar year. A day of atonement, fasting, and prayer, emphasis is placed on individual reflection and atonement in preparation for the year to come. It’s estimated that 15,000-20,000 Jews live in Sweden, and because even secular Jews tend to celebrate Jom kippur, as it’s spelled…
Refresh your Swedish Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns Posted by Chelsea B on Sep 10, 2021
To understand reflexive verbs, start by thinking about activities where the action reflects back on its subject. For example, “I’ll behave myself.” “He’ll shave himself,” and so on. In Swedish we pair even more verbs with a reflexive pronoun – the verb “to learn” is reflexive, “to concentrate” is reflexive, too! In this post, we’ll…
Melancholy via Melissa Horn on the Musikblogg Posted by Chelsea B on Sep 3, 2021
The cool breeze from Lake Superior tells me that autumn isn’t far away. After a stressful week, these chilly evenings just make me want to be mysig (cozy). And if you know me, music is central to my type of mys. Melissa Horn is a Swedish artist I play when I want to slow down…
Västerbottensost Pie: Kräftskiva’s BFF Posted by Chelsea B on Aug 27, 2021
My first ever kräftskiva was at the end of August. I fumbled through learning to eat the small, briney, dilly kräftor watching my Swedish family crack and slurp. Although crayfish are the reason for the party, the side dishes are often the stars. My kräftskiva debut was also my first time eating Västerbottensostpaj, a beloved, cheesy…
Latest News from Afghanistan in Swedish Posted by Chelsea B on Aug 20, 2021
It’s been a turbulent week for Afghans at home and abroad. With the U.S. and allied forces withdrawing from Afghanistan and the Taliban immediately and swiftly taking control, the headlines are intense. Evacuations of Afghans and foreign nationals are difficult, the democracy has collapsed, and the rights of women and girls hang in the balance…