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A hairy debate Posted by jennie on Mar 20, 2012
Sweden’s entry to the big Eurovision Song Contest is finally chosen and no, it’s not Björn Ranelid. In fact, it seems like the Swedes for once agreed on this year’song, since it broke the all time high voting record. So, everybody’s happy, then? No raging debates in the evening papers and in social media? Well…
Swedish buns – Philadelphia style Posted by jennie on Mar 6, 2012
From yummy men to yummy buns! Being pregnant mean an awful lot of things. For start – I’m having a baby! But I’m also having some serious cravings and of course are these cravings quite specific Swedish things that might not be the easiest thing in the world to get hold of. This past weekend…
Björn Ranelid – thumbs up or thumbs down? Posted by jennie on Feb 29, 2012
As all you faithful blog readers will know by now, both me and Marcus are huge fans of Melodifestivalen and we have written several posts about this important event throughout the years. Not so much this year though, despite this year’s final might be the most controversial yet. Why? Because one of the final 10…
Hen – the Swedish gender neutral pronoun Posted by jennie on Feb 15, 2012
A tiny three letter word is causing debates and mixed emotions in Sweden at the moment. The word is “hen” and it’s the new suggested gender neutral pronoun – born from what many people feel is a need for a pronoun free of preconceived notions about gender. (I should point out that the word itself…
Will you work until you are 75? Posted by jennie on Feb 9, 2012
Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has sparked a huge debate the last couple of days due to his new suggestion that Swedes should keep on working until they are 75- instead of 65 as the standard retirement age is today. “The pension’s scheme isn’t based on magic. It is a welfare ambition based on large-scale…
New Swedish words for 2012 Posted by jennie on Jan 4, 2012
God forsättning, dear blog readers! As a Swede living in England, I have recently discovered how useful the Swedish phrase “God fortsättning” is. It means something along the lines of “happy continuation” and this is the phrase we use when “God jul” (Merry Christmas) or “Gott nytt år” (Happy New Year) feels dated. Like on…
The Swedish Christmas tree Posted by jennie on Dec 23, 2011
It’s the day before the dipping day, only one episode is left of the thrilling tv-advent calender “Tjuvarnas jul” and the countdown is down to hours, not days. Julafton awaits around the corner and today is the day when many families will bring in the mother of all Christmas decorations, the all important and wonderful…