This post will be in Dutch, look at the bottom for an English translation of the introduction. Swedes can read parts of the Dutch text also.
Gisteren is het Nederlandse woordenboek binnengekomen, voor Zweden wel te verstaan; Nederländska fickordbok. Zodat Frida de Nederlandse grammatica achterin in het Zweeds kan leren, wel zo makkelijk.
En achterin hebben ze ook heel handig een lijst voor in een restaurant of voor de ingrediëntenlijst geplaatst. Van Nederlands naar Zweeds, zodat je op een pak de ingrediënten in het Nederlands kunt lezen en dan weet wat dat eigenlijk betekent. Het leuke.. al die typische Nederlandse recepten die geen directe vertaling hebben, worden hier netjes uitgelegt :)
- Haagse hopjes: hårda karameller med kaffesmak
- hagelslag: (choklad)strössel som äts på smörgås som pålägg
- Hollandse nieuwe: holländsk matjessill (jämför maatjesharing nedan)
- hutspot: maträtt bestående av kokt potatis, morötter, lök och kött
- krentenbol: litet runt matbröd med korinter i
- kroepoek: indonesiska chipsliknande tilltugg av fisk, kött eller frukt
- maatjesharing (vervolg van Hollandse nieuwe): matjessill (med skarpare fisksmak och mindre kryddsmak än den svenska motsvarigheten); köps ofta i stånd utomhus
- moorkop: chokladtäckt petit-chou med gräddfyllning
- oliebol: friterar bakverk i form av en boll, pudrat med florsocker, som främst äts vid nyår
- pepernoot: kryddad sötsak som främst äts i början av december i samband med S:t Nikolausfesten
- stroopwafel: dubbel, hård våffla med sirapsfyllning
- taaitaai: mjuk, seg pepparkaka
- vla: kräm som äts till efterrätt
Gelukkig is het andersom nog veel ‘erger’. De lijst van Zweedse recepten met de Nederlandse uitleg is veel langer, omdat bijna elk product een flinke uitleg nodig heeft om in het Nederlands begrijpelijk te zijn. Heeft Zweden een rijkere culinaire cultuur?
En dan de standaardzinnetjes natuurlijk. Hoe zeg ik x in het Nederlands (iks). Wat de mensen van dit woordenboek die arme Zweden allemaal aandoen..
- Uit eten; Wat wilt u drinken? “Een pils, alstublieft.”
- Op reis; “Wilt u me bij de volgende halte laten uitstappen?”
- Apoteek/Ziekenhuis; “Kunt u mij iets tegen hoesten/keelpijn/zonnebrand aanbevelen?”
Dat wordt nog wat..
—–
Yesterday, the Dutch dictionary came in. The one for Swedes. So Frida can learn the Dutch grammar in Swedish. The dictionary included a list of typical Dutch food and recipies, with their explanation in Swedish. Quite funny to see how some of those typical Dutch things are translated :) And also the default sentences that these kind of books give you, like “Can you tell me where the trainstation is?”. Only some of them are a bit strange/old, or just wrong. Lets hope that all goes well..
Tags: communication, context, education, food, frida, language, meaning, netherlands, recipy, swedes, swedish language
Categories: a cultural journey
As usual, the last period of the year, you’re sitting inside working for school, and outside the summer is playing with other people, not with me.
Well, not completely true of course :) I just finished my last course here, handed in the research paper. I did a research about ‘doing nothing’. About the time people have in between tasks. About what they do with that and how that influences their work and their personal well-being. If you’re interested, leave a note or check my portfolio some time later.
But at the same time, I make sure that I get some fresh air :) I took a short ride on the bike to Hällberga and Skogstorp. A trip on a sand road along an old train track. I met the poisonous snake of Sweden, in a dead state though. And then, when you’re in the middle of the forest, suddenly this village of Hällberga turns up. Without even a name sign, too small for that.
And with MDH we went on a last trip with the international group, to the silver mines in Sala. We spent some time 155m underground (without that much fresh air, although there was enough via ventilation holes) we also had a good time playing dodgeball (spökboll, trefbal), eating fresh salad in the park next to the mine, and later enjoying the view of little ducks in a park in Västerås together with Frida.
One more week now. Then Frida is free from work also and we go away for a few weeks. Visiting her parents place again, to Gotland (the supposed beautiful island next to Sweden), canoeing maybe and we’ll see. Oh yeah, learn more about self sustaible living!
Tags: animals, bike, change the world, cycling, doing nothing, environmentally, frida, mdh, play, research project, sala, västerås
Categories: a cultural journey, an academic journey
This is the last day as Mälardalens högskola, or at least, the last day of this semester. I’m doing some final work on my research project about time. I’m sitting at the faculty of IDT (Information Design Technology) in Eskilstuna. Not my faculty, but the most nearest one. Here’s my second work place, a wooden bench and a little outdoor place next to it.
On the wall is a quote:
En känsla infinner sig,
en tanke uppstår,
en idé föds.
After reading this, the first weekend here in Sweden, I knew the last sentence and thus the rest a little bit. “En idé föds” is about an idea being born. So, maybe something with chance (känsla) and thought (tanke)? Almost, as känsla is ‘feeling’, not chance. Google translate thought is was like this:
A feeling arises,
a thought occurs,
an idea is born.
Sometimes you’ll hear a piano in the background. In the corridors, next to the filharmonin, there is a piano. Just like now, sometimes somebody comes by and plays it. Just some notes, to practice. But everytime I paused my own music if I was listening, I paused my work, and just watched the trees or the rain through the window next to me. An anonymous piano player and me. The only ones in this place at the moment.
Tags: doing nothing, eskilstuna, goodbye, mdh, research project
Categories: an emotional journey
In the second-last week we had the presentations of the last course, an open research project. It was quite interesting, what kind of research questions people had came up with, and nice to present my own results.
One research was investigating the (Hofstede’s) culture dimensions (like individualism – collectivism, femininity – masculinity, long-term – short-term orientation) and how they applied to exchange students. Otherwise said, is it so that people from the ‘travellers country’ have another scale on the culture dimensions? :) And, although the research has some limitations, it showed that for example people from this travellers country were more individualistic – not surprisingly of course.
A lot of the other research also showed a difficulty in research and culture and language. When research about stress and burnout for example, might it be the case that American people experience something else than Swedes. And thus that when it turns out that American people are more stressed and have more burnouts than Swedes (according to this research), that that is because they see more situations as stressing and/or have a different understanding of the ‘same’ word.
In the train back to Eskilstuna a guy was offering his newspaper back to some elder couple opposite to him; he probably borrowed it earlier. After they said that that wasn’t neseccary he said “tack så mycket” (“thanks you very much”, in Dutch you would probably say “heel erg bedankt” or “dank u zeer”). To me, that sounded a bit too much for just getting a newspaper in general, but it might be influenced by the fact that the people were older, more ‘respect’ for elder people? Or a different understanding of the same language? Maybe in Swedish it is more common to speak like that..
Tags: communication, habit, interpretation, language, research project, science, swedish language, traditions, train, traveling
Categories: a cultural journey, an academic journey
Yoga in the morning and you’ll have muscle pain in the day, a happy day though :)
Tags: mobile
Categories: an intellectual journey
So.. Where to go from now? What do I want to do?
Do I still want to continue with HKU? I’m not thát sure anymore. Although it might not be bad for me and also give me a nice few projects again. (Something practical finally! I’m quite done with the theory here..)
I found the Interactive Institute here. Looks like a nice place for projects. I’ve been thinking about staying there for some time. If at all I get in here at some place. Without diploms, without the language (which is more important here than in the Netherlands).
And spiritually the Netherlands would be a very interesting place. A lot of things are happening there. So maybe we can life there for some time. Start new projects there, explore what I want on that green sphere.
I’ve started to work again, small things, but still. Yesterday I continued walking through the methods I use in projects I did. The step of yesterday was making a mindmap of everything. Quickly the paper (A4) became too small :) There is a lot that I know, a lot I’m experienced in, a bit too much maybe? At least I should structure it a bit more now. I want to describe the methods, for myself and for ‘clients’.
And when I was going through some past projects I saw Lones again.. Did anybody made those things for real? I could use them now.. Or, in two months would be ok as well ;)
“This our concept video of the Emotion Stone, that transfers warmth, emotions and gestures over long distances. This video gives an example how it could work.”
Tags: change the world, education, environmentally, future, home, interaction, language, lones, mindmap, netherlands, spirituality, theory vs practise
Categories: a cultural journey, an academic journey, an emotional journey, an intellectual journey
Official now, or at least, Frida can receive mail here :)
It is becoming a real ‘house’ now. Now practically every box is unpacked, things have their place. And the reward for that is definitely there, a nice place to be :) Even the guinea pigs start to feal at home.
But also the dishes (after eating tomato pies) start to pile up also. How to deal with that? The shadow side of decisions?
Be careful of what you wish for, you might get it all.
Luckily, I’m still very happy. It helps me a lot with the things I find hard in life. Growing everyday. That’s why we did this.
Tags: animals, apartment, food, frida, frustration, home, packing
Categories: an emotional journey
School is getting interesting again (the last course was less I think). I’m now preparing a research about time, investigating how people spend their time in between the things they do. I hope to get something more about possible ‘doing nothing’ time.
The last few weeks I’ve noticed that I look differently at the trip to school, at doing shopping, at walking in the city. I finally start to see this as normal. Before it was still my study abroad. Now this way to school has become my way to school, this city became my city. I feel at home, I think.
On the right is a part of that life. On my way to school the air was on fire. Oh, btw, another fire that was part of the life here, was Valborg. The Swedish helgdagar (holiday) on the 30th of April.
From one of the first books about intercultural interactions:
Strangeness is no longer a temporary condition to be overcome, but a way of life.
Harman
Tags: doing nothing, eskilstuna, experience, habit, home, mdh, reality, science, swedish way, time, traditions, weather
Categories: an academic journey, an emotional journey
When it is silent here on the blogg, that usually means a lot is going on in life, things are changing :)
Click play or go to the gallery to view the photos in large.
The last weekend and the evenings around that, we – me and Frida, were moving together.
We’ve been installing new lights, packing, moving the packed boxes and placing everything in the new apartment.
But it takes more time than just that one weekend moving. Also cleaning the previous apartment, dealing with – and nervously waiting for – the rental company, and somehow, unpacking takes more time than packing.
And then come the more practical things.. A clock comes back in the apartment. How to deal with this and that? Were to place these things? How should this look? As said, moving takes more than 1 or 2 days. We’re welcoming the new adventures and conflicts :)
And things start to feel differently. The bed with the two nightstands suddenly looks like we’re a couple. Ah but wait, we are :)
And, we can now enjoy the new balcony.
Tags: apartment, blog, children and adults, conflict, feeling, frida, home, packing, reality
Categories: an emotional journey, an intellectual journey
First 3 are in
One more
Failed twice, but now we have two more
I just checked in another 3 boxes
Woohoo! I was just in time.. But now we have 7 more :)
> Great! stop searching now, we will have a lot
I brought in 4 more, I was at the place already.
Collecting banana boxes from supermarkets in the area. We’ re moving! More later :)
Tags: hobbies, packing, preparations, shopping
Categories: an emotional journey
Reactions
Hi Lode. Not too much to ad after Clover’s comment! Take care of you,...
Take care of yourself Lode, and I hope to read the new blog some day. It’s...
You could put the olive oil in a dark or darker buttle or wrap it with a piece of...
It’s not a goodbye my love…
Knuff!! Ga je nog mee naar de frankrijkweek?