How do you like to decorate your home? And what does that say about who you are?

A typically Swedish decoration habit, is to excessively label stuff (probably caused by our obessive organizing gene). So we use a simplistic (often white) design and just add a label with (CAPS) text. Imagine a bedroom, above the bed there is a painting with only the word “bed”. Or a toothbrushcup with the text “toothbrush”. This can go to extremes and I’ve seen it happening many times with my otherwise very gifted, artistical and interior passionated friends. There are useful functions however; to remember what stuff is called plus teaching children letters and how to speak the language. (Maybe this is also a part explanation of why I attach more to words than images.) In stores, imagine how perfect to just look for stuff and you see the name from a mile’s distance.

You compensate for what you miss in your life with what you decorate the walls in your home with. Is it true? Because I like my walls clean. No photographs. Don’t like to create Facebook albums in my house, as even though there are many people I love, I want to choose when to think about them. Like this guy at my job, he was the best Morrocan guy I knew. Always smiling, always friendly to everyone. He had a heart attack and died, at 40. They smacked up photos of him around the office, it pissed me off. Who are you to tell me when to mourn and how? And god forbid, moving on. I don’t miss people, I appreciate the moments when I see them instead. Refocused energy. At least trying. I don’t have idols, movies don’t fascinate me to the extent of wanting them in my face. 

If there anything I like, to decorate with, it’s flowers and plants. Alive ones, no fake crap. They have a function with the oxygen coming out, but also it’s maybe the only thing that makes me feel like home. What everyone else is doing is different.

Michael Moore wrath VS Swedish government. This in. We’re rapists? Or…?

Somewhat surprised over some stats, not only in Swedish results but also elsewhere. Evidently in all countries there is this young male singer called Justin that everyone is Googling. He must be good.

If you want to understand more about Swedish culture you can continue reading. At a late night I randomly watched a series on Swedish TV, which translates to “The worlds’ most modern country (with the worlds’ most insecure people?)”. Phenomenons that never really have been anything that captivated my thoughts came to surface. I will start exploring in this post and continue discussion further.

Basic knowledge. Swedish people are experts in cueing, also conflict avoiding doers (rather than just being, we do stuff), that have a strong if not the strongest trust of all, in: the state, new technologies, standardization (and with that, a non-ending improvement; urge for efficiency) and rationality.

The opportunity cost of conflict is high on the list. At the most extreme, we rather buy a sweater to please the staff in the store than to risk the emotional cost of causing them to be unhappy. The cost of the sweater is less than the risk of causing harm.

I wondered what they meant in this tv show with “the most modern” when I thought about my parents. However, they pointed out that only in a continuously modernizing state can anyone become out of fashion. Everything grows out of fashion and it goes fast.

Sweden’s greatest exports are IKEA and H&M amongst others. These are both examples of early business growing out of the “tear and scrap- culture”. During the 70’s, Sweden tore down many old cities and rebuilt them in a practical style. Practical is a keyword, or rather functionality, as the style was to be called “funkis”. Suddenly, people could afford not to use same interior for the rest if their lives which lead to the creation of this IKEA frenzy that continued and spread.

There are more than 10 million active mobile phones in Sweden, but only 9 million citizens. New technology is a way to make life easier and more efficient, why we are open to it. Sweden is a thankful test market due to this together with the fact that the word normally only spreads within Sweden. So a brand will not risk reputation if testing in Sweden (however, this may change by the increases use of new social media).

The standardization institute was first in the world. I didn’t know we had an institution that measured how to best build a kitchen to not having to walk more steps than necessary. When I heard that at one point they got out of hand and tried to standardize humans, I recalled this in context with the Nazi era. Some good came out of it and some less good.

When it comes to psychological experiments, one reason that Sweden is an interesting test market, is that we are bound to rules and authority even though it is in a somewhat special way. Many other states have caused peoples’ mistrust and the state has thus weakened. In Sweden the farmers and the state had a strong connection, and the trust has stayed intact which is rare. On one hand we trust authorities, on the other hand we have an urge of independency. We don’t have a very strong bond to neighbors. We rather buy our own BBQ grill than using the neighbors, even if we use it twice a year. We are not strongly rooted. We move around a lot.

We like numbers. When a baby is born, we give them a number. When we look at a wine bottle, we review the % of alcohol for the price paid.

It’s difficult for us to find a reason to socialize with people if we don’t have a particular activity to perform (we can’t socialize without a reason as it makes us uncomfortable. We are doers. We socialize around the activity).

There are more to be said, I will continue in a later post. All foreign friends, and Swedes for that matter, please comment what you find is typically Swedish that is not mentioned in this post?

Remember this girl in a paperbox from earlier years. She is cool, she always had some integrity together with that voice and blond hair.

Robyn - Do You Know What It Takes (via danceradio)

Sneak peaks in Swedish post - soon to be a possibility?

Del. 3 Talang Sverige 2010 - AC Quartet - Sjunger (via ZuuXuu)

Old classmate of mine randomly found he passed on to semifinals in Sweden’s got talent. Congrats Pontus!

“Order” is a word commonly connected to German culture. Swedish people are also related to Germanic, especially when it comes to order. Organizing things, placing stuff, keeping it “neat” in their minds.

You know that IKEA have all these funny names on things you can buy? There is a reason for it. We Swedes just love to put names on stuff, especially at home.

Just look here, here and here .

Carl von Linné was the guy that organized flowers to different “racial groups” (which later lead to German people tipping over the boarder and backfired at the jews, but that’s a different story.)

When I look at our website, inside my head, I am crying. Is it because of my background? Are we neat freaks? 

IKEA Amsterdam in a rush. Only place open until 6pm tonight?

Anna Ternheim-My Secret (via Freddechuckie)

I like her, even more live.

The first time I saw a Swedish course (at least consciously). If you want to learn Swedish and Google Translate just won’t do anymore. Here you have your chance.