blending in the immigrant crowd

Last Friday I ventured off to Rinkeby with my son. We were attending a child festival organized by one of my students. There would be drums, dancers, stilt-walkers, masks and festivities including food. We were rearing to go.

As we existed the subway car at Rinkeby I couldn't help but notice that there were very few "Swedes" on the platform. Ironcially, as I have black hair I seemed to blend better here than anywhere else in Stockholm.

Admittedly, I felt a bit awkward being "one of the Rinkeby types"...

Rinkeby pleasantly surprised me, as well as my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. It was pleasant, lively and enjoyable. In fact, I felt a bit envious of a center with so much life and commotion. Granted there was a festival about to happen, but the square was teaming with life and vitality. I really liked that. I miss that in the average "Swedish dominated" centers of Sweden. Swedes always seem to be on their way somewhere...immigrants sit on the stoop..so to say.

We will return to Rinkeby to investigate their shops another trip. I highly recommend the outing.

boating has begun

You really get the feeling that the summer season has kicked off. There are boats bobbing all around Stockholm these days. A couple of weeks ago there was the random one or two. You knew they had just put the boat in and wanted to take a spin.

Now there are boats that are clearly out for a little cruise.

Karl Johan at Slussen is as busy as it could be mid summer.

Ruby goes in the water on Saturday. Then our boat club is done. We are known to be late and are even called "Midsommar båtklubb" by some.

hick capital city

I love the oddities and the quirkiness of some of the inhabitants of this city. Yesterday while biking into town I passed two "characters" that really made me smile.

Gubbe nr.1 was biking slowly westerly on Södermälarestrand. He was on an old clunker and in no particular hurry. He was traveling in an opposite direction to me, but something made me take note. He was carrying in his left hand, a push lawn mower. You know the old kind, no motor, no glitz. It was complete shaft to blades. I had to giggle as we all passed him on our way to work in the glorious sun of the premature summer.

Gubbe nr. 2 was coasting along somewhere in Gamla Stan. He was on a "sparkcykel" which is a sort of sled. But this guy had "modernized" and kept with the season. His was equipped with wheels. The blades were like those of the x-country skiiers. His trusty dog trotted alongside.

summer boots winter

The spring is a fleeting season. The melt off of snow and ice indicates a spring thaw, but since the weather remains unpredictable and too chilly to thoroughly enjoy the outdoors, the spring is often just a passage to summer.

Summer arrived yesterday. It's in full bloom today. My thermostat reads 23 degrees. OK, the sun is shining on it, but it's warm.

I wonder what the heck I'm doing inside?