OCTOBER 29, 1971
Nice Place To, Visit But Not To Live In
Last summer, as my plane left O'Hare, I was apprehensive and more than just a little nervous about what a two-month trip to Sweden would hold in store. I'd seen and heard all the commercials with the sexy blonds and dark tans, etc. I wondered if these examples were really typical of the people.
I found that life in Sweden is very much different and yet the same as ours. For example, at graduation from their high school, instead of the caps, gowns, and solemn ceremony, their celebration is very lighthearted. They place a large slide against a second-story window, where the graduates climb out and slide down. When they reach the bottom, they are given, instead of a diploma, a bouquet of flowers, a can of beer, and a cigar. Afterwards, they are driven away in the back of a pick-up truck to a large party.
They don't have dating as we know it in Sweden. Everyone goes to a school dance, for example, so there is never any question about who will be there. The kids go in groups, and both the girls and the
It wasn't easy, but gradually I could understand a little Swedish (understand yes, but speak, forget it). At least I understood enough to be able to tell when they were talking about me. It was really maddening, however, to hear words like Nixon and Chicago and be unable to understand what they were talking about. Believe me, when after six weeks I got hold of a Time magazine, it was treated like a Bible.
One more thing, while I was there, I talked to many kids; and they were impressed very favorably about us in the U.S. They didn't hate us, as I've heard all the rest of the world does. In fact, almost all wanted to come just to see what it is like. This shows how distorted one country's picture of another can be.
Anyway, it was a fantastic experience, and if ever you are offered the chance to go to Sweden - take it.