Summary

The author reflects on the cultural differences and lifestyle insights gained from hosting Scandinavian friends in the United States, contrasting American and Scandinavian perspectives on weather, children's activities, seasonal decorations, economic challenges, and school lunches.

Abstract

The article "5 Takeaways After Having Scandinavian Friends Visit My American Bubble" delves into the author's experiences and realizations after welcoming Scandinavian guests during fall break. Despite the unexpected continuous rain, the visitors appreciated the romantic aspect of the weather, contrasting with the complaints from locals. The author also notes that children are content with simple activities and do not require an abundance of planned events, as is common in the U.S. The charm of American seasonal decorations is acknowledged, yet the author prefers a more subtle approach, opting for local farmers' market finds over mass-produced items. The discussion extends to the socio-economic struggles in Norway, revealing a reality beyond the idyllic portrayal often presented in the media. Additionally, the author comments on the cultural differences in school lunches, with Scandinavian children surprised by the American norm of pizza and cheese sticks as school lunch options.

Opinions

The author's Scandinavian friends find the American tendency to complain about rain amusing, as they consider it a normal occurrence.
Children are often satisfied with simple pleasures and the company of loved ones, rather than needing a constant stream of activities.
While acknowledging the commercialization of seasonal decor in America, the author finds some aspects, like fall decorations, to be endearing when balanced appropriately.
The author's friends from Norway share the economic challenges they face, which align with the struggles of the lower middle class in the U.S., debunking the myth of Norway's economic perfection.
The author observes that pizza and cheese sticks for school lunch are unusual in Scandinavia, where

5 Takeaways After Having Scandinavian Friends Visit My American Bubble

Seasonal reminders

This spring, my family visited me for the first time since 2020. It was a delightful reminder of my roots and also a reality check on some of the things I’ve become accustomed to after moving to the United States.

This time; a different season and new reminders, as my best friend and her family decided to spend a week with my family and me in our American suburban bubble during fall break.

Rain can be romantic, too

One of the things people always comment on whenever I post a photo on Instagram or send a picture to my family is how lucky we are to have such great weather where we currently live. By great weather, they mean lots of sunshine and significantly higher temperatures than you get in Norway during the same time of the year.

Although they will tough it out in rain and blizzards, there is always the “Wow, you’re still wearing shorts over there?”

This time, the weather took a Scandinavian turn for us shortly after our visitors landed in Newark, NJ. As I’m writing this, we’ve gone five full days without seeing the sun and it’s been raining non-stop. I can’t remember that happening once during the three years I’ve lived in the suburbs.

Our visitors have not complained.

In fact, they made a funny side comment on how they couldn’t believe how many people were complaining about the weather. “It’s just rain!” They said.

My best friend also talked about how much she enjoyed a night out, sitting at a restaurant with her significant other, all while it was raining, pouring down outside. Then, going on a walk in the rain.

“It was actually quite romantic,” she said.

Kids don’t need much

In the United States, it is really easy to fill your plate with stuff to do. Both for adults and kids. There’s always an activity, an event, some sort of happening you can attend if you want to.

I had this full list of kid-friendly things we could do while they were visiting. My best friend and her husband have kids around the same age as my husband and I do. Pumpkin patches, farm fun, urban fun, exploring the area, kid-edition. There was even a monster truck show on my list.

There isn’t nearly as much going on in Scandinavia this time of the year, at least not where I’m from, a suburb/coastal town. So I figured it would be fun to explore fall the American way with our Scandinavian friends.

Then, with the unpredictable weather, many of these places canceled their fall events. We ended up spending a lot of time at home, just being together. Doing puzzles, playing in the basement, eating lots of food. We bought some pumpkins and carved them, we decorated a batch of Halloween cookies.

All of the activities were either free or very reasonable.

Kids don’t need much.

They’re often content playing and having fun with the people they like being around. Much like us complicated adults.

Commercialized things can have (some) charm

Some.

My best friend pointed out how much she loved that almost every homeowner was decorating the doors and entrance area for the season. Fall decor, creepy Halloween skeletons and witches, plenty of pumpkins and wreaths, it’s all in our neighborhood these days.

I told her that during every single season, sometimes not even seasons, people decorate. You go from Halloween, to Thanksgiving, to all red around Christmas. Then, there’s Valentine’s (pink), St. Patrick’s Day (green), Easter (yellow), and summer, including July 4th flags and all things red, white and blue. In addition to that, there are also religious decor people put up for specific holidays.

I’ll admit, I do find the fall decor quite charming.

Not so much the skeletons, but the wreaths and orange decor, it works. Although it’s commercialized and there’s a huge market for seasonal home decor, there can be some charm to it.

The key is balance.

I found those cute gourds at a local farmers market. Feels better than stocking up on reusable plastic pumpkins from some chain store. My two-year-old called them “Baby Halloweeeeen”.

There’s some charm to it.

Norway isn’t perfect IRL

In real life, a lot of people struggle in Norway these days.

The lower middle class has been hit by rising costs, especially when it comes to electricity and food. Interest rates as well. Although there are some government programs in place to help support those who struggle, many live paycheck to paycheck, similar to the United States and many other countries on the globe. It was interesting to have a real, deep-down talk with close friends about life. Not reading about my country in the news, but get the real stuff.

The good and the bad.

It’s a country with great values and traditions, but it’s far from perfect. It’s my homeland and a wonderful place to raise kids, but I’ve found, after living in the United States for five years, this place is a pretty decent place to raise kids, too. It’s all about making it yours.

For sure, there was a fair share of immediate culture shocks when moving overseas, but after settling down, it’s not all bad.

It’s not perfect, and neither is Norway.

You can’t beat nature in Norway, though.

Pizza and cheese sticks for lunch is not normal

In Scandinavia.

I’m so used to reading the school menu, filtering out what days to let my kids buy their lunch at school and when to pack. At their school, Friday is always Pizza Friday. Lots of vegetables in that tomato sauce, eh? There are often cheese sticks there too.

My friends’ kids asked my kids what they had for lunch in school. My oldest responded he bought pizza. There was also a side of cheese sticks.

“Wait, pizza? For lunch? For school?”

Most kids I know like pizza. But it’s not a lunch thing in Scandinavia.

Pizza = dinner. Often a weekend dinner, and often homemade.

And cheese sticks? That’s not really a thing over there.

I let my kids buy lunch now and then, and they love it. We make plenty of healthy foods at home; a slice of pizza on the occasional Friday isn’t the end of the world.

If you’re following me, you’re doomed to get a dose of these cultural reflections (probably) every time we have visitors from Scandinavia.

Hope you don’t mind.

Happy fall and happy Friday.