24 days later

I didn't plan to update my blog on a 12 day base. However, I try to squeeze time to update friends at different corners of the world.

1. More on equality:
I once saw a news saying that Sweden ranks the highest on gender equality. I have very little interest in discussing about gender equality because I believe it can never be equal from how physically men and women are constructed, the way we mate, etc. Here is more on equality of hierarchies in Electrolux. I attended a training regarding product management flow and had the VP HR of Elux Group Pia Hovland in the same group for 4 days. When we were asked to clean the rooms we used for our group work, she went as the 1st to clear out all the papers. Just a small example on the egalitarian culture.

2. Old people's activities:
Aron and me always end up in the middle of those of 50s to 70s: Stampen (a jazz club in Gamla Stan), a Mozart concert (in a church in Gamla Stan). I personally cannot grasp what are the young people up to in Sweden yet. Probably there aren't that many young people anyways.

3. Adoption:
There are many Asian kids (especially Chinese girls) got adopted by white Swedish parents here. Because 1) the parents really wanted kids and couldn't have their own; 2) most of the Chinese (especially in rurual China) don't want daughters. Perfect match?!

4. Växjö:
I found myself in 3 different airports (Stockholm Arlanda, Brussels and Copenhagen) last Friday and 4 different cities because I ended up visiting Aron's family in Växjö. It was quite a long day started from 4.50am. It did remind me of an AI director's life: airports, checking in, waiting to board, etc. It was very special because I was visiting Aron's entire family. We spent a lovely weekend in English conversations (which we all struggled a bit to use the easiest to understand words), in nice cozy cafe for fika, in musuem for interesting exhibitions, in walking through the forests long the lake side, brunches and dinners around the table, table tennis games between the big Swedes and a tiny Chinese girl and my favorite moment was looking through Aron's album since he was born till his teenager time. A very loving family indeed.

So much to update for now. I need to go home, relax after a very tough day, hopefully book a laundry time, check friend's blog and skype my parents.

After 12 days in Stockholm

It feels like yesterday when I reached Stockholm and met Aron after 3 months.

Work is a lot of fun because my bosses always want me to learn more. The information I have been getting regarding brand and marketing has been linking a lot of separate dots in my mind and clarifying a lot of confusion I initially had while preparing for the interview. My real responsibilities are mainly details: calling or emailing people for information, sending freezers or dish washers from one place to another. Though I'll get more and more involved in designing advertising campaigns later on. Since I have believed that the key to success is more about the execution capacity rather than brain power, I am loving the challenges to make things happen with the right timing. Personally it is a break from quite a lot of strategizing back during AIESEC time.

Some interesting observations of the Swedes without any intension to insult the people:
- Smile disability: The Swedish guy sitting next to me on the flight watching a comedy didn't have the slightest smile on his face, let alone say laughing, throughout the whole movie which scared me a bit.
- Unaturally black: A lot of young people dye their hair to black which is the opposite of what's happening in China. Hilarious!!! It is very strange for me to see a fair skin Swede with dark black hair - it is so dark that it is not even natural.
- Old only: Aron and me went to Stampen on Saturday evening only to find people of our parents or even grand parents age there. Why Jazz is classified as old people's entertainment?
- Egalitarian: name card without titles - does this reflect a flat organizaitonal culture? I guess people still have their different roles and responsibilities. Still the Swedes are very proud of its own organizational culture of being open and equal.
- As long as you wear clothes? I asked people in Elux that what is the dressing code. I was told that as long as I wear something instead of being naked: shocking! Regardless most people here are very classy and stylish - what a surprise! The typical Scandinavian thing.

I am soon moving into an apartment together with a Romanian girl. It feels familiar because I lived with Geta last year in Rotterdam. I enjoy living away from parents though I badly need to diversify the recipe I mastered. This time I am more interested in exploring nice little cafe, art exhibitions, concerts more than new countries - the weather discourages me a lot.

I am looking forward to Christmas already because it is going to be an authentic Northern European Christmas at Aron's parents place. I wonder how it is going to be after a summer Christmas with Flic's family. And I constanly miss Rotterdam just like how much I missed Beijing last year. Is Stockholm going to be another place I'll miss later on? Let's see.