I think that is such a wonderful thing that friends can go years without seeing each other and still pick up exactly where they left off. The things that made you friends in the first place exist regardless of location, time zone , culture or language.
Katie and I arrived in Stockholm today, a bit jet lagged, and a bit out of sorts. The arrival process was so much smoother than our entry to India last year, which has become family lore – if we can survive the mob scene at the airport and our four days of lost luggage in Delhi, than we can survive (fill in your choice of calamity here). The only delay here was the delightfully matronly woman in passport control that wanted to make sure that we knew we have to visit the VasaMuseet and Skansen (we do), and to admonish us to be sure to come back in summer because one week is not enough for Stockholm and we need to be able to go out on a boat tour (OK - we will).
In a wonderful move of friendship our Swedish friends ordered us a taxi that was waiting for us as we exited customs. We could have taken the express train to downtown Stockholm and then the bus, but it was so delightfully easy to just follow the driver and ride in comfort to the house. Stockholm reminds me a lot of my time in Minnesota, particularly from the air. The approach into Stockholm looked so similar to the approach to the Twin Cities – frozen lakes, a dusting of snow and little development. It is easy to see why the Scandinavian settlers picked the upper Midwest as their new American home – the resemblance is remarkable. The only difference being the type of tree- many extremely tall pines here that look like lodgepole pines, compared to the smaller trees, with a lot of birch in Minneapolis.
Our friends were at school and work when we arrived mid-morning and we took a nap before they came home at lunch to make sure we didn’t sleep too long. After rousting us awake, they were off again to finish up the school day returning for good between 1 and 2. Katie and I amused ourselves until they returned by trying to see if their dog now barks in Swedish instead of English (they claim that he does), and looking at their food and noting how exotic a bag of flour looks when it is written in Swedish. They even had a two squeeze tubes of caviar in their fridge- now that is exotic!
My friend and I instantly bonded as though there had been no gap in our friendship at all, despite the fact that we haven’t seen each other in two years. Katie and her friend were a little more cautious with each other at first. Two years is a lot more time when you move away at age nine, and reconnect at eleven/twelve. However, as I type this they are sitting together shoulder to shoulder, head to head, playing “The Game of Life” on the iPod, peals of laughter ringing out from their room.
My friend and I discussed themes that seem to common to mothers everywhere regardless of the country - whether the competitive sports our kids play are managed appropriately, how to find the right clothes for our pre-teen girls and how school is going for them.
We had a wonderful dinner of homemade “Swedish meatballs”, boiled potatoes and ligonberries, although they called them just “meatballs”. Tomorrow and the next day Katie will go to school all day with her friend, at the same school where her mom, my friend, teaches. It promises to be a very interesting two days as an “exchange student” for Katie, one few people get to experience. She is quite concerned about the language barrier but I am sure that she will manage fine. After school she and her friend are going to swim practice together, so by tomorrow night Katie should be quite exhausted. I know that I am exhausted and seriously jet lagged despite the three cup of strong coffee that I have had today, so off to bed for me.
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