Here's a cool link I found about how to survive a Swedish dinner party!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoWo8EvTWeE
I found this video to be really interesting because part of the reason I am learning Swedish is because my boyfriend and his family are from Helsingborg, Sweden and I'd like to be able to communicate with them in the future! I also really like learning about Swedish culture and comparing it to my experiences.
Some interesting lessons that I learned from the demonstration are that in Swedish culture you cannot start drinking until everyone has said "skol" and done a very elaborate toast that involves nodding at everyone at the table individually. Likewise, after you have taken the first sip of your drink you cannot put the glass back down until everyone has nodded with everyone again! I learned from my boyfriend's family that this gets even more technical as their are rules that apply to the different genders (for instance the time you wait before drinking depends on your gender).
Additionally, I found this clip to be fascinating because the narrator made a large point to say that Swedes in general tend to be very prompt people, they think it is very rude to show up late, and they never arrive more than 15 minutes after a party is set to start. In my experience, the Swedes I know are the LEAST prompt people. I always say that my boyfriend and his family must use a different scale for time because somehow they are always too optimistic about how much time they have to do a task and end up running late.
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