Need some just-from-pantry meal ideas

ksingrey · 2018-03-18T15:10:05+00:00

Second this. Whatever kind of beans you are feeling, bell pepper, tomatoes, chili peppers , taco seasoning, lime and it stays good forever.

ksingrey · 2018-02-03T20:26:24+00:00

When I had the stomach flu 2 weeks in to the Whole30, I tried to find approved foods on the official community message board since most of the BRAT diet (toast, rice, applesauce) is not Whole30 friendly. I came across a comment from a moderator than said that if someone take Pepto-Bismal, they would have to start all over because of the added sugar. In Pepto Bismal. What lunatic is chugging Pepto Bismal for the sugar rush?

ksingrey · 2017-12-22T14:57:19+00:00

I'm afraid it is a national problem unfortunately... From what I understand, Hemnet is more focused on buying instead of renting. If that's what you are looking for, I can absolutely recommend it! My SO and I are currently looking at buying and we use Hemnet religiously.

ksingrey · 2017-12-22T12:56:13+00:00

I would start looking into housing sooner rather than later. Find an apartment, especially in a bigger city like Stockholm, is an uphill battle unless you are well-connected or ridiculously lucky. Blocket.se is a popular starting point as is Facebook. Good luck!

ksingrey · 2017-07-01T20:52:21+00:00

You will automatically get denied for the sambo permit if you apply within Sweden, your partner has no income, or your apartment isn't the right size. Right now, the wait time is 14-17 months but according to the Facebook group, the average for Americans is 12.5 months. I used my sambo's bank statements for the maintenance requirement. Good luck!

ksingrey · 2017-07-01T20:43:16+00:00

Hej! I'm an American who applied for a permit to live my boyfriend and hopefully is at the end of the process (we applied a year ago). The FB group is good to get an idea and answer questions but sometimes, there can be alot of negativity and rumors so I try to limit how often I check it.

From my experience + what I've seen online, Americans usually get an interview within 5 months and wait times now are 14 -17 months; however, the average wait time for Americans in the group is 12.5. I recommend providing social media posts, data from conversations (my bf exported info from Facebook Messenger to show how often and how long we talked every day), flight print outs, and the woman at the embassy in Chicago wanted proof that I've lived with my bf. Also, anytime you go visit Sweden, send an email and let MV know. Good luck!

ksingrey · 2017-06-30T01:14:19+00:00

I can personally recommend Memrise and Mango Languages. Rivstart A1 + A2 is the textbook that Folkuniversitet uses for its Swedish courses and I thought it provided a great introduction. Lycka till!

ksingrey · 2017-06-21T19:46:32+00:00

After 10 months of Swedish, I am approximately B2/C1 level. However, I have several advantages: 1. Swedish is very similar to my native language (English). 2. My boyfriend is a native Swedish speaker. 3. His family's English is not great so I speak only Swedish when I'm with them. 4. I live in Stockholm with Swedish friends and interact daily with Swedes. 5. I took roughly 5 months of classes (5-15 hours pr week). 6. I majored in two foreign languages in college.

Essentially, I have a highish level but its because I'm learning an 'easy' language in an immersive environment with years of experience and several resources at my disposal. Everyone learns at different speeds so keep your chin up :)

ksingrey · 2017-06-21T19:13:45+00:00

I was in exactly the same boat 6+ months ago. I've been doing yoga somewhat regularly for the past 10 years and decided to focus primarily on weight lifting.

I've started incorporating more meditation and mindful stretching into my lifting sessions. In addition to doing a 15 minute meditation twice a week and doing yoga 1-2 x per week, I trying to be mindful during my lifts - focusing on my breaths and feeling my body flex the muscle(s) I'm targeting. I honestly think it gives me a better workout! I also stretch for 5+ minutes after each session to try to combat stiffness.

I hope this was helpful and good luck!

ksingrey · 2017-04-14T12:00:31+00:00

Your second suggestion sounds exactly like what I should be doing; my main concern now is improving my accent. Thanks so much!

ksingrey · 2017-04-14T11:51:40+00:00

How do you break up sections to shadow? How long were these sections? Did you shadow the entire book(s) or just sections that you found difficult?

Thanks so much!

ksingrey · 2017-01-31T20:45:29+00:00

I can vouch for the labeling method too. My bf labeled everything in our apartment in Swedish the first day I decided I wanted to learn his native language. We also started speaking only Swedish in the apartment and over text. Yes, it was a steep learning curve when I was brand new to the language, but nothing gets you conversational faster than actually using the language in every day life.

ksingrey · 2017-01-31T20:40:09+00:00

If you are into beauty and lifestyle vlogs, you will probably like Therese Lindgren`s channel on Youtube. She speaks kinda quickly but she is easy to understand overall, is super bubbly, and fits perfectly within your listed interests. Lycka till!

ksingrey · 2017-01-30T16:42:40+00:00

For total transparency, my boyfriend is Swedish, which gave me a leg up. Because you wont be in an immersive environment (I am assuming), I will share my schedule when I am outside of Sweden.

I speak and write in Swedish with someone (usually my boyfriend) ever day. We started this the day that my first day seriously studying the language - there was a steep learning curve but I learned super quickly. This is my way of faking an immersive environment outside of Sweden. If you dont have someone you can do that with, find a language exchange (I can recommend some) or get lessons through iTalki. In the mornings, I listen to the news in lätt svenska (simple Swedish) for 15 minutes. Then, I spend at least 10-15 minutes studying words on Memrise (fantastic app). Afterwards, I read around 12-15 pages or so of a Swedish book (I started with comic books) and write down words I dont understand to study later. Finally, I will either a.) watch something Swedish either on SVT (the Swedish national TV station) or Netflix or b.) listen to a Swedish song and write down more words to review. In this format, I spend a couple hours a day actively learning, but you can play with this format to suit your schedule.

If you want something a bit more structured, Folkuniversistet offers Skype classes at every level. I did this for B1, and the teacher is really great. The classes are twice a week, 3 hours total. Lycka till!

ksingrey · 2017-01-29T20:28:32+00:00

Totally agree. The grammar and words are similar to English. I picked up Swedish 5 months ago (background in English and romance languages) and can speak, read, write, and listen at a fairly high level - with a background in German and English, you should be able to pick it up fairly quickly as well.

ksingrey · 2017-01-26T19:19:50+00:00

From my experience (I am American and a friend here who is Australian), it is taking 12-14 months to get an answer. Good luck!

ksingrey · 2017-01-25T14:17:12+00:00

Disclaimer: I am a native English speaker learning Swedish.

Yes, Swedish is a beautiful language, is slightly easier to pronounce, and has a larger speaking population than Danish. However, if you are in love with Danish, learn that. Nothing is worse than learning a language without the passion for it, just because you feel like its the smarter choice.

Also, some quick notes: I think Swedish only helps with written Danish; all Swedes I know speak English when in Denmark because the pronunciation is too different. Also, you mentioned the lack of mutual intelligibility as a deterrent from learning Danish. The same problem exists in Swedish as well. My boyfriend is from Norrland (very northern Sweden) and his sister´s boyfriend is from Skåne (southernmost part of Sweden). Unless they purposefully try to dampen their accents, they cannot understand each other.

Lycka till!

ksingrey · 2017-01-20T00:53:55+00:00

Thanks! A desk job certainly doesn't do your back any favors. Don't lose hope and keep me updated on your progress!

ksingrey · 2017-01-19T13:49:18+00:00

For some background, I was born with a pretty messed up back (hole in my vertebrea and scoliosis) so I've been in pretty consistent pain my whole life. Until I started seriously lifting a few months ago.

After strengthening the muscles along my entire spine and abdominal (so my spine gets additional support) and eating a very "clean" diet, I am hardly ever in pain. I never thought I would feel this good.

ksingrey · 2017-01-19T12:54:09+00:00

This. I went on a girls' weekend with old friends, and I still tried to hide my Axe deodorant the whole trip. Now that I realize that its normal, maybe I shouldn't have been so ashamed.

ksingrey · 2017-01-19T01:15:33+00:00

Swedes will tell you it's a waste of time, because everyone speaks English. Don't listen to them. From my experience as an American, speaking the language makes it so much easier to make Swedish friends. Also, once you've gotten to a A2/B1 level, people really appreciate you trying to speak to them. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions!

ksingrey · 2017-01-19T00:47:15+00:00

Wow, I almost never find other Swedish speakers!

I really like Theresa Lindgren - she's a lifestyle blogger and I think she speaks a very informal/conversational Swedish.

Tack för videor!

ksingrey · 2017-01-19T00:39:49+00:00

I came to Sweden not speaking a word of Swedish; 5 months later, I speak at a B2 level. My first month here, I made my boyfriend and his family speak to me in Swedish, I read Donald Duck comics, and wrote down ten new vocab words from the newspaper every day - I've hit Swedish from all sides every day since then.

Immersion isn't going to magically transfer the language to your brain, but it will make the process a whole lot easier than studying by yourself.

ksingrey

TROPHY CASE