I’ve loved Sweden from afar since I was eight years-old. When I tell this to people here, I’m usually met with perplexed looks and questions of, “Why?” I sigh while remembering, smile, and then fall into recounting the premise of my longtime favorite book series: The Kirsten Larson children’s novels by American Girl.
The books detail the story of a Swedish immigrant family that come to the U.S. in 1854 and settle in Minnesota. Kirsten, the heroine of the books, faces the challenge of assimilating in her new country, while trying to preserve some beloved traditions of her homeland. Kirsten’s historical fiction saga presents interesting “snap-shots” of Swedish-American culture. Especially intriguing are the historical surveys, sections entitled “A Peek into the Past”, of actual Swedish immigrants and American history in the back of every book. They were perfect for a pre-adolescent history buff like me.
In the fifth-grade of elementary school, my teacher, Mrs. Stein, encouraged the students to come to school one day dressed as our favorite book characters. I didn’t even have to ponder who I wanted to be. My mom helped me fashion a Saint Lucia outfit (complete with a wreath of candles for my head) just like Kirsten wears in her Christmas-themed book. I don’t know if it was the pretending to be a saint or the pretending to be a Swede, but I felt so beautiful that day!
Now, I get to pretend to Scandinavian everyday. I ride the commuter train into Stockholm, close my eyes, and listen to the up-and-down melody of Swedish. Sometimes, when I am brave enough, I even venture to speak some myself. I celebrate Swedish holidays like Saint Lucia’s Day for real (even though I left my costume in Kansas). I savor Swedish cuisine; unfortunately, it all has to be vegetarianized first – no Swedish Meatballs for me. I hum along to music by Swedish artists… even if most of it is in English anyway. And each day, I look in the mirror and fancy myself a reverse-Kirsten… an American Pioneer in Sweden!
