9/1/2019

SKANDIA NYTT

SKANDIA LODGE #247 VASA ORDER OF AMERICA 2031 E. VILLA ST. PASADENA, CA USA 91107

SKANDIA NYTT PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY SKANDIA LODGE #247 EDITOR: MICHAEL LENT VASA ORDER OF AMERICA 2031 E. VILLA ST. PASADENA, CA USA 91107

Skandia: Your Second Home

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Nytt

Back to Skola Edition Skandia Lodge #247, Vasa Order of America Vol. 108, No. 08, September 2019

SEPTEMBER Happenings

Birthdays 17 Helen Eckfield 18 Marilyn Larson Klooster 18 Betsy Cepielik 18 Judith Orcutt 23 Paula Johnson 23 Michael Lent 24 Harold Johanson 25 Lori Wennbo

Monthly Event

(2nd Thursday) Sept 11 7 pm Dinner 8 pm Meeting Hosts The Lents

Message from Our Chairman

Officers Elected for 2019

Chairman Ernie Mauritson Vice Chairman

Nel Solt Past Chairman Beau Stocking

Secretary Betsy Cepielik

Financial Secretary Lori Wennbo

Treasurer Kathryn Martin

Cultural Leader

Kathleen Demarjian

Chaplain Kathleen McGinley

Master of Ceremonies Peter Lindgren

Assistant Master of

Ceremonies Sonia Lent

Outer Guard Michael Lent

Auditors

Lori Wennbo - 1 year Birgitta Roodsari - 2

year Beau Stocking– 3 year

Trustees

Nel Solt - 1 year Patrick McGinley - 2 year

Bob Solt – 3 year

September is here. Daughter Emmaline is off to graduate school. Debra and I are empty nesters. Again. We’re excited for this newest chapter in our child’s life but it’s hard not to be wistful. As the first month of autumn, September seems to slam the door on summer -- those hot, carefree vacation days at the beach and long, cooling evenings under the stars. While it’s undeniably sad to see our fun in the sun slip away for another nine months, September leaps right out of the gate to signal a fresh start and chance to try new things. All-in-all, the new season of autumn does a pretty good job of making us forget about the previous three months. For example, what better time to travel than in September when the airfares

and hotel prices come down. A lot. And even if we stay home, we can look forward to weather that’s easier on our water and utility bills, along with coffee shops and restaurants that are less bustling now that the kids are back in school. Speaking of school, September is a wonderful to take a continuing ed class or two. Some may be taken online and enjoyed from the comfort of your own home. Some are even free. Finally, as some of you may know, tennis is a passion of mine and autumn is a great time to play. In line with our September theme of new beginnings, I was interested to see that recently, Leo Borg, 16-year old son of Swedish tennis legend Björn Borg played in his first Grand Slam boys' singles

Skandia Nytt Published monthly

by Skandia Lodge #247, Vasa Order

of America, 2031 E Villa St., Pasadena, CA. 91107

Send news and/or letters to

Michael Lent at michaellent1@me.com or:

1410 Spazier Ave. Glendale, CA 91201 USA

For District News Visit:

vasaDL15.org

Six-year old Holden Lent uses his final days of summer freedom to contemplate the existential dilemma that is 1st grade.

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Meet Our Newest Members! August is supposed to be our quiet month when we Skandians take a holiday to recuperate from Midsommar; however, we still managed to roll out the welcome mat for a sibling invasion with four new members joining us. The Sisters Johnson (not to be confused with American funk and R&B band, The Brothers Johnson), Paula and Janet hail from Pasadena. Their paternal grandfather was born in Sweden. Paula is a copywriter and designer who provides marketing communications via her company Paula L. Johnson Creative Services. In her spare time, she writes

Member Update Word reached us of the passing of Jo-Ann (Soderblom) Perino. Of Finnish and possibly Swedish descent, Joann had relocated to Paso Robles, CA some time back; however, Jo-Ann and her family were active in Skandia for many years. Jo-Ann is survived by her daughters, Karen Durham (Glen), Wendy Soderblom, Laura Blakeman (Brant), her granddaughters Sila Barr, Shannon Durham, Melissa Smith (Bryan), Whitney Blakeman, great grandchildren, Isabella, Bryan Jr., Lucas, Cooper Smith, and sister Lynda Peterson. Daughter Laura Blakeman remains a member of Skandia. We are grateful to Alma Marie Nordquist for providing much of this information.

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Despite health issues, both Ken Murphy and Alma Marie Nordquist made it to the August gathering. So great to see Ken and Alma Marie walk through the door. The Fantastic 4: New members (starting third from left)

Janet Johnson, Emma Linde, Janet Johnson and Gillis Linde

short-short stories and hosts a stand-up comedy open mic. Janet Johnson has had an extensive career in information technology, currently with Blue Shield. She’s on the board of the Pasadena Community Garden. Emma Linde grew up in Altadena. Now a sophomore at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, Emma is considering a psychology major and career in teaching. She runs cross-country and track. Gillis Linde just started classes at Tufts University in Massachusetts where he plans to major in quantitative

event. Leo’s debut coincided with his dad's first Wimbledon, 47 years ago. Previously, young Borg was the under-15 champion of Sweden but has a ways to go to match his father’s 11 grand slam wins. See you on the court, Leo. In Truth and Unity, Ernie Mauritson

economics. In his spare time, Gillis plays tennis and listens to hip-hop. Emma and Gillis’ late father, Sven Linde, was born in Rimbo, Sweden and attended school at Ekebyholm, a Castle (built in 1632) where his father was headmaster. Sven went to the Royal Academy for the Arts in Stockholm and became an architect specializing in designing recording studios. Välkommen Paula, Janet, Emma and Gillis!

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Home, Swede Home

Quora is a question-and-answer website with members worldwide. It’s also my favorite social media site.

A few months ago, one Quora member took a DNA test and discovered Scandinavian background. “What are some cool things I can do with this information?” he (or she) asked the Quora community.

Much to my surprise, I had a pretty darn good answer. What to do with newfound Scandinavian lineage? Plenty!

• Request a discount at IKEA. • Learn to make fårikål. • Convince your friends to go out

for smørrebrød instead of tacos. • Create a Spotify playlist of only Scandinavian

artists. • Redecorate your home with hygge in mind.

You can trust my answer because my grandfather was born in Sweden.

Paula Johnson

The Hottest Trend in Candy Shops Sockerbit in the Beverly Grove and iKandi in Mid-City Los Angeles are just two places answering local demand for Swedish sweets. If you haven’t been, you owe it to yourself to make the trek. Of course, IKEA has a nice collection, too. Swedes, if anything, are models of self-control. So, as you may know, the concept of eating candy only on Saturdays is called “lördagsgodis,” literally “Saturday’s candy.” Here in the US, we have no such qualms about candy on, say, Tuesday. It seems that many Swedes may be following our lead. Recently, the New Yorker’s food critic Hannah Goldfield wrote a wonderful article on the rising popularity of Swedish candy, as well as how to eat sweets like a true discerning Swede. Here’s a link to the piece: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/how-to-eat-candy-like-a-swedish-person

Online Classes You Can Take Right Now for Free Want to brush up on your Swedish, or one of literally dozens of languages? Then Duolingo.com and MangoLanguages.com are for you. Both sites offer free courses that allow you learn the target language(s) at your own pace. Sign up for Mangolanguages.com through your public library. Get complimentary access to Mango Languages from your local library, school, or other organizations. Just search thousands of local libraries and organizations that offer Mango Languages. Meanwhile, FutureLearn.com offers dozens of free courses where you can join students from all over the world to learn new skills, pursue hobbies and interests, and advance your career. The courses are offered by some of the most prestigious universities in the world. For example, The Hans Christian Andersen Centre at the University of Southern Denmark offers a class in the Fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen. Not be outdone, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), home of the Fighting Udders, presents Effective Livestock Production with Low Use of Antibiotics. This is a topic near and dear to PGM Dr. Ulf Brynjestad’s heart and sure to settle more than a few bar bets at the next the District Convention.

OH, YEAH! ITʼS ABOUT TO GET SAUCY!

Marknad Scandinavian Fall Market & The Annual Meatball Competition October 20, Sunday 9am-5pm

Vendors & crafts, folk musicians & dancing, actual Viking re-enactments, live music, games, aquatic

activities, swimming, water slide & more.

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Birgitte Roodsari Shares a 50th Anniversary to

Remember Summer of 2019 will be one we will always remember. It all started when Rudy and I arrived at our hotel in Paris and received a 2-room suite on the 14th floor of the Marriott with sweeping views of the city and a bottle of champagne to help us celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary. Our companions were 100-degree temperature with a 95% humidity. Our tour continued through the Loire Valley with its many chateaus and on to Le Mont Saint Michel on the West Coast. The tour group was unusually large due to the main stop – the 75th Anniversary of D-Day with Omaha Beach, the American, German and British Cemeteries, bunkers and other war memorials. Everything was quite moving and awe inspiring. Back in Paris, we were again feted at the Farewell Dinner from more well-wishers. The most photographic stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral after the tragic fire. Continuing on to Sweden, we arrived a few days before our children and grandchildren joined us there to help us celebrate our 50th Anniversary. My cousin took us around and we saw places we had not seen before and stayed in an apartment built in 1650 in Gamla Stan. Here the temperature was in the 60s with a few showers. Always pack that rain gear. Our daughter, Kristina, has been in contact with the younger

cousins and her friends, so we got to visit relatives on both sides of the family. Our next stop was Lund in the southern part of the country (Skane). This is a 1000-year old university town with 45,000 students. Kristina spent a summer semester there a few years ago and gave us some insider tips. The main reason for our visit there was the see the Cathedral and University and were Esias Tegner lived from 1813 to 1826. He was a professor of Greek languages at the university and is considered the Father of Modern Poetry in Sweden. His most famous work is “Frithiofs Saga”. He was also the bishop in Vaxjo and my great, great, great, great, great farfar. It was a thrill to pose at his statue with all the descendants on the University campus. Our final stop was the very expensive city of Copenhagen, which does not compare to Stockholm as beauty and cleanliness. Also, too many people there to attend the Metallica Band Concert and Jazz Festival. Sweden is very environmentally conscious with recycling, bicycle paths bigger than pedestrian paths, lots of vegetarian eateries, and construction everywhere. Verdict: everyone had a spectacular time, want to go back again, and would also like to live there.

Birgitta and Rudy (5th & 6th from right) celebrate their anniversary with family on a perfect day in Stockholm

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10 Things Not to Do When You Travel to Sweden

When traveling to a new country or meeting people from abroad, most of us are concerned with not overstepping some invisible boundary or inadvertently stepping on toes. The good news is that travelers to Sweden will find the locals mostly forgiving regarding social faux pas, but a general understanding of the do's and don’ts in Sweden definitely comes in handy for any traveler.

1. Don't Use Highly Animated Body Language - Many non-Scandinavians don’t realize how animated they can be in a conversation. And the more animated they get, the more excited they get, as can be overheard in many a conversation. This is the quickest way to irritate the locals, and you can expect to be gently reprimanded if your voice carries over to the next table. When you see a Swede unconsciously turning their body away from you or shade their eyes as if they are blocking out the sun, take this as your cue; it’s you they’re trying to ward off.

2. Don't Feel Pressured by Silence - What you may perceive as an awkward silence, a Swede will perceive as a comfortable pause, so don’t rush to fill the gap simply because you are used to keeping up constant chatter back home. Don’t worry about the Swedish silence – on subways, buses, trams it is very quiet. People don’t usually talk.

3. Don't Ignore Personal Space - The Swedes love their personal space. They are not touchy-feely by nature. In fact, don’t even stand too close at the cash register in a shop. Don’t sit next to someone on a bus if there is an open seat for you elsewhere. Think about it; if a complete stranger sits next to you in an empty bus, wouldn’t you too feel uncomfortable...or perhaps cling onto your handbag for dear life and look for the nearest escape route? This is similar to American culture, so act pretty much as you would at home in this regard.

4. Don't Talk Down the Vasa Ship - The medieval Vasa ship in Stockholm is a matter of national and historic pride. As far as Swedes (and now you, too) are concerned, it is the greatest engineering feat of mankind. Or at least, medieval-kind.

5. Don't Disrespect Swedish Beer or Anything Else - And don't go on about how much better the beer is in your home country. In fact, don’t talk about how much better anything is in your home country. It is rude and obnoxious, no matter where you go. Yes, the Swedish beer is much lighter and may taste like a watered-down version of your homebrew to you, but the Swedes happen to like it. If you don't like it, just order a different drink.

6. Don't Mention the Finnish Ice Hockey Team - When you are in Sweden, you support the Swedish hockey team. End of story. This is the safest option unless you want to start an argument. Don’t mention any other hockey teams. For the time being, you are a Swedish hockey patriot. The Swedes and the Finns have a long and complex history, so anyone not from Sweden or Finland had best leave it at that.

7. Don't Litter - Sweden is an extremely green country, and we don't mean the landscape (although it is that, too). This extremely environmentally conscious country deeply frowns on littering and not recycling paper, glass, and plastic. So, do the right thing.

From the Culture Desk by Kathleen Demarjian

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8. Don't Drink Bottled Water - In another aspect of Swedish environmental concern, the Swedes shun bottled water and the plastic bottle trash it causes. Instead, they overwhelmingly drink water right from the tap. Sweden’s water supply is well filtered and incredibly clean, so the majority of the environmentally-conscious country’s citizens choose to pass on drinking water from plastic bottles.

9. Don't Forget to Buy Liquor Early - Restaurants and bars all serve wine, beer, and liquor, but if you want to take some back to your hotel room, you can buy it at only one place: a Systembolaget outlet, which is a government-owned and -operated liquor store. These stores often close early, so if you want a bottle or a six-pack, plan to get there before 6 p.m.

10. Don’t ignore the line culture, don’t skip the line. - Whether you're in a shop, a walk-up cafe, buying a ticket for public transportation, or any other place where you must stand in line, don't shove to the front. The Swedes value politeness and waiting your turn. So, take a number or take your place at the back of the line and be patient.

The Top Thing TO DO When Visiting Sweden? Learn A Bit of the Language!

Swedes know that most Americans don’t have a chance to hear Swedish spoken very often so a little effort on our part goes a long way. Here are a few words that will help you get by:

TACK (pronounced tack) means thank you.

HEJ (pronounced hay) means hello. This is a nice easy one to start with and you can also use hejsan (pronounced haysan) as a more informal alternative. Hejdå (pronounced Hay-doe) is the word for goodbye.

JA (pronounced jah) means yes and NEJ (pronounced nay) means no.

Jag älskar Sverige! (jah elskar sveh-ree-ye) means ‘I love Sweden!’

Varsågod (varsogood) means “You're welcome.” Other Useful Phrases

• Excuse me! – Ursäkta! • Sorry – Förlåt • How are you? – Hur mår du • I am fine, Thank you! – Jag mår bra, Tack! • Good Morning! – God Morgon! • Good bye – Hej Då! • Please – Snälla • I am sorry – Jag är ledsen • I do not know – Jag vet inte • I love you! – Jag älsker dig! • Have a nice weekend – Trevlig Helg!

https://www.scandinaviaonly.co.uk/blog/10-essential-words-and-phrases-you-need-to-know-in-swedish https://www.tripsavvy.com/things-not-to-do-in-sweden-1626790