Big Difference

I had forfgotten how much different it is to work in Sweden compared to the Carribbean. I never saw it when I worked in Stockholm before I flew the coop, but now it´s starting to show.

I had my first proper work day yesterday at the gym, and oh my God, are they (I guess I should say "we" since I actually AM Swedish too...) ever stiff!!! And I´m not talking stiff as in the dirty kind of way, or remarkably stiff muscles, but as people! Very awkward and at times they feel very uncomfortable. And these are not massage first-timers either. They´ve been for treatments before, but yet so... I don´t know... shy and hard to get a smile out of. On the other hand they have no problem taking their clothes off (not entirely of course, sorry to burst the stereo-type-Swede-bubble) with me in the room, an American waits until you´re outside most of the time. But after that, very difficult to have a conversation with and, lord forgive, crack a joke! And J-E-S-U-S when they get out of the room and I ask "so how do you feel?" they can hardly look me in the eye when they stammer "eh..fffine" and awkwardly shake my outstretched hand. I guess I guess I shouldn´t expect to get: "Wow, that was really great, I feel awesome, that was one of the best massages I ever had" very often here... :)

I shouldn´t say they´re ALL like that, two maybe three out of six actually were very quite pleasant and easy to work with and on. I just have to get used to the fact that we´re different here in Sweden, we don´t usually let people in that we´ve never met before. I´m not expecting to be their best buddy, I´m not even talking about them spilling their guts and sharing their life story (I HAVE gotten a few of those from Americans) but letting someone inside your personal space past your guard, seems a VERY difficult thing to do...

I guess those darn American tourists gave me a new point of view, opened my eyes to things I never saw before, discovered things I would never have seen had I stayed here in Sweden. Now if that´s good or bad, who knows.... :)