Fighting winter blues at a Film Festival - Newbie

A few years ago a friend of mine told me he never watches Holywood movies, but loved those shown at film festivals. At the time I didn't really get his point and even thought that it was a bit eccentric to say something like that. I totally get him now. There are good Holywood movies, don't get me wrong, but there are many more interesting movies outside of it, especially because of the diversity of cultures. 

How did I come to this conclusion? I started going to Gothenburg's Film Festival (GFF). The first two years, 2016 and 2017, I watched 4 movies. Last year I watched 8 and this year 11 (it became 10 because I was sick and didn't go to the first one). Yes, I'm addicted. Of course, not all were good, but most of them were. Besides, it helps to fight the winter blues that come after Christmas because the festival is at the end of January. 

I also found out that going to a film festival is more than just going to the movies. Sometimes you get to see and to question the actors and directors. You get to hear their views and stories about the makings of their movies. You get to see how superstars are just like us (Alicja Vikander was cold and went to get a sweater, Mads Mikkelsen is charming as expected and super nice - very important piece of information this parenthesis). You get to learn about cultures and countries whose movies never get to the big cinemas. 

For me, the GFF is also one of the few chances I have to see movies in my own language. That is probably the case of many foreigners living in Sweden and my latest post on the Newbie was written exactly thinking about them. 

The title is Fighting winter blues at a Film Festival and you can read the whole article here. 

My favourite movies in the GFF this year were "Arctic" of Joe Penna, and "Woman at War" of  Benedikt Erlingsson. 

     

How about you? Have you seen any interesting movie lately? Tell me!

Dealing with Cancer in Sweden - Betül's Story - Newbie

My latest article in The Newbie Guide to Sweden was a very special one. It tells the story of Betül, a colleague from work. She moved to Sweden to work as a researcher and a few months later she was diagnosed cancer. Imagine that! Barely adapted to a whole new life in a new country and bam! 

The story ends well, because she is cancer-free now, but I thought this article ought to be written and shared. I find the story inspiring and maybe even helpful to those who might know someone or even be themselves in a similar situation.

You can read the full article here:
https://www.thenewbieguide.se/dealing-cancer-betul/

Day trip to Marstrand - Newbie

When the Newbie team told their bloggers that it would be nice to have some posts about 1-day trips I didn't hesitate and wrote about Marstrand. 

Marstrand is my favourite day trip from Gothenburg and you can read about it in my latest article in the Newbie Guide to Sweden. 

Here: https://www.thenewbieguide.se/day-trip-marstrand/

Quando a equipa do Newbie disse aos seus bloguers que seria interessante ter alguns posts sobre sitios giros onde se pudesse ir e voltar no mesmo dia, eu não hesitei e escrevi sobre Marstrand.

Marstrand é a minha viagem de um dia preferida na área de Gotemburgo. Podem ler mais sobre este local mágico no meu último artigo no the Newbie Guide to Sweden. (cliquem no link em cima, o artigo é em ingles)

Swedish summer berries - Newbie

Berries are abundant in Sweden, especially in the summer, and there's a berry for everyone's taste. Some are quite unique, others are more common and for me they are all delicious (if used correctly). My favourite are raspberries to eat with yoghurt and granola and red current crumble to eat with vanilla ice cream. Although, I never say no to a good berry-jam on toasted bread. Or pancakes. Or waffles. You get what I mean...

Some of the berries grow wildly in the forests and for a Newbie it can be confusing or difficult to identify them, so I wrote an article on The Newbie Guide to Sweden about it. It's kind of like a crash course in Swedish berries. 

You can read the full article here.

Red currant

Gothenburg - my 5 favourite places - Newbie

Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, the capital. Gothenburg is a city that doesn't have an obvious beauty, but its slowly grows in you the more you get to know it. It has soul. A special atmosphere. It's enchanted. 

In my latest article for the Newbie I wrote it and my favourite places in the city I now call home. 

To read my article click here. Enjoy it!

Gunnebo, a baroque manor house near Gothenburg

Winter Olympics 2018

The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, started yesterday and I have already turned into the usual couch potato. At least now during the weekend, because unfortunately due to the time difference a lot will happen during working hours.

I didn't really care much about the Winter Olympics until I met Johan, which is excusable since Portugal is not really big on winter sports. Now that I live in Sweden it's a whole different story and the olympics have been the theme of coffee room conversations for a few weeks. To help Newbies in Sweden get into the right mood I wrote an article to the Newbie Guide to Sweden about the Winter Olympics and the Swedish top athletes. Those where the hope for medals rely on.

One of them is of course my favourite skier, Charlotte Kalla. She is so fast that I didn't even had the time to write this post before she got her first gold medal! That's right, Kalla won this morning the first medal to Sweden in Skiathlon. Yay!

You can read the full article I wrote here. I'll be cheering for these and many other athletes.

May the Olympic spirit inspire you! 

Guide to a happy unemployment - Newbie

I became unemployed in December 2015. It was not my first time, but I knew that this time it would be harder and probably longer. I had been unemployed in 2013 as well, but then I was open to work in basically any country and within a month I found myself a job. This time, I was restricted to a single country and a single city, which made things more difficult. 

I was unemployed for a year and four months. When I look back I feel I made the most of my unemployment. I rested and relaxed, used the time to learn something new and to do things I enjoyed and didn't freak out as much a I could have. In general I was happy and I will remember this time as a positive experience.

I know it's not always easy to be unemployed but a positive mind set will always be helpful, no matter what the situation is. Guide to a happy unemployment is the title of my latest article for the Newbie Guide to Sweden and you can read it here. 

If you enjoy it pass along to your unemployed relatives or friends. 

Meet the Newbie blogger Sara

The Newbie Guide to Sweden is a page full of helpful information for those who move to Sweden. Besides that, the Newbie has another side - the blog - full of stories, curiosities and cultural tips. The page is run by two sisters and the blog is written by them and a bunch of volunteers, among which I'm included. The volunteers are all foreigners who have moved to Sweden at some point. Some have moved recently, some have lived here for more than a decade. The two sisters running the page have always been very supportive of the volunteers, and now they decided to present each of us in a special post, both on the blog and on the Facebook page. 

I was the first... What an honour!

You can read my quick interview here.

Libraries, the best kept Swedish secret - Newbie

I have confessed here before how much I like libraries and how I dreamed of living in a place with cosy, functional and good libraries. My dream came true. Swedish libraries are fantastic and the possibilities they offer go way beyond borrowing books. 

While I was writing the article for the Newbie, I saw in the news section of my library that they had recently got a cat that we all could go and pat. At first I became super happy, because I love cats but can't have any. Then I started questioning the idea, as the cat could get lost in that huge library full of hiding places. Later on, I saw that it was an April fool's joke... I will have to find some other cat to pat.

Apart from that, there's a lot to do in Swedish libraries, as you can read in the article I wrote to the Newbie Guide to Sweden.

Gothenburg's library

Learning Swedish with TV shows

We grow up listening to our parents saying "you can only watch TV when you are done with your homework". Then we come to Sweden and hear the teachers encouraging the students to watch TV. The times have changed. Or not!

It does actually make sense that one should watch TV to practice a new language. It certainly helped me a lot to develop my Swedish, specially because the language has this very particular melody, that goes up and down.

In my latest article for the Newbie Guide to Sweden I talk about my favourite Swedish TV shows and how they taught me useful things about the language, the culture and the country itself. Read more here.

The Newbie - Top 5 essentials in Sweden

Everyday before I go out to school, to run, to the supermarket, to whatever I take a quick look at the thermometer I have in the window. I actually have two, each facing different sides of the building. I have never used a thermometer this much. Sure I used to check the weather and see if I would need a warmer jacket or if it was going to rain, but in Sweden the thermometer became my best friend. 

Truth is that even though it's winter the temperature can be -10 ºC or 10 ºC. I might need my super warm coat or just the warmer one. My super warm hat or the lighter one. The same happens in the spring. The sun shines outside and it looks like a lovely day, but is it 10 ºC or 20 ºC? It's very easy to get fooled, specially when indoor the temperature is always the same. 

All this got me to think that each country brings its own essentials. Things that we have never used before, or have needed less, and that now became important and every day essentials. I gathered 4 others besides the thermometer and wrote about it in my latest post in the Newbie Guide to Sweden. Are you curious? Great, read all about it here. 

The Newbie - Swedish supermarkets

I have a thing for supermarkets. Don't ask... When I was small I liked to play supermarket, saving a lot of boxes and packages, and as an adult is a place that makes me happy. I enjoy learning more about a country through its supermarkets and in my trips I always visit local shops. That doesn't mean I spend hours in the supermarket here. Quite the opposite actually. On a regular basis I like to get through my shopping list as soon as possible and I do that by learning where my favourites thing are in "my" supermarket. However, now and then, I enjoy taking the time and explore new shops or even unusual shelves (those I go seldom to).

I think a supermarket says a lot about the lifestyle and culture of a country and my latest post on the Newbie Guide to Sweden is exactly about that. You can read my post here.

Picture I made for my Swedish class, in which I also wrote about supermarkets

The Newbie - Surviving Christmas in Sweden

Christmas time is the highlight of the Swedish winter. The days are now very dark, it's cold outside and one just wants to snuggle in the sofa with a cup of tea. However, when December comes the whole country lights up. It's not only the usual Christmas decorations and lights in town, but people also light up their windows with candles and/or a set of lights typical in Sweden. Suddenly, the darkness is forgotten, people go out despite the cold and everybody is happy. 

A época de Natal é a mais do inverno sueco. Os dias são agora muito escuros, está frio lá fora e só nos apetece aconchegar no sofá com uma mantinha e uma caneca de chá. No entanto, quando dezembro chega tudo muda e o país inteiro ilumina-se. Não são apenas as tradicionais decorações e luzes de Natal na cidade, mas também todas as janelas iluminadas com velas e/ou um conjunto de luzes típicas da Suécia. Assim, de repente a escuridão é esquecida, as pessoas saem à rua sem querer saber do frio e toda a gente está feliz.

Our Swedish Christmas lights. Outside, every window has an illuminated star or the same kind of lights.
As nossas luzes de Natal suecas. Lá fora cada janela está iluminada com uma estrela ou com o mesmo tipo de luzes.

In my post for the Newbie about Christmas in Sweden I describe what most swedes do on Christmas Eve and I also talk about other events celebrated during this time, such as advent and Santa Lucia. You can read the whole text here!

No meu post para o Newbie falo sobre o Natal na Suécia, descrevo como é a consoada sueca e falo também de outros eventos celebrados durante este período, como o advento e Santa Lucia. Podem ler o texto completo aqui!

The Newbie - Exercising outdoors in the winter

I remember moving here in January and thinking how these people were crazy to go out and run even if it was freezing. I also promised myself that one day it would become one of them. It turned out that it was not that difficult and with the right advice and clothes anyone can do it. Sure that if it's pouring rain I opte to exercise at home, but the cold doesn't scare me anymore.

I wrote a text about it for the Newbie Guide to Sweden. I included some tips I learned with my experience, although I feel I still have a lot more to learn. Always. 

If you are curious you can read the text here.

Lembro-me de me mudar para aqui em janeiro e pensar como essas pessoas são doidas porque saem para correr mesmo se estiver tudo congelando lá fora. Nessa altura também prometi a mim mesma que um dia me tornaria uma deles. Pouco tempo mais tarde descobri que afinal não é assim tão difícil e que ouvindo os ensinamentos dos que sabem e com as roupas adequadas qualquer pessoa o pode fazer. Claro que se estiver a chover a potes eu escolho fazer exercício em casa, mas o frio por si só já não me assusta.

Recentemente escrevi um texto sobre isso para o Newbie Guide to Sweden. Incluí algumas dicas que aprendi com a minha experiência, embora sinta que ainda há muito mais a aprender. Sempre.

Se quiserem ler o texto podem faze-lo aqui. 

My blog's best friend

My blog made a friend - the Newbie Guide to Sweden. It all started when I became a guest blogger in the Newbie. I was afraid my blog would become jealous for having to share my attention with another page, but no, it behaved like a grown up. Of course, I had a serious conversation with both and explained how Às Voltas no Mundo will always be the light in my eyes, my world and my corner.

Still, both pages accommodated the other and they are now good friends. 

All this to say that my dearest Às Voltas no Mundo is recommended by the Newbie, and there is a new stamp on the side bar. 

Let's all give a warm welcome to the Newbie Owl! Welcome!

PS. First ghosts now friendship between blogs... I know... This new course is burning my brain!

The Newbie - Swedish weddings

My text about Swedish weddings was published in The Newbie Guide to Sweden. If you are curious click on this link to read. 

I really enjoy going to weddings in other countries than my home country. I think wedding parties say a lot about the culture of each place and I have to confess that my favourite have been Swedish weddings. They are always fun and there's always something unexpected. 

Kärlek is love in Swedish

I'm a Swedish Newbie and Blogger

What have I been doing then?

I wrote before that I recently got involved in two other projects. I waited until things were a bit more developed to be able to show you something concrete. 

1. The Newbie Guide to Sweden

I became a reader of the Newbie Guide to Sweden as soon I decided to move to Sweden. This page has all the useful information a foreigner needs in Sweden, whether one just moved in (a Newbie) or has been here for more than 10 years (an Oldbie). Besides that, there is also the social side of page, with interesting posts about traditions and social behaviours in Sweden. This page was created based on the belief that no one can figure out Swedish habits better than non-Swedes. Therefore, its contributors are all foreigners and I recently became one of their guest bloggers.

My first guest post was just published and it's about the mystery of Traditional Swedish food. You can read it here. 

2. SFI Mölndal blogg

When I started as an SFI student very little information was given to me. Slowly, I got to know more and more, usually through other students. I'm talking about important information, like the fact that the books are free, that most of the times we have to study the books on our own, how many exams a year exist and so on. On the other hand, I enjoy writing in Swedish and the writing assignments in the book started to not be enough, or maybe not as interesting. I wanted to write more!

I had the idea of creating a blog with all important information and also with more fun stuff, that could maybe push the laziest students to read something in Swedish. I talked with a teacher, who talked with the main teacher and the dean of the school, and the blog was born. They thought it was such a good idea, that helped me a lot with the information, that I could only find through them anyway. There's still not much fun stuff there, because this first phase took a while, specially when I had to study for the exam as well. I will leave you the link just for curiosity, but the whole thing is in Swedish. 

As I said before, no matter how exciting it is for me to write on these two other blogs, I will never abandoned my dearest Às Voltas no Mundo, because here it's home!