El Hombre Sueco
Hee hee. I got to walk to school today with the Swedish guy. I feel kinda silly getting all excited over this (given that he's THIRTY-FIVE), but I had a good time. We just chatted a bit about intercambios and learning English and things of the like, nothing special, but it was fun to walk up to one of the stoplights I pass on my way to school every day and suddenly see him there. He's tall (I don't think he's taller than I am, although I haven't really been paying attention), blonde (he just got a very decent haircut that I was admiring), and skinny and fit. He really doesn't look his age. He looks like he could be a full seven years younger. I guess those Swedish are well-preserved.
When he talks he sometimes makes odd noises that he carries over from his Swedish culture (like he'll just randomly say something that sounds like "foo"), and he makes tons of errors in the Spanish language, but it's always fascinating to hear about the differences between the Spanish and Swedish cultures. For example, here the people on the street love to stare at everyone. "Es una cultura de mirar," dijo mi profesora. Whereas in Sweden, no one looks at anyone, or if they do, it's to look at them sideways in a disgusted fashion because they've broken one of the subtle, unspoken codes of conduct.
Oh, and after a short conversation with this guy--Matias, his name is Matias--during class, I've decided that I also want to go to Norway. It sounds gorgeous.
When he talks he sometimes makes odd noises that he carries over from his Swedish culture (like he'll just randomly say something that sounds like "foo"), and he makes tons of errors in the Spanish language, but it's always fascinating to hear about the differences between the Spanish and Swedish cultures. For example, here the people on the street love to stare at everyone. "Es una cultura de mirar," dijo mi profesora. Whereas in Sweden, no one looks at anyone, or if they do, it's to look at them sideways in a disgusted fashion because they've broken one of the subtle, unspoken codes of conduct.
Oh, and after a short conversation with this guy--Matias, his name is Matias--during class, I've decided that I also want to go to Norway. It sounds gorgeous.