When people see me, they often ask me where I was born or where my parents are from. They are always surprised to hear that I’m American. People think I’m more Latina that I am. The truth is, I’m actually quite a bit Scandinavian. My great-great-grandmother immigrated to the US when she was just 15 years old. My mom and grandma had contacts with our Swedish family, so I decided to take a trip to meet my family and learn about the past.

Surprising Sweden

Sweden is a surprising country. It’s actually pretty large, well, long, but it’s got a population of less than 10 million. There are so many famous singers and actors like Avicii, Tove Lo, Abba, and of course the Skarsgard family of actors. It doesn’t seem like there are so few people that live there.

It was weird for me. Sweden is so open and so green. There are trees and lakes and rivers. That’s difficult to find in Spain. There are nearly as many people in just the tiny area of Catalonia as in all of Sweden! The environment is so cute though. The houses look typically Swedish, like quaint little cottages. Sweden does have 7-Elevens, though. I had to get a slurpee!

Family Meetings

I met a lot of family during my three to four days in Sweden. We aren’t closely related, but we share common ancestors. I looked nothing like my family! Many people tell me that I look Spanish or Italian because of my dark hair and eyes. They showed me lots of pictures and family trees to try to connect the dots.

Here’s a fun fact: On the show “The Vikings”, they are actually Danish vikings. The Danish and Norwegian vikings are the ones who did the pillaging of the countries. Meanwhile, the Swedish vikings were known for their exploration and trade. The Swedish made it across the Atlantic to the “New World” 500 years before the Spanish and English did, although the latter led to formations of new colonies and countries. Also, Sweden is the only country that has ever conquered Moscow. Sweden even is responsible for naming Russia.

Living like a Local

I didn’t do a lot of sightseeing, as I was in the Swedish countryside for the majority of my stay. We were in the region of Värmland, and my family was from Munksfors, which means “The Monks by the Waterfall”. Many, many years ago, monks were trying to fish for salmon in the waterfall, which is how the town got named. It’s not a very big area at all, but the houses are very cheap (probably around $30,000-$40,000 for a house). Also, a lot of Norwegians apparently live in that area because it’s close to Norway, but it’s a lot cheaper to live in Sweden.

Sweden is a very beautiful country, but unless you go between June-August, be prepared for the cold. It was about 45 degrees Fahrenheit (or 8 degrees Celsius) for the majority of the trip. (Meanwhile in Spain, they were having July-like temperatures). I would really like to go to Stockholm one day, as well as going during Midsummer (June 21) because it’s a big celebration for them. During the summer, it stays sunny for a long time since they are farther up north and I think it would be a really cool experience to have.