On Language and Post-Snow Malmö

One of the advantages of blogging in English is that web-surfers from around the world can read what I write. I now have quite a few frequent readers in far-off places. Some of them send me emails regularly with curious questions about Sweden, Europe, homosexuality, politics, and other topics dealt with on this blog. The downside of the matter is that some Swedes that I would like to reach avoid blogs in English; some have even suggested that the choice of language is a sign of snobbism. I really want to stress that it’s not. I just want to be able to communicate with friends and strangers both in Sweden and in other countries.

Anyhow, a reader in Bolivia emailed me yesterday. He read my entry on the snow-in situation in Malmö and worried about it. “Is the snow still keeping the shops closed?” he asked.

I was touched by his concern, so I emailed him and explained that the bad weather only closed the city for a day. The snow is gone now, and things are back to normal. When I took a walk outdoors a few hours ago, I snapped a photo as proof. Seen in the picture is the same street as in my previous entry. The cars are back. The ghastly stillness is gone.