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Sweden: The fourth longest country in Europe

Diane Ako 0 Comments , , , ,

by Olivia Hansen

Hey, everyone! I’m back and I have some friends, too. I’ll be interviewing Christian. He’s from Sweden.

Malmo, Sweden, where Christian and Yuki live. Courtesy: Yuki Mizuno

He says that only up north it snows. He lives in the south and it rarely snows there. Sweden is famous for being the fourth longest country in Europe. It would take 19 hours to drive from top to bottom, and about four hours by flying. Imagine how much gas that takes!

I know him because he babysat me when I was little. He comes every Christmas with his girlfriend, Yuki. She comes about a week after Christian comes.

Autumn in Sweden. Courtesy: Yuki Mizuno

I was interested in Sweden so here’s what I learned: Forests cover over 50 percent of Sweden, there are 100,000 lakes, and over 24,000 islands throughout the country. Sweden’s Right to Public Access laws allows those areas to be fully accessible to the public.

A traditional crayfish party (kraftskiva) is a summer eating and drinking celebration in August. It involves boiled crayfish served with boiled potato and dill.

Evening in Sweden. Courtesy: Yuki Mizuno

Did you know that the main sports are soccer and ice hockey? I did not. Some other popular sports are hand ball, golf, gymnastics, and cross-country skiing. 

I’m pretty sure I want to go to Sweden now!

Author(s) on this Post

Diane Ako

Peace of mind By Diane Ako I like to reflect on life. Sometimes it’s philosophically. Sometimes it’s humorously. For all its beauty, life is far too difficult a journey to take alone. You need the support and connection with others to help carry you along the way. Writing brings me that connection– within and without. It clarifies my thoughts and feelings. It helps me reach out to others for advice, wisdom, or feedback. Your thoughts become your actions. Your actions become you. A wise yogi- Patanjali- said, “Speak what is true. Speak what is pleasant.” Let’s speak of things pleasant to one another and seek some peace of mind along the way. ABOUT Diane Ako joined Hawaii: In Real Life in October 2016. She likes being part of a community of local bloggers – people who like writing and sharing, like she does. Ako is an anchor/ reporter at Island News (KITV4 – ABC) in Honolulu. She previously anchored and reported at KHON2 (FOX) and KHNL (NBC), and at stations in California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. She freelance writes for NMG Network's magazines. In between news jobs, in 2017, she launched and ran her own p.r. company, Diane Ako PR. From 2010-2014, she headed the public relations department at Halekulani Corporation, which oversees luxury resort Halekulani and boutique hotel Waikiki Parc. She’s been blogging since 2009 – before Hawaii: IRL, she wrote for The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the state’s largest daily newspaper, where her stories garnered a dozen journalism awards and an Emmy nomination. Ako has a BA in Communications from Menlo College and an MA in Political Science from University of Hawaii at Manoa. She volunteers as a board member of the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation, a Shinto shrine maiden at Daijingyu Temple, a citizen-scientist studying shrimp, and a yoga teacher at a senior center.

Diane Ako has 274 posts and counting. See all posts by Diane Ako

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