So where could you go to see people making cartoon faces and becoming mouth contortionists, all while trying to learn a language? Well, you could’ve traveled to my Swedish class as part of a study-abroad program in Stockholm in 2008, or you could visit my living room now. I recently launched into the Rosetta Stone Swedish program hoping to reclaim a lot of the language skills I lost upon leaving Stockholm. Immediately I found myself making silly faces while trying to pronounce the vowels y and ö. To a nonnative speaker, these vowels can cause some confusion as their particular sounds aren’t like those of any vowel in English.

I knew that the first few lessons of Swedish were going to be a great review of what I already knew, but I had no idea how quickly it would get me thinking in the language again. I found myself coming up with words and phrases more quickly when talking in Swedish around my apartment. I have a roommate who was in Stockholm when I was and who provides me with regular Swedish practice. Admittedly, when I started my Studio sessions I was very nervous at first about speaking with a native speaker again, but the exercises definitely prepared me for everything I was going to encounter in Rosetta Studio.

Coming out of kräftskiva season, I can’t wait to get to more Swedish and become a much more fluent speaker than I was at the time. Stay tuned for more svensk adventures, and maybe I will link to some Robyn or Familjen from time to time!

Sean celebrates summertime by eating crayfish, as they do in Sweden.