Wunjo
Today’s highlight is definitely dedicated to friendship. Zira and Querido texted each other back and forth in order to decide what we would be doing together, since it would be our last chance to hang out before Zira went back to Uppsala and his studies.
My svärföräldrar were traveling, so we figured we could cook and eat at their place. I love our home, but it’s hard to both cook and do the dishes in such a small kitchen, especially if there are more than two people around. Zira picked us up, we went recycling, and then drove to Willys. It was raining quite a lot and it felt like Autumn was sneaking in.
We weren’t really sure what to cook at first, but then I remembered my Swedish food list and the fact that I hadn’t tried Biff Rydberg (otherwise known as a fancy Pyttipanna), so we went for it. Querido usually tells me that we have a whole lifetime to try Swedish food - and he’s right - but I love it so much that I take every opportunity I get to try something new - or repeat, for that matter. One day I’ll write a poem about it.
We went inside and sit down for a bit to talk and continue our usual inappropriate jokes. Then Querido started cooking and Zira and I sat in the living room talking about friends, married life, language, and Swedish politics. A pro-tip concerning the politics of any country, especially during the elections: I’m no Alex Jones, but you probably shouldn’t blindly follow what the media says about the political environment of another country. Not only does the mainstream media of your country get their information from the same 3-4 sources (mainly Anglo-Saxon ones, especially if there’s a language barrier), but they’re also very unaware of other countries’ political culture and, consequently, make very faulty analyses. I’ve found out that that’s especially true for Swedish politics. If you’re truly interested, then you need to learn how to listen and - ideally - listen to as many people as possible. Only then will you begin to grasp things and make close-enough predictions. And even then…
When Querido was done cooking, this was what he gifted us:
It was delicious (as usual) and I ate like a Queen. Querido says I “out-ate” him, which is an expression I want to keep in my heart forever. I also had massive paltkoma afterwards, but I wouldn’t have raised my fork any less than what I did (no regrets, as usual). We went back to the living room and gave the previous topics a few more brush strokes, but this time we brought some pistachio ice cream - it’s a favorite for both me and Querido. To me, it was a toast to friendship!
Around one o’clock, Zira drove us back home and we talked for a while in the car. I wish him safe travels and a successful year at the University - he deserves it. I’ll miss him.