In this video, I take you on an exciting journey to the beautiful and chilly Sweden, specifically to the city of Jönköping. Joined by my friends Hiba, Rami, and Tamara, who is behind the camera, we explore the city, indulge in the local culture, and share laughs and good times. From experiencing the unique phenomenon of white nights to visiting popular Swedish shops like H&M, we immerse ourselves in the Swedish way of life. I also take a moment to teach some basic Lebanese phrases, making this video a blend of travel, culture, and language learning. So, come along and join us in this delightful adventure in Sweden!
Transcript:
Hello guys, how are you? So, as you can see, I’m obviously not in Lebanon. I am in a very cold, but very, very lovely country. I am in Sweden, in Jönköping. I am with my friends, and we are watching a festival, a theatre festival. And I want to introduce you to… hello!
Hiba S.: There’s a beautiful guy here.
Hiba: Beautiful guys! I want to introduce you to my friends. I have a friend, her name is Hiba, also, and my friend Rami, and Tamara, who is shooting the video. So, Tamara, Hiba, Rami, all Arabic names. And Julien, who is absent. Anyway, we will make a little tour in Sweden. I can’t believe it, I’m in Sweden! So if you want to say you are in Sweden in Arabic, we say ‘ne7na bl sweid’, so hala2 ne7na bl sweid’. Rami, tell them about the sun…
Rami: Okay, now it’s nine, nine PM, nine PM and the light is, they still have sun in the night.
Hiba: Yeah, because it is the white…
Rami: The white night: ‘al layali l bayda2, bl sweid’.
Hiba: And now we’re going to see the H&M because this is the Swedish clothes shop.
Hiba S.: But all the shops are closed, they close very early.
Hiba: You want to see the map? Hiba, show them the map you have.
Hiba S.: The one I have? We have a little map….
Hiba: And here we have Tamara!
Hiba S.: Okay, it’s our map for the festival but it’s the map on the road. Okay, we are now, I think, here in this region.
Hiba: Mafroud ykoun maktoub hon.
Hiba S.: Yes, we are here, we are here, yes, we are here. Our hotel is here. “Welcome to Jönköping.”
Hiba: Rami, ba3ed ma3ak l Bollar?
Rami: La2, sorry. Ntaza3et bl mayy.
Hiba: Maybe tomorrow I will show you the ‘Bollar’. I think it is pronounced: ‘Bollar’, and it’s the chocolate ball. If you come, you have to taste it and you have to taste the cinnamon buns.
Hiba S.: And it’s a specialty of Sweden.
Hiba: I think you can notice the difference between the Hamra street and the Jönköping shopping street. Yes, hello! ‘Hej Hej’: hello hello.
Hiba S.: ‘Puss puss’: kiss kiss.
Hiba: And ‘tack!’: Thank you, shukran. These are the only words I know.
Tamara: And ‘Välkommen’.
Hiba S.: And ‘Hejdå’: bye bye!
Hiba: You want to see the lake?
Hiba S.: Maybe we have to talk about the kronor.
Hiba: What?
Hiba S.: The money.
Hiba: Ah yes, tell them, tell them.
Hiba S.: The Sweden doesn’t work with Euro, doesn’t use Euro, okay. So they use their own money, it’s the kronor, Swedish, yes.
Hiba: And it is the SEK.
Hiba S.: Yeah that’s the abbreviation, S. E. K.
Hiba: So if you want to buy something that costs 100 SEK, it is in Euros approximately 10 Euros, yes, divided by 10. If you are Swedish, you will know better. Ok so every shop is closed.
Hiba S.: Not like in Lebanon, they open until 10 o’clock in the evening or even more.
Hiba: But I think it’s so relaxing, so quiet.
Hiba S.: Yes, it’s a very quiet country.
Hiba: Wow, thank you Sweden for existing.
Hiba S.: Yes, but it’s freezing, it’s freezing. We can’t live here.
Hiba: And it’s spring!
Hiba S.: Yes, haha.
Hiba: Do we end the video?
Hiba S.: You’re the boss.
Hiba: Do we go there?
Hiba S.: H&M!
Hiba: We found it. Now we will do like the models.
(Second Day)
Hiba: Hello, good morning. We are here today, Friday, and it’s the morning in Jönköping. So it’s the people, the crowds, the children. And yes today we’re here, you know why? Because we want the H&M open. And if we’re lucky, we’ll find an original Bergman movie because he’s Swedish. So Hejdå, I’m going shopping! Hejdå!
(Days Later)
And I came back from Sweden, and to reduce my sadness, I brought with me some bollars. They are the most delicious chocolate balls I ever tasted. You see the bollar and there is another kind also, the coconut bollar, coconut bollar, ‘Gille bollar’. This is with coffee, very delicious. I’m not gonna open it because I’m saving it for my cousin. Those are the bollars already open. This is the coconut bollar, inside there is some cream. Mmm, I’m gonna taste it now. And inside, also delicious, sweet, very, very sweet, very, very delicious.
It is the ‘kanelmandel’, yummy, yummy. It is an almond because mandel means almonds. It is an almond covered with chocolate and kanel: cinnamon. So those three are my souvenirs from Sweden, the sweet Sweden. Thank you, Sweden, for introducing me to all your desserts. Bye for now.
Recap:
| English | Lebanese (Latin Letters) | Lebanese (Arabic Alphabet) |
|---|---|---|
| We are in Sweden | ne7na bl sweid | نحنا بالسويد |
| White nights | al layali l bayda2 | الليالي البيضاء |
