Letters to the Editor

Hi Tatty,

Thank you for alg – elk. I have also an experience with Swede – Swiss for you.

The mistake between Swede and Swiss happen only in regard to address an individual person. For Sweden – Switzerland the difference is too large for the mistake.

My experience is a bit special. At my very first public performance with my dance company “Discovery Dance” 1992 at Victoria BC, in the pre-performance introduction at the local leading newspaper the reviewer named myself as “Swiss”. I could not let that go but at my appearance on stage at first curtain I made the following announcement: “The local leading reviewer in yesterday paper declared me as being ‘Swiss’ but my Swedish mother and Swedish father would have been terribly surprised getting a ‘Swiss’ kid”!

The entire audience broke out in laughter and I noticed the journalist having a gloomy face. Of course I had very poor reviews from him for a number of years – despite very enthusiastic audience response – until after a serious phone and e-mail exchange we become friends and the reviews become very good.

Sven Johansson

Artistic Director/Choreographer Discovery Dance, Victoria, British Columbia

Dear Ms. Maclay,

I’m a new subscriber to the online version of Swedish Press. Previously, I had been searching the Internet for Swedish-American periodicals without much success. Then I ran into a woman at an antique store in Connecticut who told me about your publication. It’s so great to have access to it!

I just read your column “Maclayhem: Thoughts from the Motherland” in the September 2013 issue and really enjoyed it. I’m half Swedish myself (the other half is Finnish) and also fully support the notion that “there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” Nature certainly nourishes me. Even my Swedish cousin, Anita (descended from the same forest ranger), remarked on how often I ate my lunch outside when she visited my family in the U.S. for the first time in 1979.

This summer I’m planning another trip to Sweden, making sure to also spend time in Norway, cruising the fjords.

Thank you for your consideration, and keep up the good work!

Jeanette Kallio Briggs

Port Chester, New York

Hi Tatty, Martina and Susan,

I enjoy the variety and color of the new Swedish Press. I come from Jämtland, and usually there is nothing about my home county in Landskapsnyheterna. However, in the previous issue, there was a mention of Jamtli Julmarknad. I was offended to read that anybody puts Jamtli in Hälsingland, as the beginning of the name should be a clear link to Jämtland. It takes place in Östersund.

On the other hand, I recognize many of the descriptions in the article about moose hunting from my own home village Hunge, although I have not lived there in 40 years.

Mona-Lisa Milne, nee Grönvik

Surrey, British Columbia

Editor’s comment: We apologize sincerely for this mistake, which was also pointed out by reader Astrid Switzer /TM