QUESTION:
In what way has your view on Scandinavia, and Malmö in specific, changed after 3 months in India?
ANSWER:
Three different settings are flashing before my eyes when I am looking at the question above: nine different pencils, a perfectly planed dollhouse and a record with Simon & Garfunkle.
Like the question regarding the egg and the hen it is hard to figure out weather the context form its people or people form the context. Regardless; people and context are highly depended on each other. I remember one morning in Mumbai when I was walking by a fancy store at Taj Mahal Hotel. The store was selling western suits and men’s wear. I suddenly stopped in front of the window. Printed on the glass was a quote (or an ad if you’d like). It said; GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE. I smiled, realizing that this would never have worked as an ad in Sweden. At a store in Malmö the quote would rather say something like; Great minds dare to think differently. I was surprised to see that this Indian store had such completely different approach compared to a Swedish store selling the same kind of suits.
Later that night at my hotel room I read an article about this particular phenomena. A scientific team had investigated different attitudes around the world thanks to a simple test at Seattle International Airport. The experiment was all about nine different pens. Eight pens were of the same colors and one was in a different one. The scientific team asked each and everyone passing them by to pick a pen. People representing all parts of the world picked up pens and at the end of the test period an interesting result was discovered. Almost everyone from the east parts of the world as in Asia and Africa, had picked up one of the eight pen with the same color. People from the western parts of the world like Europe and North America had picked up the single one with a different color. From this test the scientific team made the conclusion that people from the East wants to blend in while people from the West stress individuality.
This is a crucial factor when it comes to lifestyle and values. The way you walk, talk and think is determined of weather you want to fit in or stand out. Both ways of thinking does surely have it pro’s and con’s. Most significant for me personally this new insight came to show when I went out shopping in Malmö a couple of days after I got back. In Mumbai it had been stressful trying to fit in but walking the streets of Malmö was pretty stressful in another way. I had never before realized how important it was to stand out in the crowd and be an individual. Everything had to look perfect but unique. I then remembered the thoughts I had a couple of days earlier when I sat in the aircraft on my way home from Mumbai.
It is of no news that Sweden is a much more organized country than India. I was still filled with surprised fascination when the airplane spread its wings over Malmö. Looking down from high above I got the feeling that Sweden looked much like a perfectly polished dollhouse. Everything was so well planed that it almost looked unrealistic. Every car was parked faultlessly next to another, every house was in line and nothing appeared made of mere accident. Not to mention that everything looked so clean. How could I ever have referred to Malmö as a dirty city? Coming from the northern part of Sweden I had always thought of Malmö as dirty thanks to… well I was no longer sure. The clean air that allowed me to see through the sky from where I sat was incredible. And the sea surrounding Malmö! It was deep blue water instead of the brown thick liquid surrounding Mumbai. I realized from where I sat that nature was very much untouched. Malmö stroke me as a polite city not trying to violate its surroundings. I felt pride. I felt gratitude. I wanted to live close to nature from now on, far from huge cities and oppressing trends.
Adjustment comes quickly however. Three days after my holistic sky vision I was back dressing up trendy but unique, taking the fresh air for granted and swearing over the dirty streets after my foot landed in dog-shit.
When I am writing this text three weeks have passed since I returned to Sweden. I must admit that a lot of things are the same as before I packed my bags leaving for India. I buy my coffee at the same places, I swear over the cold wind that keeps entering Malmö, I wish for more money to buy those shoes I want. But there is one thing that is different. One thought that ever since I got back strikes me a few of times each day. One Swedish tendency that I’ve come to appreciate after spending time in chaotic Mumbai. Simon and Garfunkle knows how to describe it. It is the sound of silence.
