Thomas Huffstutler
Pd. 2

More Than A Feeling

I have seldomly studied a topic that has informed me of myself or has connected with me easier than Swedish. My heritage is more than just something about me. It is part of who I am. It is this part of me that yearns to know more about my roots and where my ancestors came from. This fascination is what drove me to learn Swedish and to become involved in the strong Swedish community in Minnesota.
I first realized that being Swedish was an integral part of who I was was the first time I met my family from Sweden. I was 4 years old when they first came over. I was captivated by the language and their sense of “coolness” that they carried with them. They came bearing many gifts and cool things from this odd far away land. They brought lots of chocolate of course and some other cool things, but what I remember the most is what my cousin gave me. He brought me a orrefor polar bear. I looked at it with a sense of “aw”, imagining the journey that this bear had gone through. I still have that bear and it serves as a reminder of my family on the other side of the globe.
Since then, they have visited many times and my fascination with the language and the culture has only been amplified. I began to take language lessons at the American Swedish Institute to try to immerse myself in Swedish in an attempt to gain the “coolness” of my cousins. I also started to get my hands on anything Swedish that I could. I got Swedish books, movies and even found Swedish radio stations. Once I got the hang of the language, I was able to learn more about my family in the language their stories were told. As my skills improved I began to understand more and felt more and more connected to something I was so curious about for so long.
Having studied the language enough to converse, I feel that I can say my mission was a success. My love for the language and the people has grown immensely, and I am able to talk to my cousins in the language that connects to them. Even though they still make fun of me for not being able to roll my R’s and totally butchering the word Föräldrar, they applaud me for taking the time to learn something about them that most people would not do. Even though I will probably never fully master the language and fully have the Swedish attitude, I am driven to continue to learn as much as I can about the history of my family from Sweden, the Swedish language. and about the heritage of the Swedish people and how they affected and will continue to affect my life here in Minnesota.