stockholm is:

corinne is a new girl in town.
corinne is the fresh new talent out of sweden on the cool music label.
corinne is originally from montreal and has worked on hundreds of television commercials.
corinne is his pillar of strength.
corinne is forced to realize that the real problem she must overcome is growing up.
******

There is this website called Googlism that supposedly gathers some of the main things the internets are saying about a person, place, thing or time and puts them all in a totally random list. The above statements are a few from the search for my name.
Since I wrote about the character of New York City, I've known that eventually I'd write about what is, to me, the character of Stockholm. But I'm having a hard time. I haven't written in awhile because I can't quite turn my thoughts into complete sentences and thorough ideas. So when I remembered about Googlism this week I thought I'd just make my own page for Stockholm, not with what the internet says about this city, but a stream of thoughts for what I think, say and feel about it. Someday soon these thoughts plus more will turn into something more coherent... but not yet.

stockholm is colorful.
stockholm is where many beautiful and well-dressed people live.
stockholm has a million cafes and restaurants that sit along the water.
stockholm has good taste in music, from the clubs to the playlists in cafes to the bands that come here because they know they'll have the fans to fill the venue.
stockholm is an extremely expensive place to eat out... you'll have a hard time finding a place that won't cost you over $20 for a very average main dish.
stockholm is a place where trends spread like wildfire, fast and furious.
stockholm has the kind of beauty that startles me every day when i take the tunnelbana over the water from slussen to gamla stan.
stockholm's natives almost always adore stockholm and want to end up there.
stockholm's natives usually seem to stay very close with their high school friends and keep many lifelong friendships.
stockholm is a twisting turning hilly watery place where there is always something new to discover.
stockholm has a lot of people that spend money like it's water.
stockholm is a city where most young people, if not in a relationship, live alone.
stockholm is a city where it's easy to feel lonely and many people are fighting off that feeling on a regular basis, especially in the colder half of the year.
stockholm is alive; the restaurants and bars seem quite occupied no matter what night of the week or how cold it is.
stockholm is extremely self-conscious.
stockholm is a place where there is a lot of judgment of others, and stereotyping of different groups.
stockholm feels ambitious sometimes.
stockholm feels laidback and not so hard-working at other times. but certainly the hardest working place in sweden.
stockholm thrills everyone when the sun is shining and people can take a walk along the water. at all times of year. facebook explodes with stockholmers posting photos or updating about enjoying the outdoors.
stockholm is not an easy place to "make it on your own." it is a place where, compared to many other places, it is exponentially easier to make it when you know someone. preferably many people. jobs, apartments, help, access to clubs... usually hard to come by.
stockholm came to mind when my friend posted this quote from actress Eva Mendez the other day, "It doesn’t matter what you have or what you look like, everyone has to work at being confident." it's amazing how many people i meet who seem to have every reason to be secure, yet still seem to not be, or to actually have a serious need for validation.
stockholm is beauty and body conscious, but in comparison to southern california, much less so. it is a relief in that sense, and the topic will have its own post soon.
stockholm can be champagne and louis vitton but it can also be boxed wine and silly costume parties.
stockholm is a bit hedonistic. one time someone was directed to my blog from the google search query: "is stockholm slutty?" i laughed so hard. and wondered how i would honestly answer that question. not sure.
stockholm is where so many people are longing. longing for a better apartment or one in a better area, longing for more money, longing for summer, longing for a significant other, longing for a hookup, longing for a better job... i know that many cities are like this. but not where i've come from...san francisco doesn't feel as much that way, and neither did santa barbara.
stockholm is where innovation can be found.
stockholm is a place where i run into people i know a lot.
stockholm is a tiny little village. everyone has some connection to everyone else. it never fails. you cannot throw a feather without it hitting someone who knows someone you know. i've lived here not 7 months and on top of that, i'm foreign. and it still feels like a village.
stockholm is full of people that i love. people that i find fascinating. people that i deeply care about and would drop everything to come help. people that challenge me. people that make me die laughing. people that i can't imagine moving away from. people that i was always meant to meet. it's crazy to think that this country wasn't even a thought in my head until 3 1/2 years ago...
stockholm is home. california must share that distinction now.

 (above photo from this amazing tumblr)




Comments

Lesley Miller said…
Well, I'd say your list is a very good start to whatever you want to put it into next.

Also, you now have me obsessed with Googlism. I forgot about that site! Guess what came up for me? "Lesley is a prime time hooters girl."

Funny, right? And so true.
*corinne said…
bahahahahha!!! Lesley, that is amazing! And totally true!

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