Hello! I decided to share background detail about myself to give more insight about why I started the organization Americans Sweden.
My name is Lauren Ell. I am born and raised in Southern California, and am currently in my early 30s. I have been living in Sweden for over two years with my Swedish partner who works as an engineer. I have a neutral relationship with Sweden. While there are many things I admire about Sweden, there are also many things I miss about the U.S. At the end of the day, though, I have learned there are pros and cons no matter where a person lives, and it is important to make the best of any living situation.
My affiliation with Sweden goes far back. My mother started taking me to Swedish-American meetings hosted by Vasa Order of America when I was 8 years old. Vasa is an international Swedish-American organization that has existed for over 100 years with the purpose of connecting people affiliated with Sweden in America. I grew up attending events like Santa Lucia, Midsummer, and crayfish parties. My family has no direct connections to Sweden, though we do have Scandinavian ancestors.
When I was 13 years old I began attending the Swedish language camp Sjölunden in Bemidji, Minnesota, every summer, for a total of four summers. While attending, I learned about Swedish culture, entertainment, history, food, and also learned the basics of speaking Swedish. It was very fun. During my final summer I learned about a foreign exchange program offered by Rotary International Youth Exchange, and I became determined to live in Sweden and experience the country up front.
After graduating high school in 2006, I relocated to Sweden for ten months as a foreign exchange student. I was excited and even wondered if I would prefer to live in Sweden rather than the United States. I lived with two Swedish host families during that time, attended Swedish high school for fun, and met all kinds of people, both Swedes and foreigners. The program was well-managed by Rotary, and I highly recommend it to families who have children between the ages of 15-18.
Living in Sweden allowed me to observe what Sweden is really like. It was one of the most life-changing experiences in my life. While my host families and the school staff were very kind, I started missing home after three months. I was definitely missing home by six months, but I made it through the entire ten months. I recall feeling so relieved to return to sunny California and to see my family. For the first time in my life I acknowledged how amazing the United States is. I had not intended to return to Sweden again.
A number of years later, as luck may have it, I encountered a Swedish man online who became one of my favorite contacts. We had many similar interests, and even traveled together a number of times. For years I said, “Nope, I’m not moving to Sweden! Find someone else!” But as time went on we remained close friends and eventually I caved in and said I will move to Sweden since his work and living situation was more established than mine.
I have to admit it has not been easy to be back in Sweden. I almost threw in the towel after six months of being back the second time around. I returned to the U.S. for two months and did some thinking, and determined I need to change how I approach living in Sweden, as well as how I approach Swedish society. I also acknowledged that I have a unique opportunity not many Americans have, and I can use it to educate others about Sweden.
Since then I have began experimenting with communication projects to help me feel more “at home,” which has led me to launching Americans Sweden. I hope to connect with Americans across Sweden and learn about why they came to Sweden and what life has been like.
Lauren Ell was born and raised in Southern California and has been living in the far north of Sweden for over two years. She works as a marketing consultant and part time English teacher. She is the founder of Americans Sweden and Nordic Republicans. Contact Lauren by emailing info[at]americanssweden.com.
