Swedes are peculiar. I have moved from my reserved seat to get access to a power outlet. A woman just stepped on and told me I was in her seat. Since mine is just opposite I asked if she wouldn’t mind taking my seat instead so I could keep working. Goodness, you could have thought that I had asked her to move to a different continent!
“Oh, so this is your seat”
“Yes”
“But where are you going then so I don’t get kicked off in a few minutes – I’m going to Kalmar you see so it’s the end station”
“I’m going to Kalmar so you’ll be fine” (I would have told her I was going to Osby but since she got ON the train in Osby it would probably not have been very believable!)
“Ok, so it’s ok to change like this then”
“Yes it is”
Train conductor comes by:
“I’m sitting here but that over there is really my seat. I have switched with that girl because she needs the power outlet”
“Ok”
“So that’s ok then, I can sit here even if the ticket is for a different seat really”
“Yes, that’s absolutely fine”
Swedes are not very good at questioning authority – we like to stick to the rules, even the ones printed on a train ticket.
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1 comment:
it´s so true mimmi... breaking the rules or worse..changing rutines... catastrophe!!!!..it is a NO NO... but can you imagine being a train conductor??? getting braindead questions about seat swopping 1000 times a day!
Osby (the way skaningar say it is horrible first of all) but hang on isn´t that the first village in Smaland or something.. oh well..give it to Skane!... give Skane to Denmark!...
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