Letter from the 2025 scholarship recipient Matthew Carlson
Dear House of Sweden Members,
I am extremely thankful for the opportunity I got to go to Sjölunden Swedish language village over the summer. There, I opened my eyes to the Swedish language and its culture, while making many new friends, and learning countless new skills.
Every day, I had a completely new experience, whether that be eating a food I had never had before, sailing through an enormous lake, exploring a forest while learning Swedish words, or weaving a mat of my very own. On the first day I arrived at camp, my Swedish was not the best. I was given directions and only vaguely understood them, mostly just following the line of people in front of me. However, throughout my time there, I was immersed through everyone speaking Swedish directly to me, asking questions and expecting answers. We attended språkgrup daily, where we would learn new words and grammar rules.
Eventually, after all this constant exposure and learning, on the final day, I took the challenge, “Super Svensk,” where I could only speak Swedish, no English from breakfast to dinner… and did it!
Ever since I came home from Sjölunden, my dad and I have been exchanging phrases in Swedish every now and then, and I find myself having a much deeper understanding of the language than I ever had before. When I listen to Swedish, I hear words instead of just scrambled mumbo-jumbo that happens to people when they don’t know a language. Not to mention many Swedish songs have been added to my playlist, because I heard a ton of new music I enjoyed while I was there. Thank you so much for this experience. It was a ton of fun to explore a world that I had never found before, where I was named Mats, and not Matthew. They were the most action- packed weeks I had all summer, and the only part that I didn’t like is that I wish I found it earlier.
Thank you! Matthew Carlson, aka Mats Sverker
I am extremely thankful for the opportunity I got to go to Sjölunden Swedish language village over the summer. There, I opened my eyes to the Swedish language and its culture, while making many new friends, and learning countless new skills.
Every day, I had a completely new experience, whether that be eating a food I had never had before, sailing through an enormous lake, exploring a forest while learning Swedish words, or weaving a mat of my very own. On the first day I arrived at camp, my Swedish was not the best. I was given directions and only vaguely understood them, mostly just following the line of people in front of me. However, throughout my time there, I was immersed through everyone speaking Swedish directly to me, asking questions and expecting answers. We attended språkgrup daily, where we would learn new words and grammar rules.
Eventually, after all this constant exposure and learning, on the final day, I took the challenge, “Super Svensk,” where I could only speak Swedish, no English from breakfast to dinner… and did it!
Ever since I came home from Sjölunden, my dad and I have been exchanging phrases in Swedish every now and then, and I find myself having a much deeper understanding of the language than I ever had before. When I listen to Swedish, I hear words instead of just scrambled mumbo-jumbo that happens to people when they don’t know a language. Not to mention many Swedish songs have been added to my playlist, because I heard a ton of new music I enjoyed while I was there. Thank you so much for this experience. It was a ton of fun to explore a world that I had never found before, where I was named Mats, and not Matthew. They were the most action- packed weeks I had all summer, and the only part that I didn’t like is that I wish I found it earlier.
Thank you! Matthew Carlson, aka Mats Sverker