by Emma Weiss Hance
Scandinavians have a bit of a reputation for being “slow to warm” – hard to “crack” but once beyond the barrier, a friend for life. For the longest time, I thought that this was merely an exaggeration, a contrast between a “normal” people and the notoriously loud Americans. However, if the past three weeks have taught me anything it’s that, while Beth and I may live up to (and quite possibly exceed) the presumed American ‘loudness,’ the Swedes are definitely upholding their end of the bargain.
The Swedes are very big on their privacy (yet they’re willing to give the last 4 digits of their “personal number” to almost anyone?) so subject pools are a BIG no-no, which makes our job rather interesting… During my second week in Lund (week one was quickly eaten up by clerical work), Beth and I walked around campus posting fliers EVERYWHERE in an attempt to drum up some kind of interest.
Fast-forward 1.5 weeks and I’ve gotten mayyybe 10 e-mails? Beth’s had a bit more luck because her experiment, while longer, pays more and is only one appointment. I mean, let’s face it, if you were to see 2 fliers on a bulletin board, which one would you choose: 90 mins, one appointment and more pay, OR two 45 min appointments that pay less? I can’t say I blame people – I’d probably do the same thing – but I still kind of feel like that kid who was always picked last in gym class.
This week I decided to take matters into my own hands – to fully embrace the stereotype of the loud, outgoing American and just go out and talk to people. I spent the afternoon walking around Lund’s version of the HUB, approaching tables, giving a little spiel about the experiment and asking if they’d like to jot down their e-mail address to receive more information. I walked out AF (the HUB-type place) with abouuut 6 e-mail addresses. Oy. To be perfectly honest, I’m starting to get a bit nervous about finding participants, as a lot of the students are leaving in 2 weeks.
Looks like it’s time to get creative…