How to learn Swedish in 1000 difficult lessons

I've been there and back again. The United States is still the same, just with more flags. And more god-bless-america. I guess everyone everywhere has already noted the irony of both sides of the war on terrorism invoking god as being on their side. Not that it surprises me, I just find if funny.

However, I was amazed that the airport security wasn't overwhelming. And unlike the previous visit, the person at passport control didn't seem to be extremely uncomfortable about the fact that the husband and I are homosexualists.

When we visited in August of the past year, the woman at the passport control desk asked us as we stood together in front of her, "How are you family?"

We told her we were married.

She said with disgust, "We don't recognize that in this country. Next time you come up separately, understand?" Which made my stomach lurch, and my knees nearly shake. I wanted to say something nasty, but passport control is one place where you can't win by saying something. The passport control police are all-powerful.

This time, however, passport control was nothing like that.

This time, though the husband went up first by himself, the man behind the desk gestured to me to come up once the husband said that he was traveling not alone but with his husband, namely me.

This time, the man behind the desk said "Have a good stay," as we left after he stamped our passports.

This time, the husband didn't ask me how the United States dares to call itself the home of the free.

The Swedish word for the day is onöjdig. It means unnecessary.

- by Francis S.