Hej from Lund, just fifteen minutes from Malmö, coming for my Paris content and getting a surprise :) Much is true, but I am absolutely fascinated by the outside view of Sweden and Scandinavia as endlessly rational and civilised. I think that Sweden, like all European countries, has aspects that make you think, "Ah! This is the way to live!" and aspects that make you think, "WTF?" (I recommend looking up an NYT piece on what happened to #MeToo in Sweden or what happened during the pandemic in old people's homes). There is a downside to Jante, I've been told, where exceptions get squished, and it is also very hard for outsiders to get jobs here. It takes six months for Swedes to get a new job and eighteen months for outsiders. Not sure on the stats for Swedes with "foreign" names, but there have been some infamous experiments with sending out the same CV with different names etc. It's also a small country in terms of population (yet geographically the size of California) and a small language, so to speak (I love Swedish and am learning it this year). And speaking of WTF, the candy day was the result of a series of notoriously inethical twentieth-century experiments that took place in Vipeholm, a district of Lund. Sweets (and extra sticky ones) were fed to psychiatric patients and the resulting decay measured... So, I do like it here, and I am happy to be here, but I try to see the whole picture.
Ah, that was a great read. Sweden sounds a tad claustrophobic for my tastes but I'd still like to check the place out. There are quite a few Swedish medical students here in Bydgoszcz, and they are wild! I think it's similar to the Amish Rumspringa!
I so enjoyed reading this article. The juxtaposition of the two cultures was very interesting and it brought to mind the culture in the United States. Specifically, how difficult life has become for young families who are struggling to pay for childcare, healthcare, education, and the affordability of a home. The orderliness of the Swedish culture was like opening a window and getting a blast of fresh air. I felt relaxed just having read about the sauna experience and a workplace that takes in account quality of life. Thanks for taking us for a walk down the calm, clean well organized streets of Copenhagen. Somehow, the day just got a whole lot easier.
I so enjoyed your description of your bicycle “incident”. What we women put up with! My brother-in law is Swedish and your description of the Swedes helped me develop a better sense of what it means to be Swedish; practical and sensible, life loving,kind, concerned about others, enjoys laughter. And they have free health care and college education.
“In Paris, there is also a sense that the line between the self and others is thin and that quite often strangers will feel at liberty to comment on whatever you happen to be doing…”
That sounds like an extended family. Hey, love me or hate me, but don’t ignore me!
“Sketches in Copenhagen” Very nice!
“I was once in a British home and there was CARPET in the bathroom! I nearly vomited.” Just marvelous!! LOL!!!
Hej from Lund, just fifteen minutes from Malmö, coming for my Paris content and getting a surprise :) Much is true, but I am absolutely fascinated by the outside view of Sweden and Scandinavia as endlessly rational and civilised. I think that Sweden, like all European countries, has aspects that make you think, "Ah! This is the way to live!" and aspects that make you think, "WTF?" (I recommend looking up an NYT piece on what happened to #MeToo in Sweden or what happened during the pandemic in old people's homes). There is a downside to Jante, I've been told, where exceptions get squished, and it is also very hard for outsiders to get jobs here. It takes six months for Swedes to get a new job and eighteen months for outsiders. Not sure on the stats for Swedes with "foreign" names, but there have been some infamous experiments with sending out the same CV with different names etc. It's also a small country in terms of population (yet geographically the size of California) and a small language, so to speak (I love Swedish and am learning it this year). And speaking of WTF, the candy day was the result of a series of notoriously inethical twentieth-century experiments that took place in Vipeholm, a district of Lund. Sweets (and extra sticky ones) were fed to psychiatric patients and the resulting decay measured... So, I do like it here, and I am happy to be here, but I try to see the whole picture.
Ah, that was a great read. Sweden sounds a tad claustrophobic for my tastes but I'd still like to check the place out. There are quite a few Swedish medical students here in Bydgoszcz, and they are wild! I think it's similar to the Amish Rumspringa!
I so enjoyed reading this article. The juxtaposition of the two cultures was very interesting and it brought to mind the culture in the United States. Specifically, how difficult life has become for young families who are struggling to pay for childcare, healthcare, education, and the affordability of a home. The orderliness of the Swedish culture was like opening a window and getting a blast of fresh air. I felt relaxed just having read about the sauna experience and a workplace that takes in account quality of life. Thanks for taking us for a walk down the calm, clean well organized streets of Copenhagen. Somehow, the day just got a whole lot easier.
So civilised ❤️
I so enjoyed your description of your bicycle “incident”. What we women put up with! My brother-in law is Swedish and your description of the Swedes helped me develop a better sense of what it means to be Swedish; practical and sensible, life loving,kind, concerned about others, enjoys laughter. And they have free health care and college education.
“In Paris, there is also a sense that the line between the self and others is thin and that quite often strangers will feel at liberty to comment on whatever you happen to be doing…”
That sounds like an extended family. Hey, love me or hate me, but don’t ignore me!
“Sketches in Copenhagen” Very nice!
“I was once in a British home and there was CARPET in the bathroom! I nearly vomited.” Just marvelous!! LOL!!!