Articles on Sweden

My apologies for not updating this blog for a while. Of late I've been flat out working as a phone monkey for that medical marketing research firm, interviewing Doctors in three different continents. Hopefully soon I’ll get a chance to start blogging regularly again but in the meantime I thought I might post a few links to some interesting articles that I've come across recently.


Language

This article was published in the Guardian Weekly last week and is basically about concerns that English is overtaking native languages in Scandinavia. Most of it is about Norway but I can conform that it all applies to Sweden too. In fact not only is English the language of business and academia, it also seems to be the language of graffiti, football hooligans, gangs, billboards and advertisements. It's also considered pretty hip and trendy to slip in English phrases and expressions into daily speech.


Politics

In this article Guardian colonist (and Swedephile) Polly Toynbee writes about recent Swedish politics while making parallels with developments in British politics. Due to its massive welfare state, gender equality and neutrality (often wrongly equated with pacifism) Sweden has been held up as a utopian model by lefties and liberals the world over and Toynbee seems to be a prime example. It is a view that can often grate with some Swedes who see it as an overly romantic view of their country that ignores many of their problems. The common rebuttal to the Toynbees of the world is that their naive and not fully aware of what Sweden is actually like. While this piece is written by an expat it gives you a general idea of the sort of gripes some Swedes have and the debates that take place. (Note: as this piece is published in a blog you might need to scroll down the page to find it. It's titled 'Polly Toynbee gets her Swedish Facts Wrong'.)
I've engaged in many debates just like it. Admittedly less frequently over time as the longer I stay here the further I move from Toynbee's romanticism, but I still maintain that Sweden's problems are minor compared to those of many of other countries such as Britain or America. I can understand why someone from either would see Sweden as a utopia in comparison.

And Finally...

An interesting article about the Swedish Australian Football team, who will be travelling to Melbourne this August to play in the International Cup. Regular readers of this blog may recognise the writing style...

Observations of the Swedish Language

Generally speaking if a Swedish word looks like an English word, it often means the same thing even if it is pronounced differently. However notable exceptions are “slut” which means close/shut, “bra” which means good, “fart” means speed, “fack” means pigeonhole, and a “Facket” is a trade union.
The Swedish word for marriage, “gift”, also means poison, which seems appropriate in a country with one of the highest rates of divorce.

Some other Swedish terms are pretty funny when translated into English word for word. For example vegetables are called “Grönsaker” which literally translates as “Green things”. “Svartsjuk” translates as “black sick” which means jealousy. “Svartfisk” means “black-fish”, which is squid. “Ögonblick” literally translates “eye-blink” and means “moment”. (Eg. “Vänta en ögonblick” – “Wait one moment.”) And finally my favourite is the Swedish word for bat, “fladdermus” which translates as “flapping mouse”.

Some other amusing expressions include “Nej men hej” which is something you say when you unexpectedly bump into someone you know. Its literal translation is “No but hi.”

“Vad Sjutton” is a type of old-fashioned cursing. Translated into English it means “What Seventeen.” Why seventeen, I don't know, but don’t say “What sixteen” because you’ll just look stupid. A variation on this term is “Sjutton också!” which means “seventeen also”.

“Gott Mos” means “good mash” (as in mash potato) and can be used as an all-purpose compliment. If it strikes you as a little bizarre imagine what “cool bananas” sounds like to a Swede.

“Lagom” is a Swedish word which basically means “not too little, not too much, just right”. Despite being a highly subjective term I have been told if you’re in a deli or butcher it is possible to order a “lagom” amount and shopkeeper will know exactly how much to give you.

Mind you there are plenty of English terms and expressions that don’t make much sense to Swedes. When the Aussie Rules football team got together late last year to watch an AFL match, many of the Swedes in the room were befuddled when they heard the commentators says “He kicks the ball across the face of goal”. (“But a face is what’s in front of your head. How does a goal have a face?”) It is also difficult trying to explain how the act of being inside a closet, or coming out of a closet, relate to being gay.

UPDATE: Regular reader Fillipa (native Gothenburger now living in Coburg) has been kind enough to bring another odd Swedish expression to my attention.
"Jag kände inte igen dig" which means "I didn't recognise you" but in its literally tranlsation comes across as: "I didn't feel again you."

Another term that I've discovered since this blog entry was first posted is the term "extrapris" which obviously translates as "extra price" but not so obviously is applied to things that are on sale.

How Binge Drinkers the World Over Have Funding the Swedish State.

An interesting fact I learnt this week: Until very recently the brand Absolut Vodka was actually owned by the Swedish state. After Bacardi and Smirnoff, Absolut is the highest selling brand of alcoholic spirit in the world. Unlike Ikea furniture it is still made here in Sweden.

Absolut is owned by a company called Vin & Spirit, who were originally set up by the government in 1917. Until 1994 they had a national monopoly over all production and distribution of alcohol in Sweden. This had to be relaxed before Sweden could join the EU in 1995, however the government maintained ownership. While western governments the world over were quick to sell-off everything they owned in the 1980s and 90s, Sweden was largely protected from privatisation from successive left-of-centre governments. However since 2006, Sweden are currently going through one of those rare phases in their history where they’re run by conservatives. (Although right-wing by Swedish standards is still left of Kevin Rudd.) One of their election promises was a plan to catch up with the rest of Europe and privatise a number of state-owned enterprises including V&S.

This week V&S were sold to French company Pernod Ricard. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they decide Swedish taxes are too high and relocate production to Estonia. Yet it is still surprising to hear of a state enterprise like this lasting until 2008. In fact despite recent sell-offs the Swedish state still own a lot of things. They own Apoteket (chemists), SJ (national railways), Vasakronan (real estate), Vattenfall (energy), Teracom (television and radio) and of course Systembolaget (bottle shops). Apoteket and Systembolaget have monopolies over their respective industries. The Swedish government also part owners of Nordea (a bank), SAS (airline) and Telia (telecommunications).

Definitive Proof that Global Warming is Real.

It has been a crazy week on the west coast of Sweden. After a whole winter with barely any snow it has suddenly poured down for over a week. Below is a selection of photos taken in the last few days. The first one is a lake only 20 minutes walk from where I live.This is a table and BBQ just outside my flat, which gives you an idea how thick the snow was. (Yeah yeah, I'm sure you've seen thicker snow but I haven't alright!)
The next two were taken in my neighborhood.

This is right outside my flat.
A park in the city centre.

My Life As A Swede’s 1st Birthday.

As of today I have been living in Sweden for exactly one year. I’ve been a bit slack at updating this blog of late but I’m still persisting with it and as I look back on the past 12 months I am proud of my achievements.

I’ve managed 50 posts (nearly 40 of which consist of me paraphrasing articles from thelocal.se). I’ve had close to 2000 hits. According to the cluster map on the blog I’ve had visitors from every continent on the planet. My blog has been read in countries such as Peru, Benin and what I think might be Mauritius (or someone with wireless internet connection stuck in the middle of the Indian Ocean). I’ve recorded many hits from America yet barely any from Canada indicating north of the border they're far more discerning about what they read on the Internet. I’ve even recorded hits in China meaning my blog has sneaked past the watchful eyes of the Chinese state censors (Free Tibet!)…until now. As I look towards the next 12 months I can only expect my hit count to increase further, especially now that I've insert the words “Porn”, “Free”, and “Download” into one of my blog posts.

Looking back it has been quite a year. The experience has really opened up my eyes and I’ve learnt many things. I’ve learnt that fish tastes much nicer when its been cooked. I’ve learnt that there are people outside of Australia who listen to John Farnham. I now know how to spend 8 hours sweeping the same floor. I know that you only bother going to Denmark if you want to buy cheap booze. I’ve discovered that sticking tobacco under my lip makes me dizzy. I’ve learnt there is still a country in this world that shows episodes of “Cops” and “Married With Children” during prime time, AND that there is a television station showing more episodes of “The Simpsons” than Channel 10. I’ve discovered that despite five years at university and a degree in Journalism I still struggle the basic principles of English grammar such as differentiating between “its” and it’s”, “then” and “than”, etc. I’ve learnt you should always check your pockets before washing your clothes. Finally I've learnt that slacking-off isn't a pass time, it's a life style. Yep, it has been a real journey of self-discovery and when I return to Australia it will be as a much wiser person.

A Walk In Delsjön

Some photos from a lake not far from where I live.

Nystrom’s Sweden: “A Cold Piece of Shit Country”.

Stefan Nystrom and I are both Australian expatriates currently living in Sweden. We both arrived here in early 2007 and still live here today. The difference is that I moved here by choice whereas Stefan was forced here as punishment for rape.
Stefan was born in Sweden while his mother was here on holidays visiting family but went back to Australia 27 days after giving birth. He has lived in Australia ever since albeit without Australian citizenship, just permanent residency. By the time he turned 32 he had been convicted of 127 charges including one charge of aggravated rape. In 2006 the ever-compassionate Amanda Vanstone decided to revoke Stefan’s residency on the grounds of him being a person of ‘poor character’ and thus deport him back to his country of birth.
Stefan Nystrom soon found himself stranded at Stockholm Airport with no job, no family, no friends, no accommodation, no Swedish and no clue to what he should do next. A year later and it seems Nystrom’s no closer to integrating into Swedish society. Recently Nystrom labelled Sweden as a “…Hitler society…” and described it as a “…cold, piece of shit country”.

Having also arrived here not knowing the language and having also faced many obstacles and frustrations, I can sympathise with Stefan Nystrom to the extent one can sympathise with a convicted rapist. Living here has been a very educational experience and at times very rewarding. But moving to a new country is never easy when you don’t speak the language or understand the culture, and even the simplest tasks become major missions. It would be worse still if you made the move involuntarily.

Having said that, it’s important to keep in mind that in Sweden Stefan Nystrom is a free man. If he were allowed to remain in Australia, I’d assume he’d be expected to serve out a prison sentence. In this sense forced exile in Sweden is a pretty good deal considering as he had been convicted of 127 charges. Many criminals attempt to flee the country to avoid prison anyway, so if I were in his shoes I wouldn’t be making too much fuss.

Yet this week Stefan joined the already long queue outside Kevin Rudd’s office that has formed since he won the last election, hoping for a change of policy. So fed up has he become with Swedish society he’s ready to do time in prison. I never thought Sweden was that bad!