Posts under Culture

European Capital of Culture 2014

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Sep
9
2009

I really don’t know what to say. Much to my disappointment, it was Umeå, not Lund that became selected as the Swedish candidate for the European Capital of Culture in 2014. The jury made its decision yesterday and when the results were announced during a press conference, I know that the good people of Lund were just scratching their heads. And I understand. Believe me, I do.

I spent five years studying in Umeå, and while I admit that it was an agreeable place to live, its cultural claim to fame is rather questionable (and that’s a very delicate way of putting it, OK?), that northernmost opera house notwithstanding.

So unless in the coming years Umeå can produce some sort of a cultural miracle (which, personally, I don’t see happening), this whole European Capital of Culture bit will be nothing but a monumental waste of money. Money that could be better spent elsewhere. So maybe, in that respect the fact that Lund lost the bid is actually a blessing?

But that got me thinking. What would you say is the most culturally happening city in Sweden? Apart from the obvious choices of Stockholm and Malmö, of course.

  • Europas kulturhuvudstad – European Capital of Culture.
 
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Buying a Car in Sweden

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Aug
31
2009

A few days ago one of the readers of this blog asked a question about car dealers in Sweden. He wanted to know whether they are as pushy and obnoxious as their American counterparts.

That’s a very good question, but I am not sure whether I am the right person to answer it. Why? I’m not a fan of car dealerships and I dislike them just on principle, be it in the US, Sweden or Brazil. It’s all the same to me.

My experience with car salesmen in Sweden is very limited. Though I tried to purchase a car from a dealer on four occasions, I always ended up buying from a private person. Why? The dealers seemed totally uninterested in selling me anything at all.

On all occasions, the experience was the same. Anna entered the dealership and tried to locate someone who would answer her questions. Anna had a list of questions ready already and knew exactly what kind of car she wanted. But nobody looked even vaguely interested in selling her a car. Any car.

I’m not sure why it was like that. Maybe I didn’t look like a serious buyer. Maybe the dealers thought it wouldn’t be worth their time and energy. Dunno.

The one time (the fifth occasion) when a car salesman actually talked to me, he tried to sell me a lemon. What sounded great over the phone turned out to be a total wreck in person. But the guy didn’t figure on me bringing along a friend who inspects cars for a living.

Every time I bought a car, I found it through the word of mouth. Of course, those were all used cars, because I didn’t really see a point of spending the money on a new one, if an older model would do the job just as well.

Buying a car in Sweden is a really straightforward process. There’s no need to change the tags, you (or the previous owner) just have to send in a change of ownership form and that’s pretty much it. After a few days you‘ll get a document in the mail confirming that you are the vehicle’s new legal owner. But don’t forget to insure the car! Every vehicle with a valid registration sticker MUST be insured. Otherwise you may end up paying hefty fines.

  • bilförsäkring – car insurance
  • bilhandlare, bilförsäljare – car dealer(ship)

Happy driving!

 
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The End of Apoteket (well, almost)

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Aug
24
2009

If all goes well, very soon you’ll be able to buy over the counter and prescription medications at your local ICA supermarket! Yay! I’d say it’s about time! You see, until July 1st of this year, Sweden was one of the very few countries left in the world with a state-controlled pharmacy monopoly. That has (finally) come to an end, and now other firms (both Swedish and foreign) can also apply to open and run drugstores.

Personally, I’ve always thought that the Apoteket monopoly was a very dumb thing, especially for simple over the counter meds, like paracetamol or spray for runny nose.

There were times when I found myself with no Otrivin (nose spray) on a freezing wintry Sunday morning and was forced to trek to the local hospital where the only pharmacy open for longer than 4 hours was. It was inconvenient and wasted both time and gasoline. Those trips frequently made my cold even worse, and by the time I actually got to the hospital, I also needed headache medicine and sore throat treatment.

After a while, I learned to be prepared. I kept a stock of Alvedon (paracetamol) and some assorted prescription-free allergy pills, cold meds, contact lens solution, yeast infection treatment, and who knows what else at home. Just in case. Because you just never knew when you might need something, right? And our local pharmacy was open strictly during weekdays strictly during business hours.

But now, it just may come to pass that our friendly ICA will carry an assortment of pharmaceutical essentials! It will be such a relief to be able to buy a bottle of contact lens cleaner at the same when shopping for milk and bananas.

So how will it work exactly? It seems that ICA will open their own in-store pharmacies. The plan is to begin doing it during the first quarter of 2010. But even sooner than that, in November of this year, some grocery stores (and not just ICA, but other retailers as well) will be able to sell certain over the counter drugs (and I do hope that contact lens solution, as well!). But only to customers over the age of 18. So how is it going to work, really? Are they going to ask for IDs, just like when buying beer, if someone wants a pack of Mucoangin for their sore throat? Isn’t that a bit of overkill? Well, maybe it is, but still, I am very happy that these pharmaceutically deregulated days are finally almost here.

So Sweden, what is next? I’d say let’s get rid of Systembolaget!

 
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Fun Places in Sweden - Öland

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Aug
21
2009

If you read with some regularity what I write here on this blog, you might have gotten the impression my most favorite places in Sweden are all in the north. True, many of them are, but not all. Take Öland, for example. Definitely not in the north. In fact, as far as Sweden goes, it’s positively down south. Very south.

What? You’re surprised that I like Öland? And what’s there not to like? The place has everything – history, culture, nature, beaches (yes, beaches, and as far as Sweden goes, they’re quite OK), it’s sweet and charming and it’s definitely worth a visit. Or two. Or three. And the best part? It’s totally on the way from Kalmar, which just happens to be one of my favorite Swedish towns NOT located in the north.

I’ll never forget the first time I was traveling to Öland. I was a kid and had a massive panic attack while crossing the bridge (Ölandsbron) linking the island with the Swedish mainland. The bridge is six kilometers long, and while it might not be all that impressive by today’s standards, it was a feat of engineering back in 1972 when it was opened.

Oh, didn’t I tell you? Öland is an island. It’s pretty much self-explanatory when you look carefully at the name:

  • Ö + land = Ölan
  • ö (def.: ön, pl.: öar, def.pl.: öarna) landområde med vatten på alla sidor – in other words – an island.

And by the way, don’t you just love those one-letter words? I know I do.

But where were we? Ah yes, visiting Öland. Personally, I think that the Öland Tourism website does not do the place justice.

It fails to stress that while most of its info is indeed very summer oriented (and in Sweden, for all intents and purposes the summer season ended on August 16th this year), Öland is a very nice year-round destination, especially if you’re not a beach person (but then again, if you were, you’d go to Greece or Spain, not to Öland) and prefer history and nature.

Yeah history… can you believe that people settled on Öland back in 6000 BC? Isn’t it when the dudes in Egypt were busy carving sphinxes and building pyramids? It just boggles my mind when I realize that during that time things were also going on in other parts of the world. Namely – in Sweden.

But the ruins you can see on Öland these days are positively modern when compared to those very ancient times – they come from the Viking era. So if you’re into Viking stuff, then Öland should definitely be on your itinerary.

And if you like harvest festivals and pumpkins, then Ölands Skördefest will be right up your alley. This year it’s scheduled to take place on September 24 through the 27th. And even though I don’t like pumpkins, this event sounds like a lot of fun.

So, if you’ve been to Öland before, please tell us what you thought of the place. Would you recommend it as an interesting destination for a visit? (I’m asking, because I know that my opinion might not necessarily be for everybody).

 
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Study in Sweden

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Aug
14
2009

Every so often somebody asks me about studying in Sweden. And my first response is “yeah, what about it?” But lately, the questions have become a lot more specific. Namely, one question – “Is university level education still free in Sweden?” And the answer is – at public universities, yes it is.

That alone is a deciding factor for many people to choose a Swedish university to continue their education. Add to that the fact that many schools offer Master’s degree programs in English, and people are hooked.

When I’m asked if I would recommend Sweden as a destination for international students, I always answer “you betcha!”

But before you start applying to programs offered by Swedish universities, there are still a few things to consider:

  • 1. Even though there is no tuition here, it won’t be a free ride. You still will have to cover your accommodation and living expenses. In fact, to be granted a student visa by Migrationsverket, you will need to prove that you have sufficient financial means to support your stay in Sweden. If I’m not mistaken, the amount is still standing at SEK 7300 per month. And that’s the absolute minimum you need to prove that you have to satisfy the immigration requirements to get a visa.
  • 2. Will you get accepted? I don’t want to dash your hopes of studying in Sweden, but just keep in mind that you will be competing for a place with people from all over the world. There is a finite number of applicants filling a finite number of available spaces and the competition is tough. So just in case, you might have better luck at a smaller school in a smaller city than in, for example, Uppsala or Lund.
  • 3. Accommodation… If you are a bona fide exchange student (under either the Socrates or Erasmus program) then your accommodation should be sorted out for you. If you are a free mover, then you’re on your own. Some people mistakenly think that if they are accepted at a school, then everything else will fall into place, too. Not so. In some cities and at some schools you will have no problem getting a “corridor” student room, but in other cities, you will be left to your own devices. And yes, there is a serious shortage of student accommodation in many cities. Just so you won’t say that nobody told you, OK?
  • 4. Living expenses. In many countries students are able to work part-time and make some extra money. In Sweden, due to how the courses and classes are structured, that will be almost impossible. And for most jobs you will need to speak reasonably fluent Swedish – something that many foreign students don’t realize. And living expenses in Sweden are higher than in many other countries – again something that foreign students are only vaguely aware of. So yes, you will need money. Plenty of money.
  • 5. The weather. This is a tired cliché, but it always amazes me how unprepared some foreign students can be. Sweden is a Nordic country and winters will be dark and miserable here. Your mood will be affected and because of that, it’s very possible that your academic performance will suffer.

These are just the few main biggies that immediately come to my mind when somebody mentions studying in Sweden. And from my experiences with foreign students, both prospective students and those already in Sweden, these five points are worth repeating over and over.

Finally, if you want to learn more, Study in Sweden is an excellent website chock-full of detailed info. And it’s amazing how many foreign students don’t even know it exists!

 
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