Tag: about Sweden

Third Year Reflection*

As the year-end is approaching, I would like to use this blog post as a medium of reflection. A look back to where it all started three years ago. This month in 2016, I moved to Sweden from my home country. Time has passed by and many things have happened ever since, including having an additional member in the family. So it just feels right to see how it was and how it has been as a newbie living in Sweden.

And here are some random facts about Sweden that I learnt during my first three years of living in the country:

Sweden is a good place to raise kid

From free education to nearly free healthcare, Sweden is one of a few places I can think of when it comes to a “family friendly” country. Yes, the system is bit frustrating sometimes and requires lots of things to do—filling out forms, queuing, making calls to name a few. But once you got in, the safety net is always there.

Sweden also seems to care about and is willing to take part in children development. One tiny example is when my baby turned 6 months old, she received a free choice book from Lund’s state library. From what I understand, it’s a part of the program to encourage reading and literacy (such important skills for kids to have indeed).

Apart from those, generous parental leave, celebrated equality and recognition of universal values are the things that Sweden offers. And those are the list I would love to tick as a parent. Anyway, read more about the rights as parents in Sweden here.

Continue reading “Third Year Reflection*” →

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Learning about Sweden from Popular Culture*

For many years, Sweden has been frequently represented in popular media, especially in the US. Ranging from typical references such us Swedish blonde girls in American Horror Story: Hotel to the Swedish chef with a thick accent on The Muppets Movie, Sweden is often narrowly depicted as anything that other countries are not.

Media representation can be too stereotypical and misleading sometimes, but as an expat living in Sweden, I found that popular culture about Sweden helps me to understand the country and its culture better. But, I prefer the “local” ones, which contain more “insider perspectives” than Hollywood productions. These are my personal favourites: Continue reading “Learning about Sweden from Popular Culture*” →

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5W+1H of My First Midsummer in Sweden

Who

Me. An Indonesian who is still drowning in the novelty of life abroad in Sweden. Ha!

What

Midsummer. All I knew about midsummer, before I moved to Sweden, was a name of perfume series from Oriflame, the Swedish cosmetic brand. Haha. It used to be my favorite. I didn’t know that midsummer was one of the most important days in the Swedish Calendar. Turns out, midsummer is really a big deal in Sweden (and any other Nordic countries actually). According to Routes North, Midsummer tradition in Sweden is rooted in the pagan sun-worshipping cultures long before the Christian era. It was believed that the time of year around the summer solstice, when the darkness of night is replaced by a magical twilight, would have held special significance for people in northern climes. Now, in secular Sweden, midsummer is more a social event to be close to nature and spend quality time with family and friends.

When

Midsummer is originally celebrated in every June, 24. But, in 1952, when the Swedish Parliament decided that Midsummer should always be celebrated on a weekend, the observance of Midsummer now varies between June 20 and 26. This year, the Midsummer Eve is on Friday, 23rd of June, while the Midsummer Day is on Saturday, 24th of June. So the celebration is usually started from Friday afternoon till Saturday morning non stop since the day is so long (even in northern Sweden the sun isn’t really set in midsummer) and Swedes wants to make the most of it. Continue reading “5W+1H of My First Midsummer in Sweden” →

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Journey to the Southernmost and South-easternmost of Sweden

skane-map
Map of Skåne is retrieved from here.

As a new resident in Skåne (also known as Scania in English), I received a complimentary JOJO card valid for two weeks to travel around the region for free with Skånetrafiken. This promo applies to every person who has just moved to Skåne and is registered in Skatteverket, the Swedish Tax Agency. Skånetrafiken itself is the public transport provider in Skåne that runs services throughout the province. With Skånetrafiken, we can travel with single tickets, Skånetrafiken app and JOJO card. The complementary JOJO card is worth around 650sek (equal to approximately $75), so it really is a good deal. I didn’t want to waste this opportunity for sure. I’ve been to some municipalities in Skåne like Lund (of course! 😆 ), Malmö, Lomma, Landskrona, and Helsingborg, but there are still lots more to explore. Too bad, the card arrived in early May when I was preparing (then having) a trip to Stockholm (Stockholm is outside the Skåne area by the way so I couldn’t use the card there). Thus, I missed my first week of the complimentary period and only had few days left to travel around the region (sigh!). However, thanks to Zaki Habibi (who insisted me to have a weekend getaway), I was at least able to visit these three counties in Southernmost and South-easternmost of Sweden: Continue reading “Journey to the Southernmost and South-easternmost of Sweden” →

Hayu Hamemayu1 Comment

5 things Lund and Jogja have in common

Picture is retrieved from https://vacationspotindonesia.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/yogyakarta-a-cultural-heritage/
Picture is retrieved from http://kingofwallpapers.com/lund.html

From the moment I arrived in Lund, Sweden, I always feel that this southern Swedish city shares so many similarities with Jogja, my hometown, even though these cities are located at different sides of the world. Jogja and Lund are separated thousand miles away. So, how can I say that the two cities have some things in common? Well, here are the resemblances I found so far:

  1. Student City

Both Lund and Jogja are student city where universities play central role of their rhythm. Lund is the home for one of the oldest (and greatest) universities in Sweden: Lund University. Meanwhile, Jogja is famous for its numerous and reputable universities, schools and colleges. The oldest Indonesian state university (Universitas Gadjah Mada) and also the private one (Universitas Islam Indonesia) are both located in Jogja. No wonder these cities are always bustling with students and somehow always related to the universities. In Lund, for example, most residents have correlation with Lund University either as student, employee, alumni, or any other relationship. Even the Swedish singer and presenter Måns Zelmerlöw, who won the Eurovision Song contest in 2015 and was born in Lund, is the son of a Professor at Lund University. Campus life is definitely the thing that can’t be separated from Jogja and Lund. And it influences many things in the cities: the beat, the culture and even the living cost. Just like Jogja which is way cheaper than Jakarta, the living cost in Lund is also lower than Stockholm (though it’s still bit high for my budget 😀 ) Continue reading “5 things Lund and Jogja have in common” →

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