Crash course about Sweden for
exchange students
Here are a number of articles that will describe Sweden from an insider's perspective. MEB is a very
international environment, and perhaps there are some things people from other countries find strange? I
will try to solve the mysteries of the Swedes and the Swedish should. I will try to write one short story each
week throughout summer 2013.
/Professor Jonas Ludvigsson, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB). Author and drawer of
this “crash course”
Swedish animals
This is the final chapter in my summer school about Sweden, and it is
about animals. I have always liked animals and grew up in a "semi-farm",
by that I mean an ordinary house with a garden where my parents
imagined themselves being farmers (but they were not). Hence we had
rabbits, hens, goats, and sheep [for those of you who have limited
knowledge about animals: think "Shaun the sheep" (if you have small
kids) or "Dolly" (if you are more into research)).
But animals in my childhood were not only about our own animals, and
about those of my grandparents (who kept cows, I have always been
fond of milk), Animals were also about hunting. Many in my family
went hunting and the hunt of the year was the "älgjakten" [the moose
hunt] taking place in autumn. In fact, moose meat was a regular
Sunday dish in my home throughout my childhood. The moose, or elk, is
one of the largest animals in Europe, and in Sweden the moose is nicknamed "king of the forest".
Brown Owl (Strix aluco)
A smaller animal, but often very popular, is the "igelkott" [hedgehog]. If
you bump into one (you should not, you may be hurt) you should offer the
animal some sour milk in a bowl. He will be grateful and very likely
return to check out if you have replenished his bowl…..
Very few Swedish animals are dangerous, the exception being the "huggorm" [viper]. These snakes are
actually not that rare and I spotted six different vipers this summer.
An animal most people like is the "ren" [reindeer], critical for the traditional life of the Sami people up
north. Finally we have the "kräftan" [crawfish/crayfish] which Swedish people feast on in August. We boil
them before we eat them, and some people will drink liquor when eating the red little animal. Every august,
the press is filled with comparisons of different trademarks of Crayfish and which one is the tastiest (and
most expensive). Some people will tell you that only the Swedish Crayfish is worth eating, but I say they
are wrong  Crayfish is almost always very taste, independently of its origin.
The Swedish school
General schooling was first introduced in 1842. There
were many reasons for introducing general schooling in
Sweden. Some groups in society wanted the poorer
classes to be educated in Christianity. Others regarded
the school as a venue to introduce nationalism. Still others
did of course want their peers to have education.
Today, the Swedish school has come under heavy fire.
Compared to other countries, Swedish students have
poorer knowledge in math. Many people look with envy at
Finland where teachers are highly regarded (and better
paid), and students would never be allowed to keep their
caps on during class. The left-wing parties believe there
are too many independent schools, while the right-wing
parties suggest that "choice" is always good, and that
competition between private and public schools generate
better schools. Interestingly enough, Finland, very often
seen as a role model, never introduced independent
schools the way we did in Sweden.
The figure illustrates Carl Larsson's painting of a teacher.
Swedish children enter school at the age of 6 years. The mandatory school is 9 years long and constitutes
three parts, each consisting of three years of education: "lågstadiet", "mellanstadiet", and “högstadiet".
Since 1972, school is compulsory for all children aged 7-16 years living in Sweden. The size of school
classes vary but is usually between 20 and 30 pupils. The most popular lessons are usually those involving
sports or handicraft. In my mind, the best part of school however is the end (closure) of School in the
beginning of June. Then, hundreds of parents and grandparents gather in the school yards to watch their
kids sing the song "Den blomstertid nu kommer" [roughly: summer is coming], and we celebrate the kids'
vacation with a strawberry cake.
Being a child in Sweden
We were five kids in my family so my parents more or
less built a playground for us outside our house
(picture).... So what is it like to be a child in Sweden?
Actually rather good , and that is why I bring up this
topic.
Starting out with some stats. There are about 100,000
new-borns in Sweden every year. The hospital where I
work, Örebro, takes care of about 3% of the Swedish
population and well, yes, we have about 3000 deliveries
each year, and this means that every day there are about
8-10 new-borns to examine at the ward round.
A large proportion of children in Sweden enter
daycare at around 12-18 months. Most daycares do not
allow children younger than 1 year of age. The parental
allowance is rather generous and fathers are encouraged
to stay at home. At present fathers stay at home some 20% of the time that a couple (father and mother)
spend with their child. Almost all fathers do however stay at home during the first ten days, also called
"pappa-dagar" [daddy days].
Child mortality is low in Sweden. In recent years there has been a debate as to whether many or few
Swedish children are "poor". This is often a matter of definition but it should be admitted that some children
in Sweden have difficulties in buying expensive sports equipment, going to a café, and joining friends for a
visit to the movies. For children who feel really exposed, there is a "barnombudsman" ("BO", ombudsman
for children), who stands up for the rights of children.
The most popular activities among children are usually: be with friends, watch television or DVD, surf
the internet or do sports. At least six out of ten children do sports at least once a week, and the most
popular sport among both boys and girls in Sweden is football.
Swedes emigrated
This week I left my family's summer house
situated in the county Småland in
Southeast Sweden where I have spent
some of my vacation. This part of Sweden,
Småland, was the epicentre of Swedish
emigration once in a time. That people left
Sweden is easy to forget, when today,
Sweden is a country of immigration.
Sweden used to be a country of poor
people living in small cottages (Picture from
Småland). Starvation was common (also
among my ancestors). More than 1 million
Swedes left Sweden for the United States
and a number of Swedes also left for South
America. In the US they established
themselves around Chicago (Chicago was
for some time "Sweden's second largest
city next to Stockholm", and in Minnesota.
Swedes brought with them snuff (suns), which by the way has been the topic of several high-profile
research papers from MEB!
Many Americans have Swedish ancestors (including the astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Charles Lindberg and
the author Ray Bradbury).
Most Swedes associate the 19th century emigration to the US with the book series "The Emigrants" by
Vilhelm Moberg, portraying the couple Karl-Oskar and Kristina. Their story was also the theme of a popular
musical by the male members of ABBA. "Björn and Benny".
Ps. My own grandfather had bought a ticket for the "America boat" in order to emigrate in 1914 but the
boat trip was cancelled due to the first world war. He never left after the war, instead met my grandmother,
and here I am:-)
"Allemansrätten"
Allemansrätten [meaning "freedom
to roam"], is a common tradition in
the Nordic countries. In short,
everyone is allowed to walk around,
stay overnight outside [for instance
in a tent that you bring], and to pick
berries and mushroom.
The Allemansrätten originated in
the early 20th century, when
everyone agreed that the right to
pick berries and mushroom had
"always existed" and should be
made part of Swedish law.
During WW2, the government
presented a report, the aim of which
was to allow people in the cities to
have easier access to nature. The
allemansrätten was made part of the
constitution in 1994.
How do I use the allemansrätten
myself?
I often go for long walks in the
woods and in farmland (even if the
farm land is owned by someone
else). I pick berries, primarily
blueberries, and my children go
fishing in various lakes in their
vacation. The drawing illustrating
"free fishing" above is from one of
Sweden's northern rivers "Torne älv" [the part called the Kukkola rapids/river] where I visited in 2012. So
just get out in the nature and indulge yourself!
By the way, here is a recipe of a blueberry pie:
The crust: Mix 2 dl wheat flour, 100 g butter, 2 table spoons of sugar, and 2 table spoons of water. Put the
dough/crust on a pie plate.
On top of the crust: Add 1 litre of blueberries, 2 dl sugar and 2 table spoons potato flour on top [mix it all].
Put in the oven, 180 degrees C, for 30 minutes. Serve with ice-cream or whipped cream.
Mmmmmm….
The west coast of Sweden
For many years the counties in the west of Sweden belonged to Denmark, and so did Norway. The
Norwegian influence is still strong in the area north of Gothenburg, the unofficial capital of The West coast.
North of Gothenburg is the county Bohuslän (drawing above). These days’ people think of summer,
boats, rocks and the sea when they hear of Bohuslän, but the county used to be much more! Fishermen
caught "sill" [herring], and the stone cutters prepared the granite. The harbour in Buenos Aires was actually
built using stone from the small fishing village Hunnebostrand just north of Smögen, the latter village
famous for its summer stroll the "Smögenbryggan".
Not far away, Sweden's national poet Evert Taube wrote his ballads.
Gothenburg is Sweden's second city and has a reputation of being easy-going. In older days the men of
this city was jokingly called "go'a gubbar" (happy guys). Gothenburg is dominated by its harbour, the Volvo
company and the SKF company. Gothenburg is the football capital of Sweden and its youth tournament
"Gothia cup" may be the largest in the world. For those of you who have always wanted to know where the
hospital "Sahlgrenska" is situated (?), the answer is Gothenburg!
Nobel, Bofors, SAAB, and neutrality
Sweden is neutral country although, we are more and
more teaming up with NATO. In fact we have teamed up
with NATO for quite some years now. When I did my
military service at the Military Interpreter School
[tolkskolan] in Uppsala in the late 1980s, the enemy was
always pictured as coming from the "east" and we used
red arrows (not blue) to symbolize the enemy tanks... so
already back then, we may not have been so neutral.
This last weekend, I went visiting my mother who
th
celebrated her 70 birthday in Linköping. This is the city
where I grew up (200 km south of Stockholm). For much
of my childhood, Linköping was famous for its airplane
industry, and its fighter jets, the "Viggen" and the "JAS
Gripen". Most of the dads in my neighbourhood worked at
the company SAAB, which actually means Svenska aeroplan AB [Swedish Aeroplane Company Limited],
even though to most people, SAAB used to be a car manufacturer!
One of the dads was a fighter pilot and crashed with a plane. He survived, but it was said that he came
out from the accident some 2-4 cm shorter than before.
Sweden has been a neutral country for 200 years. In fact, its neutrality may be just about the same age
as Karolinska Institutet, KI. KI was founded to supply war surgeons when Sweden was last at war in the
early 19th century (and lost Finland at the same time). Most politicians thought that as a neutral country
Sweden needed a strong defence, and a strong military industry. That's why we had SAAB and its
airplanes. But we also had the Bofors weapons industry. Bofors somewhat "unfortunately" became a
household name in the world thanks to its murky (?) business with India 20-30 years back. Bofors has
since ceased to exist but had its centre in Karlskoga (not far from where I live now). It was founded by
Alfred Nobel, the inventor of the dynamite, and of course, of the Nobel Prize.
Many Swedes feel ambivalent to the military industry, in one way this industry is cutting-edge and very
few nations can afford to develop their own fighting jets. At the same time, can we afford it? And is the
weapons development consistent with picturing ourselves as a peace-loving nation?
Swedish Music, more than ABBA...
When I was at the Mayo clinic in spring 2012, I set up a poll for people at Mayo. These kinds of polls were
possible through the Mayo social media client Yammer. What do you think of when you hear Sweden?, I
asked.
Almost immediately one person responded: " I think of Nordic sports, environmentally friendly culture,
and healthy living. For purpose of this poll though I went with the very first word that popped into my
head….”ABBA".
Well, I am not surprised. Swedish music is among our most popular exports!, and names such as "the
Cardigans", "The Hives", "Shout out louds", and one of my own favourites "Robyn" are household names
[I could also mention "Ace of Base", the slightly flipped out group "BWO" - bodies without organs; and of
course, almost forgot "Roxette"].
ABBA is of course the number one, manifested not only by their museum in Stockholm (perhaps where
we are going at the next MEB excursion??) but also because everyone knows about them. I still remember
when ABBA won the Eurovision song contest in 1974 with the song Waterloo. I was not yet five years old,
but was allowed to watch the show on TV. Brilliant! We were all ecstatic (a feeling I have since only felt
once more, when the singer "Carola" swept the music scene of the Swedish Eurovision song contest at the
age of 16 and got the highest score ever recorded. Her song "Främling" (Stranger) is just fantastic).
Swedish music life is however more than just stars. It is about people jamming in their homes and
elsewhere. Very many Swedish children start practicing, either the flute, or the guitar at the age of 9-10
years, and then later we diversify and some try out more exotic instruments, others, like myself get stuck
with the guitar for the rest or our lives….
Some decide they don't want to play an instrument, their voice is just enough. Birgit Nilsson, the opera
singer, is one of them. The choir, "OD" from Uppsala is perhaps the most famous male choir. And others,
decide they want to build their own instruments…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNE9bUa2D0c
Midsummer
While Christmas is important to most people around the globe (perhaps with an emphasis on Europe and
the Americas), Midsummer is by many in this country regarded as the most Swedish of all festivals and
feasts. Midsummer, or “midsommar” as it is known in Swedish, takes place on a Friday close to the
summer solstice, usually around June 20.
Where I live we start preparing for Midsummer on Thursday, the day before the real event. Families
gather with their children and collect flowers. A farmer in the neighbourhood brings his tractor and an
appending wagon. All small children and some parents hop on and then go to the woods where they collect
birch leaves. Due to severe allergy, I usually skip this part (if I don't prop myself up with oral steroids and
join anyway). Those of us who are left behind (not sharing a ride with the tractor) start collecting flowers
which are then mixed with the birth leaves around the maypole.
In my village, the maypole is around 12 m high. We leave it lying on the ground until around 2 pm the
next day.
On midsummer’s day most people will eat boiled potatoes and herring. They will then go to the maypole
and bring their own “fika”. Where I live, 90% of the people bring some kind of cake, usually chocolate cake
with whipped cream and strawberries. The fresh strawberries are elemental, and the local store brings
home about 700 litres on this very day(!) – and then consider that my village only consists of about 300
households….
The local orchestra plays typical songs while someone urges “all
strong men” to come forward to put the maypole in place (quite a few
men are usually eager to show off their strength). At this stage it is time
for the plays and this is usually when the famous play/game “the small
frogs” appears, and we all jump and shout to imitate small frogs.
However, there are more songs than just the frog song such as
“prästens lilla kråka” [the small crow of the priest], “räven raskar over
isen” [the fox walks over the ice], “vi äro musikanter” [we are
musicians!], and “björnen sover” [the bear is asleep]. In my village the
games usually end by a collective burst in the form of the play “raketen”
where everyone tries to imitate the start of a rocket.
Midsummer is a wonderful festival. It is celebrated all over Sweden, but perhaps two places are more
famous for their festivals than the rest of Sweden. On the small island Öland outside Kalmar hundreds of
thousands of people gather to celebrate (by the way, for many years the “founding fathers” of both MEB
(Adami) and KEP (Ekbom) had their summer houses on this island). The other place to celebrate is the
county Dalarna. Dalarna, here illustrated by its typical wooden horse “dala-häst” is the county of the lake
Siljan. Here people dress up in traditional clothes and you can still find people who dance, as is shown in
the traditional painting by Anders Zorn:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Midsommardans_av_Anders_Zorn_1897.jpg
The joys of Swedish food
The easiest way to find out what is really Swedish food is to visit an IKEA store. IKEA has tried to define
and promote Swedish food.
Here you will find "korv med bröd" [hot dogs], but also "köttbullar" [meatballs]. The latters are served
with the staple of Swedish cuisine: potatoes. Potatoes are usually boiled, but can also be fried. However, a
dish with potatoes and meatballs is not complete without at least two different add-ons: the "sylt" [jam, often
from "lingon", lingonberries] and the brown sauce [Swedish. Brun sås]. The brown sauce is essential, and
has even inspired a popular web site that features Swedish food from the 1970s - things many of us
remember with "mixed emotions".
Read more: http://denbrunamaten.se/
With this food we drink milk.
Lactose intolerance is very rare among Swedes born in Sweden. At my earlier job (at "KEP") one of the
secretaries used to joke that the research unit needed a cow just to cover the amount of milk I poured into
my coffee. Coffee, well by the way, that is also fairly Swedish…..
However, I have saved the gem of Swedish cuisine for
the last paragraph. The Caviar, or more precisely, "Kalles
Kaviar".
Kalles Kaviar is "world-famous in Sweden". It is red and
tastes a bit salty. It is produced in Northern Bohuslän
(near the city Uddevalla) by a company called "abba"
[does not make the product less Swedish, or?]. Kalles
Kaviar is put on a sandwich with egg, or just eaten with
boiled eggs. And finally, the boy on the tube, is that Kalle?
Well yes it is! His real name is Carl Ameln, and just like all
"Carls" in Sweden his nickname was Kalle.