Thursday 28 October 2010
Internet on
I am still alive. I bottled my second batch of beer. I am studying for the exam tomorrow. Ends.
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Swedish bureaucrazy
Moving into the new flat has been a headache for a few reasons, but now we have the cherry on the cake. As my housemate Anton thinks, it is some sort of tacit racism against foreigners.
While I'm not so pessimistic about the issue, it still makes me shake my head. Bureaucracy in Sweden is really an art form unto itself. For a developed country that is seen as leading in many respects, I can't imagine how all this crazy paperwork can exist. At the same time I understand that it must exist, or Sweden would cease to be.
We have been trying to get the internet connected at home. At first we understood that we needed to look for our own provider and so we started looking around for different deals. We settled on a company called Bredbandsbolaget and called them.
Unfortunately the robot that answers the phone in Swedish doesn't make it very easy to get things done. I got a friend to call up and she told me that in fact we already had Bredbandsbolaget connected to our flat and that the contract had already been paid for the coming year. The only thing we needed to do was make an account with them.
I went to the shop and bought a router. The salesman tried to upsell me to a model of router that I clearly didn't need (bad salesmanship). I went home and we plugged it in. The internet worked. For two days.
After the second day the internet was cut off, so I called the company and asked what had happened — perhaps it was technical difficulties or maybe we really needed to make an account.
I got through to a person on the end of the line with the help of a friend who told me how to navigate through the Swedish robot. The guy on the other end of the line wasn't much more helpful than the computer that I couldn't understand speaking. He told me to view the account I needed the personal number of the account that was there before. The account no longer existed and the person who lived here prior was gone, so clearly it was impossible for me to give him this number. He told me the only way to activate the internet (which was already active) was to make a free account with my personal number.
The thing is that I don't have a personal number. Because I am staying in Sweden for less than 12 months of study, I get a temporary number, which doesn't cut it for certain things. Temporary number means I can't make an account to turn on already functioning internet that has already been paid for for the whole year.
Later we tried with Anton's number - he has a real one because he will be in Sweden for two years at least. They wouldn't let us use this one either because you need to have been in the country for more than 6 months before you can use the service.
Its mindless.
While I'm not so pessimistic about the issue, it still makes me shake my head. Bureaucracy in Sweden is really an art form unto itself. For a developed country that is seen as leading in many respects, I can't imagine how all this crazy paperwork can exist. At the same time I understand that it must exist, or Sweden would cease to be.
We have been trying to get the internet connected at home. At first we understood that we needed to look for our own provider and so we started looking around for different deals. We settled on a company called Bredbandsbolaget and called them.
Unfortunately the robot that answers the phone in Swedish doesn't make it very easy to get things done. I got a friend to call up and she told me that in fact we already had Bredbandsbolaget connected to our flat and that the contract had already been paid for the coming year. The only thing we needed to do was make an account with them.
I went to the shop and bought a router. The salesman tried to upsell me to a model of router that I clearly didn't need (bad salesmanship). I went home and we plugged it in. The internet worked. For two days.
After the second day the internet was cut off, so I called the company and asked what had happened — perhaps it was technical difficulties or maybe we really needed to make an account.
I got through to a person on the end of the line with the help of a friend who told me how to navigate through the Swedish robot. The guy on the other end of the line wasn't much more helpful than the computer that I couldn't understand speaking. He told me to view the account I needed the personal number of the account that was there before. The account no longer existed and the person who lived here prior was gone, so clearly it was impossible for me to give him this number. He told me the only way to activate the internet (which was already active) was to make a free account with my personal number.
The thing is that I don't have a personal number. Because I am staying in Sweden for less than 12 months of study, I get a temporary number, which doesn't cut it for certain things. Temporary number means I can't make an account to turn on already functioning internet that has already been paid for for the whole year.
Later we tried with Anton's number - he has a real one because he will be in Sweden for two years at least. They wouldn't let us use this one either because you need to have been in the country for more than 6 months before you can use the service.
Its mindless.
Tuesday 19 October 2010
I am brewer: hear me roar!
It took a good while to clean the bottles because I got them from the glass bin at Vastgota nation. I wanted to be sure that they were clean, so I rinsed them, then soaked them in hot soapy water, then rinsed the soap out (twice) then let them soak with sanitizer for two hours inside them, then I rinsed them again. I have clean bottles for sure, but it did take me some three hours. Next time I will know whose lips have been on them, so I won't have to work so hard again.
Following the sanitizing, I added around 2.5 grams of sugar to each bottle before siphoning the beer in. The sugar gives the yeast something to do and it creates bubbles. This process is called carbonation and gives the beer the fizz that we all love and adore.
At a minimum I've read you can leave the beer for 10 days, but I will leave it for double that to make sure I have a crystal clear beer with softened bubbles. At first the bubbles are quite large and crude, but over time they become smaller as the bottle conditions. Amazing stuff.
Come early November, I'll be crackin' frothies left, right and centre!
Busy week
I have just had the ultimately busy week.
Moving out from one town to another, bottling beer, helping house mates move, doing three different group assignments, having meetings with researchers, sleeping on the floor, going to lectures, writing for Alfa, writing summaries for class, doing presentations in class, going to networking meetings, sleeping...maybe there was more, but I've already forgotten.
If I had more money, none of this would have happened...I would have my own car, I would never have moved to Lomma, I wouldn't have to work in between studies etc.
Interesting what sacrifices you have to make for a free master's degree. Its all good though - at least I'm in my new flat and things are looking up from here.
My course mates decided on their own accord that they would have a small party at my flat on Friday too. It was good that I didn't have to organize anything because I wouldn't have had the energy to do it.
Moving out from one town to another, bottling beer, helping house mates move, doing three different group assignments, having meetings with researchers, sleeping on the floor, going to lectures, writing for Alfa, writing summaries for class, doing presentations in class, going to networking meetings, sleeping...maybe there was more, but I've already forgotten.
If I had more money, none of this would have happened...I would have my own car, I would never have moved to Lomma, I wouldn't have to work in between studies etc.
Interesting what sacrifices you have to make for a free master's degree. Its all good though - at least I'm in my new flat and things are looking up from here.
My course mates decided on their own accord that they would have a small party at my flat on Friday too. It was good that I didn't have to organize anything because I wouldn't have had the energy to do it.
Wednesday 13 October 2010
The Book Thief
There is a book called The Book Thief, but thats not what this is about.
When I moved in with my previous landlord, he told me he was very interested in Lithuanian culture. So next time Vik came to visit me from Lithuania I got her to bring one of my favourite books "Vilnius — City of Strangers" for him to read.
When I was moving out yesterday, I asked the landlord for the book back, but he claimed it was a gift. After I reminded him that I asked him to return it, he claimed that Vik gave it as a gift.
"That's nice," I thought. "Its my book and other people can't give it away as a gift even if they want to."
Then when I went upstairs to claim the last of my things he arrived looking sheepish telling me that he couldn't find the book. I knew where it was and he knew where it was, but he wasn't prepared to give it up.
I left without the book. Bastard.
When I moved in with my previous landlord, he told me he was very interested in Lithuanian culture. So next time Vik came to visit me from Lithuania I got her to bring one of my favourite books "Vilnius — City of Strangers" for him to read.
When I was moving out yesterday, I asked the landlord for the book back, but he claimed it was a gift. After I reminded him that I asked him to return it, he claimed that Vik gave it as a gift.
"That's nice," I thought. "Its my book and other people can't give it away as a gift even if they want to."
Then when I went upstairs to claim the last of my things he arrived looking sheepish telling me that he couldn't find the book. I knew where it was and he knew where it was, but he wasn't prepared to give it up.
I left without the book. Bastard.
Saturday 9 October 2010
Racism anyone?
Swedes pride themselves on being an open nation, tolerant of pretty much anything on the planet. Ever. Most Swedes cringed when the far right party got part of the vote at the last election because it meant that the evil racists had taken root in the country's parliament.
In general Swedes do live up to their reputation as being open and tolerant. After all, they let people like me (international students) come and learn for free...at least for this year. There are also a lot of nationalities here in the south of Sweden, particularly in the country's third biggest city, Malmö. I feel like this approach to allowing immigrants has really benefited Sweden and provided them with a rich array of people, cultures and food.
So, today I was walking down the street in Lund with Vik and I wanted to take my camera to the photo shop for them to have a look at it. When we got there it was closed and barricaded with pull down roller guards. It makes good sense to secure your shop at night, after all.
Then I noticed three print-outs along the facade. As you can see in the picture, it says they don't leave valuables in the shop overnight, so thieves please don't bust up our shop for nothing. The thing that caught my eye was of course the word "uwaga," which is "caution" or "attention" in Polish.
The notice was written in Swedish, English and Polish. Swedish of course should be on this form because it is the native language. Then comes English because there are so many foreigners living in Lund. Again this makes sense.
Polish however is not a language that is widely spoken here and basically the shop owners have taken the action of fingering Polish people as thieves that are likely to hit up their shop for a easy krona. Not only that, they are illiterate in English and Swedish (unlike all other nationalities) and so they need to be reminded.
It could be that they have been repeatedly robbed by Poles in the past, but I find that to be highly unlikely. Even if it were the case, it is a matter for the police and insurance companies to deal with. Rather, I think someone in the company probably decided that this was a good idea on their own.
Behind the mask of tolerance are the true feelings of the people.
Its not just this person (whoever made this sign) who has demonstrated nationalist stereotyping, and therefore racism, while I've been here. On many occasions, I have had Swedes pull me aside and tell me in low tones about the issues in Malmö with race and ghetto.
There are a lot of Muslim people and other ethnic groups in Malmö that are crammed together in a tight block. They don't seem to integrate from what I've heard and there have been riots and other incidents that have shown how poorly they interact with the locals.
I saw myself when I went to the nice shopping centre (they have everything!) in the immigrant area in Malmö how the people are different. They dress differently to Swedes and they hang out on street corners, a behaviour that is unusual in these parts.
From my own perspective — having seen the immigrant neighbourhood with its restless groups of young men looking for trouble on the street and other examples of ethnic tension like this sign at the photo shop — I can see that Sweden has trouble with immigrants and foreigners.
Its not really surprising because the country lets in so many foreign people, particularly refugees, every year. What Swedes fail to do is talk openly about the problems that this can create. Because of their reputation as a tolerant and open country, there is a taboo in speaking about the issues. Most of the time when you read about issues to do with immigration in the local media they hold their punches and make veiled statements.
What this does is make people angry and they simmer. Like a pressurized vessel, the famous Swedish tolerance for the rapid influx of immigrants who don't integrate and adopt the Swedish way of life seems to have worn thin. People are angry inside about the issue and can't let off steam because they aren't allowed to talk about it.
Of course I can understand why people don't talk openly about issues relating to foreigners, particularly Muslims and refugees in 2010. Just like at home in Australia, if you say anything at all about anything, you are a racist, so you'd better keep your mouth shut, even if you just want to see the problem solved and have no problem with the people involved.
I wonder if this feeling that I have felt in the locals is an explanation of how the far right party actually made it into the parliament? Perhaps it is a manifestation of the feeling that enough is enough and now people want to talk about it.
In general Swedes do live up to their reputation as being open and tolerant. After all, they let people like me (international students) come and learn for free...at least for this year. There are also a lot of nationalities here in the south of Sweden, particularly in the country's third biggest city, Malmö. I feel like this approach to allowing immigrants has really benefited Sweden and provided them with a rich array of people, cultures and food.
So, today I was walking down the street in Lund with Vik and I wanted to take my camera to the photo shop for them to have a look at it. When we got there it was closed and barricaded with pull down roller guards. It makes good sense to secure your shop at night, after all.
Then I noticed three print-outs along the facade. As you can see in the picture, it says they don't leave valuables in the shop overnight, so thieves please don't bust up our shop for nothing. The thing that caught my eye was of course the word "uwaga," which is "caution" or "attention" in Polish.
 |
| According to the author of this sign, Polish people are likely to rob their shop. |
Polish however is not a language that is widely spoken here and basically the shop owners have taken the action of fingering Polish people as thieves that are likely to hit up their shop for a easy krona. Not only that, they are illiterate in English and Swedish (unlike all other nationalities) and so they need to be reminded.
It could be that they have been repeatedly robbed by Poles in the past, but I find that to be highly unlikely. Even if it were the case, it is a matter for the police and insurance companies to deal with. Rather, I think someone in the company probably decided that this was a good idea on their own.
Behind the mask of tolerance are the true feelings of the people.
Its not just this person (whoever made this sign) who has demonstrated nationalist stereotyping, and therefore racism, while I've been here. On many occasions, I have had Swedes pull me aside and tell me in low tones about the issues in Malmö with race and ghetto.
There are a lot of Muslim people and other ethnic groups in Malmö that are crammed together in a tight block. They don't seem to integrate from what I've heard and there have been riots and other incidents that have shown how poorly they interact with the locals.
I saw myself when I went to the nice shopping centre (they have everything!) in the immigrant area in Malmö how the people are different. They dress differently to Swedes and they hang out on street corners, a behaviour that is unusual in these parts.
From my own perspective — having seen the immigrant neighbourhood with its restless groups of young men looking for trouble on the street and other examples of ethnic tension like this sign at the photo shop — I can see that Sweden has trouble with immigrants and foreigners.
Its not really surprising because the country lets in so many foreign people, particularly refugees, every year. What Swedes fail to do is talk openly about the problems that this can create. Because of their reputation as a tolerant and open country, there is a taboo in speaking about the issues. Most of the time when you read about issues to do with immigration in the local media they hold their punches and make veiled statements.
What this does is make people angry and they simmer. Like a pressurized vessel, the famous Swedish tolerance for the rapid influx of immigrants who don't integrate and adopt the Swedish way of life seems to have worn thin. People are angry inside about the issue and can't let off steam because they aren't allowed to talk about it.
Of course I can understand why people don't talk openly about issues relating to foreigners, particularly Muslims and refugees in 2010. Just like at home in Australia, if you say anything at all about anything, you are a racist, so you'd better keep your mouth shut, even if you just want to see the problem solved and have no problem with the people involved.
I wonder if this feeling that I have felt in the locals is an explanation of how the far right party actually made it into the parliament? Perhaps it is a manifestation of the feeling that enough is enough and now people want to talk about it.
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Reading, when 180 pages over two days is too much
Read read read read. No talking in class. Read read read. Perform seminar to prove you have done the readings.
Tuesday 5 October 2010
My nurse
 |
| Anton with a big bowl of his own hand made curd dumplings. On the other plate, a big dollop of cream... |
So far he has made me a tea, helped me with some soup, given me a big bowl of home made curd dumplings and told me various jokes to try to lift my spirits.
Anton is a firm believer in holistic and natural healing. Tea with lemon and honey, jokes to produce positive emotions and release endorphins.
Here is a photo of him - for some reason, all these lines came over the picture and I can't get rid of them...
Sunday 3 October 2010
Bubbling beer
Beer is bubbling in my closet. My first brew is working and I hope to be bottling it soon. Not long from now you will realise why I am eager to do that...watch this space...
I have had to put a heater on the opposite side of the door from the beer because it is very chilly inside the house. The thermometer shows just above 11 degrees in the top story. Anton, my housemate seems to think that its the hole in the roof that is letting all the heat out. A plausible theory.
Like most things in this house where I live, the roof is broken and has been for quite some time as I understand it. A storm blew some of the tiles along the join of the roof off and now whats underneath (don't know what thats called) is exposed.
The beer should be kept between 21-27 degrees to ensure that the yeast works in 4-7 days and produces beer. A stopped fermentation (ie the beer is cactus) can be expected at less than 18 degrees. Yeast is a very fussy micro-organism isn't it...?
Torsten the landlord seems to think we are a bit crazy for wanting to put the heating on at this temperature inside. I should point out that the temperature outside was also about 10 or 11 degrees when we measured it and that it is much warmer downstairs where he lives.
If the yeast makes it alive and continues to ferment properly, I'll be surprised, but lets keep our fingers crossed...
I have had to put a heater on the opposite side of the door from the beer because it is very chilly inside the house. The thermometer shows just above 11 degrees in the top story. Anton, my housemate seems to think that its the hole in the roof that is letting all the heat out. A plausible theory.
Like most things in this house where I live, the roof is broken and has been for quite some time as I understand it. A storm blew some of the tiles along the join of the roof off and now whats underneath (don't know what thats called) is exposed.
The beer should be kept between 21-27 degrees to ensure that the yeast works in 4-7 days and produces beer. A stopped fermentation (ie the beer is cactus) can be expected at less than 18 degrees. Yeast is a very fussy micro-organism isn't it...?
Torsten the landlord seems to think we are a bit crazy for wanting to put the heating on at this temperature inside. I should point out that the temperature outside was also about 10 or 11 degrees when we measured it and that it is much warmer downstairs where he lives.
If the yeast makes it alive and continues to ferment properly, I'll be surprised, but lets keep our fingers crossed...
Friday 1 October 2010
Lomma fiesta
Last night Brandon, from my course, came to my house in Lomma where we had a small cooking and brewing fiesta.
After setting the scene with a Twisted Thistle IPA from the System Bolaget, we started brewing my first batch of homebrew ever. It was sort of exciting.
As every homebrewer on the first time, I was pretty nervous and wanted to make sure everything went just right. Brandon was more along the lines of "naaah mate don't worry. She'll be right, just chuck it all in there and giz a swirl!" It seems like he was right because I checked it later on and some small bubbles appear to be forming, which means the the yeast is doing its work!
After that we had some Green 9s and some Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cab.
Roast chicken and vegetables accompanied by some potato mash were for dinner in payment for Brandon's beer making guidance. Num num num num :)
The great thing about having people over is that you can get them to do all the work and reap the rewards. Apart from almost cutting his finger off, Brandon did a good job skinning the apples and cutting them up for jam and cake, which both came out well.
Sorry for the terribly boring "my-life-is-so-interesting-so-you-should-read-about-it-and then-and then-and then-and then" post, but thats life :)
After setting the scene with a Twisted Thistle IPA from the System Bolaget, we started brewing my first batch of homebrew ever. It was sort of exciting.
As every homebrewer on the first time, I was pretty nervous and wanted to make sure everything went just right. Brandon was more along the lines of "naaah mate don't worry. She'll be right, just chuck it all in there and giz a swirl!" It seems like he was right because I checked it later on and some small bubbles appear to be forming, which means the the yeast is doing its work!
After that we had some Green 9s and some Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cab.
Roast chicken and vegetables accompanied by some potato mash were for dinner in payment for Brandon's beer making guidance. Num num num num :)
The great thing about having people over is that you can get them to do all the work and reap the rewards. Apart from almost cutting his finger off, Brandon did a good job skinning the apples and cutting them up for jam and cake, which both came out well.
Sorry for the terribly boring "my-life-is-so-interesting-so-you-should-read-about-it-and then-and then-and then-and then" post, but thats life :)
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