Wash me clean

The small machines and centrifuge
in the middle

Washing clothes in Sweden is an activity requiring great precision and timing. Fitting into the schedule for the shared washing machines is quite a task when there are 8 machines for 100 families...

...but thats how the Swedes roll: like all things in the country, washing facilities are built to work well and built to last. Buildings in the country are made solid with all their attachments and peripherals a little bit more heavy duty than needed, so they last for ever.

Underneath apartment blocks in Sweden you will find an equally sturdy laundromat that services the whole building. The machines in there are heavy duty and wash quickly. You can do a whole load (6.5 kg in the normal machines and 10 kg in the big ones) in 37 minutes on normal settings and dry your clothes in as little as 20 minutes.

When you want to wash you need to go downstairs and make an appointment. Usually you can't get a spot on the day, so you need to plan in advance. When it's your turn you get your spot (usually two hours) and then some extra time after that for drying.

The reservation book

There are two washers and a centrifuge in every washroom. Also there is a drying closet, an ironing machine, sinks, a desk, chairs and an ironing board. In the drying room you have three massive tumble driers. Basically everything you need for industrial-scale washing.

By sharing these hardcore washing machines you get to have more space in your flat, more efficient washing, less plumbing problems and so on. It also reduces the risk of fires — when you have 100 washing machines operating in different flats, the chances of an electrical fire that could kill hundreds of people as they sleep increases exponentially, therefore it's better to have a centralized system.

Swedes take the scheduling of the washing very seriously. If you are late to start, you lose your spot. If you are late to finish you are likely to have a run in with an angry Swede. I've never received one personally, but I'm told that the normal way for people to scold each other in the laundry is to leave nasty notes and to handle your clothes for you. This could mean putting them in a basket or throwing them on the floor in the corner. The nasty notes in laundries across the country are so well used that they have inspired books and websites to showcase the brilliant creativity that late washing spurs.

Tumble driers - the one on the right
is somehow special, though I don't
know why...

Speaking of scheduling, sometimes I wonder what people do in there. Given that you can wash 12 kg of clothes from start to finish including drying in less than one hour, I sometimes look at the scheduling book baffled and annoyed when someone takes a six or eight hour block for washing. Either they are helping every pensioner in the housing block to do their sheets or they are just too damn lazy to come back in a timely manner and move their clothes from the machine to the drier.

Drying closet and ironing
machine (click to enlarge)

There is one cool thing that most people in other countries would not have seen: the drying closet. It's a big closet with a massive hair-drier in it. It works at  cooler temperature than the tumble drier so its less likely to destroy your clothes, but it takes 90-100 minutes to dry everything properly. If I have the time and there is no booking after me I use it every now and then.

Washing in Sweden is fun.

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.

According to the author of this sign,
Polish people are likely to rob their shop.

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.

Country getaway

On Thursday and Friday our class went on a field trip style excursion to a little place called Bräkne-Hoby (see map). We were taken there to have intensive team building and workshop sessions for our business plans. Bräkne-Hoby is in the neighbouring region of Blekinge and seems like a really nice lush green place. There is also an archipelago, which the locals kept talking about.

My team was of course working on the underpants stuff, as mentioned in the previous post. Until we got some basic knowledge about the product it felt like we were really clutching at straws, but after a while we started to get a clearer idea about the project and who the main players were. Ringing the laundry and the hospital helped. Also, great websites like www.AliBaba.com helped us get into contact with multiple suppliers in China who knew how to make the garments we need.

The people in the region want to put Bräkne-Hoby on the world map, they said.

View Larger Map

Some of the other teams have developed really good ideas, but other teams still look like they are struggling for direction. I was shocked when two classmates told me that our speech seemed to be one of the most coherent and well established.

We were given a lecture by Rune Andersson, a very successful businessman here in Sweden. Its nice when experienced and successful people take the time to come speak to us. It gives the whole class a bit of a lift and some validation that this isn't just a university course, but something that could lead to something bigger in the business world.

We also had some fun while we were there. Everyone in the class had been assigned a role — some had to make breakfast, while others had to organize team building games. I was in the entertainment group with a few others and we had a great time.

Originally we were only given 15 minutes to perform (according to the schedule) and we decided to get together briefly and practice and brainstorm what we could do during these 15 mins. While doing that, a crowd began to gather and suddenly we were performing. The 15 minutes stretched into hours, but I had a great time. Overworked, underpaid, but satisfied :) We played on the guitars, my harmonica, a skinned tambourine that we borrowed from the university and a little rice shaker that I made out of a medicine box. Brandon, Petter, me, David and Alex played for most of the time.

The other entertainment team didn't even get to perform, unfortunately, but thats that way the cookie crumbled...

What dreams are made of...

Just so you know what Marabou Dreams actually means, I will tell you now.

Marabou is one of the tastiest mass produced chocolate brands in Europe. They make the most awesome varieties ever.

Here is a photo of what Vik is taking with her back to Lithuania to give out as presents.

As you can see, Mink krokant is one of our favourite varieties. It is toffee
with mint flavour in milk chocolate. So aromatic and so tasty. Mmmmm....

Words of the day

Three words that I have easily been able to remember are "meatballs", "chicane" and "end". Thats because they sounds sort of funny in English.

Meatballs is köttbullar, which looks like it should have a k sound at the beginning. However in Swedish, when k is followed by a soft vowel, such as "ö" it becomes "sh". So it sounds almost like "shitbullar" or shit balls. Easy to remember.

Chicane is farthinder. Its easy to remember because hinder, means to slow down in English and fart is like fahrt (n. drive/ride) in German, which means to drive. Drive-slowerer. Got it.

End is slut. The u is nice and long like all Swedish vowel sounds, so it sounds a bit like sloooot. At the end of a film, where you would normally see "the end," you see "slut."

A few other words I've learned are smör (butter) and ägg (egg).

Centralised vacuum cleaner

Today I had the pleasure of vacuuming the house. It was easy because the house where I live has a centralized vacuum system, something I'd not seen before. Getting rid of the dust and crumbs was as easy as plugging in the hose into a special socket in the wall.

The vacuum turns on, you do the cleaning and the simply take the pipe with you to the next room. No worrying about electric cords or lugging aroung the heavy bastard or worrying about if the bag is full.

Makes it easy to keep clean.

It's a nice coincidence that I enjoy this luxury technology, but in the last post I was talking about how it's nice to struggle. Life is strange isn't it?

Rolling the stone

I just finished reading the book "The Age of Absurdity: Why modern life makes it hard to be happy"

The book covers a lot of different subjects from consumerism and unbridled desire for everything (and then the disappointment once you have it) to poignant subjects such as the rejection of responsibility. The book also covers modern interpretations on love, work and death.

Following a terrifying chapter about death, I finished it with the summary of the book. More or less, the author's message is that happiness is derived from struggle: that if you are always striving towards something, you will be happiest then. Throughout the book the example of Sisyphus and his eternal struggle to push the stone up the hill is referenced as a metaphor for the happy life.

I won't summarize the whole book here, but finishing reading it at the point when I moved from Lithuania back to the west was perfect timing. While going through it, I started to be able to qualify the feelings of happiness and contentment I had in Lithuania.

The country is quite basic, for lack of a better word. Everything is as it was many years ago, except for technological advancements. In Lithuania they do not suffer from many of the ills that the western world does such as the habit of shirking personal responsibility (for example no one would EVER claim there that they are fat because of a genetic disorder. They would take full personal responsibility and say they ate too much and did too little exercise).

They also have enough to do in their everyday lives to keep them occupied. Doing mundane things like walking to the shops instead of driving and washing the dishes by hand keep you occupied and you don't get bored.

In Sweden I have already noticed that I have too much time on my hands. I cook and then all I have to do with the dishes is throw them into the machine and when its full press the button. Not exactly new technology I know, but I haven't lived with this luxury before.

I guess the thing is that Lithuania is a good place to live because there is always a bit of struggle. You don't have time to sit around and wonder about things because you are always busy just trying to keep up.

Its a very hard subject to write about — to fully explain what I'm trying to say would take two or three books and then some — so I'll just leave it at that for now. Read the book, maybe you will get what I mean...

The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes it Hard to be Happy

Cold water

Today I decided to be a bit crazy and go swim in the Öresund channel, which runs between southern Sweden and Denmark.

I rode my bike down to the water, just half a kilometre from my home (one of the advantages of living in Lomma). The wind was strong and clouds filled the sky, but I thought it would be a great way to kick start the day after doing a bit of morning work at my job at Alfa.lt.

I got to the beach and was comforted by the fact that there were a few kids around wearing bathers.

I rode down to the southern beach — not where sunbathers and swimmers usually go, but where my landlord Torsten suggested — and I was all alone. I took off my shirt and ran into the water. Pretty cold, but not totally shocking.

Wading in I realised it probably wasn't going to get much deeper. Those in the know told me that you need to go about 400 metres before getting into swimming-depth water, but I was too lazy to go so far, so I just lay down when I got in knee-deep.

My my was it...refreshing. I put my head under and wow, what a feeling! After pulling all the seaweed and crap out of my hair I felt like a million bucks. So I stayed in the water until I started to feel cold then went back to the bike and rode off.

Very fresh indeed.

Around Lomma on a cloudy day

This are some photos I took quickly so you can get an idea about what the town looks like where I live. To view the photos, click on "fullscreen". Enjoy.

Shocking bus ride

Taking the bus from Malmö gave me quite a shock that I wasn't expecting. I saw a bus driver try to steal from a passenger — behaviour that would be almost expected in a place like Lithuania, but seemingly unthinkable in the west/north.

An Iranian guy, who had not done his research into the currency used in Sweden (or into anything else for that matter) got on the bus and said to the driver: "Hello, I am from Iran and I don't know how much it costs to get on. Could you please help me?"

Following this the Iranian held out €20. Just so you know why this is dumb, note that the currency of Sweden is the Swedish Kronor (€1.00 = 9.44Kr) and euros are not accepted. Obviously.

So I was quite amazed when the driver took the money and put it in his wallet. Not only did he take the money, but then he gave the Iranian 7 kr back as change.

I couldn't stand seeing someone cheated like this — even it if was clearly their own fault being so ill informed — so I got up and told the driver to give the €2o back and also gave the 7kr back too. I asked the Iranian if he had any kronor and he said "no, but I thought the currency of Europe was the euro?"

The bus driver pretended he didn't know the exchange rate between kronor and euro - something that is clearly impossible given that the Swedish economy is closely linked to Europe's.

I paid the 29kr for this guy's ticket so he could ride the bus. When we got to Lomma we would go to a bank, change some money and everything would be fine.

When we got to Lomma we found a bank and asked for the currency to be changed. No chance because they were a cashless bank: a bank without money. Of course, how obvious! We went to three other banks and found the same thing: no chance to change your money here. Sigh.

In the end I just took the €20 and gave him 100kr back. That is 188.85 kr minus 29 for the bus and minus 40 for a currency transaction leaving a little leeway for currency fluctuation.

It cost the Iranian 10 euros to ride a bus that should have cost three, but then again, if you don't bring the right currency, what do you expect? Better than him getting cheated out of the whole 20. I still wish I didn't need to go to the bank to change it myself though — at least I helped someone out that day.

Trading places

Since early 2006 I have been on the road more or less constantly, always looking for a new direction or a new way to enjoy the place where I'm at. There was always one rule though: the new place is going to be exiting and better.

Leaving Lithuania after three years living there for yet another new start actually daunted me for the first time. Even though I lived the life of a pauper in Vilnius with a terrible flat filled with appliances that didn't work and a landlord that was such an asshole that he wouldn't fix the lock on the front door, I had sort of settled in there.

Things were familiar and I had my circle of friends and acquaintances. I had also achieved some sort of standing in the local media industry, a very important thing to have in a place like Lithuania where knowing someone is the difference between success and failure.

So when I got on the plane to Sweden I was actually a little anxious for the first time since I started travelling in Europe four years ago. I was wondering whether I'd cope with money given that I would still be writing for Alfa.lt with Lithuanian wages in a Swedish-priced world. I was also anxious about whether Vik would come over and be able to find a job quickly given that Europe is still struggling out of recession.

Denmark

Arriving in Copenhagen was a mixed bag of experiences for me. First of all, people were actually smiling. Its something I had seen rarely in Lithuania, a country so obsessed by its own misery that smiling seems like it must be illegal or something. There was also the excessively well-organised aspect of Denmark that hit me. It was as if I didn't need to struggle to live anymore. I didn't get a sore back riding the bus or have to wait in line only to be yelled at for something I didn't do. Electronic goods were not made 30 years ago. Everything was working with clockwork precision.

Keep in mind though that this sort of level of efficiency comes at a cost. This was a major shock coming from Lithuania. One bus ride in Copenhagen costs more than what it costs to eat for a day in Vilnius. Coffees in Denmark's capital are five times the price of those in Lithuania's, which are already unaffordable for most people there. The new price scheme compared to my bank balance was quite a shock.

After spending a few hours in Copenhagen I made my way to Sweden using the train that goes over the massive bridge to Malmö. It didn't take long to get all the way to the next country and suddenly it was a new language again. Good thing I only picked up a few words of Danish.

Sweden

I arrived in Sweden and went to my new house. It is a clean room and I have my own bathroom next door with an enormous bath I will probably never use. I am living on the top floor of a house owned by a retired doctor who likes sailing a lot. He seems to be a really nice guy who has devoted his life to high education and a functional society.

The town I'm living in is called Lomma (see map) and is something like Palanga in Lithuania. It is the seaside resort town of Skåne, the south-western region of Sweden. There isn't much going on when its raining (as it has been for the last few days), but I'm hoping that there will be at least another hot day or two when I could go for a swim at the beach.

View Larger Map

I also made a quick trip to Lund, the city where I will be studying. It is very picturesque and is full of vibrant student life. The feeling is tangible (and I don't mean that like shitty travel journalists bandy the term 'tangible' about. I actually mean this place was vibrant. No really). In fact, after my initial anxiety from the move wore off, the excited feeling for whats up ahead came back to me in bucket-loads.

After a day of worry, I'm ready for what the future holds. I've turned the page and this is the next phase of my life.