World Expat Population – did you know?
This infographic from Feedbacq Movers provide some interesting facts and figures on the Expat Population of the world.
Tag Archives: expat in Gothenburg
Read in Swedish – website with samples
Read in Swedish
Reading is learning. Reading is traveling. I would say that to read is to rest and activate the brain at the same time – depending on what you are reading and what the purpose of it is.
I have not yet taken to read books on a tablet. I prefer to hold the book, flip through the crispy pages, smell the paper and insert post-its where I find something memorable. I also love a nice cover. I usually read in Swedish or English, but try to read at least a couple of books in German every year too. I think it is a good way to keep up the language and also to learn new words; especially the new, trendier words.
Read in Swedish – samples
Despite my love for the physical book I don’t mind reading shorter texts on a screen. There’s a webpage I use where you can read extracts from books published in Sweden. This is useful and inspiring when you look for something to read in Swedish. But it is not only valuable to native speakers – I also sometimes use it for my Swedish classes.
The website is www.provlas.se
Here are a few tips on what to read if you are learning Swedish – children or adults, beginners or advanced, first language or second!
- The Typical Swede: Learn about “Swedishness”, in Swedish. Pictures give hints if you are not yet familiar with the Swedish language. http://www.provlas.se/typiskt-svenskt/
- Lättläst/Easy read: Zlatan – now as easy read. http://www.provlas.se/jag-ar-zlatan-ibrahimovic/
- Lättläst/Easy read: August Strindberg – Röda rummet http://www.provlas.se/roda-rummet/
- For children: Our beloved “Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter” teaches about colors and shapes http://www.provlas.se/farg-och-formbok/
- Advanced level: Learn about metaphors in the Swedish language http://www.provlas.se/polletten-som-trillade-ner/
Any good reads lately? In Swedish I am currently reading “En man som heter Ove”
#seetheworld Twitter Chat on Sweden is coming up!
#seetheworld
Join the Twitter chat on Sweden Aug 14! The community of #seetheworld will share and learn about Sweden! Whether you have already been to Sweden or not, live here or don’t, know something about it or nothing at all – come join us! This is a nice opportunity to chat about Sweden with fellow curious twitter friends. And, to connect with new friends! We all want to #seetheworld!
To join the conversation log in to Twitter and follow the hashtag #SeeTheWorld.
You can also follow
me, the co-host, @globatris
the founders @theCultureur and @RovingAltruist
and of course @SeeTheWorldChat
https://twitter.com/thecultureur/status/365212764148473856
Learn the Swedish language by listening to music
Learn the Swedish language by listening to music
Learning a language it is beneficial to listen to and sing along to music in that language. You learn new words but more importantly you get a sense of the rhythm and intonation of the language, as well as learning pronunciation.
Below is a link to a popular summer song in Swedish, by Tomas Ledin. It is called “Sommaren är kort” – summer is short.
To learn the Swedish language by listening to music you need to pick up the words in the song. I have made a Sommaren är kort – glosor translating Swedish into English.
Sing along!
Top Ten Tips for Moving to Sweden
Top Ten Tips For Moving To Sweden
1) Securing employment in Sweden can be a bit of a challenge. Often, the language barrier can be an issue, but as a native English speaker you will have an advantage among other expatriates.
2) Many English expatriates opt to become teachers at international schools. Having a British Post Graduate Certificate in Education is an asset as well as an intermediate level of Swedish. However, the qualifications will vary depending on your teaching level and school board.
3) You can find work online through company websites or through Arbetsförmedlingen, which is the largest job placement website in Sweden. You may also find work through Stepstone, Thelocal.se or Monster, which are also popular search engines.
4) Similar to other Scandinavian countries, the Swedish healthcare system is funded by taxpayers; however as with many other nations, the public health care system does not cover optometry, dentistry, or orthodontics to name a few.
5) Prescription medication must be provided by a physician, and it is provided through your personnummer then sent directly to the network of drugstores across the country. Thus, it is very important to receive this number as you will need it for many things.
6) When visiting a doctor, you may be required to pay a small fee of about 150 to 300 SEK. After 1,100 SEK have been paid within one year, further healthcare will be provided free of charge.
7) Primary education in Sweden is mandatory for children between the ages of 6/7 and 15/16 and it s free. Children can attend pre-school (förskola) between the ages of 1 to 5. Pre school is very common in Sweden as it aids in the child’s development and learning.
8) There are also a few options available for private schooling. Within greater Stockholm, you will find Sigtunaskolan, which offers boarding for boys and girls. Another notable private school is Lundbergs skola, which is located within proximity of Kristinehamn.
9) Higher Education institutions offer programs taught entirely in English or in Swedish. Sweden is home to many internationally recognized universities such as Uppsala University, Lund University and The Stockholm School of Economics.
10) You may also choose to learn Swedish through private institutions such as Folkuniversitetet or you may seek Swedish courses at a higher education institution. However, Swedish courses at a university are not publicly funded. Alternatively, many private firms offer Swedish language training to expatriates.
This post was sponsored by Overs; a UK removals firm, specializing in removals to the UK, Europe and worldwide. Get in touch and see how we can help you: http://www.overs.co.uk/
Midsummer – what’s it all about?
Midsummer
Midsummer in Sweden or elsewhere, or just interested in learning what it is all about?
Flowers in your hair – as a crown -, Swedish smörgåsbord when it comes to food or just the herring and new potatoes. Midsummer pole and traditional dancing, picking wildflowers and … rain. All is Midsummer.
I found an article in New York Times very well describing a Midsummer Day’s Dream. Read it here!
Compare cost of living tool for moving abroad
Moving abroad and local cost
Are you thinking of expatriating? If you haven’t yet decided whereto local cost of living might have an impact on the decision. Even if you know which will be your new expat country it can be interesting to find out the local price ranges. Expatriating or not; perhaps you are just interested in comparing cost of living in different countries and locations.
Cost of living calculator
On expatistan.com you can enter cities for comparison to get an overall percentage of how much cheaper or more expensive a city is to another. You can also get down to details as how much a bottle of milk is. The website service is based on user input of prices. Why not help adding prices to the cost of living comparisons?
HSBC Annual Expat Survey open
Expat survey – take part and / or study the results
The world’s largest expat survey opens its annual questionnaire today. It remains open until May 31st and encourages expatriates to share their experiences to form the much appreciated and award-winning comparison of expat life in different countries. To take part go here.
In 2012 more than 5300 expats took part in the HSBC Expat Explorer survey.
Swedish children’s songs
Having moved to Sweden with children your family might want to listen to Swedish children’s music. Kid’s music is very much part of the cultural context, and apart from having fun a few bonuses to listening to it include
- learning the classic Swedish tunes
- following what they are singing at preschool (dagis) and school
- improving your Swedish while singing along
- acquiring intonation and pronunciation of Swedish
Barnplaneten (Children’s planet) provides lists in Spotify such as lists for classics, nap time, animals, play and dance as well as a teacher’s list.
What does washi tape have to do with learning a language?
Learning English, Swedish, French or Chinese? Or any other language?
To work on your vocabulary when learning a new language I want to share the following tip with you. Put washi tape on items, drawers, shelves and boxes and write the object’s name on it. Remove when you have learnt the word and choose new objects.
Great for bilingual kids too, expanding their vocabulary! At home I use it for my children (TCKs) to not forget words after returning to passport country after expat life.
Washi tape is pretty masking tape, originating from Japan. It is removable and reusable, slightly transparent with a paper feel to it (made from rice paper). It comes in all sorts of patterns and colors; select one that goes well with text for this language learning project! Washi tape is commonly used for scrapbooking, art journaling and other creative projects.
Ready, craft, go! Learn!
