Tag Archives: utomlands

Cultural parenting – of course! But which cultures?

Parenting styles can vary from family to family. But there are also differences between countries, or should I say cultures. We appreciate different values, which are likely to impact our upbringing of the children. Sometimes they are easily spotted, sometimes they are not. Concept of time for instance is a good example. Coming from a culture where being on time is considered important and a courtesy, I found it annoying at times as a foreign student working in groups with others that were happily an hour late for study meetings. No surprise that we soon found out that Germans and Swedes worked well together!

As always, awareness of the values and set of rules can lead to a better understanding, and less annoyance; tolerance. In the case of time, I simply learnt to agree on another time with the students I knew would be – in my world – an hour late.

Being a parent or not; moving into a new culture you will be exposed to the impact of cultural differences. As a parent a playground is a perfect location for observation and “study”. It´s fascinating that you often can tell from the parents’ responses to their children’s behavior from which country they are. I have encountered societies where one believes that adults should not interfere when children are “playing”. In the beginning I just assumed they did not care; now I hope they care but still want the kids to solve problems on their own. I have also experienced children being constantly corrected and taught. Swedes are normally somewhere in between these two parenting styles; of course, I would like to add with a touch of irony– after all we are the land of “lagom” (just enough) and “mellan” (in the middle).

There are also differences when it comes to physical punishment (illegal in Sweden) and scolding in public. Some people want other parents to know they are dealing with the matter, and some don´t.

Another, always hot, topic is whether it is considered acceptable for a parent to deal with someone else’s child.

I do believe that the culture you are currently living in influences your parenting. It is a way of fitting in, of accepting the hosting society but also grabbing the good stuff!

It is interesting once you start thinking in terms of cultural parenting. What are the cornerstones of your culture/-s when it comes to raising children? Which are the strengths? Have you added anything from your host culture?

Perhaps you are even a slightly different parent in another location! And by that I am not referring to the newly relocated, stressed and culture shocked parent …

Utlandssvenskar sökes till TV-program

Är ni utlandssvenskar? Kanske på väg att bli?

Jag fick en förfrågan om assistans från Tove Bergqvist som är med och producerar ett familjeprogram om utlandssvenskar för TV. Hon söker familjer som bor i utlandet, och som är intresserade av att deltaga. Uppropet gäller också er som är på väg att flytta utomlands. Jag bad Tove skriva ihop en kortare text, vilken följer nedan:

“Vi söker barnfamiljer som har flyttat/är på väg att flytta utomlands! Det är ett nytt familjeprogram som ska visa hur det är att dra upp sina rötter och flytta med familjen till ett annat ställe och börja om med vardag och det berömda livspusslet. Det får gärna vara något udda, kanske ett ovanligt jobb eller en spännande stad/plats, lite äventyrligt helt enkelt! Ena föräldern och barnen ska prata svenska. Stämmer det in på er eller någon ni känner? Vi tar tacksamt emot alla tips! För mer info maila till tove.bergqvist@art89.se”

Jag hoppas att programmet blir en bra balans till Svenska Hollywoodfruar och bilden många har av utlandssvensken. Som Tove skriver finns det en vardag och ett livspussel utomlands också. Dessa skall dessutom hanteras på ett annat språk och i en främmande kultur med allt vad annorlunda normer och värderingar kan innebära.

Kan det vara något för dig? 🙂

Glöm inte att dela artikeln!

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?

 

Expatriate life in lyrics

Today I’ll provide a link to one of my favorite musical songs. It describes the life of an expat mother, but an expatriate life of past times and of much hardship. Expatriating today can be tough too, but hopefully not on all the levels Kristina experiences.

Listen to Kristina

From the musical “Kristina from Duvemåla” by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulveus (the Bs in ABBA).

Svenska barnsånger

Om du bor utomlands kan det vara roligt att ibland sjunga svenska sånger med barnen. Många föräldrar tar sina barn till svenska kyrkan eller andra svenska grupper där sång ingår. Denna möjlighet finns långt ifrån för alla expatriater. Nedan finns en länk till en av Barnplanetens listor på Spotify. Barnplaneten har spellistor i många kategorier, t ex Barnkammarboken, Klassiker, Buslistan och Favoriter.

Länk till trafiklistan – perfekt inte bara för bilintresserade utan för alla som är ute och går eller cyklar!

Living abroad and want to listen to Swedish children’s music? Klick the link above or go here to read a post in English about Swedish kid’s music.

#Worldcolors April

I’m on a mission to find yellow. Both here in Sweden and in my extensive collection of photos from my expat time and travels.

This month’s #worldcolors is all about the sunny, golden yellowish nuances. Suits well with the arrival of spring and longer sun hours. Daffodils however – don’t think they will actually be here in April due to the long winter and late arrival of spring.

I read about the “assignment” yesterday morning in Naomi’s blog (via twitter). My brain and eyes tuned in on yellow and focused on everything of that color I saw during the day – actually a bit annoying; either it wasn’t worth taking a picture of or it was something I drove by and couldn’t capture anyway.

If you would like to read more, see interesting photos from all over the world and perhaps participate you find the details over at Anne’s at part time traveler.

BTW. Yellow is gul in Swedish. Want to know how it is pronounced?

 

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10 Quick tips on how to plan your stay when living abroad or traveling

Living abroad or traveling – tips for exploring and sightseeing

When I arrive in a new place I’m always eager to explore the surroundings. Sometimes I already know what I would like to see, sometimes I don’t have a clue. One thing I know though is that I don’t want to leave feeling I have missed out on places and things to discover simply because it “just didn’t happen”. This is an advice I always share with expats getting ready to leave for a new destination; do not go back without stories to tell, and memories to savor!  We all know that time flies so start planning your stay abroad! Below I’m sharing some of my tips to help exploring a new location. They are not only valid for living abroad but work for traveling and vacation too!

10 Quick tips on how not to miss out on places to go when living abroad or traveling

Here are a few tips for your inspiration
on planning what you want to experience in your adopted country and to get you going!

  • Start right away
  • Try apps such as Stuck on Earth or let Google World Wonders Project inspire you.
  • Stock up on guide books – still my favorite source for inspiration, and excellent to save as memories. Notes in them makes it more personal!
  • Ask people for tips – in person or on internet forums.
  • Local papers – ads and what-to-dos sections can provide ideas even if you don’t master the language.
  • Don’t limit yourself to searching the Internet – there are lots of accounts on
    Twitter providing tips on cities and regions. Facebook and Google+ works too! Instagram needless to say offers travel eye candy!
  • Take into account how long your expatriate / travel adventure is planned to last.
  • Make a list of want-to-sees, top priorities first.
  • Schedule trips and visits for your stay. Actual dates are great but “in May”, “by end of summer” and “3 things off the list in a month” works well!
  • Be realistic! Don’t overdo it but make sure you do do it! Happy discovering when living abroad!tips for expats on living abroad and traveling

Fika the Swedish way

Fika is the Swedish soul.

Fika is coffee/tea/juice/whatever-except-alcohol.

Fika is our daily excuse to savor cinnamon rolls/pastry/cake/cookies.

Fika is a daily routine at our work places. Twice a day actually.

Fika is when Swedes are not taciturn.

Fika is #fika on twitter.

Fika is at home. At the office, at a café.

Fika is at the playground, in a park and in our gardens.

Fika is for business and pleasure.

Fika can be just a cuppa.

Fika is always right.

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Expat hand-me-downs

Living a life where you meet people from different cultures and parts of the world equals living a life of constant discovery and learning. You taste new food, learn about other views of life and take part in  fascinating traditions. I have written about Cinco de Mayo and Cheese fondue, of Fredagsmys and Midsummer. I have also pointed out, to myself, that a lot of traditions are food related :). I love trying new dishes, and gladly collect recipes from friends called Martha, google and … well, closer friends too.

Naomi has also been thinking about food secrets and hand-me-downs. If you’re an expat you know that it’s not only easily stored artifacts like recipes that is left behind when nomadic people set off on their next adventure. You can read about Naomi’s thoughts here and learn what some people have shared on their expatriate journeys.

Do you have any treasured expat hand-me-downs? Did you leave something behind?