r/sweden • u/lynxlynxlynx- rawr • Dec 21 '14
Intressant/udda/läsvärt Welcome /r/Iceland! Today we are hosting /r/Iceland for a little cultural and question exchange session!
Welcome Icelandic guests! Please select the "Icelandic Friend" flair and ask away!
Today we our hosting our friends from /r/iceland! Please come and join us and answer their questions about Sweden and the Swedish way of life! Please leave top comments for /r/iceland users coming over with a question or comment and please refrain from trolling, rudeness and personal attacks etc. Moderation out side of the rules may take place as to not spoil this friendly exchange. The reddiquette applies and will be moderated after in this thread.
At the same time /r/iceland is having us over as guests! Stop by in this thread and ask a question, drop a comment or just say hello!
Enjoy!
/The moderators of /r/Sweden & /r/iceland
Välkommna till våran fjärde utbytessession! Vi kommer nu till ett land lite närmare oss men ändå långt borta! Hoppas ni alla har lika roligt som i tidigare trådar och snälla lämna top kommentarer i denna tråd till användare från /r/iceland och raporterade opassande kommentarer!
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u/D4rK_Bl4eZ Dec 21 '14
Ok guys get this, Hákarl and Surströmming stew. How's that for cultural exchange.
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u/Thorhallur_Bjornsson Dec 21 '14
Hi there! I'm wondering how the Yule goat (Gävlebocken) is celebrated in Sweden. We have one outside IKEA in Iceland and it's either burned down or gets knocked over in bad weather every year. Is it just for burning down, or...?
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u/Esbjornen Dec 21 '14
Gävlebocken just happens to be a gigantic Yule goat. Some people have small Yule goats as decoration during Christmas, and it's not customary to burn them down(but it is customary to burn Gävlebocken).
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u/The_forehead Dec 21 '14
I think the Yule Goats is a remnant from our old Norse faith (the goats / bucks that pulled Thor's chariot) that Christianity did'nt managed to get rid of. They are usually just decoration, but the big one in Gävle has become tradition to burn down
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u/snorri Dec 22 '14
Hej hej!
I can't really think of a question, but I want to say that I love all the puns that get posted to r/sweden. It's why I subscribe, really.
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u/erlingur Dec 21 '14
Hey there! What are the best Swedish bands we've never heard about? Looking for some new music :)
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u/Coffeh Dec 21 '14
Shamless promotion: If youre intrested in swedish music there's a swedish music sub r/spop
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Dec 21 '14
If punk and hardcore is your genre we got some great ones.
Millencolin, a great (skate) punk band from the town of Örebro. Pennybridge Pioneers is a classic
The infamous Refused from Umeå is our hardcore wonder. The Shape of Punk to Come is holy.
Raised Fist is another great one from Luleå. I think Dedication is their best album.
Lastkaj 14 is currently our best trallpunk band I think. Håll höjd
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Dec 21 '14 edited Dec 21 '14
I am going to study in Sweden next year, are there any specific things in Sweden that I may need to know that differentiates something here in Iceland(or anywhere)?
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Dec 21 '14
Remember that hákarl is not sold in Swedish stores, you might want to bring all the rotten shark you need in order to survive your stay here.
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u/helgihermadur Dec 21 '14
Fáðu einhvern til að smygla hangikjöti til þín um jólin, var sjálfur að smygla því til Svíþjóðar um daginn :)
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u/stekkjastaur Dec 22 '14
What's the general view on Iceland?
How difficult is it to understand written/spoken Icelandic?
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u/VonCarlsson Dec 22 '14
Written I might be able to understand 5%, spoken is essentially unintelligible, except that there are some words here and there that are the same/sound alike.
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u/Thorhallur_Bjornsson Dec 22 '14
How do Swedes feel abour the old Norse/Pagan faith, Ásatrú? In Iceland, it's growing and they're even building a Norse Pagan temple/worshipping house.
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u/Gexus Dec 21 '14
So I'd love to know what you feel about your own healthcare system? What works and what doesn't? Perhaps there's something we could learn from it.
Currently our hospitals are in shambles, our best doctors are leaving the country for better jobs in Scandinavia and if anyone here has a deadly disease, they more often than not have to go abroad for proper treatment.
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u/Nigran Dec 21 '14 edited Dec 21 '14
Swedish medical student and ICU worker here!
The Swedish healthcare system is generally very good, there are some areas where it is lacking though. These being:
Psychiatric care
Mental health issues is still stigmatized and we need to get better at treating people with these issues. Medication isn't the only solution, cognitive behavioral therapy needs to be more widely available and we need to have a more holistic approach to this whole issue.
*Palliative care
We've been getting better and better at keeping people with terminal diseases alive, but at what cost? With modern treatment techniques and medications we can add years to the patient's lives, but how do we add life to the years? Pain relief and individualized treatment plans needs to be further developed. This isn't just an issue in Sweden, but in all of the Western world.
*Public health
The general population is getting more and more obese, how do we counter obesity, diabetes, heart diseases and other lifestyle diseases in the most efficient way?
There is also a public debate regarding the wages, especially the wages of the nurses. 1/3 of the graduating nurses in Sweden go straight to Norway for work, earning 40-80% more there. Even the doctors' wages are really low compared to e.g. Germany.
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u/helgihermadur Dec 21 '14
Icelander here, currently in Gävle to stay with my family for christmas. I'm really thinking about moving here next summer, but I've heard it's hard to find a job here. What are some jobs you recommend for university students?
Really loving your country, I hope they burn down the goat before I leave!