I've been working on a little project lately and I think it might be time to make it official now. Simon and I decided to have a blog together and instead of redesigning this one I created a new one with a brand new blog address http://swaussie.blogg.se. Swedish girl and Aussie boy...get it?!

We'll continue reporting on how the application progress is going of course and once Simon is here it will make it easier for us to update friends and family on what we're up too when they are on the other side of the world (or close by).

So time for a new blog and a fresh start. I hope you'll come with me and continue to follow us in the Swaussie blog!

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Jag har arbetat på ett litet projekt under senaste tiden och jag tror att det är dags att göra det officiellt nu. Simon och jag har bestämt oss för att ha en gemensam blogg och istället för att göra om designen på den här har jag skapat en ny, med en ny bloggadress http://swaussie.blogg.se. Swedish tjej och Aussie kille...fattar ni?!

Vi kommer att fortsätta rapportera om hur det går med S uppehållstillståndsansökan förståss och när han väl är här blir det ett bra sätt för oss att hålla vänner och familj som befinner sig långt borta (och nära) uppdaterade om vad som händer.

Så dags för en ny blogg och en ny fräsch start. Jag hoppas du följer med mig och fortsätter följa oss i Swaussie bloggen!

Vätternrundan (pronounced vet-turn-rund-an) starts today. It's an annual race held in mid-June and it's the largest recreational bicycle race in the world (measured in number of participants multiplied by length of event). It's a 300 km long race that follows the shoreline around Lake Vättern (passing through Jönköping were I live). The core event is accompanied by shorter alternatives; Halvvättern 150 km and Tjejvättern 100 km, for women only.

The cyclists start in groups of 60 or 70, with a two-minute interval between groups. The first group starts at 8 pm on Friday and the last group starts at about 5.30 am on Saturday. The course must be finished by midnight on Saturday. Because Vätternrundan is a recreational ride, no winners are listed. Instead cyclists wear a computer chip that registers their individual times. These times can be seen on the website after the event.

Vätternrundan was first held in 1966 when 334 people completed the course, last year the number was 14483. In 2006 there were still 11 pioneers who had completed all 41 events since 1966. Approximately 25% of the participants come from outside Sweden and in 2009 35 nations were represented on the course.

Abroad and have a craving for Swedish lollies? Then I found the perfect website for you - Candy from Sweden! There are no better lollies than Swedish ones so of course it's good business selling them on the web even though the website's clients of course are mainly Swedes living abroad. You can order 'Kexchoklad' (Chocolate biscuit), 'Ahlgrens bilar' (Ahlgren's cars), 'Snören' (Strings), 'Gott & Blandat' (Good & Mix) and much more. You can even pick your own bag of 'lösgodis' (loose candy) and have it sent to you where ever you are in the world. How good isn't that idea!

Pics borrowed from Candyfromsweden.com

Go have a look at the website, the English names of the lollies are funny too. How about Jungle Howler ('Djungelvrål'), Spum Chanterelles ('Skumsvampar'), Polkapig ('Polkagris') or Wiry Rats ('Sega råttor').

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Author: Hugh Miller

I'm not going to write another long post today it is time for bed. Just wanted to let you know I did put up some pics from last weekend when I was in Halmstad visiting my sister and in Karlshamn picking up the cats and Pollux at mum's. Did play around with my camera a bit taking photos of mum's garden. They didn't turn out great though, I need more quality time with my Nikon D80 to improve! :)

My sister's cat Smilla, the most talkative cat I've ever met! Emma found her out in the snow last winter where someone dumped her and she took her in, she's quite the cutie.

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Sweden June & July 2010

There is only one distributor of alcohol in Sweden - Systembolaget, normally referred to as Systemet (the system) or Bolaget (the company). It's owned by the government and run with an iron fist.

They are closed on holidays. They close early on Saturdays. They don’t keep your beer cold for you. Want to bring a six-pack over to a friend's for a night of soccer on TV? That’s a great idea. As long as you had that idea during opening hours.

That's not how it works in Australia. There are plenty of places to get your alcohol, even drive thro ones. They are open late and they keep your beer cold as well.

To sum it all up- a big plus for the Aussies!

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Sweden - Australia 4-4

I've been trying to get more information about what happens to our application now. I've called the Migration Board trying to get to speak to someone who knows, without any luck. Simon e-mailed our contact person at the Embassy in Canberra yesterday and at least got the name of the case officer assigned to our case. He didn't get a direct phone number though so I called the main number today in an attempt to reach her. As it turns out she's on holiday this week and returns on Monday. Just our luck, hey! At least I have her direct number now.

I guess it's not a good time being in this stage of the application right now since summer holidays are coming up in Sweden. Hopefully our case officer will hand us a decision before she goes on holiday. We're running out of time for Simon to be able to come over in mid-August since we need to book his flight (at a reasonable price), he needs to resign with at least a month's notice, empty and rent out his house and sort out all the other practical stuff and he can't really begin to do any of this before a decision has been made.

Also Simon found a perfect job today in Göteborg, doing what he's doing in Melbourne. I called the contact person and asked him if it was worth for S applying based on the fact that he has over 6 years of experience within the field but don't know Swedish. The company is an international company but the person I called told me that within this position all the communication they have with the customers as well as the information is in Swedish which would be hard for S. I got his email address and encouraged S to send him a letter and his CV and maybe something different will come up but this really got him down (understandably) and I don't seem to find the right words to cheer him up and make him think positive.

I wish I was there to help him out. Being supportive from Sweden is hard and we both could use some positive news soon...we're running out of energy and it's hard to keep the spirits up and stay positive. If he's not here by mid-August he'll miss my 30th birthday party and he'll also miss out on Swedish summer which would truly suck! I don't think I need to tell you that focusing on work is difficult too right now.

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On a more positive note (it's always good not to end the post as grumpy bum) I have to tell you that I found another couple where the girl is from Sweden (actually grew up close to were I grew up) and the guy from Melbourne. They now live in Stockholm, Sweden, and if you want to read more about their adventure you should visit their blog - Swedstralia.

In Sweden, having a job means being offered a range of benefits, from paid parental and sick leave to employment-based pension and optional unemployment insurance, all based on your salary. I'm not sure exactly how it works in Australia but I'll try to explain how it works in Sweden with the help of information from Sweden.se.

If you are sick, the Swedish system gives you the time and compensation needed to recover. Sick leave pay in Sweden typically amounts to 80 percent of your salary. Your first sick day is the waiting period (karensdag), which means that you do not receive any payment for this day. Your employer will pay for your sick leave for 13 days, following the waiting period. If you are on sick leave for more than seven days, you must also have a doctor’s certificate explaining why you are unable to work.

Parental leave is a central part of Swedish family life, making it possible to have children while continuing your career. Parental leave allows parents to stay home with their children while keeping their job. Parents are entitled to 480 days of paid leave per child, with both mothers and fathers entitled and encouraged to share the leave. The leave can be taken at any time until the child reaches the age of seven.

Parental benefits are paid out by the state, through Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Administration), and it comes with some restrictions of course. In line with the Swedish state’s strict policy of promoting sexual equality, mothers and fathers are expected to share the 480 days equally. It is possible for one parent to take up to 420 days of the total leave, but the remaining 60 days are then reserved for the other parent. The only exception to this rule is for single parents with sole custody. In these cases, the parent can take all 480 days leave. Fathers are also entitled to 10 extra paid days of leave when the child is born.  In addition to the paid leave of 480 days per couple per child, you are entitled to reduce your working time by 25 percent. This, however, is not compensated for by the state.

Most people are entitled to 80 percent of their salary. This applies for the first 390 days per child, for people who have been working legally in Sweden for over 240 days. If you have not been earning money in Sweden prior to your child’s birth, you are still entitled to parental benefits, paid at the basic level of 180 kronor per day. As you can tell it's rather complicated and I'll not go deeper into this here and now.

You can be entitled to unemployment pay if you while working, pay into an unemployment insurance program (arbetslöshetskassa or a-kassa). This will guarantee unemployment benefits, should you lose your job. These insurance programs are administered by the trade unions but require a separate membership initiated by the employee. Your fees and benefits will depend on your field of work and on the insurance program you choose.

Throughout our working life, all employees in Sweden earn income pension. In addition, many employers make extra monthly payments to a so-called occupational pension. The Swedish pension system is often pictured as a pyramid, with your basic income pension forming the base of the pyramid, your employer contributions in the middle and any personal pension savings plans you choose at the top. You can also choose when you would like to retire, with some people retiring as early as 55 years of age. But income pension and premium pension can only be drawn from the age of 61.

In addition to all of the above all employees also are entitled to a minimum of five weeks of paid vacation per year.

Photo of the Hayabusa spacecraft burning up over South Australia

Facts:

• The probe weighs about 510 kg - the size of a large fridge.
• The potato shaped asteroid, Itokawa, is only just over 500 meters long.
• The probe landed twice on the asteroid, broke down, came back to life after two years, and headed home with failed or malfunctioning engines.
• The probe has been travelling more than 4 billion kilometers.
• The container with the sample is only about the size of a basketball and weighs 17 kg.

 

Most of Australia celebrate the Queen's birthday today meaning it's a public holiday and they have a day off work/school. I wrote about it last year - HERE.  I on the other hand as all other Swedes am at work as always. The weather still sucks and it doesn't feel like summer at all. I dressed in a yellow top today to try to brighten things up, not sure it worked.

I did enjoy my weekend though spending it at my sister's place and at my mum's. I went to Karlshamn to pick up the zoo so now the order is restored again, only one person missing....Simon!

Lunch break is over...back to work!

Say what you want but Sweden is a very beautiful country and it will always have a big place in my heart no matter what the future has in store for me.

I have to give this one to the Aussies. There is a wide selection of really nice meat to buy in Australia and according to me the selection is greater than in Sweden. The prices are definitely a lot lower than in Sweden too.

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Sweden - Australia 4-3