tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10992888.post3595725079839623034..comments2024-01-08T22:31:54.517-08:00Comments on KYRA DAVIS: USA is #1! Or Is That Sweden?kyradavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564245025938264405noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10992888.post-43063935111833216052010-11-19T10:39:38.046-08:002010-11-19T10:39:38.046-08:00Your son is a very intelligent young man. I love t...Your son is a very intelligent young man. I love the way he defend his point of view. You have taught him well. <br /><br />Sweden is not flawless, but overall it’s a good country. We have beautiful scenery, changing climate and good sanitation. Our houses are of high standard, classy and nice. <br /><br />The Swedish welfare is generous. But that doesn’t mean that we’re spared from homeless people or poverty. But we do have so many benefits to be grateful for. <br /><br />One example is our parental leave. You are allowed to be on parental leave for over a year with pay. You are able to prolong your parental leave if you are economical. <br /><br />Another example is that our university does not cost anything. However, people take student loans to be able to live while studying.<br /><br />We are entitled to five or six weeks paid holiday per year. <br /><br />The alcohol monopoly (Systembolaget) that we have in Sweden is not a problem. There are stores in every corner and their opening hours are generous (Monday to Saturday). You must be eighteen years old to drink alcohol in a restaurant or in a bar, but 21 years old to purchase alcohol at Systembolaget.<br /><br />The list goes on…<br /><br />It is difficult to rank a country number one. There are always things that work well and those that work less well in every country. <br /><br />We tend to want things that we do not have access to and think these things are vital to our well being. I know many Swedes are so fascinated with America and would do anything to move there. I too have been longing to go back (NY). But ever since I got my daughter Alicia, I realized that the welfare and security that Sweden provides when it comes to childcare, I will get nowhere else.<br /><br />Kyra, I'm incredibly touched by your words. My door is always open for you and your son. You should come and visit and get an idea of how we Swedes are and how we live. Not as a tourist but as a guest of a real Swedish family. You can come and visit us whenever you want. You are more than welcome.Janica Lauterbachnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10992888.post-23671957373015374622010-11-19T10:36:17.560-08:002010-11-19T10:36:17.560-08:00Ya gotta love the logic of an 11 year-old!
My frie...Ya gotta love the logic of an 11 year-old!<br />My friend's parents went to Sweden on vacation and his mom accidentally left her purse on a park bench. Hours later she came back to look for it, and it was still there, untouched.<br />That pretty much encompasses my entire knowledge of Sweden. Except for the Swedish Chef from the Muppets but, well, he's not really Swedish. Or human.azusmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08833120044345423052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10992888.post-63830925903391423132010-11-18T16:44:33.483-08:002010-11-18T16:44:33.483-08:00Coming from an American who used to live in Sweden...Coming from an American who used to live in Sweden, Sweden is not perfect, but I'd trade at least ten states for Sweden to be part of the US. To me, personally, I would prefer Sweden any day. And I say this mainly because of the people there in comparison to the people in the US. They are more likely to finish college, they tend to be more open minded. Then you throw in the cleaner... well, everything; A lot of the bottled water we drink in America is tap water from Sweden. The beautiful people (you can't walk a 3 blocks in the cities without running into GQ covermodels), their environmental conscious, and the beauty of the country itself, I would move back in a heartbeat if I could. <br /><br /><br />If I were you, I'd definitely book my next vacation to Sweden to visit your friend.<br /><br />If you want more info on Sweden from a non-Swede's point of view, feel free to email me: melanie@skarsgardnews.com :)Melaniehttp://skarsgardnews.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10992888.post-10572888796193969862010-11-18T14:51:16.522-08:002010-11-18T14:51:16.522-08:00I researched Sweden extensively for my novel, &quo...I researched Sweden extensively for my novel, "The Man From Oakdale," and my lead character found this the most horrifying thing about the country: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systembolaget<br /><br />There is also their little, ahem "Jewish problem": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/7278532/Jews-leave-Swedish-city-after-sharp-rise-in-anti-Semitic-hate-crimes.html<br /><br />Although, in good news, it's not true about them having the world's highest suicide rate! http://homepage.mac.com/jrc/contrib/sweden_suicide.html<br /><br />Sorry, but when I research, I research!Alina Adamshttp://www.AlinaAdams.comnoreply@blogger.com