FlyingMoose

There are parcel mailboxes for that problem, so the mailman can leave the parcel even when you are not home. Leaving a package 2km away from its destination is nothing but retarded and there are no rational arguments justifying the practice.

This is a great example: http://www.pakmanparcelbox.com.au

nacho

Academic performance is hopeless here in Sweden, the school focus more on stop teasing students rather than teach them real stuff. I know someone who is studying International Relations in Malmo university and I was told that you can get credit for a whole second year by doing English courses (not the literature type but normal English usage courses). That is completely BS as I have a degree in the same discipline and you can never take any English usage course to fill up a whole year credit!

Plus their university degree only take 3 years to get, if you do 1 year with English usage courses, and the last year is for writing a thesis, how much can they learn?

The American mum gave birth here while she was living here (she moved back a couple of year later).


They use the nurses to replace doctor and dental hygienist to replace dentist. I signed up for Frisktandvard many years ago and it's a pure scam - they clean my teeth every 18 months (when I paid cash the very same clinic told me to visit every 3-6 months). I had to remove a tooth and I had to wait 2 months to do that because they didn't have time. They put me on the strongest pain killer out there and when I bought it the person at the pharmacy was shocked and kept telling me to be very careful with it.

Oh doctor's speciality - giving out Penicillin like candies, any problem - Penicillin (I thought this was a UK speciality). They bombard my kids with bottles of Penicillin when they can't find the cause of the problem.

I have decided that I'm going to seek medical advice/treatment abroad.

During my pregnancies, the ultra sound check was horrible. They didn't tell me a thing and if I wanted a print out - it's 10kr.

So after that I went for their regular check and then paid to get the scanning done in Copenhagen. I don't want to bring a defected kid into this world.

Another thing - if you do need some sort of remedies, ask the doctor if you can buy it without prescription because the price is lower without prescription than with prescription - don't ask me why.

Sweden is not lack of competition, it's because people don't change - if they are still as default go to their local school, dentist, nothing will be changed. People are happy with what they have - and that's the real problem. Would they bother finding out if there is a better doctor/dentist/school out somewhere? If you are a dentist and willing to offer better treatment and lower price, how do you convince people to come to you rather than their regular?

My Chinese friend who works at ESS told me that she has to go in at 7am because people there starts fika at 9 = can't concentrate to work, and again at 2pm. I was shocked and that explain their lower salary compared to DK.

@fassy - I know the parcel thing is convenient, and I think that they should do both delivery and pick up. They are driving out anyway, so whether they have 3 boxes more with them there is no difference.

UPS dumped my parcel in the mailbox 2 days ago - I was shocked. Someone was home the whole day.

The Hemglass car is hopeless too - very loud noise every fortnight.

FlyingMoose

Hah! Forgot the irony of being able to have ice cream delivered to your house but not your mail.

Nobody here is using it so after the truck went off the road last year they stopped coming thankfully.

Fredrik74

Why don't you just leave if Sweden is such a horrible place?

FlyingMoose

Typical reaction of a Swede. If i got a penny for each time I got this preprogrammed reply...

Allergic to change and improvement? What makes you guys so incapable of accepting other views and seeing the flaws in your system?

Sweden has plenty of unique and amazing things to offer, the positive things usually aren't discussed in such topics.

Fredrik74

Don't you realize there's only one way to do things? The Swedish way.

Most of the outrage directed at Jimmie and his party is because they, rightfully, point out that foreigners do things differently.

nacho

Lucky you! Last Tuesday I went out to ask the driver to turn down the volume and there was a girl ran after the truck with cash to buy ice-cream. It's super annoying and every time they come they wake my kids up. 2 weeks ago when the truck came it was so loud like fire alarm (I was more than 100 metres from the car). I contacted Hemglass, my home kommun and nothing works.

Unfortunately there is no law governing these kind of noise, and therefore the "Swedish" way is to "live with it".

duvin

I believe it's a BA

nacho

BA in knowing nothing - what's the point for a degree of a subject if you can do 4 English usage course (like essay writing technique)? Trust me the level is low - I know. I thought my UK degree is rubbish but this is beyond rubbish.

These courses should be passed before starting a degree.

GUWonder

My family racks up a few million Amex points each year from buying consumer goods in the US and exporting them to Asia. I'm not sure why that would be "beyond 'ethical'" given everyone is getting and giving the money and deals they want when we do so.

There are people who buy their company's office supplies on credit cards and rack up even more points. Is that unethical when they are the company owner or otherwise authorized by company management to do so?

Are you familiar with US doctors? Most of the U60 doctors are now in it for reasons that have little or nothing to do with caring about people. It's all about the all mighty greenback and lifestyle for most.

GUWonder

Systems are different, and different systems have their pros and cons. That goes for the medical system and it goes for the mail/parcel delivery system, whether in the US or in Sweden/Scandinavia. And there are reasons that explain why the systems being what they are actually makes sense in some way or another -- even as the results don't work equally well for all. But where do systems ever work equally well for all, as there usually is an outlier somewhere.

There is more diversity within national cultures than many people want to acknowledge, even as there is way more commonality across different national cultures than there isn't -- after all human needs and wants are not all that different when push comes to shove. And yet they point the finger of "difference" primarily at the easier scapegoats, namely the foreigners.

Come on, but how many tattoos and/or body piercings does someone have to have on their body in order to either fit or not fit into "the Swedish way"? Does hooking up with a Dane or Norwegian violate or enshrine "the Swedish way"?

The opposition to Angry Jimmie and his cohorts is mostly there because Jimmie & Co are seen as racist parochialists that don't fit into "the Swedish way" given the idea that many Swedes have about what Sweden has been, is and/or should be. Oh the irony.

fassy

Sure, I agree. Anyhow, it is interesting the world knows the famous "British smile" while I think in fact the Swedish dental care system is far worse.

The biggest problem with Sweden is that they still think (and also the impression the world has about Sweden) they are at the top with a great social security system, efficient and working medical care, a top notch education and school system while in fact the system gradually degrades and has reached a level which is in fact behind a lot of CEE countries.

Also, I do no see why I pay a ton of money for someone (doctor, car mechanic, handyman, ...) to do a job - and then get a crappy result. But that goes through all jobs and companies as far as I can see it.

Funny thing is that all of my colleagues are unhappy with those things but nobody is willing to speak up. Goes for public things like the above but also in the projects. They complain during the fika about things not done the proper way or being ignored with their ideas but if they are asked to speak up to the senior management they just shrug and say "won't change anything, so I don't even try".

I tried to address the issues with the senior management, found out it really won't change anything and decided to take the leave.

I always though "Do what you are told, don't ask why" is a German trait but in fact it is far more embedded in Swedish culture than it ever could be in Germany. They just call it different... "Be nice and do not complain, all is shiny and great!"

FlyingMoose

Very true, perception and reality are not in line. Sweden does a stellar job at keeping its false reputation very high.

It is always interesting to meet people from different countries who think everything is better in Sweden than everywhere else. Sure its a beautiful country and having the highest concentration of good-looking women in the world is obviously a great thing to be famous for but there are so many things which are just propaganda and blatantly not true.

Noticed exactly the same thing.

Also keep another Swedish problem in mind, most Swedes will have a different opinion in a group than they will have 1:1. Compliance is apparently considered more important than defending your interests. And in Sweden, just like every other country, nobody is going to do that for you. It is really the only or one of few countries where there is a significant portion of citizens who believe the government acts in their interests and knows what is good for them. Even being slapped in the face with the facts of that not being the case won't convince them otherwise.

oliver2002

Oh dear... certain swedish relatives of mine insist that in Sweden everything is awesome:



But then for some reason, when they visit me in Germany, they say the alcohol is so much cheaper, the general cost of living lower etc etc.

Sweden is what it is. The sad part is that Swedes are taken for a major ride but seem to be OK with it. This week I was in Norway and very surprised how quickly their economy is adjusting from the oil shock. The NOK has devalued etc etc.

GUWonder

Taken for what sort of major ride? Norway and Denmark aren't a bargain compared to Sweden. Even with the NOK's depreciation against most currencies of relevance to me.