What a trip it has been!

Well, we arrived in Sundsvall rested up and ready for the Rotary District Conference. In Sundsvall we visited Permobil, a company that manufactures wheelchairs. We saw vehicles being outfitted for people with disabilities. It was interesting as they build wheelchairs for all types of terrain. Thursday we were treated to a soccer game as the local Sundsvall team was playing a team from the south of Sweden. Before the game we gathered in the VIP room and had a drink. After the soccer game we had a Pot-Luck dinner with Laura's host family, Peter and Gunilla. The food was great! Another host, Anna-Lena, made meatballs, some of the first Swedish meatballs we had while travelling.

Saturday afternoon, the team gave it's final presentation. We are thankful as we have recited about 15 presentations and know each other's story so well! Saturday night we were guests at the Rotary Dinner held in Sundsvall's old town hall in a beautiful meeting room. It was nice to meet Rotarians from around the district and to visit with friends we have made along the way. Today we said goodbye to our wonderful families in Sundsvall. The team flew to Stockholm where we were met by Sandy's husband Arthur. The team said it's goodbyes for now. Laura will continue her travels in Ireland, Vanessa and Alex depart Stockholm in a few days, and Erin leaves Stockholm on Friday while Sandy and Arthur head to Norway.

We have had an amazing visit to Northern Sweden. We were able to see and experience such wonderful things and feel that we have developed lifelong friendships. The team was wonderful, and we enjoyed being with each other. Our thanks go again to the Rotary Foundation for this opportunity and to the local clubs for sponsorship. We look forward to sharing memories when we return home.

Erin's Vocation Experience

In Sweden I was able to visit a Swedish prison. The prison was located in Luleå. It housed 9 inmates between the ages of 18 and 23, that were sentenced to prison. Surprisingly, I was able to meet and talk with all the inmates. They wanted to know if the justice system in the US was just like 'Cops' the tv show. I assured them it was not. They were all interested in US culture and jails in the US. I was also able while in Luleå to visit a Swedish Courthouse. The most interesting thing I found is that a defendant does not have to be present to be sentenced. The judge makes the ruling if the person is absent from the hearing, and they are notified by mail what the judgement is. This is not the way it is in the US! I also was able to visit the Swedish Court of Appeals in Umeå. The courts are divided much like the US -- first, local court then if the judgement is appealed, it goes to the Court of Appeal and finally to the Swedish Supreme Court, just like the US.

While in Skellefteå I visited a police station and spoke with a Sergeant about crime in the city. Like the US, they are battling drug use in the city. The major drug they see are amphetamines which are a problem in parts of the US. We also discussed some high profile unsloved murders in the area. It was very interesting. I was given a tour of the police station including the lock up area where they hold offenders. I was also given a private tour of the police cars which are Volvo stationwagons, much different than the US. Overall I think the police function much like the police in the US. I had a wonderful experience visiting criminal justice agencies in Sweden.

Time to relax in Harnosand

After leaving Ornskoldsvik our team headed south to Harosand. Along the way we were brought to the High Coast area. The High Coast is a World Heritage Site as it is very unique. The land in the area is rising 8 millimeters a year due to the large glaciers that used to cover the land. Since they have melted the land has continued to rise. We were able to hike the mountain that dominated the landscape, Skuleskogen. Skuleskogen was once the coastline but since the rising of the land it is now a large mountain. The view from the top was amazing. We were able to overlook the Baltic Sea and many islands.

After our descent we were driven to Harnosand. Along the way we crossed a beautiful bridge, much like the suspension bridges in the US. Upon our arrival we were greeted by our host families. The program for Harnosand was relax! That was music to the teams ears as we were all very tired! I (Erin) stayed with Ake and Agneta who had a home on the sea, talk about relaxing! During our stay in Harnosand we visited Edmo Lift which was Europe's largest manufacturers of scissor tables used to life heavy objects. The company which is about 40 years old is still a family owned and operated business. Other things the team enjoyed while in Harnosand, sour herring, not too bad if covered in creme fresh and red onion, hiking along the seaside, and time for shopping. I celebrated my birthday at Agneta and Ake's home and was awoken at 8am with a Swedish birthday song. They also came bearing gifts, I was given 3 tubes of Kalles Kaviar, a very special Swedish food and a key chain with the Swedish horse on it! At lunch the team bought me a birthday cake and some beautiful candles (very light and easy to pack!). Overall Harnosand was wonderful and I definitely had a birthday to remember, thanks to all! Now off to Sundsvall!

Fire Stations Lulea and Örnsköldsvik

Previous to our arrival in Örnsköldsvik, I had an opportunity to visit Norrlandsflyg, the largest air ambulance operation in Sweden. This was an unique opportunity to talk shop with the pilots and co-pilots of the (American) Sikorsky helocopters which provide service throughout Nordlaands. (Look for Erin's photos of the airport). Ambulance operations are somewhat different in Sweden, with municipalities and larger districts providing service, augmented by the National resources such as Norrlandsflygg. But as english is the language of flying the world over, I had no communication difficulties with the pilots and crew I met while visiting the airport in Gallivare. We were even able to swap some stories about memorable calls -- emergency work is pretty much the same the world over. Adrenaline does not care if you are Swedish or American, you get the call, you get a little excited, your vision narrows, your heart pumps a little easier, and you go to work. The satisfaction is in a job well done.

At Övik, I had another exceptional visit with the municipal fire department, thanks to Assistant Chief Haaglund and his firefighters. Previously, I was able to join Chief Bylin and his crew in Luleå, where I got a superb overview of the 112 dispatch center, as well as the operations of the firefighters and their Swedish engine companies. In Luleå, they apparently specialize in cold weather operations, as they are so close to 66 degrees north latitude and winter is such a long season. Due in part to their cold weather ops, and the specialized gear they wear, Swedish firefighters are permitted to wear beards, while in Massachusetts we are a clean shaven lot. We don't use the same hooded system on outerwear and prefer a direct seal from our face to the SCBA mask. The end result is pretty much the same, but even in firefighting, it's interesting that there's more than one way to skin a cat!

Back in Övik, I was able to closely inspect the equipment, including the Skanska Tower, with a 30m bucket and ladder combination. This is a highly complex ladder system, engineered in Finland, but mounted to a Swedish truck. Again, this specialized equipment is nowhere to be found in the USA. However, it appears to excel in the tight quarters of European cities and their tightly packed apartments. The straight-tip or bucket-and-ladder combination favored in the US is equally well suited to our environment of large streets, big windows and big roofs. One of the highlights of these visits was watching the firefighters in action, as I was able to standby at a training evolution. After some spaghetti was pulled off a truck, the next crew opted to put out their fire in the "American style". They performed a beautiful Vent-Enter-Search operation and had the fire room vented in about 6 minutes after initial smoke diving. These firefighters are more than welcome to visit Massachusetts to see us work in town or in the forest at their next opportunity.

Laura's Vocational Days

I have had some wonderful and varied experiences in private veterinary hospitals, distrikt (governmental) hospitals, and farm calls. In the small animal hospitals, I learned that the practice of veterinary medicine is virtually the same as in the states. The major differences include the widespread use of pet insurance in Sweden and surgical practices regarding spaying and neutering cats and dogs. Due to the high percentage of people that have pet insurance, veterinarians are able to do virtually any basic diagnostics without a discussion of payment with the owner. This makes client interaction much simpler and less confrontational than in the states. Until recently, around 1990, it was illegal to spay or neuter a pet unless they had some medical condition (infection, cancer, etc.) that left no other option. Therefore, only recently have they begun more commonly practicing these surgeries. Despite this, there does not appear to be an over population problem in dogs or cats. There are ,of course, are other subtle differences in vaccinations, surgical technique, and preventative medicine based on region. I very much enjoyed my time with the veterinarians and staff that I have met. Enjoy the pictures.

Umea

Posted by Sandy:
While staying in Umea, I had the pleasure of getting to know the Lindgren family who were my hosts. Stig-Ake, the head of the family, is a Luthern pastor, businessman, pilot, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. It is hard to imagine one person with all of these attributes but he has managed to fit amazing things into his life. Stig-Ake was part of a UN Task force in Lebanon that was awared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988 for their efforts to bring peace to that region.

Their home, built in 1944 was the former house of a lumber mill owner who had connections in Stockholm. At the time, Umea was a northern city where people from the south could come on hunting expedtions. The home had a guest house where people from Stockholm, even members of the Royal family, came to stay and hunt.

I enjoyed the opportunity to have a tour of the home by the children and a tour of the grounds by Asa, their mother. Stig-Ake took me up in their small plane for a view of the city. We could see all the way to Finland over the Baltic Sea.

Facts about Umea

Umea is considered to have been founded in 1622 by Gustavus II Aldophus, after the town was granted a town charter a second time. In 1714, the city was burned down by Russian soldiers. Russian troops withdrew from Umea in 1809.

The city was again burned down in 1888 by a city fire. 2500 of the 3000 city inhabitants lost their homes. In order to avoid similar disasters, the city planted a great number of birch trees to prevent any future fires from spreading. As a result, Umea is now known as the City of the Birches.

In 1963, Umea became a university city.

Umea has a population of over 104,000 inhabitants. The average age of individuals is around 36. It is 642 km away from Stockholm.

Umea

The team was in Umea from Saturday, April 12 through Tuesday, April 15. It was our stop before arriving in Orvick.

We had free time with our hosts on Saturday evening and Sunday. Some of our activities included walking, hiking, snow-mobiling, going to the spa, or just relaxing. On Monday, we visited the Umea Library, one of the main attractions and economic anchors of the city. At the University, we met an American, who had moved to Umea after marrying a Swedish woman. He worked for the University's IT department developing/maintaining English language content.

After doing our presentation at the Norrlandsoperan (Opera House), we visited a power and heating plant that incinerated garbage for energy. We were all fascinated by the woman using a joystick to mix the mountain of garbage.

On Tuesday, we visited the Volvo Trucks Corporation and the Turstburea Art Exhibition.

Vocational Day in Ervik

Our second day in Ervik was spent on our various vocational visits. Enjoy the attached photos.

Arrival in Örnsköldsvik (aka Övik)

Today, the team arrived by car in Övik, a coastal town further south along the Bay of Bothinia. We were met by Jan, a Rotarian and the GSE chair for this community. We were immediately treated to Fika (coffee break), a walk and views of galleries and the town. After this tour and wonderful explanation of the sights and economy for Övik, we made further plans to relax and use our available free time to it's fullest extent. The dinner of Moose lasagna brought the day to a close, but the evening had just begun. After dinner, we walked to a high point to view the archipelago and the mountains to the west. Again, our hosts were amazingly hospitable upon our arrival. Attached, you should see some photos from the day's adventures.

Laura's First Day in Umea

I have joined my new host Maria and her family here in Umea. During our first evening together we attended the equivalent of an indoor block party. First, a small group of her friends joined us at home for wine and appetizers. Then we all rode bicycles to the party (about 15 minutes away). The name of the street is called wolf road and as such the announcer was wearing a wolf costume and his assistants were wearing little red riding hood outfits. I knew right away that this was going to be interesting. The evening was filled with good food, singing, and dancing (a form of the fox trot). I proved yet again that I will not be asked, in any language, to join a chorus or a dance company. Pictures of the event will follow (once I get over the embarassment)

Vanessa's Vocational Day at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency in Lulea

The Swedish pension is quite complex, especially when it has to be explained in another language. My contact did a great job, though I think he was a bit nervous.

The Swedish pension plan has recently been changed and so, currently there are various plans for different age groups as the government tries to phase out the old plan.

The national basic pension plan for those born in 1938 or later consists of income/supplementary pension, premium pension and guarantee pension and is administered by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and the Premium Pension Authority. The pension is based on income earned from age 16 until the year 1998. 18.5% of income is paid to the pension system, with 16% going to income pension and 2.5% going to premium pension. Employees can choose the funds they would like to invest in with the premium pension. There are pension entitlements for sickness benefits, parental benefit, unemployment benefit, and sickness and activity compensation. Individuals can start drawing from their pensions at age 61.

This is just a gist of the pension plan, so if you would like to know more, let me know and we can discuss one on one.
-Vanessa

Vanessa's Vocational Day at Assurera

The team set out for its first vocational day in Gallivare bright and early on Thursday, April 3rd. I (Vanessa) visited Assurera, a small insurance brokerage company specializing in private pension placements and insurance solutions. The company is small, with a total of 4 employees, and was founded 5 years ago by Mikael Lundman. He and one his employees, Annika, spent the entire day telling me about his company and the Swedish insurance brokerage and pension system, as well as employee benefits.

Employees have great social benefits in Sweden, and thus, costs are great for small employers. Three types of insurances available are arbelsogormaga(illness/disability), alderdom (pension), and dodsfell(death/life insurance). Within each of these categories is a pyramid type structure of protection. The base and largest portion of the pyramid is provided by the government, the second level of the pyramid is provided by the union, and the top of the pyramid is additional protection the individual may purchase.

The government stipulates how/provides a guideline of how funds should be allocated:

Stocks: 43.5%
Bonds: 40.5%
Alternative Investments: 8.5%
Real Estate: 7.5%

Companies have to work within those guidelines. Most rules are set to protect employees.

In addition, employees get generous maternity, sick, and vacation times in Swedish companies. Women can take a year or more for maternity leave, and the men get time off as well. The government pays families a certain stipend when a new baby is born until it is 18. Sick time is unlimited.


Overall, it was a very interesting and informative day.

In and around Skellefteå

While in Skellefteå, our team Rotary coordinator is Mats Svennson, a well known artist in the region. His family owned one of the largest companies in the area, a rubber and polymer plant that produced custom applications for seals and linings for mine equipment. Years later sold, and now a public company it is a worldwide manufacturer of rubber prouducts for wide ranging applications including aircraft o rings. The team had a tour of the plant along with a tour of Mats artist studio as shown.

Breads in Sweden

Sweden breads vary region by region with towns having their own specialities. In Kiruna they even had a wood fired stone oven that could be rented for the day for communal bread baking. The old recipes and instructions for making the bread are shared in these old bread making buildings. In Skelleftea we had an oportunity to go to one of the large commerical bread factories for a tour. Most of the breads are a variety of flat breads that are crisp like crackers and can be stored for a long period of time. Some are hearty wheat and others white eaten with butter or cheese.

Gammelstad UNESCO World Heritage Site

Luleå has the old inner city up the river called Gammelstad (old town) that has been named a World Heritage site by Unesco. It is one of only a few remaining church towns. It was built in the 15th century with 400 small homes surrounding the church. The tiny homes, usually one room with bunks, a fireplace and table were built to be used for the family to have a place to stay when coming to church or a festival. Because this area of Sweden is remote and the population was scattered, it was necessary to travel long distances to go the church and town. The small privately owned house was their lodging away from home. Today many have been handed down generation to generation and are still family owned. They cannot be a permanent residence as they have no running water or toilets but instead communal ones that have been added. They cannot be changed as they are required to be kept in their original state.