LE NOSTRE INTERVISTE

CONVERSAZIONE CON SAMANTHA HEMSTROM,

NOSTRA CORRISPONDENTE DA STOCCOLMA

1)      What do you know about Italy? What’s your opinion about it?

 

I know Italy provides good establishments for tourists-wich is its own chapter I suppose.
I think the government seem corrupt, and sometimes a bit clownish. I think the country is far from justice when it comes to its people in general. Too many are out of jobs and struggling to get food on the table. Too many is giving in to the criminal side in being able to survive. 
I think the country itself is astonishing with its history and beauty. I think the people are way to old fashioned in many ways, wich sometimes could be charming. I also think of it as a country in development.

2)    If we come to Stockholm, what would you suggest us to visit?

 

I suggest you visit Stockholm, Gothenburg and Uppsala. Preferably Stockholm. Very sweet capitol. You shoud see the kings castle, Cultural house

 

3)    We read in our geography book that on Sweden, S. Lucia is very important. Can you describe it to us?

 

St Lucia day is on the 13th of Dec, and it is a much celebrated day. Usually the show takes place in a church but it the events has grown so big that it also appears in shopping centers and other publical places. You have between 10-100 depending on where it takes place, women and men or girls and boys walking silently holding candles. They walk together to where they are to be standing singing christmas songs gently. The event is very peaceful and beautiful and sends the swedes into a sense of christmas. Lucia is walking first with a crown of candles in her hair. They all are wearing white gowns. 

4)    Can you explain how you celebrate Christmas,  Easter, Carnival and other festival?

 

Easter is celebrated with family gatherings and food. We eat chicken, eggs special swedish fish with diffrerent sauses and we hand out eastereggs to the kids. hey are usualy filled with candles. And the kids get one from usually each guest so...they can recieve quite a few..

Christmas is different I think but for most families the day to celebrate is on the 24th.
There´s a show that begins around 4 during the day wich is a sweet almost obligation to c.
Cartoons are on, and it´s the same cartoons every year!! Disney.
Then we eat eat and eat-especially the christmas ham wich is like the americans turkey in importance. 
We also eat meatballs and boild potatos along with that oddly tasting fish again and salmon and oatmeal-the same kind you wanna give Santa who comes for a visit usually after dinner with christmasgifts.
Swedes likes to drink schnaps as well and it´s simply a sweet jolly time during the whole day.

Then there´s april 30th. Day of the Bonfires. From the beginning it was said that the evil wiches of spring were to be frightened by us lighting huge bonfires in special places. Nowadays we gather at a public place where lots of wood has been put together and is being lit in the evening. There´s dancing, and you can buy hot dogs and stuff like that. Great for the kids.

 

5)    What’s the most important festival in Sweden?

 

Pride festival I think is the most important one. But then we have jazzfestivals, Sweden Rock festival and The restaurants day that usually kicks ass.

 

6)    We heard about the “ water festival”. What is it?

Water festival no longer exists. Thank GOD! It was too expensive and to wishy washy.

 

7)    What is the most popular sport in Sweden?

 

Ice hockey and soccer.

 

8)    Apart from the capital city, Stockholm, what places would you suggest to visit to an Italian tourist in Sweden?

 

Gothenburg, Uppsala

 

9)    What are the most famous dishes of the Swedish cookery? Are there any popular by tradition?

 

Famous dishes:
Panncakes, waffles, Meatballs, and that strange fish again (surströmming)

 

10)  Is Italian cookery well- know in Sweden?

 

Italian cooking is very well known in Sweden-not to the common households but definetely amongs many and in reastaurants and such.

11)   Concerning school, What subjects do you study? What’s you timetable like? Till what age is school obligatory?  Have you got optional activities and workshop? What are you classrooms like? Have you got a gym or laboratories? Do you wear a uniform? 

 

School; Hmm-that´s a big one. 
You begin 1st grade when you´re 5-6 years old. No uniforms (never uniforms).
The first three years in school is called the Lower period or Small period.
The middle period is 4th grade to 6th grade.
The High period is 7th grade to 9th grade. You get grades from the 7th grade and depedng on the grades you have when you graduate from the 9th grade and your interests in becoming whatever it is you wanna do for a living, you´ll choose the final education wich is called Gymnasium. 
Gymnasium is normally 3 years but it also exists 4 year variants.
Me for example, after finishing ninth grade I was sick of school so I took a vacant year and worked. This is something that is provided and financed for those who feel they need to gather strength b4 entering the gymnasium. So that they ca pull it through you know.
After working for one year I´d had the time to really think about what I was interested in so I choosed an education in a gymnasium a couple of miles from where I live. It was called Media-information and commercial. The  grades you recieve from the gymnasium is the ones that are supposed to either qualify for work, or continue studying at universitys or such.

In theMiddle period, usually 4th grade- English is introduced and stays as a basic subject throughout the high period and gymnasium. Basic subjects are also Maths, Swedish, History and Society knowledge. These subjects you can not fail in. If you do so your complete gradesystem is unvalid. But other then those you also have Sports, Nature, American History, Biology, physics, Sexual knowledge, chemistry and I´m sure a few variations has arrived in the past couple of years. Every school has either acces to, or its own gym, dining room and chill out area. Every school has rooms fitted to the subject. Perhaps not when it comes to sexual knowledge though. ha ha But if you have a class in chemstry you go to the lab on so on.

When you begin the High period you can also choose to learn another language. Spanish, french, or german. Plus you get introduced for new subjects like computer knowledge, cooking, childcare, businesseconomy, and so forth.
Time tables from the Lower period is around 8 in the morning - 2-3 in the afternoon.
In the Higher period classes end around 4 in the afternoon.
The same teacher in classes up to 7th grade, then they differ.

 

12)  We red about sami people. What do you know about them?

 

Sami people live very high up in the north of Sweden. It is a cultural miracle that they still live and breed..because they hav not at all followed in society change. They live without electricity, money, education-and all civil matters they do not participate in. They are a happy, peaceful race that sort of are in charge over the reindeers. It is difficult to explain, but seeing a sam is very uplifting. I met one once when I was younger and I was way up in the north. I remember a she gave me a necklace and looked into my eyes and smiled for a long time. Her teeth were bad but there was something soft about her. A bit mysterical I senced. So sams they do what they do and we, the other swedes don´t really know what it is. They keep very much to themselves.