Whenever I told people that I was moving to Sweden, "you know it's really dark and cold there!" was a common response. 

"Yes, I know. I hope that means I'll spend a lot of time in warm, bright libraries!" became my practiced reply. 

Now that it is getting dark a bit earlier, I notice the lovely features of light which dot the city. Many restaurants and shops put lanterns or big candles outside to lure in customers and light the way of passersby. The first couple of times I saw this it seemed so special - candles lined up on the ground.  

One of my favorite hometown events was the early December lighting of luminaria in the big main park - Glen Miller Park. On one cold early December afternoon a team of people would fill paper bags with sand, place a candle inside and put them throughout the park. The candles would be lit at dusk and shine throughout the park. Then we'd enjoy hot cider or hot chocolate and walk around looking at them before being driven home, our eyelids heavy. 

This is a memory from childhood that I associate with community, family, winter and the holiday season. In high school our fingers froze as we shoveled cold sand with the Parks Department and then placed the luminaria. In college we circled the Heart of campus with candle light for an evening.* 

As I see the flickering of flames at various Uppsala businesses on my bike ride home, I feel happy and - the dark isn't that bad. I just get hungry at the 3pm dusk and feel like I should probably eat dinner soon.  I guess there's still a month before the winter solstice, nonetheless I'm enjoying the adjustment to appreciating the light and darkness in new ways. 

And some nights, when the clouds roll in, the street lamps reflect and the whole city glows. 

*This could totally be a false memory. Confirmation, friends? 

Parental Leave

There are lots of little things that you notice when you move to a new country. Here in Sweden some lettuce is sold still growing in a little pot, my dorm offers 8 different disposal options (clear glass, colored glass, plastic, paper containers, tins, newspaper/mail, compost and regular old trash), and the bank hours are terrible - you're lucky if you find a place open Mon-Sat. from 10-4. Then there are the observations that seem small and turn out to have much larger implications and policies behind them. 

When I first arrived I saw lots of people with baby carriages pushing kids around. I felt like I was in Park Slope (Brooklyn). At some point an Australian friend pointed out how many men there were pushing prams and at the park with their kids. I remembered that when I first arrived a Swedish friend had explained Parental Leave to me and I was utterly amazed. -- Parents get up to a combined total of 16 months (yes, not days, months), that is 480 days (!!!!) at an average of 82% of their income. Father's can automatically take 10 working days in connection with the birth (if it is a mother and father couple) and in cases of adoption there are also automatic days for both parents. Beyond that partners can spilt the leave in a variety of ways and take it up until the kid turns 8 years old. I have to say, this is incredible to me. I have heard of other countries where mother's can get up to 3 years off (much of it with little pay - Czech Republic), but the fact that Sweden promotes and creates policies that encourage co-parenting, I find incredible. 

Recently when I was leaving for a short trip to Finland a Swede said, "oh the Finns are like 200 years behind, you can see it in things like equality in parenting." Knowing she was exaggerating I said, "Oh my god, by comparative measure the U.S. is like 500 years behind." Again, an obvious exaggeration. Nonetheless I was thinking of a conversation I had with an NGO colleague a couple years ago. She was about to go on maternity leave and explained that she had to take "disability" after the first couple of weeks with her baby, they didn't even have a category for "maternity" leave. This has stuck with me because it felt so offensive. In addition, her organization wasn't going to hire anyone to replace her - colleagues were supposed to pick up the slack and they were in turn somewhat resentful that she planned to take more than a couple of months off. "If she was really dedicated to the work and the NGO's mission she wouldn't take so much time for her infant." 

My Rotary host's son and his wife will soon have a baby and he's looking forward to the time he will take off from his job as a lawyer to be with their child - she'll head back to work. I think he'll be making dinner so she can stay at the office as long as she needs, no matter how flexible and understanding her politically elected boss is. 

The other day I was running in the morning around 10am and saw two men sitting at a picnic table, two carriages next to them, babies bundled up inside. The smell of coffee wafted out of a thermos. 

It's interesting the things you notice when you're in a new country. 

Celebrating the opening of the Peace Center

As the first Rotary Peace Fellow class at Uppsala University, we the fellows have been quite spoiled. Last Tuesday we had a pre-inauguration dinner with Rotarians from around District 2350 and John Osterlund, the General Manager of the Rotary Foundation also came. I sat next to Margareta, a very helpful honorary Rotarian and her husband. She has been a wonderful and consistent source of support as we Fellows have struggled to tackle the sometimes complex bureaucracy in getting the correct legal status, etc. I also happened to sit across from a Rotarian who a few years ago was invited to her taxi drivers Gambian village and has since become a major fundraiser for the area. She told me all about her work to get medical equipment donated and to work with the government to provide farm training to the area which is very distant from the capital. Her passion was evident and it was lovely to speak with her. 

The dinner was at Eklundshof which is an area that used to be a training and barracks area for the army. One of the Rotary host counsellors told me about his basic training the various buildings - the one where you got your uniforms, the other where the officers slept. All men in Sweden used to serve in the army and quite a number of the older Rotarian men I have met have talked about some type of career in the air force or army. In 2009 the Swedish parliament did away with peacetime conscription for good, although the system was changed several times since these men began serving in the 1950s and 1960s. (Sweden does have some armed forces serving in Afghanistan and Kosovo, Swedish classmates have pointed out to me.)

John Osterlund and Magnus Öberg in front of new sign.

(from http://www.pcr.uu.se/ accessed 24 Sept. 2012)

On Wednesday we enjoyed the Peace and Conflict Research Department's hosting of the inauguration of the Rotary Peace Center. We had introductions from Hanne Fjelde, one of the Rotary Center co-Directors and currently our Professor in the course, 'Causes of War'. We also heard from Magnus Öberg, the head of our department and John Osterlund from the Rotary Foundation. A couple of fellows helped John unveil the Rotary Peace Center sign (pictured above). During the reception that followed, each Rotary Fellow introduced his/herself with Liana Lopes, the other Rotary co-Director in Uppsala and Senior Professor Peter Wallensteen shared about the history of the department. 

Uppsala Rotary Fellows in department next to unveiled 

Rotary Peace Center sign. See me peeking out on the left?

Photo by: Christina Bredin, Regional Rotary International Membership 

Coordinator covering Sweden, Latvia, Russia

With Sara Larsdotter, Swedish Rotary district 2350 

and my friend and Fellow Thiyagaraja Waradas

Photo by: Christina Bredin

Speaking to the gathered group. 

Left to right, Liana Lopes, Rotary Center co-coordinator, 

Peter Wallensteen, Senior Professor, Peace and Conflict
Studies Department, and me.

Photo by: Christina Bredin

Monia Sturén, District Governor 2350, Hanne Fjelde, 

co-Director Uppsala Rotary Peace Center, 

Heather Murphy, my friend and Fellow and me. 

Photo by: Christina Bredin

All lovely celebrations we as the first Peace Fellow class at Uppsala are lucky to be a part of. 

Photos from Reception

Rotary Peace Fellows Uppsala University 2012

Liana Lopes of Uppsala Peace and Conflict Studies Department, Paulina, fellow and me

The beautiful view from the main University building.

Photos by: Margareta Berg

Settling in

Hej! Hello from Uppsala, Sweden where I'm celebrating my one week anniversary. I'm safe and sound and settling in quite nicely. I've been nesting as evidenced by lots of new kitchen wares, probably a few too many. I'm living in student housing, which my Swedish friend who picked me up from the airport informed me her parents lived in in the 60s. But it is nice and has been remodeled at least once. I'm on the 7th floor so I have a nice view of the surrounding fields and woods, as well as a divided highway. Most of the time, until the snow gets too impossible, I'll ride my bike the 5km to class past a community garden, woods, a couple housing developments/student housing and then into the old town, where my department sits right next to the canal in the old town square. 

Thus far I have mostly been settling in and arranging things like immigration, internet, bus cards, student IDs, etc. I have visited the Migrationsverket, Skatteverket (twice), Uppdok, studentkår (many times). That's the migration, tax, registration offices, and student center. My Swedish vocabulary at this point consists of government offices and food. Although I do hope to soon be changing that. 

My favorite written material to date is "Cycling in Uppsala: A popular activity" A popular activity... :) There are more bikes than people, I'm convinced. Luckily, my Rotary host counsellor's husband has a vintage bike, complete with a leather seat and handles that he's going to let me borrow for a while. So I will soon be cruising around fitting into the place. Although I feel sheepish having to ask people to speak English, everyone I've met is basically fluent and although they often think I'm Swedish, they quickly help my lame American self. 

Finally, I am SOOOO happy that have 3 close friends and cousin safely through pregnancy. There are 4 new, amazing girls who have entered this world healthily. I can not wait to meet all of them and watch them become incredible people.  Knowing these little ones have enter the world makes me hope to work harder to contribute in small part to making this a world in which they and other children can grow up in safe communities with access to health care, education, and employment. And a world in which they can be content and have many occasions for happiness.