Fun Facts About My New Home: Sweden

Hej, Hej! (My favorite expression in Swedish so far)

This is my first blog post! I hope you will enjoy while reading my adventures in Sweden, mostly in Stockholm and Uppsala. Whenever you have a question in your mind about being a student in Sweden, application process and more, just comment below the posts. I promise I will try to do my best!

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Everytime I move to another country, the first thing I really want to learn is fun facts about the country. It has always been a good way to understand the society, the system and more importantly they will give you first impression how discovering the new country is amazing! Well, Sweden has some really amazing fun facts that will give you the perfect impression what Sweden actually is.

Sweden pays students 187 USD per month to attend school.

Importance of education in Sweden cannot be compared with anything else. From Kindergarten to the university, every professional takes his/her job very serious. You can experience this phenomenon in every-day life. I am pretty sure that you will see some teachers and kindergarten students while they are visiting botanical museum, building some stuff in the garden and even cooking together. For universities, I don’t need to say anything. Global rankings prove everything!

By the way, the payment is really valid for students. it’s actually a continuation of the child benefit and the money officially goes to the parents, not the student, even though some parents hand it forward to their child. The money is only payed out if you attend “gymnasium” which is equivalent to college, not high school.

Sweden banned spanking and other corporal punishments of children in 1979

Sweden is a country in which you cannot just feel freedom but also live it. Human life is the most prioritized thing and every governmental institution serves for the better life for all. From 7 to 77, every people in the Sweden know his/her rights and expect respects from others.

Sweden had a Charles VII but no Charles I to VI.

Sweden has one of the most bizarre things in the history. According to history books, Charles VII served to the country as the King of Sweden from 1161 to 1167. Actually his real name is Carl however he chose to use Charles VII instead. Peculiarity starts here because no one knows who were six others before Charles VII.

In 1974, Kim Il-sung took 1,000 Volvo sedans from Sweden to North Korea and never paid for them.

I think, this is one of the funniest story I have ever heard. In 1974, the incumbent leader Kim Il-sung ordered 1000 Volvo sedans from Sweden however he didn’t pay the bill. Today, North Korea owns auto giant Volvo an astronomical £238m for a fleet of old cars shipped from Sweden to the international pariah more than 41 years ago. The huge bill is owed by Kim Jung-un’s regime for 1,000 of the Volvos which his grandfather Kim Il-sung ordered back in 1974. However North Korean authorities deny to pay it.

Sweden’s 41 year-long wait for payment for the Volvos looks certain to continue for several decades more.

File-sharing is an official religion in Sweden. It holds CTRL+C and CTRL+V as sacred symbols.

Well, If you don’t think that Sweden is a great place to study, think again! Religion itself does not play an important role in Swede’s life however you have full freedom to practice your religion. You can even create your own religion!

The story of File-sharing is here: The Missionary Church of Kopimism founded by Isak Gerson, is a congregation of file sharers who believe that copying information is a sacred virtue.The Church, based in Sweden, has been officially recognized by the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency as a religious community, after three application attempts.

Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden

Andaç Baran

Written by Andaç Baran

17 Oct 2015