Hello UBC friends! Can you believe another month is in the books?
For our last post, I'm going to answer your questions.
Kebba asked "Why did Colin need to go there? Some kind of hockey regional championships?"
As mentioned in the first post of this challenge, his class went to Stockholm for "class camp", and we accompanied him there in the days leading up to this camp.
Funny you're thinking of hockey though. At baggage claim after hour flight back home we encountered a bunch of young hockey players who actually - thanks to their coach being friends with a Swedish coach - had the opportunity to play in a tournament in Sweden.
Kebba left me another comment I'd like to talk about, it was about immigration in Sweden, and she mentioned Israel:
While kibbutzim have indeed played a role in immigrant absorption through Ulpan programs (which combine Hebrew language study with communal work and cultural immersion), only about 1–2% of Israel’s population currently lives on kibbutzim. So it's a relatively small segment, not the mainstream path for new immigrants.
Ulpan (from the Hebrew word for "studio" or "training center") is the name for intensive Hebrew language courses offered across the country, not just on kibbutzim. They help newcomers build language skills and learn about Israeli society. My brother actually did an Ulpan on a kibbutz and ended up staying. It's a powerful immersion experience!
More broadly, Israel has a national integration program for new immigrants (called olim) run by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. This includes:
Free Ulpan Hebrew courses
Housing assistance or subsidized rent
Financial support ("absorption basket" payments)
Help with job placement, professional licensing, and education
Guidance counselors and cultural orientation programs
Immigration to Israel is based on the Law of Return: you can immigrate and receive citizenship if you're Jewish, or the child or grandchild of a Jew, or the spouse of someone in those categories. You don’t have to be religious, the law is broad in its definition of eligibility, but it’s generally limited to those with Jewish heritage. Some people also move to Israel through work, marriage, or study, though those are different visa paths.
Angie was wondering "How do they rate "the happiest country" anyway?" From what I was able to find out organizations like the World Happiness Report, look at several factors to score how happy people are in different countries. The key factors include:
Income/GDP per capita: How wealthy the average person is.
Social support: Whether people feel they have someone to rely on.
Healthy life expectancy: Average health and lifespan.
Freedom to make life choices: Feeling free to decide your own path.
Generosity: How much people help others.
Perceptions of corruption: Trust in government and businesses.
These factors are combined using survey data (like Gallup World Poll) where people rate their own life satisfaction on a scale.
Barbara was reflecting on the ability to learn new languages and asked how many I spoke.
I hear you on Spanish. As a native English speaker, the pronunciation, the distinction between la and el, and the dreaded declension of (irregular) verbs must be a real pain. What makes it trickier for me (having learned French and Italian first) is that Spanish is both familiar and deceptive. A lot of the vocabulary is the same or similar, but then there are some serious false friends, like burro, which means butter in Italian and donkey in Spanish.
That just about sums up my language portfolio. Swiss German is my mother tongue, and we write in High German. As you know, I speak, write, and understand English pretty fluently. French is my next strongest language. I used to be fairly fluent, though I’m a bit rusty now. It’s the same with Italian, except I never really considered myself fluent, especially when it came to speaking. Spanish is my weakest. I took two years of it in school, but the last semester was on Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m. so quite frankly I often chose to call it a week rather than spend two more hours in class.
Friends, thank you for being part of the journey, it's been a pleasure to reconnect! See you in October?
Below you'll find an overview of my posts in case you missed one you may be interested in.
Underground Zen: Stockholm’s Tunnelbana Experience
Fika - More than a Coffee Break
Sweden’s Public Spaces: Where Cleanliness Meets Accountability
Stockholm's Tourist Attractions
Sweden and Recycling: A Nation committed to circular Living
From Ball Pits to ‘Klunka’: Why IKEA’s Swedish Names Make Shopping Fun
Why Sweden Is the ultimate Welfare State
Swedish Kanelbullar vs American Cinnamon Rolls
Pippi Longstocking, Souvenir Queen of Stockholm (and Chaos)
Stockholm: One of the Last Cities That Hasn’t Sold Its Soul?
Everyday Inclusion in Sweden: Practicality, shared Spaces, and a quiet cultural Code
Stortorget: Where Beauty Meets History in the Heart of Stockholm
How Sweden Pays for Paradise: The Secret Behind Its Work-Life Balance
Sweet Spots on every Corner? Stockholm’s Bakery Culture up close
Systembolaget: Why you can’t just buy Wine at the Grocery Store in Sweden
Affärslunch, Anyone? French Words with a Nordic Twist
From Commute to Culture: Stockholm’s stunning Metro Art
When the Customer isn’t King – Notes from Stockholm
Tap, Sparkling, or Totally Confused?
Smörgåsbord & Beyond: 10 delicious Facts about Swedish Cuisine
Breaking the Ice: Can Sweden’s Hockey and Society embrace new Names and Faces?
Sweden’s Royals: More Bernadotte than Bling
How Stockholm rolls into Summer – Quite literally
Drug Scene in Sweden - What clean Streets don’t tell you
Swedish Windows: Light, Life, and Lagom
Lost for Words (But not for Laughs): My Brush with Swedish
Swedish Friendship, Dating, Housing — and the Sambo Way
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