Outcome
Report about the meeting in Sweden 11-15 March, 2019
The meeting in Sweden took place between the 11-15 of March, 2019.
In total 17 students and 8 teachers visited Ronneby, and the same amount from Sweden participated. The theme was “Cultural environment”
The week was successfully completed and met all the criterias of the topic, and contained many different activities.
In total 17 students and 8 teachers visited Ronneby, and the same amount from Sweden participated. The theme was “Cultural environment”
The week was successfully completed and met all the criterias of the topic, and contained many different activities.
On the first day the different delegations arrived.
On the second day everyone met in school and had a presentation of themselves, and got some information about the school and the program for the week, from the Swedish teachers, students and headmaster.
After that the students made their presentations about immigration in their respective countries, which was very interesting to take part of.
Then they worked in groups with 3 worksheets, which had the topics; “Culture Shock”, “When Cultures Collide” and “Cultural Values”.
In the afternoon the students had a lesson in the Swedish language.
Then both students and teachers visited the “Immigrant section” of the school to see how that works. They had a brief information from the teachers working there about how the immigrants are being received and how the education for them works. Also some immigrant students participated and told them about how they came to Sweden and about the difficulties they have encountered, trying to be integrated here.
After that the students made their presentations about immigration in their respective countries, which was very interesting to take part of.
Then they worked in groups with 3 worksheets, which had the topics; “Culture Shock”, “When Cultures Collide” and “Cultural Values”.
In the afternoon the students had a lesson in the Swedish language.
Then both students and teachers visited the “Immigrant section” of the school to see how that works. They had a brief information from the teachers working there about how the immigrants are being received and how the education for them works. Also some immigrant students participated and told them about how they came to Sweden and about the difficulties they have encountered, trying to be integrated here.
The third day was a whole day trip to Kalmar, by bus. There they visited “Kalmar slott”, which is an old castle (800 years old). They had a guided tour of the castle; about the history, royalty who has lived there, cultural heritage and customs, and how the court functioned. After that they went to IKEA. After lunch they listened to a presentation about the history of IKEA, their values, and the huge cultural impact and importance it has for Sweden. Then they had some time to walk around and look at all the things that are sold there. Before going home they passed the bridge to Öland (an island outside of Kalmar), which is the longest bridge Sweden has (6 km). A beautiful view over the Baltic Sea was enjoyed, while passing the bridge. After that they went back home.
The forth day was spent in school.
In the morning the guest students followed their Swedish hosts on a lesson.
Then the teachers joined in for a concluding session. There everyone worked with one more worksheet called “Navigate Identity”. It was in the form of a Biogram (Identity Poem), and challenged their views of themselves and others, and showed how much we assume about other people/which prejudices/stereotypes we have.
Then there was a short evaluation of the week.
After that two local newspapers came and reported about the project.
In the afternoon the students had an Arts lesson, where they painted the trip to Kalmar + wrote summaries of the trip.
In the evening there was a Farewell dinner for everyone in the project, at a restaurant.
In the morning the guest students followed their Swedish hosts on a lesson.
Then the teachers joined in for a concluding session. There everyone worked with one more worksheet called “Navigate Identity”. It was in the form of a Biogram (Identity Poem), and challenged their views of themselves and others, and showed how much we assume about other people/which prejudices/stereotypes we have.
Then there was a short evaluation of the week.
After that two local newspapers came and reported about the project.
In the afternoon the students had an Arts lesson, where they painted the trip to Kalmar + wrote summaries of the trip.
In the evening there was a Farewell dinner for everyone in the project, at a restaurant.
On the last day everybody went back to their home countries.
Worksheet 4
1. what was it like writing a biogram about this other person? -
It was a bit difficult because we don´t know each other very well. We didn´t know the answers to the questions and we would maybe not be able to answer this question about our best friends.
2. What did you assume about the other person before engaging in the activity? Where they based accurate assumptions, or stereotypes?
We answered some of the questions based on stereotypes, but not everyone.
3. Did you have any reactions to what was written about you? Where you able to see yourself in this biogram? How accurately did this biogram describe you?
We think that we could see ourselves in the biogram because the answers to the questions could fit into almost every biogram of any person.
1. What was it like writing a biogram about this other person?
It was hard and a little bit awkward because we didn’t know each other that well.
2. What did you assume about the other person before engaging in the activity? Where they accurate assumptions, or stereotypes?
That everyone liked traveling and thought family was important. They assumptions were accurate, and we didn’t have any stereotypes.
3. Did you have any reactions to what was written about you? Where you able to see yourself in this biogram? How accurately did this biogram describe you?
The reactions were positive because no one wrote anything bad about the other person and the descriptions of the other were almost spot on.
1. Wat was it like writing a biogram about this other person?
Hard but fun! Helps to get to know eachother better.
Hard but fun! Helps to get to know eachother better.
2. What did you assume about the other person before engaging in the activity? Where they accrate assumptions, or steriotypes?
We thought of some steriotypes about eachother. Some assumptions were wrong but most of them were accurate.
We thought of some steriotypes about eachother. Some assumptions were wrong but most of them were accurate.
3. Did you have any reactions to what was ritten about you? Were you able to see yourself in this biogram? How accurately did this biogam descrime you.
Nothing outstanding. The biogram described everyone verry accuratly. They were almost pin point accurate.
Nothing outstanding. The biogram described everyone verry accuratly. They were almost pin point accurate.
1. What was it like writing a biogram about this other person?
It was very hard, we noticed that you don’t really remember each other’s surnames, and they differ a lot depending on the country and can be hard to pronounce. The questions were very deep and we’ve been together for too short of a time to know these things about each other without asking.
2. What did you assume about the other person before engaging in the activity? Where they accurate assumptions or stereotypes?
There were a lot of stereotypes but most of them were wrong and the opinions changed over time as we engaged with each other.
3. Did you have any reactions to what was written about you? Were you able to see yourself in this biogram? How accurately did this biogram describe you?
They were more accurate than expected and after these 3 days our relationships are a lot better and we know more than we thought we would, and we are in good contact.
Tobias, Aleks, Fabian, Johannes
Worksheet Group 4
1. Life is what happens to me/Life is what I make it:
Life is what I make of it. It is up to you to have a miserable life or a good life.
2. Competition brings out the best/ cooperation is the best way to get things done:
Both have their benefits, sometimes working alone helps you grow and helps you improve, in some cases cooperation is better since you get to see different sides of things.
3. Change is good/Tradition is important:
We can see benefits in the traditions but it´s also important for things to change.
4. People should tell it like it is even if it hurts/Maintaining harmony is important even if it means not telling the complete truth
In some cases, it´s okay to lie, like white lies but if something can have bad consequences you should tell the truth even if it´s harsh.
5. Group membership is essential for my success/I don´t need to belong to a group to be successful:
You can achieve anything on your own, but it helps if you´re in a group
Life is what I make of it. It is up to you to have a miserable life or a good life.
2. Competition brings out the best/ cooperation is the best way to get things done:
Both have their benefits, sometimes working alone helps you grow and helps you improve, in some cases cooperation is better since you get to see different sides of things.
3. Change is good/Tradition is important:
We can see benefits in the traditions but it´s also important for things to change.
4. People should tell it like it is even if it hurts/Maintaining harmony is important even if it means not telling the complete truth
In some cases, it´s okay to lie, like white lies but if something can have bad consequences you should tell the truth even if it´s harsh.
5. Group membership is essential for my success/I don´t need to belong to a group to be successful:
You can achieve anything on your own, but it helps if you´re in a group
Worksheet Group 3
Write what you think is characteristic for each nationality (your own and the other ones). What is a typical Swede, Pole etc. For you (based on what you have heard, read, met them etc.)? Write 2 things on each one (not the same as in the exercise above).
A typical.... is:
1. Spaniard: Very Loud, wise, weird food habits, patriotic
2. Dutch: Small, blond, bike interested, likes tulips, smokes weed
3. Swede: Blond hair, blue eyes, very silent, they don t like meet new people, punctual
4. Pole: Hard working, drinks alcohol, bad at English, using only polish language.
5. Austrian: Open people, Polite, Nationalistic, likes skiing, good food
Poland: The alcohol part is not true anymore but after the wore they drank a lot of Vodka. They are hardworking they must be perfect. They have become better at English and other languages.
Spain: They are very loud, and they speak a lot and they like to discuss with each other. They are not wise. The food habits are special. Some people are very patriotic.
Netherlands: Many people are small and blond but not everyone. They are bike interested and there are a lot of bikes. They do like tulips, but they don’t smoke weed the tourist do it thou.
Austria: Most of the Austrian people are open people, nationalistic and polite. Most of the people like skiing. The food is also good.
Sweden: Some has blond have blond hair and blue eyes but not everyone, they are silent and need personal space, they do like to meet new people, but it depends on the situation. They don’t like when people are late.
C. Discuss and compare your answers in the group. Did you have a lot of prejudices and stereotypic thinking about the other countries, or are some actually true?
Alex, Amaia, Jana, Fenja, Sanne
Worksheet Group 2
A. Write for each number which country you think the following characteristics or steriotypes refer to: Spain, The Netherlands, Sweden, Poland or Austria.
1. Reserved, candy lovers, talk about the weather, knows how to queue
Sweden
Sweden
2. Hard-working, hospitable, courageous, believe in democracy.
Poland
Poland
3. Not afraid to give their opinion, love biking, like complaining, like to leave curtains open all the time.
Netherlands
Netherlands
4. Punctual, polite, love winter sports, love dairy products.
Austria
Austria
5. Talkative, extrovert, like watching sports, creative.
Spain
Spain
C. Discuss and compare your answers in the group. Did you have a lot of prejudicies and steriptypics about the other countries, or are somte things actually true?
A lot of the steriotypes are somewat grounded in reality and in many cases they are acually true. Though there are some things that are not connected to reality, like the association betwen tulips and the Netherlands that is not accurate. Otherwise most things hade some resemblence in reality.
A lot of the steriotypes are somewat grounded in reality and in many cases they are acually true. Though there are some things that are not connected to reality, like the association betwen tulips and the Netherlands that is not accurate. Otherwise most things hade some resemblence in reality.
Worksheet Group 1
1. Give two examples of common traditions from your country
Spain: Rural sports specific for Spain (euskupilota), going out with friends to eat Pintxos. Poland: 1st of November they go to cemeteries, last Thursday lent they eat donuts.
Netherlands: Sinterklaas , light fireworks during new year’s eve
Austria: Chritkind, dancing waltz
Sweden: Midsummer we celebrate midsummer in the end of June and dance around a midsummer pole, Swedish fika, we eat biscuits and drink coffee, happens frequently.
Netherlands: Sinterklaas , light fireworks during new year’s eve
Austria: Chritkind, dancing waltz
Sweden: Midsummer we celebrate midsummer in the end of June and dance around a midsummer pole, Swedish fika, we eat biscuits and drink coffee, happens frequently.
2. How have you learned to be a swede, pole etc. do you think?
Environment you grew up in and influences from the people around you, their habits, learning about the history from others, adapting to friends and family, happens naturally.
3. Give two examples of difference between your own country and other countries that you have noticed (for ex. What they eat, how they act…)
Swedish people are more reserved, in other countries like Spain the dinners are very late in comparison to other countries. The school starts at very different times and ends at different times as well. Different ways of interacting for example while Swedes are more reserved, Spanish people are more extroverted and Dutch people are more blunt and straightforward.
Swedish people are more reserved, in other countries like Spain the dinners are very late in comparison to other countries. The school starts at very different times and ends at different times as well. Different ways of interacting for example while Swedes are more reserved, Spanish people are more extroverted and Dutch people are more blunt and straightforward.
4. Do you think it’s positive or negative with the national differences? Explain your opinion
It’s mostly positive as it brings interests, and reasons for travel and experiencing more cultures to also grow as a person. But at the same time it’s neither positive nor negative as people are the same anyways and it shouldn’t affect too much.
5. Give one example of when different cultures can collide with each other (for ex. Different values, concept of time…) Use countries as example.
Many different values as people’s rights might vary but also smaller things like coming late for a meeting which is something that is frowned upon in Sweden but not that big of a deal in Spain for example. The way of interacting, the swedes are more introverted and wait for their turn to interact while Spaniards and other countries are more extroverted and likely to start an interaction. Religions for example religion in Poland is very meaningful and can therefore influence how people act.
Tobias (Sweden), Alvaro (Basque), Dominika (Poland), Frank (Holland), Philipp (Austria)
Trip to Kalmar 3
The 13th of march all the delegations taking part at the Erasmus+ project in Ronneby travelled in a bus and the atmosphere was fun and friendly. As the travel was taking place in Sweden, the weather was rainy and windy, and almost every student and teacher felt cold while on the trip.
The travel had many stops, the first place that they visited was the Kalmar castle(Kalmar slott, in swedish), whose landscape was amazing and beautiful. It seemed like a real touristic place, maybe because of the impact it had at the scandinavian and the swedish history. The castle, which was built in the XII. Century, had a lot of kings and queens living there during the time. Erik the XIV was the king who had the most impact at the swedish history.
The guides at the castle were amazing and made learning something about the swedish history funny and entertaining, so every student and teacher that was there had a great time, even though history is something that is not usually liked. After having visited it, everyone knew that the castle was the most turistic place in Kalmar and its near cities.
Kalmar has been a really important city in the swedish history, mainly because of its placement on the map. When Sweden was conquered by Denmark and Norway, Kalmar was the capital of the swedish land and it was always trying to be conquered by the other countries. It was located near the border between danish and swedish land.
The visitors were told that inside the castle was cold, and they were not wrong. It was mainly because at the beginning, they used holes made in the floor to keep politic prisoners without clothes cold, so that they could get sick easily and die faster.
Without taking the castle into consideration, for everyone at the trip, the Baltic ocean stole the attention. The castle is located in what looks like a little cliff, so it is really near the ocean.
After having visited the castle, everyone took the bus and travelled for ten minutes, to visit the Kalmar IKEA, where almost everyone ordered one of the most well known dishes from the swedish culture: meatballs.
IKEA has been growing a lot since its creation, so nowadays it is a worldwide company that all the students knew about. But they were surprised, because even though they thought that they knew a lot about it, they did not know almost anything about it.
The IKEA staff show them a presentation about its history and the way of thinking that makes IKEA special. They told the students that IKEA started in Småland by Ingrad Kamprad in the 1940s. It first started being a furniture store that sent their product by mail, but with the years, they started to add new services like the exposition, until it is l like the exposition, until it is the way every person knows it.
When the presentation was finished, the students and teachers had some spare time to walk around the shop, which as in the words of some students: “ This IKEA it is like a big maze, we almost got lost”.
The last place they visited before going back to Ronneby, where the trip started, was the island near Kalmar named Öland. To get in the island they had to cross a bridge over the Baltic ocean, where they took pictures of both the island and the ocean. They were able to take a lot of pictures because of the length of the bridge.
The travel had many stops, the first place that they visited was the Kalmar castle(Kalmar slott, in swedish), whose landscape was amazing and beautiful. It seemed like a real touristic place, maybe because of the impact it had at the scandinavian and the swedish history. The castle, which was built in the XII. Century, had a lot of kings and queens living there during the time. Erik the XIV was the king who had the most impact at the swedish history.
The guides at the castle were amazing and made learning something about the swedish history funny and entertaining, so every student and teacher that was there had a great time, even though history is something that is not usually liked. After having visited it, everyone knew that the castle was the most turistic place in Kalmar and its near cities.
Kalmar has been a really important city in the swedish history, mainly because of its placement on the map. When Sweden was conquered by Denmark and Norway, Kalmar was the capital of the swedish land and it was always trying to be conquered by the other countries. It was located near the border between danish and swedish land.
The visitors were told that inside the castle was cold, and they were not wrong. It was mainly because at the beginning, they used holes made in the floor to keep politic prisoners without clothes cold, so that they could get sick easily and die faster.
Without taking the castle into consideration, for everyone at the trip, the Baltic ocean stole the attention. The castle is located in what looks like a little cliff, so it is really near the ocean.
After having visited the castle, everyone took the bus and travelled for ten minutes, to visit the Kalmar IKEA, where almost everyone ordered one of the most well known dishes from the swedish culture: meatballs.
IKEA has been growing a lot since its creation, so nowadays it is a worldwide company that all the students knew about. But they were surprised, because even though they thought that they knew a lot about it, they did not know almost anything about it.
The IKEA staff show them a presentation about its history and the way of thinking that makes IKEA special. They told the students that IKEA started in Småland by Ingrad Kamprad in the 1940s. It first started being a furniture store that sent their product by mail, but with the years, they started to add new services like the exposition, until it is l like the exposition, until it is the way every person knows it.
When the presentation was finished, the students and teachers had some spare time to walk around the shop, which as in the words of some students: “ This IKEA it is like a big maze, we almost got lost”.
The last place they visited before going back to Ronneby, where the trip started, was the island near Kalmar named Öland. To get in the island they had to cross a bridge over the Baltic ocean, where they took pictures of both the island and the ocean. They were able to take a lot of pictures because of the length of the bridge.
Amaia Vicuña
Basque delegation
Basque delegation
Trip to Kalmar 2
IKEA – Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd
He is the creator of the biggest and most important company of Sweden. IKEA is spread almost over the whole world, but they try to keep their traditions alive. IKEA tries to get a complete sustainable company until the year 2020, but they already tried to recycle every piece of trash, to give these things a new purpose. For example:
Plastic, Wood, Glass, Cardboard, etc.
It’s typical for IKEA, that in the restaurants just Swedish food gets served. Like the most recommended dish are meatballs.
Ikea is the most important company for Sweden. A mark for that is, that over a quarter of the Swedish inhabitants have a family card. They collect information from the customers to personalise the shopping experience more.
Many companies are inspired by IKEA, because of the customer’s trust.
Because it’s not at the stock market, IKEA has a lot of money to invest for the future.
He is the creator of the biggest and most important company of Sweden. IKEA is spread almost over the whole world, but they try to keep their traditions alive. IKEA tries to get a complete sustainable company until the year 2020, but they already tried to recycle every piece of trash, to give these things a new purpose. For example:
Plastic, Wood, Glass, Cardboard, etc.
It’s typical for IKEA, that in the restaurants just Swedish food gets served. Like the most recommended dish are meatballs.
Ikea is the most important company for Sweden. A mark for that is, that over a quarter of the Swedish inhabitants have a family card. They collect information from the customers to personalise the shopping experience more.
Many companies are inspired by IKEA, because of the customer’s trust.
Because it’s not at the stock market, IKEA has a lot of money to invest for the future.
Trip to Kalmar
During the bus ride to Kalmar, we all had a lot of fun and got to know each other better.
When we go off the bus, it was pretty cold and windy, but the first view of the Swedish castle was impressive. We were in really big group so we had to split up for two smaller groups. We had to wait 15 minutes for another guide in the corridor. castle. after this time our trip actually started.
We heard performance about history development monarchy architecture of the castle. We also heard history about political criminals of Sweden, who were captured in the dungeon, which was later used as a kitchen.
After this we were in the bedroom of the queen and we saw her bed, which is made of oak wood, with faces on it. The special thing we recognized ,that their noses were missing because swedes cut them off because they believed that Danish souls lived in these noses and they will have nightmares, if
they don’t cut them off.
And the rest of the trip was looking at other parts of the castle.
And the rest of the trip was looking at other parts of the castle.
OUR OPINION
It’s interesting to learn about the history of another country and how the people used to live there. I would have never known the story behind Ikea and how it was established. Ikea inspires me, because of their ideas/ goals for creating a better/ economical world.
Sanja, Philipp Aleks.
Polish and Austrian delegation
Kalmar Castle
Sweden is a country which goes with the wind. For example, Sweden has been very open during the migrant crisis. If we have learned one thing about Sweden is that Sweden is always focused on the future. As doctor Martin Luther King once said, ‘we do not make history, we are made by history’. So this brings the question ‘how was the history of the swedes which made them to the people they are today?’
To find once identity we should look at our past, that mindset brought us to Kalmar Castle. Kalmar is a decently sized a two hour drive away from Ronneby. While we were underway to Kalmar we experienced another part which makes a nation, their nature. We saw that the Swedish countryside is rather hostile because of the cold, the mountains and the wind. A hostile environment brings people together, instead of fighting against each other they will fight against the elements for the right to survive. This begs the question ‘was it always like this?´. Was Sweden always the social nation as we know it today?
After a long but interesting journey we arrived at Kalmar The first thing I noticed was the salty air and the strong wind, but the wind did not bother me. We walked over a bridge towards a castle with a big wall (Donald Trump would be jealous). The wind was getting rather unpleasant and I was thrilled to go inside.
Once we were inside we were inside we were greeted by a petite blonde woman. The eyes looked at as with happiness and great excitement. Her warm welcome compensated for the chilly castle rooms. She guided us to a dungeon at the edge of the castle. We came to find out that the Swedish were not always that socially responsible. We were told by our guide that the dungeon was exclusively for the state enemies: POW’s, political prisoners and traitors to the Swedish empire. The dungeon was quite chilly, the reason the chillness was that the dungeon was below sea-level. The chilly atmosphere was a good grime metaphor for how the prisoners were treated.
Our host brought us to the bedroom of the former queens, which was quite a contrast compared to the previous part of the castle we were at. The host told something that was a surprise to us. She surprised as with telling that most of the furniture was stolen from e.g. the Danish. This was a large contrast to how we knew the Sweden of 2019. Furthermore we were shown all of the glory of the Swedish monarchy. Especially the bedroom of the former crown-prince. The room had a lot of flair. The walls told a hunting story, the celling told a story of wealth and the hidden door a story of fear.
Our host told the familiar story of wealthy man, who were trapped in his mind by suspicion and greet. All the money in the world still could not by freedom. The golden bedroom had turned into a golden cage, were the man was trapped like a bird.
Our host brought us to the bedroom of the former queens, which was quite a contrast compared to the previous part of the castle we were at. The host told something that was a surprise to us. She surprised as with telling that most of the furniture was stolen from e.g. the Danish. This was a large contrast to how we knew the Sweden of 2019. Furthermore we were shown all of the glory of the Swedish monarchy. Especially the bedroom of the former crown-prince. The room had a lot of flair. The walls told a hunting story, the celling told a story of wealth and the hidden door a story of fear.
Our host told the familiar story of wealthy man, who were trapped in his mind by suspicion and greet. All the money in the world still could not by freedom. The golden bedroom had turned into a golden cage, were the man was trapped like a bird.
Finally, we walked to the other side of the castle were we visited the church used by the monarchs. The church was in the same style as the castle a big display of wealth and power. This was rather ironic since the church was built by protestants monarch. We said our goodbyes to our host. Ironically we were lost in the castle, just like the crown-prince, we could not escape the castle.
We learned that our past does not define the people we can be todays, tomorrow and in the future. Some people might see there past as an anchor, others see it as a lesson to better themselves and progress as a nation like the people of Sweden. We control our own future, Like Shakespeare said: ‘It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves’. ^