mafried Wrote:Tobberoth Wrote:In Swedish public education, the main point which is taught is to always be skeptical towards everything and facts are usually discussed more so than taught as facts. This is IMO how one should be educated, not only because it stops "facts" based on assumptions to spread among kids, but it's also good for any adult to be skeptical towards media for the reasons you state.
What's Sweden's immigration policy for Americans? No seriously, my wife and I are going to have kids soon, and it makes me shudder to think of them coming of age in this country's educational system. I'm quite serious about moving somewhere else for that reason. Anyone know some good resources for learning Swedish?
First, seriously think this through (and talk to your wife), there are many other countries that may have the same benefits you want and you can't be sure that Sweden is the ideal, remember this is going to have a big impact on your family's future. Even moving to another state or Canada might help - just throwing that out there, I don't know that much about differences within NA.
I found
this article that summarizes Swedish research on immigration to Sweden.
It states four main themes in factors that make life harder for immigrants (of course, this applies to immigrants almost anywhere): 1)feelings of isolation 2) not being able to influence your work situation 3) language/communication difficulties 4) stress - stemming from a multitude of factors
It also has found three main protective factors: 1) being met with understanding and acceptance (IMO, this isn't entirely passive because of evocative factors, ie you treat others with respect and try to understand them, they do the same) 2) taking on a more or less active role in society 3) feeling that you are part of a context that is meaningful to you
It may seem like obvious things but I believe having them spelled out so you can think them through I think is important. A lot of it boils down to whether you'll be able to, in time, feel that you really are Swedish instead of just an immigrant living in Sweden, and to put effort into doing that (not saying you should become stereotypically Swedish, but I hope you understand what I mean). This would probably include changing your view on a multitude of issues.
One of the main hurdles is obviously getting a job; I tried to find some information on it regarding Sweden since I myself have been wondering about what the situation is like for immigrants on the job market, but it's hard to find anything that fits you. Mostly I found discussions about immigrants from countries that aren't as rich as Sweden and the US and therefore are disrespected etc etc.
This site seems to give some good information without being overly commercial, but try to take most of it with a grain of salt. If you are currently working at a company, see if they could offer you a job abroad or help you get some contacts. For issues related to being accepted as a Swedish citizen, I think it would be quickest if you visited/sent an e-mail to the closest Swedish embassy.
With that said, about learning the language: After some quick googling I found this site which is genuinely good and offers a smörgåsbord of resources you can use
http://www.digitalasparet.se/index.htm (only available in Swedish). To watch Swedish TV you can simply go to
http://svtplay.se/ and stream programmes from the national network. The national radio stations are also available on the 'Net,
http://sverigesradio.se/ . Many programmes can be downloaded as podcasts, and there are no costs (or membership, for that matter) for any of this. I do know that svtplay is available from other countries, I haven't tried SR but I would be very surprised if you couldn't access it. I can also mention that Sweden is (in)famous for the filesharing going on here, especially a bay of pirates.
We have a fair share of comics but as far as I know there's not much like manga and American comics, more like gag comics, etc. That is, home-produced. There's a lot of manga that's been translated, like Yotsuba (I think it's been cancelled now but eh), about 45 volumes of One Piece, etc. You can look for yourself in
http://www.bokia.se. I think that even compared to other countries the audiobook market here in Sweden is huge, you can browse around for them if you like, they're the categories at the top called "ljudböcker" (audio books) and "mp3-böcker" (mp3 books). Ljudböcker are the traditional CD deal while mp3-böcker are immediately downloadable and for listening on your computer/iPod.
nonpoint Wrote:The big textbook-printing companies follow what texas does (since it is one of the biggest customers), meaning many, if not most, american schools will learn this Texas board of education agenda.
U - S - A! U - S - A! U - S - A! U - S - A!
(I'm a not american, thankfully)
mafried Wrote:Ugh. That chant epitomizes everything that is wrong with this country. I remember the first time I heard it (I was a kid), I was thinking "wow that's really immature." I mean, what would cause a group of adults to standup and keep shouting a name like they're at a sporting match or something? It isn't a game.
Man.. where the @#*$ did we go wrong?
Was the US ever going right? :p
). I was a nanotech researcher before the economy collapsed (now I make websites.. Ugh), and there's more interesting work going in Europe in that arena than in North America. My wife studies Art History, so Europe is her mothership 
I'm going to be spending a lot of time reading through those websites you linked to; they look like valuable resources (and thanks for the Swedish learning resources too!).