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a survey I answered
Jan. 28th, 2015 09:51 amI received an email today to my work address which said:
"I am part of a group that is looking at improving the information we provide to international students and employees at LTU relating to life in Luleå, Norrbotten and Sweden and at LTU. I would therefore be very grateful if you could please help me by answering a few questions (below).
Any additional comments or thoughts are much appreciated also. If you do not want to answer a question that is no problem, simply send me the information you can give. Thank you!"
The reply I sent her got rather long, and so I decided to share it here:
*****************
Here are my attempts at providing you useful answers to your questions (my apologies if in the process I also provide information you deem irrelevant):
*Male/Female:
I am female
*Age:
I am 48 years of age
*Nationality:
I am currently a dual citizen: USA and Australia, and I have a pending application for Swedish Citizenship (application filed 4 July 2014).
PhD/employee/other:
*When did you first arrive at LTU?
I was hired by LTU as a full time "biträdande universitetslektor" from 1 November of 2011 to 31 December 2013, during which time I was responsible for a single, large, research project. Then I continued the same position at 25% time from 1 Jan 2014 to 30 June 2014, during which time I finished the write-up of that project and supervised a Master's student. I was re-hired as a "Forskiningsingenor 1:e" to manage the new Laser-ablation ICP-MS laboratory starting 1 October 2014 and continuing through the present and the foreseeable future.
*Did you bring a spouse and/or children with you when you moved to Luleå?
I did not bring anyone with me when I moved to Luleå. However, I initially moved here for love, and only later applied to LTU for work. I first moved to Sweden on 1 January 2011, spent six months on a visitor visa settling into the relationship with my new partner, then returned to Australia to apply for a permanent resident visa, which was granted in July 2014. I had been in contact with the geology department at LTU before departing for Australia, and soon after I returned we found a post-doctoral position for which I was qualified; I began that position (as stated above), in November of that year. Note that my sambo and I are still together and have purchased a house together.
*What information would you have liked to have been given, that you did not receive, when you arrived at LTU/Luleå?
I would have especially liked to have known that the "svenska för nybörjare" class offered by LTU is NOT in the least equivalent to the "svenska för invandrare" (Sfi) course offered by the government. I had heard mention of the latter from a friend, but the only information on it I found on my own search of the internet was a pdf that briefly described the course and provided a phone number and email address for more information. Since I couldn't speak Swedish at the time I didn't try the phone number, but simply sent an email, but never got a reply. However, in the meantime I dropped by the university and found out how to register for the former course, which I begun in the term that starts in either late January or early February of 2011 (I don't recall which).
I continued with that course till it stopped for summer holiday, and they informed me that I would need to wait to take the next course the following January, since most of the students in the course are exchange students, who normally start in the autumn, and therefore there wouldn't be enough students to justify that course running again till January. This turned out good in the short term, since I spent a chunk of July in Australia awaiting approval of my resident visa, so wouldn't have been here for the course, if it met during the summer, anyway. However, not being able to resume my Swedish studies promptly after my return from Australia turns out to have had negative consequences in how rapidly I learned Swedish. By that time I had long forgotten that I had once heard mention of the Sfi course, and thought my only option was to wait till January and to continue reading Swedish children's books on my own.
I did, in fact, enroll in that course in January, but by then my job had started, and I was required to do a fair bit of travel the first six months to collect geologic samples with which to do my research, and I often missed class as a result. I took one or two more semesters before giving up on the class and tried to just make a habit of reading in Swedish (I have always been an avid reader, so I quit reading fiction in English so as to focus on improving my Swedish that way).
It was not until my third year in Sweden that someone mentioned the Sfi course to me again--I had asked an American friend in Stockholm, who has been living in Sweden for 15 years, how long he had been in Sweden before he could follow conversations being held by a group of native Swedish speakers, at full speed. He replied "six months". I was flabbergasted--while I could carry on a basic conversation in Swedish with one person, and was reading it quite well, even after three years in the country I couldn't follow a rapid Swedish conversation. He then said "well I was in the Sfi course for four hours a day". Again, I was shocked--the course I had had at LTU met for two hours a week, not four hours a day.
Therefore I once again did an internet search, and found the exact same pdf describing the course. This time I emailed them in Swedish, and got an immediate reply, and I was soon enrolled in the Sfi course, beginning in February of 2014 (which was good timing with respect to work as I was on 25% time at LTU that semester). Because I have always been a good test taker, and because I had been reading so much in Swedish, I managed to test into the highest level course they offer. This was a very good fit for me in terms of reading, where I was one of the best in the class, but my listening comprehension and ability to pronounce words in Swedish made me the worst in the class in those categories. Even so my primary teacher at Sfi suggested I take the national exam to be done with the course at the end of May, which I did. I passed well in all categories, save for "hör", which I just barely passed, but given that I wear hearing aids and don't do as well in listening in English as I do reading, I was not disappointed in my results.
However, even after passing the test, I am still aware that my grammar is not good enough, nor is my pronunciation, nor is my ability to understand the spoken word if the conversation is either rapid, or spans a variety of topics (on the other hand, I am now doing ok to listen to a lecture on a specific, announced in advance, topic). I feel that if I had had a chance to start the Sfi course when I first arrived, and worked my way through all of the lessons, instead of getting a rapid summary in the advanced course, I would be much better at Swedish today. It is a shame that no one at the university ever told me about that course, and how different it was.
*What would you like to know about the region now that you have been in Luleå a while?
Perhaps even more about the history of the area?
*If an international network/group is set up, what would make you partake- i.e. which activities, information about what, etc.
Perhaps--I am pretty full on with my non-work commitments already. However, I would be happy to invite members of such a group to join us in the university "student choir", Aurora--that group is not just for students, but for everyone who loves to sing, and I have found it very, very helpful to "learn Swedish one song at a time". I would also be delighted to invite members of that group to the beginner's course in Swedish Folk Dancing and other activities of the Luleå hembygsgille, as learning about the Swedish folk music, dance, and costume traditions is a wonderful way to quickly get to know the culture of the area--this group has been very welcoming to me since I first arrived, and I preform regularly with them on occasions like Nationaldagen, Spelmanstämman, and Midsummer.
I could also offer introductions to the local "Lajv" group (live-action role playing), for people who would be interested in participating in a delightful blend of acting and group-storytelling, where there is no audience, but only participants living the adventure. Also to Frostheim, the local branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a historical recreation group which focuses on the Middle Ages (including Viking times) and Renaissance, and is a wonderful excuse to partake of two many hobbies, ranging from cooking from period recipes, sewing costumes, building armour, participating in armored combat, dancing, singing, and anything else you can think of that is fun that was done by our ancestors sometime between the fall of the Roman empire and the end of the Renaissance. An additional group I could offer introductions to is the "Indierummet Nord-nordost", which is a group of people who enjoy playing role playing games that take place sitting at a table (unlike the "Lajv" above) and board games, some of which were created by local members.
Good luck with the goal of improving the information that reaches new employees, I am glad to hear that someone is working on it. Please let me know if you have any questions (or want links to the web pages for any of the above named groups).
************
"I am part of a group that is looking at improving the information we provide to international students and employees at LTU relating to life in Luleå, Norrbotten and Sweden and at LTU. I would therefore be very grateful if you could please help me by answering a few questions (below).
Any additional comments or thoughts are much appreciated also. If you do not want to answer a question that is no problem, simply send me the information you can give. Thank you!"
The reply I sent her got rather long, and so I decided to share it here:
*****************
Here are my attempts at providing you useful answers to your questions (my apologies if in the process I also provide information you deem irrelevant):
*Male/Female:
I am female
*Age:
I am 48 years of age
*Nationality:
I am currently a dual citizen: USA and Australia, and I have a pending application for Swedish Citizenship (application filed 4 July 2014).
PhD/employee/other:
*When did you first arrive at LTU?
I was hired by LTU as a full time "biträdande universitetslektor" from 1 November of 2011 to 31 December 2013, during which time I was responsible for a single, large, research project. Then I continued the same position at 25% time from 1 Jan 2014 to 30 June 2014, during which time I finished the write-up of that project and supervised a Master's student. I was re-hired as a "Forskiningsingenor 1:e" to manage the new Laser-ablation ICP-MS laboratory starting 1 October 2014 and continuing through the present and the foreseeable future.
*Did you bring a spouse and/or children with you when you moved to Luleå?
I did not bring anyone with me when I moved to Luleå. However, I initially moved here for love, and only later applied to LTU for work. I first moved to Sweden on 1 January 2011, spent six months on a visitor visa settling into the relationship with my new partner, then returned to Australia to apply for a permanent resident visa, which was granted in July 2014. I had been in contact with the geology department at LTU before departing for Australia, and soon after I returned we found a post-doctoral position for which I was qualified; I began that position (as stated above), in November of that year. Note that my sambo and I are still together and have purchased a house together.
*What information would you have liked to have been given, that you did not receive, when you arrived at LTU/Luleå?
I would have especially liked to have known that the "svenska för nybörjare" class offered by LTU is NOT in the least equivalent to the "svenska för invandrare" (Sfi) course offered by the government. I had heard mention of the latter from a friend, but the only information on it I found on my own search of the internet was a pdf that briefly described the course and provided a phone number and email address for more information. Since I couldn't speak Swedish at the time I didn't try the phone number, but simply sent an email, but never got a reply. However, in the meantime I dropped by the university and found out how to register for the former course, which I begun in the term that starts in either late January or early February of 2011 (I don't recall which).
I continued with that course till it stopped for summer holiday, and they informed me that I would need to wait to take the next course the following January, since most of the students in the course are exchange students, who normally start in the autumn, and therefore there wouldn't be enough students to justify that course running again till January. This turned out good in the short term, since I spent a chunk of July in Australia awaiting approval of my resident visa, so wouldn't have been here for the course, if it met during the summer, anyway. However, not being able to resume my Swedish studies promptly after my return from Australia turns out to have had negative consequences in how rapidly I learned Swedish. By that time I had long forgotten that I had once heard mention of the Sfi course, and thought my only option was to wait till January and to continue reading Swedish children's books on my own.
I did, in fact, enroll in that course in January, but by then my job had started, and I was required to do a fair bit of travel the first six months to collect geologic samples with which to do my research, and I often missed class as a result. I took one or two more semesters before giving up on the class and tried to just make a habit of reading in Swedish (I have always been an avid reader, so I quit reading fiction in English so as to focus on improving my Swedish that way).
It was not until my third year in Sweden that someone mentioned the Sfi course to me again--I had asked an American friend in Stockholm, who has been living in Sweden for 15 years, how long he had been in Sweden before he could follow conversations being held by a group of native Swedish speakers, at full speed. He replied "six months". I was flabbergasted--while I could carry on a basic conversation in Swedish with one person, and was reading it quite well, even after three years in the country I couldn't follow a rapid Swedish conversation. He then said "well I was in the Sfi course for four hours a day". Again, I was shocked--the course I had had at LTU met for two hours a week, not four hours a day.
Therefore I once again did an internet search, and found the exact same pdf describing the course. This time I emailed them in Swedish, and got an immediate reply, and I was soon enrolled in the Sfi course, beginning in February of 2014 (which was good timing with respect to work as I was on 25% time at LTU that semester). Because I have always been a good test taker, and because I had been reading so much in Swedish, I managed to test into the highest level course they offer. This was a very good fit for me in terms of reading, where I was one of the best in the class, but my listening comprehension and ability to pronounce words in Swedish made me the worst in the class in those categories. Even so my primary teacher at Sfi suggested I take the national exam to be done with the course at the end of May, which I did. I passed well in all categories, save for "hör", which I just barely passed, but given that I wear hearing aids and don't do as well in listening in English as I do reading, I was not disappointed in my results.
However, even after passing the test, I am still aware that my grammar is not good enough, nor is my pronunciation, nor is my ability to understand the spoken word if the conversation is either rapid, or spans a variety of topics (on the other hand, I am now doing ok to listen to a lecture on a specific, announced in advance, topic). I feel that if I had had a chance to start the Sfi course when I first arrived, and worked my way through all of the lessons, instead of getting a rapid summary in the advanced course, I would be much better at Swedish today. It is a shame that no one at the university ever told me about that course, and how different it was.
*What would you like to know about the region now that you have been in Luleå a while?
Perhaps even more about the history of the area?
*If an international network/group is set up, what would make you partake- i.e. which activities, information about what, etc.
Perhaps--I am pretty full on with my non-work commitments already. However, I would be happy to invite members of such a group to join us in the university "student choir", Aurora--that group is not just for students, but for everyone who loves to sing, and I have found it very, very helpful to "learn Swedish one song at a time". I would also be delighted to invite members of that group to the beginner's course in Swedish Folk Dancing and other activities of the Luleå hembygsgille, as learning about the Swedish folk music, dance, and costume traditions is a wonderful way to quickly get to know the culture of the area--this group has been very welcoming to me since I first arrived, and I preform regularly with them on occasions like Nationaldagen, Spelmanstämman, and Midsummer.
I could also offer introductions to the local "Lajv" group (live-action role playing), for people who would be interested in participating in a delightful blend of acting and group-storytelling, where there is no audience, but only participants living the adventure. Also to Frostheim, the local branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a historical recreation group which focuses on the Middle Ages (including Viking times) and Renaissance, and is a wonderful excuse to partake of two many hobbies, ranging from cooking from period recipes, sewing costumes, building armour, participating in armored combat, dancing, singing, and anything else you can think of that is fun that was done by our ancestors sometime between the fall of the Roman empire and the end of the Renaissance. An additional group I could offer introductions to is the "Indierummet Nord-nordost", which is a group of people who enjoy playing role playing games that take place sitting at a table (unlike the "Lajv" above) and board games, some of which were created by local members.
Good luck with the goal of improving the information that reaches new employees, I am glad to hear that someone is working on it. Please let me know if you have any questions (or want links to the web pages for any of the above named groups).
************
