Justfindit.se Magazine

Sweden and me - 30 years of love

Sweden and me - 30 years of love. In August 2022 was my 30th anniversary in Sweden. As a Swedish citizen I am happy to publish something like this and I hope that everyone will enjoy reading. Living 30 years in Sweden is something very valuable so, thank you Sweden!

In April 1992 my brother and me left Sarajevo. Our father came after us. Our mother did not leave Sarajevo because she believed the war would stop after short time. Unfortunately it was not so. Our Yugoslavia was killed and war in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a sign for us to leave because we did not and still do not share ideas of different people in Balkans.

We lived in northern part of Serbia, called Vojvodina, in a small town called Coka until the end of July. Then we started our trip to Sweden. It was not a simple trip. We bought a train ticket from Budapest to Copenhagen but our real trip ended with a ferry from Swinoujscie in Poland to Ystad in Sweden.

I will not go in to all details. My new life in Sweden started in August 1992 and as an author and owner of this magazine, I have decided to write a reportage about it.

Karlshamn - a city in Sweden’s garten

The first 6 years of my life in Sweden were in Karlshamn. The first 10 months of that time were however in a refugee camp in Bussamåla, a little place between Karlskrona and Emmaboda.

Karlshamn city with its surroundings has played a big role in my and my family’s lives so it has to be mentioned in this article. This city is in Blekinge and that is one of the two most southern parts of Sweden. It is also called for Sweden’s garten.

Through Karlshamn a small river called Mieån flows right in to the Baltic sea. There we have had many nice moments. I remember fishing with friends and biking to the school. That was a great time. Mieån actually comes from a lake 25 minutes north from Karlshamn. It is called Mien.

Mien lake is a pretty big lake and it is possible to swim, fish and take a boat tours there. With its clean water it looks very attractive even though the water looks dark. The darkness is common in all Swedish waters. The shore has a nice little beach where people can enjoy in barbeque and sunshine.

Unfortunately I never visited Mien before. My first time there was now after 30 years. I was there with my son and my father. It must be experienced. Hopefully there will be new opportunities for that in future.

The Emigrants Monument and Dimman

Karlshamn is a pretty little city but it has many statues. Mien lake flows out to the Baltic sea via Mieån and there we can find a very known statue. It is Utvandrarna (The Emigrants Monument) and then we also can find Dimman. They are relatively close to each other. Utvandrarna is the one which is commemorating the migration to America via Karlshamn in the 19th century.

Leaving Karlshamn

In 1999 my brother and me left Karlshamn when we decided to take a new step in our lives. We started with Surahammar, Västerås, Skellefteå, Sundsvall, Stockholm, Skövde and Malmö. Those cities are in different parts of Sweden and we had different experiences.

We have nice and clean parks both in the cities and outside. Those are especially visible and used in bigger cities where people feel for breaks during working days.

Lakes in southern Sweden

I must admit that Sweden is a beautiful country regardless where you are. Observing Sweden from different points of view might look a little bit same on every place but it is not. It is just its beauty that gives us that impression. Around 30 minutes from Malmö there is a lake called Vombsjön and there it is possible to swim, fish and take boat tours just like in Mien lake.

Swedish nature and Swedish quality of life is something that everyone should appreciate. It must be well taken care of. Sweden also offers nice marine life.

In one of our earlier articles we already have described this nice country so you can read it if you feel for it: Sweden is beautiful, isn't it?

Festivals!

Sweden and Swedish people love festivals, parties and everything that means enjoying the life. In Karlshamn there is a very known The Baltic Sea Festival (Östersjöfestivalen) but we also have festivals like the one in Malmö.

The festival is a huge happiness for children but also grown-ups. There are different activities from dance, thrill rides and shopping to restaurants and bars. Some nice images from Malmö festival:

Liseberg - the amusement park

Not only festivals are appreciated. People in Sweden also love amusement parks. In Gothenburg there is the largest one in Scandinavia and its name is Liseberg. There are many different thrill rides. My first time there was in 1996 and many things have been changed since then. There is one thing that probably will remain there though. It is a ride called Lisebergbanan (Berg- och dalbanan).

Swedish kindness and problems

Unfortunately Swedish kindness has lead to a negative development. During all those 30 years it has become visible that many people abuse the good and developed system in Sweden. It is also visible that there are parallel societies. Sweden and Swedish values must adapt to the new reality instead of having the new reality adapt to Sweden and Swedish values.

Sweden has made it possible for everyone to have good and happy life but there are people who do not appreciate that. They prefer to be e.g. bandits or gangsters instead of being educated and well respected citizens who can give something good back to this country. It is not OK to only require from Sweden. We have to give back too.

Looking at the present political development we can see that different time will come. Many people have opened their eyes and they want to see changes. Hopefully those will be good for Sweden.

Sweden and me - 30 years of love

This article is written with care, passion and an attempt to show how thankful I am to be a part of this nice Scandinavian country. As a Swedish citizen I am happy to publish something like this and I hope that everyone will enjoy reading. Living 30 years in Sweden is something very valuable so, thank you Sweden!