Fluently Swenglish

This week Fluently Swenglish had Allie Lindo as a guest.  Allie is one of the founders of Black Lives Matter here in Sweden, and brings a lot of positive energy and clear thinking to the podcast. We talk not only about life in Sweden for non-Swedes, but also about her journey.

Our guest on the podcast is Jonathan Corr - he tells us what life is like as a student in Malmö and gives plenty of helpful tips for those wanting or currently studying in Sweden. As usual we also banter about life in Sweden and contrast and compare with Jonathan's Irish roots.

This week John and Martin have another ex-pat guest in the studio. A young Northern lass from Manchester UK, came to Sweden 3 years ago and is working as an English speaking actor. Emma A. Gould is bright, positive and highly motivated in getting the English speaking community into the theatre. 

Seires 3 Episode8 At long last summer is only a stones throw away and that means time for gratulations and celebrations in Sweden. John and Martin tell us all about the student's graduation parties and some of the highlights of the summer celebrations. Of course with COVID-19 still knocking at our door many of the celebrations will be cancelled or toned down. 

As it says on the tin, this weeks episode is all about living in Sweden. Martin and John are old hands at fixing and advising others on the basics of getting established in Sweden give some solid tips on that very subject. The guys need to put a small disclaimer out there. Rules and ways tend to change pretty quickly around here and some of the advice being on the right track might need checking…

With two hosts today sitting on completely different sides of the fence when it comes to religion, Martin the non-believer and John a devoted Christian discuss their beliefs upon the subject. Not only do they explain their personal feelings about the religions of the world they try their best to describe the layout of religion in Sweden. This openminded country is famous for its liberal ideas and forwardness in excepting other peoples beliefs and faiths, or is this liberalness just a smokescreen with 61% Christian believers pushing only one ideal… Please tune in to this next episode of Fluently Swenglish and see if the boys can agree or agree to disagree…

This week's podcast is back to the roots of Series 2, hearing someones story. We all have a story to tell, it doesn’t matter if you are my 3-year-old grandson or an ex-pat trying to bring people together under the worst pandemic this world has seen for the last century, we all have a story. Storytelling is still the oldest form of communications and I love to sit down and hear those stories… A few weeks ago a friend of mine met my next guest while he was being interviewed by him for his new website www.inthistogether.se. My friend recommended I contact this remarkable individual and have him as a guest on my podcast. His name is Joe Miller, born in England dragged up in South Wales and moved to Sweden in 2013. He's a professional photographer and founder and creator of a brilliant website, In this together. If you would like to know more, listen to my next episode “Meeting Joe Miller”.

This week John interviews Martin, not because Martin is an expert on the subject of the Swedish healthcare system… Its mainly because Martin explains the dealings he has had with the health system over past decade. 8 years ago Martin was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is a form of blood cancer. Having fought off the cancer twice it has now returned for the third time. In this episode Martin is transparent about the chemotherapy treatments, two stem cell transplants plus how the doctors kept giving him opioids for pain relief, which lead to a  prescription medication addiction which took nearly 12 months to beat. Now the cancer has surfaced again Martin explains how lucky he is living in a country with a free medical treatment… The Swedish health system is a part of the Swedish culture and society, listen to John and Martin explain why…

This episode is all about the unusual criticism Sweden is getting or has got over their relaxed rules on the CoVid19... John my co-host and I delve a little deeper into the Swedish attitude that Sweden is having around this terrible virus CoVid19..  Anders Tegnell and the current state epidemiologist of Sweden simply said regarding Trumps attack on Sweden’s way of dealing with the virus, that he obversely does not understand the way Sweden handles such matters. Tegnell also stated “In Sweden we don’t need to implement laws for people to follow recommendations”. So let’s see if John and I can enlighten the world about Sweden….

My guest this week has a list of qualifications as long as my arm to be the perfect guest on Fluently Swenglish… Those qualifications include being an English teacher, a scholar of religious education, a devoted husband, father to three teenage girls and a self-confessed poker shark…This gentlemen also has another member of the family that plays an important part of his somewhat Swenglish life style here in Malmö. A trusty four legged friend receives a long walk every evening so he can listen to the Uk’s longest running radio soap opera on BBC Radio 4… The Archers.  Mr John Rouse Esq, has lived in Malmö near on 20 years now, moving here from the hustle and bustle of U.K.'s capital city London, the contrast couldn't be more apparent but life in Malmo suits John perfectly. Another reason I felt the urge to have John on my podcast was because we had a similar upbringing, we were both brought up in military families and lived a childhood un-like many others might of experienced.  I find him an encyclopaedia of knowledge but most of all I admire John’s ability to tell a great story, everyone knows I have a soft spot for a good storyteller. This fact was proven when I asked them who he would most like to have as a lunch guest, after a short silence John told me of a relative of a relative he had back a few 100 years ago. This ancestor was the keeper of a library somewhere in England, I thought that was a great story then he impressed me even more on explaining this ancestral scholar had refused to loan a book to the king of England.

This week I got the opportunity to interview a great guy called Olle Dernevik, Olle is a 36 year old Jazz drummer living in Malmö Sweden.  I met this young man down our local pub (yes the pubs are still open in Sweden:-) )were he plays jazz every Monday evening. I’m not 100% sure how our paths crossed but I do recall  him telling me he spend a chunk of his childhood in the North-east of England just outside Durham, another piece of the jigsaw regarding our first conversation was when I totally confessed the fact that Jazz is the music genre I dislike most of all… Lets be honest, for the first encounter I must admit it was a tad insulting to this Swedish Geordie lad, but it didn't seem to deter him agreeing to be interviewed and have an attempt to convert me to like this confusing sometimes chaotic music. I believe Olle has a great way of explaining his art and passion, so please kickback, relax and enjoy the next 50+ minutes of my next episode of Fluently Swenglish with Olle Dernevik

COVID-19… Only the Swedish way will do! Martin and Iain offer their opinion on the Corona Virus in Sweden. Many people from the international press corps, plus some different political groups in Sweden feel that the Swedish authorities  are dragging their red tape heels and not inline with the rest of Europe. The boys look into what is actually happen here in Sweden and bring a little light on to the subject… Martin as usual is looking for the positivity and hope in it all, while Iain says it as it is. The youth will rebel against the pensioners if the pubs are closed too long. Watch out Nan and grandad the millennium are coming after you… ‘’

This week Martin and Iain are back in the studio for an episode called Sweden - The land of Laws. The team is back together to chat about some of the rather bizarre laws in Sweden. Everything from not being able to name children a usual name without permission to the new smoking restrictions. The couple is back in form, it’s time to protect Sweden from foreign press and a crazy twittering president called Donald Trump who believes American citizens are above the Swedish court systems. If that isn’t enough to fuel your appetite, the boy’s will try and get their heads around weird drinking laws and understand the dancing regulations of the land. Please tune in to this fun episode of Fluently Swenglish….

Following the theme of the series ‘Expat stories’ Martin this week meets up with an old lost friend! Travelling to the small village of Klippan in the Northern part of Skåne, Martin chats with Roslyn Bennett a true UK expat in every way. Roslyn has lived in Sweden for over 32 years truly making Sweden her home but still holding on the some old home memories and traditions. Telling of a Scottish dish her mother lovingly made called Dumpling then to explaining the transition of living in a foreign land. Martin and Roslyn chat about the problems back in the 80’s to build a career and how more difficult it was if you didn’t speak Swedish. They both moved to Kalmar with-in a few years of each other, so listen in to the stories of a couple of friends meeting up again…

On this episode of Fluently Swenglish, Martin is chatting to someone with an amazing story. Ali Jehad as a toddler fled his village in Southern Iraq with his mother to start his life in a refugee camp in Northern Saudi Arabia. Some of Ali’s first memories are of playing in burnt out tanks and jeeps, cans of ginger ale and Kit Kats on Friday afternoon. Remembering the horrors of his father going missing for months on end, to the joys of flying to Sweden with all his family to start a new life. It wasn’t until Ali was 7 years old he experienced living somewhere with running water and electricity.  Tune in to Fluently Swenglish to hear Ali’s story and how now over 30 years on Ali is working as a freelance photographer inspired be his grandfather…

On this episode of Fluently Swenglish, Martin is chatting to a couple of Welsh dragons. Tom and Nathan, two lads from Swansea moved to Malmö two years ago, one a teacher and the other a food writer… Find out why they decided to move from Wales and settle into a new town and country. Was Brexit anything to do with it or was it for a better quality of life? Click the link above and hear Martin chatting with the New Swelsh Kids on the Block!

Episode 5 on Fluently Swenglish is following the trend of storytelling with Martin telling about his adventures as a tour guide back in the late 80’s early 90’s… Bus trips from Sweden to London taking over 24 hours through Germany, Holland, Belgium and France was a popular pastime back then. Martin shares  stories about his trips and the passenger’s he looked after, he explains that he wasn’t just a tour guide but also ended up be a mother, agony aunt, kindergarten teacher and most often a shoulder to cry on. So tune into the Fluently Swenglish podcast using the link above and follow Martin to London…

Episode 4 on Fluently Swenglish Martin is chatting with his friend Firas Murarker, who is originally from Palestine, but now lives with his wife and black Labrador in Malmö Sweden.… Firas being an experienced photographer and filmmaker usually is the one interviewing people, but on this occasion Firas is sitting on the live side of the microphone telling Martin want it was like to grow up in Palestine in the late 80’s, 90’s and early 2000s. From studying law, running a bar in Bethlehem to becoming a busy photographer in a country were a passport was classed as a low status travel document to meeting the love of his life and travelling to a country where it’s passport is highly desirable…  

This week is episode 3 in the “Meet the Expats” series, tune in and listen to the incredible story of Diana Achata… Diana is from Peru and moved to Sweden in 2015 with her Danish husband. The incredible part of the story is why they moved to Sweden and not Denmark. Being under 24 years old, Danish law basically said they were not allowed to live in Denmark. Martin and Diana touch on many different subjects a few being the unusual delicacies of Peru, the number of different potatoes there is in Diana’s homeland, the horrors of wedding photography and the different art forms of storytelling…

This week in the Fluently Swenglish studio Martin is with Rami Iskif, Rami has an amazing story to tell about his journey to Sweden back in 2015. Bringing his family from a war torn Syria, he tells of the up’s and down’s of passing through Europe to get to Sweden. Over crowded rubber boats, sunny Greek beaches, smugglers on speed dial and German boarder guards at the airports, at has all the drama of a Tom Clancy novel…

Fluently Swenglish, Series 2 - Meeting the Expats... Everyone has a voice. Everyone has experiences, thoughts, dreams, hopes even fears. We also all have a story to tell. Story telling is the oldest form of communication, a lot older than painting or the written word. Stories have been passed down 10’s of thousands  of years through generations and cultures.  Our stories from those experiences, thoughts, dreams, hopes and fears are just like our fingerprints — they are our own. We love hearing a good story, so this is why Martin one of the hosts of the podcast Fluently Swenglish is talking with Expats living here in Sweden to find their story. Why and how they came to Sweden, also their opinions of the country. In this new Series of episodes Martin starts off the series by telling his own story of how he came to Sweden in 1985. Travelling 5,000 kilometres across the Mediterranean Sea, through 8 European countries, taking 6 days and nights with only 25 US Dollars in his pocket.

Martin and Iain are back in the studio with an Extra special episode on the Swedish European Parliamentary Elections before the big day on Sunday 26th May. The boys giving a run down of the main parties trying to grab one of those important 21 seats Sweden is allocated with in the EU Parliament. Are you confused how the European Parliament works or which party is which, who stands for what? Well, the lads will try and shine some light on the whole thing….  The online Election questionnaire Martin and Iain did on the show can be found here:   https://fluentlyswenglish.podbean.com

Episode 10  Sweden’s Image… On this episode Martin and Iain look it what the out-side world think of Sweden and the Swedes. They use a report drawn up by the Department of Swedish Promotion they discuss if Sweden’s image is a fair one! This is the last episode of this first series and Martin and Iain will be back very soon with new episodes.  Martin and Iain’s plan is to Interview Ex-pats from all walks of life, asking them the reasons they came to Sweden and why they decided to stay. The first of these interviews will be published and released on Tuesday 28th May. We promise to keep you informed, if you click on the follow button your get a notification when its published. Thanks you the support in series 1

Episode 8… Traditions and Customs in Sweden… Iain and Martin in the studio this week are going through the yearly celebrations here in Sweden!  Everything is discussed, from Fat Tuesday, hopping and prancing like a small frog around a maypole and a Christmas tree, too the way one sings a short verse before downing a short shot of strong flavoured snaps. Just before Easter dressing their small children up as old ladies and let them beg for sweets around town, then explaining the special custom of eating rotten fish and sucking the heads of crayfish every August, maybe this is the time you need a shot of snaps…  If that isn’t enough, Iain spills the beans and reveals the true story behind the history of Swedens most wonderful and beautiful tradition. Do people know it started with the eye gouging and burning of a young maiden… So many customs and traditions packed into such a small country and one episode of Fluently Swenglish… Join them now for Episode 8…

This is the first in a future of interviews with English-speaking expatriates that have moved to Sweden over the past years. Everyone has a story, everyone comes to Sweden for a reason be it love, economic or political. Martin tries to keep the interview as organic as possible to let the guest tell their story. In this first special episode Martin meets Lewis Lebolt who came to Sweden in 1973, it wasn't just a move of convenience. Lewis moved from Chicago Illinois in the United States to Sweden because he didn't want to be drafted into the U.S. Army and have to fight in the Vietnam war. It took Lewis years of careful planning to legally immigrate to Sweden, so please join Martin and Lewis in the studio to hear his amazing story. It is also an interesting insight into Swedish cultural spanning back 4.5 decades from the expatriate point of view. Lewis walks away from suburban America to join a different suburban life in Sweden , listen to his views of living in Sweden for the past 46 years.

Episode 7 Learning Swedish… Iain and Martin are by themselves in the studio this week, reminiscing on when they first started to learn Swedish. Together they discuss the in’s and out’s of having a bilingual family and explain how it isn’t as easy as people believe to speak English in a Swedish home. As the episode goes on they ask each other of certain Swedish words they love then the Swedish words they are not as keen on. Join the boys now and listen to how it was for them to learn Swedish….

Episode 6 Alcohol & Sweden… This Interesting cocktail is hosted by Martin and Ian with special guest Jeffrey Scott Brown, owner and Master Brewer at South Plains Brewery here in Malmö Sweden. In the studio today they discuss Swedens and Swedes attitude regarding Alcohol, from drinking mostly Brännvin (hard liquor) 120 years ago to becoming the worlds largest user per capita of BiB (Bag in Box) wine drinkers. At the moment roughly a third (32 percent) of all alcohol sold in Sweden is beer. There are about 300 breweries in Sweden - large-scale producers and craft breweries alike, which means that outside of Great Britain, Sweden has Europe’s highest number of breweries per capita.  Early 1900s Alcohol became a major issue in large cities in Sweden which prompted the start of the Temperance movement in Sweden that called for teetotalism and total ban on alcohol, blaming alcohol for bad health and breakdown in family life. A unique system called the Bratt System was introduced between 1917 and 1955 to control alcohol consumption, by rationing liquor. In many ways, todays Swedes have adopted a more continental drinking habit. Is this because Sweden is a more diverse society where cultures are constantly changing.  Listen to find out… Jeffrey’s brewery, South Plains Brewing Company can be found at: http://www.southplains.se

Here comes Episode 5… “Tech in Sweden” From Anders Celsius the inventor of the Thermometer in 1700’s to Skype and Spotify in the 2000’s Sweden is a Country of Inventors and Innovators… In the studio this week Martin is joined by Expat guest, Jared Middle Calf. Originally from Seattle USA Jared now living in Lund Skåne helps Martin explain the Swedish push on the world of Technology. They discuss everything from a money transferring application that has already 70% of the population signing up for, to the possibilities of an online visit to the doctors…

We released another episode of the podcast “Fluently Swenglish” This morning... Todays episode is called ‘What is Brexit’ and is all about UK’s favorite subject! Forget the weather it’s time to discuss UK’s withdrawal from Europe… Will they go or will they stay? Martin and Iain try to make sense of the whole Brexit circus…   Release Tuesday 26th March 2019   Find all past episodes here: https://FluentlySwenglish.podbean.com

Episode 3 of the podcast Fluently Swenglish.  On this Episode Martin and Iain are back in the Studio breaking down and dissecting the decades of Sweden’s success within the music industry. Starting with Björn Skifs big US number 1 hit  ‘Hooked on a feeling’ in 1974, then dancing through the rest of the 70’s to ABBA, glamming it through the 80’s with Europe’s ‘Final Countdown’, and taking a ‘Joy Ride’ with Roxette.  After all that 80’s glam they Pop into the 90’s to discuss Sweden’s prominent music producers that lured mega artists like Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, West Life and Justin Timberlake to Stockholm… Not stopping there it’s into a new century of Pop, Rock and Electronic Dance Music. Sweden has artists, writers, DJ’s and Successful producers around the world. Find out why!  To finish the episode of Iain and Martin might hit on UK favourite subject ‘Brexit’

Fluently Swenglish podcast episode 2 ‘Sweden’s Past’. In the studio your hosts Martin and Iain are joined by this weeks guest, Restoration expert and Swedish history buff, Richard Leufstedt. Richard helps guide the boys through Sweden’s past, from the Vikings, to why Sweden transversed from being one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the richest.  

Your hosts Martin Giles & Iain Dace are a couple of Expats living in Malmö in Sweden... Between them, they have over 55 years experience about the pros and cons of living in Sweden as Expats... In this time they have mastered the way to live, survive and speak fluent Swenglish..  This new & exciting series of episodes will teach you all you need to know about Sweden, that isn’t in a normal guide book. They will cover unusual facts, stories, truths about this land of the midnight sun, IKEA, Volvo & Surströmming.  First episode planned to be released Tuesday 5th March 2019 Episode #2 release date Tuesday 12th March 2019