– A blend of visual arts and Nordic adventures –
Reading and writing are key skills to survive in the modern world. Sadly, illiteracy, poverty, and exclusion are intertwined, with a significant gender gap. In this post, we explore how Livstycket, a nonprofit in Sweden, used functional pedagogy combining language lessons with crafts to help illiterate women learn Swedish. Their approach empowered immigrant women, boosting self-esteem and fostering integration.
The first time I heard about pet-sitting was in 2014, and I remember thinking, “Really? You can stay at someone’s place for free just by caring for their pets and plants? Absolutely!” Intrigued, I decided to give it a try. In this post, I share my experience and tips on how to get started with pet-sitting.
Traveling is one of the things I love the most. The reason? I like to discover new places and have adventures, but I think the main reason is that I enjoy life more when I travel. There is a mindset that turns on almost automatically when I start a trip. I am more open to stepping out of my comfort zone, being spontaneous, exploring, and connecting with people. I am more ludic and I approach things with more curiosity. It feels as if I squeezed life and fully absorbed it.
A question I regularly pose to myself is: do we need to leave our hometowns to adopt this mindset?
Public libraries in Sweden are a dream, with corners that invite you to grab a book and spend hours reading.
Each public library is different, with its style and decoration. What remains the same, though, is the warmth of the librarians. To my typical question: do you like working here? They always respond with a smile: Yes, and a lot!
Let’s explore all the the things they offer.
For years I was obsessed with my professional career. I just thought about how to be more productive, and the steps to take to remain in the scientific system and do what I loved.
One day, I started to doubt if I wanted to pursue the academic path any longer. And the crisis appeared. Suddenly the floor disappeared, the certainties also, my identity was in jaque…
.. That’s s what he said and I replied “Oh, yeah”! If I could describe how I feel with one song, the song would be “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles. Sunshine is a holy thing for Swedes, not to be taken for granted. After almost five years of living in Sweden, the sun has become sacred also to me.
I am originally from Argentina, so I am Latin and my mother tongue is Spanish. The official language in Sweden is Swedish, a North Germanic language spoken predominantly here and in some parts of Finland.
So, I live between languages, and English is the bridge that allows me to communicate on a daily basis. It is also the language that I hope will help me reach the readers I want to connect with: Swedes and expats.
I love to learn and Sweden feels like a paradise for lifelong learners. Sweden has a strong history of non-formal adult education that has existed for more than a hundred years. It is called non-formal because, in general, it doesn’t lead to any formal degree and it is based on the participants’ interests and needs to learn. This kind of education is available to everyone, it is free from government intervention and receives public support. This sounds good… Let’s dig a bit deeper.