Tonight we had a school picnic at the beach in Ulricehamn with Swedish “brännboll”, soccer and some nice food. The children’s school is small and personal and it is always nice to sit down and talk to the different parents who happen to come from all over the world including Ulricehamn. I chatted to several newcomers from countries both close by and far away. I also said hello to Jochems new barber who is a civil engineer from Iraq but who decided to get a job as soon as possible instead of spending two more years to fulfill Swedish requirements for civil engineers. Sometimes I wonder how many people we have in our country working with completely different things than they originally planned to do. Feels like a possible waste?
The barbers son Achmed is in Nils class and he always greet us most politely every morning when we arrive at school. Jochem finds the strange habits of not saying a clear “good morning” or shaking hands when you meet someone in Sweden somewhat difficult to get used to and he really enjoys Achmeds polite manner. The fact that we in Sweden do not always say good morning, only sometimes shake hands or greet each other with kisses is odd to many foreigners. Jochem once asked me to explain when he should shake hands, when he should give a hug and why there are situations where you greet each other with a single hello but nothing more. I could not give him a clear answer. It is not impolite in Sweden to see someone walking down Main Street and just nod a quick hello. Or at least people will not get offended that you did not shake hands with them. Why this is I don’t know.
Jochem is off to Brazil and I hope he is having a nice time and a safe time. He is off to work for Philips Medical Systems at a place in San Paolo where three of his five colleagues have been robbed while visiting the company. This does not feel very safe so for the first time ever (after spending years all over the world) we have made a deal that he will write me an e-mail a day. I have never asked for this ever before so when I did Jochem said; ”- you are the last person to ever worry about these things so now I feel really worried! Do you know something about San Paolo that I don’t?”
I have never been to Brazil so actually I have no clue about how dangerous it is but Jochem going there made me think about how important safety is for your personal wellbeing. Just imagine all the energy you use on thinking about possible scenarios if you live in a dangerous place or the energy wasted on feeling afraid. When we lived in Johannesburg I always had to keep my mind set on the safety of the family (never stop for a red light, never drive after dark, not to walk anywhere, not to get off at the wrong exit and end up downtown etc.). Now I never think about these things anymore. It is nice to live in a safe place and good to realize it as well at times.
May 2013
in Ulricehamn
Monday, May 30, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Learning from others and getting in new ideas!
I just got home from a two day visit in the Netherlands. Together with some colleagues we have been looking at some different municipalities who are all working to supply a better outcome/ service for their inhabitants. It was not only interesting and valuable but we were really impressed by the hospitality and the way they showed us how they work. We saw impressive results but also heard about mistakes and lessons learnt. Even if municipalities in other countries work a bit different than Swedish municipalities we have many similar tasks and it is great to look at what goes on in the public spare around Europe.
We visited the award winning municipality Heusden who has invested a lot in going totally digital making sure all staff can get all information they need at whatever time. They have a front office which is striving to answer 80% of all incoming questions. Inhabitants who call for a building permit should be able to track the permit process, how long things will take and when the permit will be decided on etc. It is transparent, measurable and everyone uses the same system for all tasks. It sounds simple and obvious but looking at our municipality and the number of different systems we use in different departments it is a challenge for us but the only way forward I think. Information should not be connected to a person but cases that we handle should be easy to pick up for anyone. This enables tracking, making sure we do what we are supposed to do, gives us continuity but most importantly ensures that information is shared. If I get sick anyone should be able to go in and continue my work.
In Heusden they also use flexible workspaces where the staff does not have their own office but sign out a laptop in the morning and find a place to sit which is available. This has cut costs but the main gain has been the synergy effect you get when people from different department sit together. To create the feeling that everyone who works at the municipality of Ulricehamn belong to one and the same organization it is important that we get to know each other better, that we increase the knowledge about what different departments are doing and try and find the processes where working together has a positive benefit for the inhabitants. Today we are not there but we are working on it. Creating an open, flexible culture can be difficult but not impossible.
We also visited Amersfoort who has been working with Lean for a few years. They showed us impressive results where they have been able to save a lot of time and decreased stress levels at the same time. They really lived their slogan; working smarter, not faster. We even got to do exercises pointing out how to increase production and reducing stress. It was fun and I think we now have many new ideas on how to create a learning organization giving out inhabitants the best possible service. Sharing knowledge between different countries and cultures gives an extra dimension to learning and this was a great way of experiencing this.
Jochem is off to Brazil for two weeks now and we are planning the last steps of our CISV summer. Sunday Elsa (11) goes to Mölndal to meet up with other CISV friends getting ready for their village camp in Denmark. Next week Ingrid is meeting up with her CISV friends arranging the last step for her Austria trip. I was worried that I would be home alone this summer but now it looks as if I will get some company. Jochem is taking 3 months off, the summerhouse in Nybrostrand is in the middle of a renovation so my parents will come up and stay with us as will oma Nell and in the end of July we get family from the NL.
I dream of a warm summer along the lake Sämsjön with family and friends! Looking forward to see you all!!
We visited the award winning municipality Heusden who has invested a lot in going totally digital making sure all staff can get all information they need at whatever time. They have a front office which is striving to answer 80% of all incoming questions. Inhabitants who call for a building permit should be able to track the permit process, how long things will take and when the permit will be decided on etc. It is transparent, measurable and everyone uses the same system for all tasks. It sounds simple and obvious but looking at our municipality and the number of different systems we use in different departments it is a challenge for us but the only way forward I think. Information should not be connected to a person but cases that we handle should be easy to pick up for anyone. This enables tracking, making sure we do what we are supposed to do, gives us continuity but most importantly ensures that information is shared. If I get sick anyone should be able to go in and continue my work.
In Heusden they also use flexible workspaces where the staff does not have their own office but sign out a laptop in the morning and find a place to sit which is available. This has cut costs but the main gain has been the synergy effect you get when people from different department sit together. To create the feeling that everyone who works at the municipality of Ulricehamn belong to one and the same organization it is important that we get to know each other better, that we increase the knowledge about what different departments are doing and try and find the processes where working together has a positive benefit for the inhabitants. Today we are not there but we are working on it. Creating an open, flexible culture can be difficult but not impossible.
We also visited Amersfoort who has been working with Lean for a few years. They showed us impressive results where they have been able to save a lot of time and decreased stress levels at the same time. They really lived their slogan; working smarter, not faster. We even got to do exercises pointing out how to increase production and reducing stress. It was fun and I think we now have many new ideas on how to create a learning organization giving out inhabitants the best possible service. Sharing knowledge between different countries and cultures gives an extra dimension to learning and this was a great way of experiencing this.
Jochem is off to Brazil for two weeks now and we are planning the last steps of our CISV summer. Sunday Elsa (11) goes to Mölndal to meet up with other CISV friends getting ready for their village camp in Denmark. Next week Ingrid is meeting up with her CISV friends arranging the last step for her Austria trip. I was worried that I would be home alone this summer but now it looks as if I will get some company. Jochem is taking 3 months off, the summerhouse in Nybrostrand is in the middle of a renovation so my parents will come up and stay with us as will oma Nell and in the end of July we get family from the NL.
I dream of a warm summer along the lake Sämsjön with family and friends! Looking forward to see you all!!
Friday, May 20, 2011
A new family settling down in Ulricehamn
This week I spoke to a Dutch family moving to Ulricehamn this summer. Right now it looks as if our immigration project will not continue next year as some municipalities do not see the benefit of it. However, for Ulricehamn it has been positive despite that it actually is too early to look at the direct results. From the point of the idea of emigrating to another country arrives to the actual move researchers say it takes approx. 7 years. So for us, who started this project 3 years ago, it is too early to say how successful or non-successful it has been.
Ulricehamn has seen about 5 families moving here in the last 3-4 years and this summer a family of 5 is settling here. The father got a job in Gothenburg and the family went to Sweden and had a look around Gothenburg and the areas around here and decided to settle in Ulricehamn. I think it says a lot about Ulricehamn when people, who can settle anywhere in the Västra Götaland region, decides to settle here. I am now trying to find them a rental house where they can fit 3 kids, a dog and a cat before the 1st of August. Anyone with a house to rent out in Ulricehamn should let me know! They would like to rent first, just to settle in and find a house to buy a little bit later. One thing that this project has taught me is that personal service is everything. The people I have had a chance to personally meet or whom I have had several telephone conversations with are now very positive about our region. Not everyone moves right away and some people have plans stretching 5 or 10 years but now they know about us and that is good. And, even if they don’t move here they come for holidays here and that is also important.
Last week Jochem’s brother Harry was here with his wife Miriam and oma Nell from the Netherlands. Harry, who is a keen fly fisher, visited Tranemo where they have some bigger trout fishing lakes, for a day of fishing but didn´t catch anything. Luckily he was more successful in Sämsjön in Vegby. We had a great weekend of fishing, bicycling, walking and actually a bit of cleaning too. Now the house is ready to use for the summer and this summer we are planning to use it a lot.
Jochem wondered the other day why we do not seem to get around doing more things around here. We have lived here for 3 years but still have so much left to discover and visit. We live at a place where we could easily go hiking every weekend or get out with the boat but often our weekends are filled with other activities. I guess he is not alone in feeling this way but sometimes I also think we want too much at the same time. In a family of 5 we have 5 ideas about what is fun to do and we are a family interested in very many things. It is football, peacekeeping activities with CISV, singing, watching films, reading books, bicycling, going out with the boat, spending time with family and friends, enjoying food and drinks etc. Actually, the more I think about it the better I like the idea that we still have a lot to explore. If I felt, after 3 years in Ulricehamn, that I had seen everything there is to see here or experienced everything there is to experience I would probably be planning to leave. Now we still have a lot left to explore and that is great to know!
Ulricehamn has seen about 5 families moving here in the last 3-4 years and this summer a family of 5 is settling here. The father got a job in Gothenburg and the family went to Sweden and had a look around Gothenburg and the areas around here and decided to settle in Ulricehamn. I think it says a lot about Ulricehamn when people, who can settle anywhere in the Västra Götaland region, decides to settle here. I am now trying to find them a rental house where they can fit 3 kids, a dog and a cat before the 1st of August. Anyone with a house to rent out in Ulricehamn should let me know! They would like to rent first, just to settle in and find a house to buy a little bit later. One thing that this project has taught me is that personal service is everything. The people I have had a chance to personally meet or whom I have had several telephone conversations with are now very positive about our region. Not everyone moves right away and some people have plans stretching 5 or 10 years but now they know about us and that is good. And, even if they don’t move here they come for holidays here and that is also important.
Last week Jochem’s brother Harry was here with his wife Miriam and oma Nell from the Netherlands. Harry, who is a keen fly fisher, visited Tranemo where they have some bigger trout fishing lakes, for a day of fishing but didn´t catch anything. Luckily he was more successful in Sämsjön in Vegby. We had a great weekend of fishing, bicycling, walking and actually a bit of cleaning too. Now the house is ready to use for the summer and this summer we are planning to use it a lot.
Jochem wondered the other day why we do not seem to get around doing more things around here. We have lived here for 3 years but still have so much left to discover and visit. We live at a place where we could easily go hiking every weekend or get out with the boat but often our weekends are filled with other activities. I guess he is not alone in feeling this way but sometimes I also think we want too much at the same time. In a family of 5 we have 5 ideas about what is fun to do and we are a family interested in very many things. It is football, peacekeeping activities with CISV, singing, watching films, reading books, bicycling, going out with the boat, spending time with family and friends, enjoying food and drinks etc. Actually, the more I think about it the better I like the idea that we still have a lot to explore. If I felt, after 3 years in Ulricehamn, that I had seen everything there is to see here or experienced everything there is to experience I would probably be planning to leave. Now we still have a lot left to explore and that is great to know!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sun all over Ulricehamn
In the last few weeks I have been reading the Kalle Blomkvist books by Astrid Lindgren for Nils (called the Bill Bergson books in English). These books depicts a story taking place in a small sleepy Swedish town during the 50s where the young detective Kalle solves different mysteries together with his friends Eva-Lotta and Anders while simultaneously fighting a friendly knighthood war with some other children.
The stories are just right for Nils and despite taking place 60 years ago without any mobile phones, TV programs and Wii games they speak to our imagination. While walking back from the Ulricehamn spring market yesterday, the town reminded me of Kalle Blomkvist home town. A quiet, peaceful place, gardens full of green trees and flowers, wooden houses in different colors, the sounds of birds and laughing kids but almost no adults out on the street. A typical sleepy town anno 2011, but it could just as well had been 1950. Not a car in sight and only a warm air making us all walk slower, dreaming of a dip in the lake.
In the evening, as the temperature went down a bit, a water fight started between the kids in the neighborhood, filled with energy and excitement, only taking a break for a quick dinner. Trying to get the kids to sit down a little bit extra with their parents to chat was out of the question but the appetite was great. At nine the girls (our girls had some friends staying over) went out to make peace with the boys and brought some chocolates to show their good intentions. I spent some hours reading while Jochem and Nils were watching Scoby Doo and at 10.30 pm I went up to tell the girls it was time to sleep only to find the top floor empty. They were still out and Jochem went out on a search only to find 8 kids at our neighbors place having a great time. I obviously prefer to know were my kids are but I can see the enjoyment these warm weekend evenings brings along and it makes me long for the summer holidays even more. At 8.30 this Sunday morning, Nils woke me up holding up his latest Kalle Blomkvist book and telling me please to continue reading. A small, sleepy town can seem boring but I think we all make a place into something by the way we approach it. Today I think it is just the way we all want it to be. Jochem is off working on the boat, Ingrid is playing in the garden at the neighbors, Nils is making a language game based on Egypt’s history (far too difficult so he need a lot of help) and Elsa is cooking. I sit in the sun with my books when I am not trying to solve some hieroglyphs.
We went from having a long winter to go straight into summer warmth and enjoyed a warm and cosy Easter in Skåne with my family followed by a five day reunion in Ulricehamn with our student friends from Lund in the end of April. 15 years ago I met Jochem while he was an exchange student at Lund University and now we met up with friends from that time. 24 people from Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France came to visit with their families and it was great to meet up again. Thank you guys for coming all the way over here and for being who you are!
Next weekend Harry, Miriam and Nell are coming over from the Netherlands. I hope our fantastic sun will shine on you as well. Tonight we are using the barbecue!
With all this sun I think everything is possible!!!
The stories are just right for Nils and despite taking place 60 years ago without any mobile phones, TV programs and Wii games they speak to our imagination. While walking back from the Ulricehamn spring market yesterday, the town reminded me of Kalle Blomkvist home town. A quiet, peaceful place, gardens full of green trees and flowers, wooden houses in different colors, the sounds of birds and laughing kids but almost no adults out on the street. A typical sleepy town anno 2011, but it could just as well had been 1950. Not a car in sight and only a warm air making us all walk slower, dreaming of a dip in the lake.
In the evening, as the temperature went down a bit, a water fight started between the kids in the neighborhood, filled with energy and excitement, only taking a break for a quick dinner. Trying to get the kids to sit down a little bit extra with their parents to chat was out of the question but the appetite was great. At nine the girls (our girls had some friends staying over) went out to make peace with the boys and brought some chocolates to show their good intentions. I spent some hours reading while Jochem and Nils were watching Scoby Doo and at 10.30 pm I went up to tell the girls it was time to sleep only to find the top floor empty. They were still out and Jochem went out on a search only to find 8 kids at our neighbors place having a great time. I obviously prefer to know were my kids are but I can see the enjoyment these warm weekend evenings brings along and it makes me long for the summer holidays even more. At 8.30 this Sunday morning, Nils woke me up holding up his latest Kalle Blomkvist book and telling me please to continue reading. A small, sleepy town can seem boring but I think we all make a place into something by the way we approach it. Today I think it is just the way we all want it to be. Jochem is off working on the boat, Ingrid is playing in the garden at the neighbors, Nils is making a language game based on Egypt’s history (far too difficult so he need a lot of help) and Elsa is cooking. I sit in the sun with my books when I am not trying to solve some hieroglyphs.
We went from having a long winter to go straight into summer warmth and enjoyed a warm and cosy Easter in Skåne with my family followed by a five day reunion in Ulricehamn with our student friends from Lund in the end of April. 15 years ago I met Jochem while he was an exchange student at Lund University and now we met up with friends from that time. 24 people from Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France came to visit with their families and it was great to meet up again. Thank you guys for coming all the way over here and for being who you are!
Next weekend Harry, Miriam and Nell are coming over from the Netherlands. I hope our fantastic sun will shine on you as well. Tonight we are using the barbecue!
With all this sun I think everything is possible!!!
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