nedjelja, 29.01.2012.
Equal in Diversity
Snow in Lund was apparently a sign of the incoming colder weather. This week I experienced the life on -10 °C. However I don’t find it strange but really refreshing. It’s great to be surrounded with the witness: Snow crackling underfoot while you’re walking makes the days more interesting and is fun to play a bit with it.
And now, after three working weeks, I finally feel secure enough to explain to a random person what SAP is actually about. I even succeeded to identify some oversights with the KPI’s, got little recognition from my mentor and throw a new set of responsibilities on myself but.. it felt good 
.
I re-discovered that my colleagues are extremely supportive and only this week I scheduled several meetings with some of them to learn more about the IT department functioning but as well use this opportunity to ask them about their own experience and their first career steps. It was an amazing discovery that all people I am supposed to work closely with started their career as a business consultant. When I shared that fact with one of them, she laughed and said that maybe this is telling me something about my future steps. It made me wonder but for now, every one of them brought me some new learning points and I felt extremely positive after the every meeting.
This week will stay remembered as my first gym week as well. I think it’s about time to start living healthier. I would like to say that the first gym visit was the decision made by myself but it was actually pushed by one of my colleagues who succeeded to persuade me that my ‘I should go’ is counted as a promise. Anyways the company has the gym in the basement and all employees have a free access to it. It was a bit awkward being surrounded with different machines and being able to use properly only the bicycle one but luckily there are always people willing to help. Tangible outputs: mild muscle inflammation, 3 new people met from the production and a decision made that Mondays and Thursdays will be all about the gym 
.
Fridays here have a stronger meaning: official start of the weekend, which means a period completely disconnected of work. I had 2 people coming over on the Friday evening to chill out and watch a semi-final handball game between Croatia and Serbia. I felt a bit sad being away from my friends and family in Croatia at this moment but at the end the night was really fun. Actually we were preoccupied with different topics starting from the comparison between Swedish and Croatian understanding of family, work and life in generally. We ended with the religion and comparison between the Buddhism and Christianity. Completely unusual for Friday evenings, but again – new learning experience.
Saturday was all about the Lunar New Year Celebration with the Lion Dance performance at a Buddhist temple in a small town called Bjuv, just 40 min away from Lund. It is actually Vietnamese community and I was invited by an AIESEC friend. I was a bit nervous at the beginning, surrounded with the completely new world out there, but I felt welcomed all the time. It actually reminded me on typical Croatian gatherings during the weddings or saint’s celebrations when bunch of family, friends and neighbors meet and talk all they long while enjoying in the different kinds of food, especially roasted meat. The only difference was that, this time, there was a completely new occasion and there was plenty of food I never tried, but no meat. I tried so many different dishes, including some special Vietnamese deserts. So different, unusual but still tasty. I especially liked the way they're all connected as friends and family but open and willing to share with the completely new people. It was great to feel that kind of warmth. I feel I learned much about the Buddhist way of living, watched the Lion Dance celebration (traditional dance performance held to welcome the New Year) and even received my first red envelope (a gift which is given during the special occasions).
And so they go by… My days in Sweden. Full of learning and new experiences. Sometimes it doesn’t feel as Sweden at all: working in a multicultural company, exploring different non-Swedish cultures… However there are still so many things that are reminding me I’m in Sweden: cold and snowy weather, meatballs, lunch talks about the Finland-Swedish history with the Swedish and Finish guy who have opposite views, shopping in Willy:s… With all of that, it’s good now and than to be reminded once again that in the essence, we are all the same: different origins, backgrounds, religion but still humans with the same issues, emotions, hopes and fears…
Outside the Temple
Lion Dance Crew
- 22:43 -
Komentari (13) - Isprintaj - #
nedjelja, 22.01.2012.
The More You Praise and Celebrate Your Life, the More There Is in Life to Celebrate. (O.W.)
Yesterday, while talking with my roommate, I became aware of the fact it's been already 20 days in Sweden. I have to admit I don’t feel homesick. However, I have a feeling that my thoughts, memories and emotions became clearer. Only then when you are away of people, places and little habits you considered as your typical everyday routine, you can realize how special they were indeed: Sunday walks with my dad and brother along the sea coast, mom’s delicious pies, close friend’s chitchat phone calls in the middle of night with a simple sentence: are you sleeping?, domestic milk and fruits, pubs with the Croatian music, small talks of the old people on the street you can hear while you are passing by, simple ‘dobar dan’ and ‘šta se radi’ – all those little things are becoming more unique, all the memories are becoming more vivid and I can even identify some new emotions and swear I’m sure I felt exactly the same at that moment – all of that a proof of an past but still existing time.
I can say that only now I can understand people who live abroad and claim to have a strong attachment to the country of their origin. Now I believe that they were just one of those who were lucky enough to feel what happens when you have to separate from the things you are taking as granted. And that is the fundamental difference. It may seem strange but I truly don’t feel nostalgic, just believe that all my senses are brighter. And I choose to believe that all of that is not only making me more grateful for the things I have but more open for the customs and beliefs of the new people around me as well. And suddenly there are so many things to enjoy in. I am grateful for my friends and family, I am proud of my origin, I like my company and a warm, little apartment in the suburb, I admire people I am working with and am happy to welcome, meet and learn more about the new people in my life.
Celebration - This was a good week. My working days are becoming more productive and successful -it feels great when the newly learned terms are becoming more than just a theory, my two friends were elected for the higher positions in the organizations and made me feel so happy and proud and I spent an amazing night celebrating Chinese New Year with the Hot Pot… Jenny thanks for showing me the new way of fishing :)
For the first time, I feel it is all about me – my way of creating myself. Yeap, life is beautiful!
Summer Cottages in Malmö
Malmö Turning Torso
Colored Neighborhood - again Malmö
Chinese New Year Celebration with the Hot Pot :)
From the Window - Snow in Lund
- 02:58 -
nedjelja, 15.01.2012.
Even in the Darkest Place, There is Always a Switch
First working week is over and 42 working hours later I can finally say - it all started. There is nothing better than the feeling you are a part of something big and new, and there is plenty of space and sources for development. I am working at the IT department, known as the Centre of the Excellence, completely focused on the business, not technology itself. I had a warm welcome into the company – my mentor introduced me with the every single person in our department and everyone used a minute to introduce his/her function. One of the best things about the company is the high level of internationalism – presence of people from the different parts of the world: Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East… There is as well the fact Gambro is a global company and Lund represents the main headquarter which means you can not only see but interact with CFO’s and CIO’s on a regular basis. Actually the first day of my arrival I attended the presentation of the new CFO –French guy, and later during the week my mentor scheduled me a meeting with the CIO in charged for the IT on the global level, originally from the Belgium. I spent 40 min alone with him and it fascinates me always again to recognize the true and simple leadership in someone. He said it is all about the people. It is actually something we often hear, but having someone in front of you who learned that on his own skin throughout the years and is living it every day deserves the recognition.
English is the main language of the company and regarding that I have to say I don’t have a feeling I am in Sweden at all. Everyone speaks in English and in the case there are only Swedish present in the room, the very first moment I enter the same room, they will switch on English and invite me to join the conversation. I appreciate that, together with the fact that everyone is eager to learn more about me and Croatia in generally. They often ask about our relationship with Serbia and I remember they were even careful when saying there is a Serbian guy working at the Finance department. I found it cute and thoughtful from their side but explained there is no need for such worries.
Third working day I went to the service department to ask for the support for my PC and found a guy from Bosnia. It was great, after some time, having someone in live, talking on your native Slavic language. We agreed, in case I feel homesick, I will drop by for a friendly talk. Nice.
So far, my working days are passing really fast. There is no actual work but everything is focused on my education and therefore to get a clear overview of my responsibilities I am reading internal documents and attending meetings with different colleagues: both in live and online ( I had a talk with some people in Belgium and Germany so far ). The very first day I realized it won’t be easy. My work will be based around the SAP witch scared me at first: I don’t have any experience in that field and felt like walking in the dark. However, the thing I rediscovered is that you should never be afraid of admitting what you don’t know. It is not a shame, unless you don’t even try to change it. I asked a colleague for help and he spent some time explaining me the basics after what I instantly felt more secure.
Speaking about the dark and security, there is something really interesting that happened today in the laundry room. My special key opened the door but when I entered the room doors closed after me and I stayed locked in the dark room. It was funny and creepy at the same time but luckily I was talking with Damir on my cell-phone so we could laugh together. After a call to my roommate, clear instructions and Damir’s moral support I managed to find the switch. Yeap, even in the darkest place, you can find the switch. And until you find it, I am confident there is always a friend who will support you along the way.
And Now... a Little Bit of Lund... Through My Eyes...
Welcome : )
Bike Paths Lead Through the City
Typical Swedish Homes...
...Made of Wood, Lined with Brick-like
Lutheran Church
Swedish Specialty with Cinnamon and Almonds
On the Lund' Streets
Bike Parking in the Downtime
White Houses - My Home Area
Jiu Jitsu Club in My Neighborhood - Like the Image : )
- 01:39 -
nedjelja, 08.01.2012.
When in Sweden, do as Swedes do... but buy in Lidl
Lund. Finally. The first thing you can notice are the wooden houses that seems to pass so nicely to the green landscape. It doesn’t look like the winter at all, except for the gloomy weather - sun, I miss you. All houses are made of wood and are extremely warm inside which makes me wonder how come we in Croatia insist on brick and cement when we build our houses. The temperature here is significantly lower and I dare to say the wind is as strong, if not even stronger, as the one we have in our Coastal cities. Interesting I say.
My apartment is situated 40 min by walk from the city center. It is really nice and quiet neighborhood: full of little one-floor-houses that look really sweet. They are all comprised of two and one bedroom apartments. Next to our complex of buildings is a student corridor which looks so much different than those we can see in Croatia. It is again comprised of little houses with 2 or 4 apartments - lots of it, surrounded with grass and nature. We don’t have a washing machine inside the apartment but we have the laundry rooms just a few meters away and you have to book your laundry time in advance. I have a special plastic key for that. All I have to do is to press it next to the device and it opens the door. Nice. Like in the movies when agents are entering the secret places :D. However this key is really special indeed. If I loose it, I will have to pay almost half of my salary for it. Point of the story is: Don’t loose the key. The same thing is with the garbage cans. You have special places that are bordered by wire and you use the same key to enter the can area. Special key I say. And off course you have to sort the garbage into the appropriate can. The key opens as well the place called Magic Room. There you can find things such as lamps, tables, shelves, even TV’s. People just leave it there in case they don’t need it anymore or in case they are moving into the another apartment so you can take it and use it if you want – for free. Cool way to share things.
Lund is the city of bicycles. I bet every single person has it. We have special storage in our street just for them. On the city streets you can find lots of bicycles as well: children, students, business people, elderly people… No one seems to care it’s -2 degrees. As long as you have bicycle, everything is fine. Yesterday I was waking by the main train station and saw the parking place with literally hundreds of bicycles. It looked really nice. Point taken - I should buy a bicycle.
There are buses driving around the city and you have to buy a special jojo card in advance to enter the bus. It is actually something similar to credit card. You just press it against the device when entering the bus and you can charge it with as much money as you want. For my Balkan friends: there is no way you can cheat and enter without the ticket, and if you do so, you can pay an extremely high penalty so it’s definitely not worth it.
My apartment is small but cozy. It is comprised of 2 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. I share it with a girl from Iran. I have to say she’s extremely sweet and friendly. She’s studying in Sweden and looking for a job in HR area. We get along quite well so far: every morning we eat together and we cook lunch together. We are entering each others rooms and talking about different topics. There is so many similarities with our cultures – more than I expected - especially in the way we are treating our guest and we are communicating with our families and friends. I even tried some delicious Persian food. The first thing however I noticed when I came is that she hug me like you hug a friend you haven’t seen for a long time. It is something you cannot expect from the Swedes. She even offered her assistance in helping me to decide what to wear my first working day. Yeah, women are the same everywhere 
. Back to the apartment itself: The water and the central heating are included into the rent. The heating is really awesome – I am wearing my t-shirt constantly and it is like that 24h per day. There is nothing better than to wake up in the warm room. The company that is providing us with the heating is situated in the city and it supplies the whole city. You can regulate the temperature by opening the window or just by lowering the heating temperature. Amazing. Me like it.
Gambro - the company I’ll be working in is situated just 2 min walk from my home. I can almost see it from my window. It looks huge and really impressive, comprised of a few buildings with 4 different entrances – it’ll be interesting to find the right one at Monday. Anyways, it is making me feel amazed and frightened at the same time.
Next to the Gambro, there is a grocery store called Willy:s. It is known for low prices and it is supposed to be my main food supplier. To be honest, I feel I don’t have to move at all because everything I need seems too close. I did my first food shopping in Willy:s and almost get lost within the articles. I have to admit it is really challenging to find the groceries you need when everything is written on a different language. However I found Podravka Čajna Pašteta in the middle of store. Go Podravka 
Prices are slightly higher but not that much. You can even find some things that are cheaper than in Croatia. However the price of the bread is surprisingly high. You cannot find it below 15 kunas. Shampoos and cosmetics are more expensive than in Croatia. The thing that is extremely high is the tint - you can find it in Croatia for 30 kunas and here the same package costs about 100. So this is another thing I would kindly ask for my soon-to-visit friends to put on the list. Thank you girls.
Second day of my Lund experience I discovered Lidl - 10 min away from my apartment. My roommate says it is even cheaper than Willy:s. Cheapest or not it felt like home. Gambro is waiting for me tomorrow and this new experience is about to meet the purpose but no matter what, I have my favorite cereals with me. Thank you Lidl.
- 19:37 -
srijeda, 04.01.2012.
Konačno odredište - Švedska
Lajt motiv dana: Do you speak English?
Pula, 4h ujutro. Mama, tata i buraz me dopratili na aerodrom i kad tamo – ni žive duše. Let starta u 6 i naravno, propisi kažu da je potrebno doći 1,5-2h ranije da provjeriš težinu prtljage, riješiš birokraciju i sl. Uglavnom, sve zatvoreno i došao kroz nekih par minutica čovječuljak stražar i kaže da inače u Puli zimi nema puno ljudi tako da su svi, uključujući pilote i stjuardese, navikli dolaziti pola sata ranije. Ali eto, to nam je poslužilo kao još jedan obiteljski bonding i prilika da u miru ponovno izvažem torbu. Inače noć prije sam skladala blues o 20 kg ograničenju i nakon šest prepakiravanja došla do magične brojke. I tako stavim ja svoj torbičak na vagu i kaže ona 21.35. Lažov. Ali eto, radi čiste savjesti izvadim jednu jaknicu iz torbe i skupa sa hlačama ju premjestim u ručnu torbu. Uz to, riješim se i kreme za tijelo. I kaže vaga 20.00. Nevjerojatno, u dekagram. Sumnjivo.
5:15h - Pojavljuje se još par nadobudnih turista i ja otpratim mamu ispred kolodvora da zapali cigaru. U roku keks, okruži nas 6 mačaka, bit će gladnih. I dođe kombi sa pilotima i 3 stjuardese. Inače, 2 mačke su bile crne, ali nisam to skužila dok nisu pretrčale ispred ekipe iz kombija i dok jedna od stjuardesa nije opsovala na glas činjenicu da je prvi radni dan u godini i njen prvi let i sad joj još moraju dvije crne mačketine preći preko puta. Onda je skužila da ima par ljudi u blizini pa je promijenila izraz lica u jedan kiseli osmijeh. Ovo spominjem čisto za ljude koji vjeruju u te stvari – stigli smo živi i sretni do konačnog odredišta. Dakle, sve su to teške zablude.
5:40h - Preuzimam svoju kartu, važem torbu i teta na šalteru spomene uz razgovor da su od 01.11. uvedeni novi propisi i novo ograničenje – 23 kg po torbi, ali još nije objavljeno na stranici. Totalno simpa.
6:00h - Moje prvo avionsko iskustvo. Moram priznati da sam imala laganu tremicu ali već nakon prvog uzlijetanja i slijetanja sam skužila da nema razloga za išta tomu slično. Bezbolno. Odličan osjećaj. Fenomenalan pogled na našu zemlju i otoke. Dostojan oproštaj. To me ukratko vratilo na mlađe dane i želju da, kad su sve frendice htjele biti učiteljice, ja postanem pilot. Ali eto... Ekonomija, avioni = ekonomska klasa, tu smo negdje. Uglavnom, put do Zagreba preko Zadra je prošao u trenu tako da doslovce nisam stigla ni izvaditi kameru i napraviti koju sliku jer čim bi završio uzlet, u roku od 5 min, već smo se pripremali za slijetanje.
Zagreb, 8:40h – Polazak za Kopenhagen. Do mene je u avionu sjedila mlađa žena sa 4-ogodišnjom kćerkicom s kojom komunicira na nekom sjevernijem jeziku. Nešto kasnije, počnu one i hrvatski i tako ispadne da je ženska inače iz Zadra. Tamo je prije par godina upoznala Šveđanina i kako to bude u Hrvatskoj: ljubav i selida u dijasporu. Sjeverniji jezik bijaše dakle Švedski. Bila je u posjeti svojima u Zadru i sad je ispalo da i ona lovi vlak za Švedsku, iako u potpuno drugom smjeru. Ponudila se da me u Kopenhagenu, na aerodromu, otprati do šaltera gdje se prodaju karte za vlak. Lijepo. Po dolasku u Kopenhagen prvo što sam zamijetila bio je ogromni DHL-ov zrakoplov na pisti odmah pored nas. Eh te velike korporacije. Uglavnom, tu sam se oprostila od Zadranke i uputila prema šalteru. Simpa cura. I tad sam skužila da se nismo službeno ni predstavile jedna drugoj i da je ostalo sve na lijepim pozdravima. Ali eto, tko zna. Možda jednom. Mali je svijet.
Kopenhagen, 11:15h - Što se tiče same Švedske, odlučila sam prvo svratiti do dijela obitelji koji živi u blizini Jonkopinga i koje nemam priliku često vidjeti. Cimerica u Lundu također nije još u stanu tako da je ovo idealno vrijeme. I tako kupim ja kartu do Nassjo-a i krenem prema izlazu broj 1 – tako je rekla teta na šalteru. Inače ljudi u Danskoj se čine ekstra pristupačni. Također, nisam naišla ni na jednu osobu koja ne razumije engleski. Dođem do izlaza 1 i skužim da tamo ima hrpa perona i da vlakovi idu u dva smjera. Hehe, kad si u Danskoj riskiranje lijevo ili desno je malo rizičnije od primjerice zagrebačkih tramvaja i premišljanja oko smjera. Vratim se natrag kat gore i pitam za svaki slučaj o kojemu se smjeru, a onda i peronu radi. Tu sam prvi put (i vjerojatno jedini) bila zahvalna na činjenici da moja torba ima 20, a ne 23 kile. Riješim problem smjera ilitiga desno. I kažu oni da peroni nisu bitni. Vlak dolazi u 11:50. Ni minutu prije ni kasnije. Kad ga vidim, znat ću da je to to. I stvarno tako. Čekala sam 20-ak minuta, prošlo par vlakova, upoznala curu koja ide u mom smjeru i ukrcale se na vlak u 11:50, smjer Stockholm. I u vlaku mini kulturalni šok. Cijeli vlak je poluprazan, ali nitko ne sjedi bilo gdje nego točno na mjestu propisanom u karti. Red i disciplina. I odmah me uhvatio dašak uspomena na balkan i vječitih ratovanja najupornijih prilikom vožnje u busu oko tog tko sjedi na čijem mjestu. I upute oni mene tako do moga mjesta i iako je vrijeme bilo malo oblačno mogao se vidjeti lijepi pogled na more dok smo prelazili Oresunds Bron most koji spaja Dansku i Švedsku. Mislim da sam tu lagano zaspala – po prvi put nakon 28 sati i prvo što se sjećam je neki tip koji mi se obraća na Švedskom. I nakon standardnog: Do you speak English? ispostavi se da je on broj 19, ja broj 20 i da ja sjedim do prozora što je u biti njegovo mjesto pa je samo htio provjeriti ako je to ok. Pustio me da i dalje sjedim do prozora i tako je započeo uobičajen razgovor dvoje stranaca. Spomenem mu da sam iz Hrvatske na što on doda da je ove godine bio u Poreču na ljetovanju. A ja iz Poreča. Toliko o tome da je svijet mali. I tako on izvadi svoj iphone i počne pokazivati slike sebe i žene na Porečkoj rivi. I tu, u vlaku trenutno između Malmoa i Stockholma, osjetim nešto toplo oko srca. Daleko od doma, a opet blizu. On mi pokaže moju stanicu, pomogne spustiti torbu i zaželi dobar provod u Švedskoj. Prvi dojam: Šveđani su organizirani, uslužni, pristupačni, ljubazni i obožavaju Hrvatsku. Lijep početak.
14:02 – Nassjo - Na stanici me dočekale tetka i rodica. Lijepo je vidjeti poznata lica. Vrijeme oblačno, tmurno i sivo. Ipak nije hladno kao što sam očekivala. Doduše na sebi sam imala 4 sloja odjeće i to ne zbog straha od zime već zbog uštede na kilaži torbe tako da vjerujem da će biti još prostora za ovu temu. I tu me negdje, u autu na putu za Skillingaryd, dok sam promatrala duboke šume i redove drvenih kućica, nalik onim montažnima, zatekne misao: Ja sam u Švedskoj!
- 02:22 -
Komentari (11) - Isprintaj - #
