Fluently Swenglish

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

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