I usually return to Bangkok from summer breaks in Scandinavia with a bit of a cold, rather pale, and with memories of rain, wind and chilly breezes-but not this year.
This summer offered warm and sunny weather almost 90 % of the time. In many parts of Europe, it was even so hot that people fainted, and some sadly lost their lives to the heat.
Fires raged in Spain, France, Greece, and Albania. While we in the north enjoyed swims in the sea, salty breezes, and delicious ice creams, others lost their homes and belongings to the flames.
Who ever said life was fair?
I rented a small, very special apartment in the heart of Gothenburg for almost two months. It was a bit like living on a boat-every detail was cleverly planned to make the most of the limited space. In the little open kitchen, there was a strange device hanging above the stove, looking like a UFO, and it took me a while to figure out that it was a remote-controlled fan.
On my first attempt to fry a piece of meat, the fire alarm went off and simply wouldn’t stop shrieking. It was mounted high up on the ceiling, and there was no way for me to silence it on my own. I felt bad for the poor neighbors, but when I knocked on their doors for help, it turned out no one was home. In the end, I had to trouble the owner’s son, who lived outside the city, to come and fix the alarm-which, of course, he kindly did.
After that, the alarm was left sitting on the windowsill, and even from there it would start blaring the moment I turned on the frying pan.
The owners had gone off on a year-long sailing trip, which made sense once I realized their interior design choices were all about using space as efficiently as possible. Sailing people belong to the practical kind.
Best of all was having a dear friend as my neighbor. We ended up sharing many spontaneous and delightful evenings with wine and long conversations.
During my stay in Gothenburg, I realized that for many years to come the city will continue to look like one big construction site, thanks to the much-debated West Link project.
I also travelled frequently by train from Gothenburg to Kungsbacka, and sometimes the trains departed from the Central Station as they should, but more often one had to first take a tram to Mölndal and then switch to a train there-also blamed on the West Link.
One thing is certain: train and tram journeys are anything but cheap, and there are definitely more enjoyable ways to spend one’s money.
Why did I spend so much time on trains, then?
Well, my elderly mother lives in what, I would consider a small, boutique-like care home in Åsa, in Halland County. I travelled there every other day and came to realize the tremendous effort the staff put into their work. Personally, I don’t think I could handle that kind of pressure-or have the patience required to care for elderly people with varying degrees of dementia and other ailments. I couldn’t help but watch with great admiration these patient and incredibly kind caregivers.
The thought of growing old and depending on others just to exist is frightening to me. In Sweden, you often hear of care homes where residents receive very little assistance, where elderly people may lie for hours in their own waste on dirty sheets, waiting for help. I thanked the Lord often that my mother had the good fortune to be in a home where the staff genuinely care and do their utmost.
What is a summer without a visit to Sweden’s beautiful capital, Stockholm?
Together with a friend, who like me is a SWEA member, we took the bus from Gothenburg to Stockholm to attend SWEA’s Summer days.
It used to be called the SWEA Sweden Dinner, but the name has now been changed to SWEA’s Summer Days since the event has been extended to include a couple of extra days with various programs. We only participated in the award ceremony for the scholarships and ÅSK, this year’s Swedish Woman of the Year.
SWEA Stockholm had chosen the Elite Marina Tower Hotel in Saltsjökvarn/Nacka for the evening’s festivities. From Nybrokajen, an archipelago boat departed, docking right next to the hotel. It was a wonderful 15-minute boat ride in pleasant evening temperatures.
Since the 1980’s, I have tried to attend most of these dinners and listen to the fortunate recipients of SWEA International’s scholarships talk about their work, which has brought them recognition from SWEA International. This year was no exception, but I have to say, I have rarely seen recipients more deserving of these scholarships than this year’s awardees.
How about a young man of 19, who knew from the age of four, that his life was dance?
Alexander Mockrish, the fortunate recipient of the Sigried Paskell Scholarship in the performing arts, began his dance journey at The Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm and continued his training at the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (ABT JKO) in New York.
He has already performed on many stages, and his list of achievements is long. He was a finalist in the “Prix de Lausanne” 2023, where he won the award for Best Contemporary Dance, and in 2025 he was honored with the Young Creation Award for his choreographic work EXTINCTION.
Now, in 2025-2026, Alexander will join Boston Ballet II, marking his step into a professional dance career. He also continues to develop his skills in choreography. The list of dance competitions Alexander has participated in is long-and it’s bound to grow even longer.
During the evening, we had the pleasure of both hearing and seeing Alexander in action, cheered on by a proud mother and by all of us, around 180 SWEA’s. My impression was that, despite all his achievements, Alexander radiates a humility that shines through. This is a young man we are sure to see and hear much from in the future.
The recipient of the Interculture Scholarship this year was Jasmijn Kooijman, who, despite her young age of 26, is already an accomplished director and documentary filmmaker working in Sweden. The Agneta and Gunnar Nilsson Scholarship for the studies of Intercultural Relations will support her master’s studies within the two-year EU/Erasmus program DOC NOMADS Erasmus Mundus Master Course, a program in documentary filmmaking with mentorship in Lisbon, Budapest, and Brussels.
Jasmijn was born in Amsterdam, but has lived in Sweden since 2015. Her mother is Swedish and her father Dutch. She studied documentary film at Biskop Arnö Folk High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in cinematic storytelling at HDK-Valand, University Gothenburg.
Her graduation film, “Dansa min docka”, a short film, won the “Tempo Short Award” in 2022 and was nominated for a Guldbagge Award.
The story is related to migration. She has also made the short film “Nu bor jag på en camping” (of which we saw an excerpt). Jasmijn is currently working on a feature film project.
At last, but certainly not least, this year’s Swedish Woman of the Year (ÅSK), Dr, Med. Ellen-Elena Reinolds, a specialist in gynecology and one of the founders of the non-profit organization OPERATIONAID, together with Ludvig Ramestam and Johan Petre.
Elly, as she is commonly called, is 43 years old and lives in Nacka. She is married, and has three children and a stepchild-an energetic force with a big heart. She is aware that her work is demanding and exposes her to challenging situations, and one can’t help but wonder how her spouse and children feel about it.
She says that due to her humanitarian engagement, she is often away from home, but over time, her family has understood and accepted that this is her calling, which has brought them closer together.
So, what does OPERATIONAID do?
The organization operates in humanitarian aid and is dedicated to “helping those in need through volunteers.” They run ambulances, children projects, crisis preparedness programs, and research in Ukraine. The organization has trained around 1,300 children in first aid, crisis management, firefighting, and much, much more, with the goal of educating many more.
Elly collaborates with the Swedish Defense University on research in healthcare and civil preparedness in war situations, alongside all her clinical work.
She is also part of the Folke Bernadotte Academy and participates in research projects at the Norwegian Defense University concerning the healthcare chain in modern war scenarios.
Many may have seen Elly on Channel 4’s morning program, passionately describing her work and her pride in being named SWEA’s Swedish Woman of the Year.
We SWEA’s were also treated to a very professional presentation during the dinner.
It was almost hard to imagine this blonde, good looking, enthusiastic woman in the middle of a war-torn Ukraine, holding and treating the injured, fearlessly offering help, and then seeing her on stage joking about how rarely she gets to wear a cocktail dress-which she wore for the occasion.
I was fortunate to have a brief conversation with Elly, and she left a strong impression. A more deserving recipient of the ÅSK award would be as hard to find as a needle in a haystack.
I can only think: women can.
As with all wonderful things, it must come to an end. Vacation is over and I am now back in the city that never sleeps, and it feels good. It’s been a joy to share a bit of my summer experiences with those of you who weren’t in Sweden this summer.
I’ll return in the next issue.
Live well – life is short!
Roligt att kunna läsa om något som är bra i denna värld.