ScandAsia Sweden- April 2010

APR 2010

New Energy at Young Professsionals April 2010 • ScandAsia.Se 1

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2 ScandAsia.Se • April 2010

IKEA Opens in Bangkok 3rd November Tom Huzell, Managing Director of Ikano Singapore confirms that IKEA will open in Bangkok on the 3rd November 2011.

By Niels C. Jensen

Your FREE Swedish Magazine in Asia ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Swedish residents in South East Asia.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine for Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Please sign up for Your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher: Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd. 4/41-2 Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief: Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Advertising - Thailand: Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Life style advertisements: Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer: Disraporn Yatprom disraporn@scandmedia.com Distribution: Sopida Thaveesup sopida@scandmedia.com Printing: Advanced Printing Services Co., Ltd.

om Huzell, Managing Director of Ikano Singapore confirms that IKEA will open in Bangkok, Thailand the 3rd November 2011.

The land filling is beginning next week and the construction is starting May this year.

The IKEA store will be located in the south-eastern part of Bangkok, more precise at Bangna Trat km 8. The Swedish store will be located at the Megabangna shopping center.

IKEA Thailand is going to recruit 500 staff: “We are recruiting 495 Thais and 5 foreigners,” says Tom Huzell. The recruitment campaign is starting after Songkran (Thai New Year) this year.

IKEA is already in Singapore, China and Malaysia.

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Swedish Flag Burned in KL

By Gregers Moller he Swedish flag was set alight outside the country’s embassy in Malaysia one Friday in March as protesters gathered to demand action against cartoonist Lars Vilks and newspapers that published his caricatures of the Muslim prophet Muhammad’s head on a dog’s body.

Around 200 demonstrators from various Muslim groups joined the protest.

The demonstration ended with the pulling down of the Swedish embassy’s flag, which was then burned.

“It was very surprising and something that we can not tolerate. We have reported the matter to the police,” Sångeland said.

Swedish ambassador Helena Sangeland called for more dialogue with Muslims for better mutual understanding but said no action would be taken against the papers. She said she was “very disappointed” that the

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Swedish flag was burned.

“The Swedish government will not comment nor take any action against media. Freedom of expression is enshrined in our constitution. It is not negotiable,” she told The Associated Press.

“I don’t think Malaysia-Sweden bilateral relations will be affected in any way.”

Threats to slaughter the artist The issue flared up in early March after Irish police arrested four men and three women suspected of planning to kill Lars Vilks. In 2007, al-Qaida put a bounty of $100,000 (£67,000) on Lars Vilks head, with a 50% bonus if Vilks was “slaughtered like a lamb” by having his throat cut.

Several Swedish newspaper were so outraged by the thwarted plot that they reprinted the drawing in solidarity with the artist and the newspaper that published the drawing.

Vilks has said he made the caricature to show that artistic freedom allows mockery of all religions.

Among the countries in South East Asia, it is only in Malaysia where the matter has resulted in public demonstrations.

More news and features here: www.scandasia.com The unusual scene of the burning of the Swedish flag was captured on video and uploaded on YouTube.

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Se 3

New Energy at Young Professionals in Singapore After-work drinks, mid-summer parties, and more! Young Professionals in Singapore is a great way for young expats of all nationalities to meet and interact.

By Katrine Bach Sigvardt he Young Professionals Group is a non-profit organization built on Swedish roots, culture, and traditions. It has been around for ages, but in 2005 it was officially established and set up under the Swedish Business Association of Singapore (SBAS) and the Swedish Embassy. Whereas SBAS is very business oriented, Young Professionals is a more social organization that provides a forum for mingling and expanding networks for

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people of all nationalities between the age of 18 and 35.

Recently, President of Young Professionals, Katarina Wahlstedt, has brought a lot of fresh energy to the organisation. The Group is now active on Facebook and the Swedish Business Association also makes an effort to put more focus on the organization and its members.

“We are all living abroad, and meeting other young people living abroad with similar interests and backgrounds through Young Professionals is very important,” Katarina Wahlstedt says.

Every month, Young Professionals host social events for its members, such as after work drinks, company visits, and because of the organization’s close ties with the Swedish Embassy and SBAS, annual mid summer and crayfish parties are also held.

The social events can be used for networking which might lead to a new job or new connections, and that is a great by-product of the events. Katarina Wahlstedt underlines that Young Professionals, is

Meeting other young people living abroad with similar interests and backgrounds is very important Katarina Wahlstedt encourages everyone to join Young Professionals in Singapore.

not a job agency. All it does is to provide the forum to make the interaction possible.

Even though the Young Professional Group is under the Swedish Business Association, all nationalities are welcome to join. Several of the members are Singaporeans who have studied in Sweden for a semester and who wish to maintain that Swedish connection. The Group is not for Swedes exclusively and Katarina Wahlstedt encourages everyone to join Young Professionals and attend the after work gatherings at IndoChine in Clarke Quay on the last Friday every month.

Approximately 30 people turn up at the event every time.

“It is a great opportunity to network and meet new people and everyone is welcome,” she says with a smile.

4 ScandAsia.Se • April 2010

Being a member of Young Professionals costs 50 SGD per year but students who are in Singapore for six months only pay a fee of 25 SGD. Paying members receive news and updates from the Swedish Business Association, the Swedish Embassy, and of course from Young Professionals directly. Members of Young Professionals are also invited to all events hosted by the three organizations, and get a discount on entry tickets. They are also allowed to attend the SBAS after work drink events to further expand their social and professional network.

Email: young.professionalssg@gmail.com Website: www.sbas.org.sg/yp

New Owners of STYLE:NORDIC Carrying exclusive designer brands, STYLE:NORDIC became an instant success after opening in 2005. Even though the man behind it all has decided to move on, it is not the end of the uniquely Scandinavian company.

By Katrine Sigvardt

ocated in one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Singapore and covering an area of 200 square meters, STYLE:NORDIC is packed with all kinds of exclusive Scandinavian design. There are rows of fashion, furniture, tableware, carpets, shoes, and many other things that one simply can’t live without.

Filippa K, Tiger of Sweden, Nudie jeans, Iittalia, Junk Deluxe, and Design House Stockholm are just some of the brands that are available at the showroom.

It is a haven for any shopaholic with exclusive taste.

Swedish Jonas Ericsson set up the shop with a desire to promote the world famous Scandinavian design in Asia but also to provide the clothes and other items to the Nordic expat community.

STYLE:NORDIC became an instant success, and Jonas Ericsson has enjoyed watching his business prosper and grow over the years.

Last year in December, however, he decided to turn the responsibility and the business over to someone else as he wanted to move on to new adventures.

When it became clear to them that STYLE:NORDIC was up for sale, Conny and Victoria Karlsson did not hesitate. They immediately stepped up and bought the company.

“We felt that this was a one of those once in a lifetime experiences,” the new General Manager of STYLE:NORDIC Victoria Karlsson explains as she tells the story of

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how the couple came to taking over the company.

It felt right at the time and she believes that it was just meant to be that way. The opportunity presented itself and it was just too good to pass up.

“Jonas is a great entrepreneur.

He is very good at setting things up and making them successful, which is what he did with STYLE:NORDIC,” says Victoria Karlsson.

“He worked day and night on this project,” she explains and adds that in the end he started missing Sweden, to which he recently returned with a lot of new plans and ideas. Jonas Ericsson is still a big part of the business. He owns a couple of shares, and has been a great help to the Karlsson’s in taking over the company.

Despite the take over and the new management, fans and regulars at STYLE:NORDIC have no reason to worry. Victoria Karlsson promises that the company will not lose its edge. She is just as Swedish as Jonas himself, and she is determined to continue business as usual.

“STYLE:NORDIC will always be STYLE:NORDIC,” says Victoria Karlsson and adds that it is very important to her to keep the concept and the uniqueness, which are the core values of the company, intact.

The new owners are, however, adding a few things to the business.

In May, STYLE:NORDIC is expanding and opening a new outlet at Orchard Road, which will mostly be selling clothes and other fashion items.

STYLE:NORDIC is also expanding business to work with corporate clients who are, for example, looking for new solutions or redesigning their offices.

For those who are not yet familiar with STYLE:NORDIC and it’s

products, the showroom in Ann Siang Road and the soon to be open shop on Orchard are well worth a visit, and Victoria Karlsson encourages everyone to stop by and check out the exclusive Scandinavian designs.

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Se 5

Swedish August in Hanoi After 15 years with IKEA it was time for Swedish August Wingårdh to stand on his own two feet in Vietnam. And he has not regretted it for a second. The Vietnamese and expats in Hanoi love his products in his three ‘UMA’shops in Hanoi.

By Rikke Bjerge Johansen

eds, frames, tables and tablecloth, kitchen wear and rugs in every possible colour. You name it, August got it. Thanks to him and his UMA-chain, the Vietnamese and expats in Hanoi can get good, Swedish home décor and furniture for an affordable price. They pay back their gratitude by keeping August Wingårdh so busy that he has to expand and hire new staff in order to keep up the demand. In only three years he now has three shops, one office and a warehouse in Hanoi and is employing 80 staff.

“We started with four employees in total, including me. Now, we double our business every year, and I’m very happy with the result,” August Wingårdh says.

Sitting by a table set in his biggest UMA- store in the Hanoi outskirt area called My Dinh, there is no doubt about the inspiration when looking around. It is IKEA. The reason is obvious, since August has worked for the Swedish Furniture Giant in product development for 15 years before going solo.

“With my background I’m inspired by IKEA, also in terms of the way the shops are designed. However, there are no IKEA products or pure copies here, only Scandinavian design,” he emphasizes.

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6 ScandAsia.Se • April 2010

Fell for Vietnam When IKEA sent August Wingårdh to Vietnam for the first time in 1994, no one knew that it would later seal his future. At that time he was working for the IKEA’s head office in Almhult, Sweden with product development, which is everything from identifying the customers need to developing the products. IKEA was looking to expand to the Asian market with a special focus on Vietnam, and they sent August as the only staff to check out the market.

“I loved Hanoi from the start, the people, the food, everything.

The city is very small with such a

charming downtown and old quarter. I even liked Vietnam so much, that I agreed to move with my family to Saigon in 98,” August recalls.

However, it didn’t exactly go as planned. Due to the Asian Crisis, IKEA instead decided to send August, his Swedish wife and four children to Singapore. Three years after, in 2001 he got the chance to move to Hanoi to buy things for IKEA stores, and he had the job until the contract expired in 2006.

“Now, I had the choice to continue working for IKEA but back in Almhult again. But we wanted to stay in Vietnam, since my wife

retailer in Sweden who promised to buy and sell their products.

“I’m a product leader and planner, but I’m not a designer. So I found a Danish industrial designer who unfortunately later got a great job for Georg Jensen and had to go back to Denmark with her family,” August says.

The name UMA came from the first letter of August’s wife Ulli, his partner My Land and himself = UMA.

No customers, no orders also had a good job working for the Norwegian Embassy out here. I felt the country had and still has a high speed development. Everyone is positive and wants to grow the country, whereas in Europe people are more negative and talk about financial crisis all the time. So, I asked myself, why not start something up solo,” explains August.

Created UMA He quickly realized he needed a local partner to deal with language, partnership and so on. The choice fell on My Lan who he met through some mutual friends, and they started as a design company and got a

Going from being a purchaser from IKEA to start up on your own, there is a big difference.

“With IKEA it was so easy. I just put my name card down and the suppliers were all over me. All of a sudden I was now an unknown brand and was only ordering five chairs instead of 100.000 as before.

So, I had to constantly negotiate with the suppliers. It was the biggest challenge for me”.

The UMA-team started designing and producing 150 different products before they discovered that their retailer in Sweden got fired from the shop, which also meant that August had no customer at all.

August’s Hanoi tips: Things to see: “Of course my shop in My Dinh, haha. Also, don’t miss the old quarter and try and make it to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.“ Food: “I love Bún cha with rice noodles, pork and meat balls.”

i Nu ävenika! er Nordam

“I was too naive to rely on one person. After six months of work we had 150 products in stock, high expenses, no customer and no orders,” he says with honesty.

Local TV-show He had invested all his family savings into this, so he had to come up with a solution – fast.

“My Vietnamese partner My Lan and I decided to open up our own 100 m2 shop in downtown Hanoi and sell our products there. The shop opened up in two weeks and we invited all our friends. Of course I was nervous in the beginning but luckily, the customers liked what we had and we sold a lot. Especially one customer was very pushy and demanding, so we hired her as our shop manager,” he tells with a laugh.

Now, there are more than 2000 different products sold in three UMA-shops in Hanoi with 80 staff. The office in My Dinh consists of 15 people plus 20 sales. It is also featured in a weekly Vietnamese TV-show about couples and home décor. In the beginning, all the customers were foreigners, but now August estimates that 80 percent of them are Vietnamese.

“We have been very lucky with our market. People here with money are starting to focus on their homes instead of cars and we managed to cover that demand,” he explains.

Future goals for August August has so great a success in Hanoi that he is holding seminars to teach companies and Vietnamese suppliers on how to work more sustainable.

“We teach them how environ-

mentally correct products not necessarily have to be ugly,” as he says.

With such a big success in Hanoi, it would be the obvious choice to expand UMA to Ho Chi Minh or another Asia country.

“A lot of people encourage us to do so. But for now, I think we want to stay in Hanoi. I feel we have many more mistakes to make here first,” he says with a laugh, adding: “The goal is to have fun and it would be great to try new things in Hanoi, like open up a restaurant with nice, Scandinavian food. I have been working with all the best and biggest retailers in the world, but I’m happier now. I do something I like, make it my way, and I still have fun. It is great,” August says with a smile.

For more information: www.uma.vn/shop/ email: august@uma.vn Biggest shop+office: CT6 My Dinh Song Da, Me Tri, (+844) 224 28 641

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How to Handle the

Digital Media Revolution? social networking spaces and video and photo sharing are all now widely used as part of the digital channels – mobile or Internet – across geographies and various consumer groups.

Even the largest advertisers don’t know how to navigate in this world, says the Aegis CEO. “They are spending billions of dollars on marketing and advertising but far too little on new modern media. Like one customer told me: ‘We’re spending 90 per cent of our time and 10 per cent of our money on discussing how to deal with digital media.’ They are not equipped to address what they are experiencing as dramatic changes.”

The dot.com lessons

“We all know the media playing field is changing quite dramatically,” says Patrick Ståhle, the Swedish CEO of Aegis Media AsiaPacific based in Malaysia. “The question is what to do about it?

By Joakim Persson

eople shift the time they spend on media from traditional media to digital media. And advertisers shift from print media to electronic mass media and onwards to video and TV on demand - soon to be experienced via the mobile phone.

During the Sime conference 2009 in Stockholm - a conference about the Internet and digital opportunities - Patrick Ståhle talked enthusiastic about the changes taking place as you read this.

“Most of the media owners I meet are so traditional in their thinking and they are scared stiff about what lies ahead. They used to know how to make money, but what’s it going to be like tomorrow?”

In the new media reality, brands are becoming entertainers which in Patrick Staahle’s book only makes marketing more interesting.

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Groping in the dark In this complex world of media opportunities, the rapid adoption of 8 ScandAsia.Se • April 2010

Aegis Media started adapting for the digital media future right after the crash of the legendary dot com boom.

“When everybody left the Internet we entered and started buying digital companies and building a global network to reach being today the largest digital network among advertising agencies in the world,”Patrick Staahle says.

The convergence of platforms and technologies has become a worldwide reality, making digitallycentric and integrated marketing campaigns a key focus for the entire advertising industry.

Video-on-demand streaming services is an example Patrick Ståhle mentions, where viewers can get content financed by advertising.

“It’s not the case that consumers don’t like advertising, in fact they do provided it is relevant for them.

The problem is to provide relevant advertising content for each individual. But with Internet-based television you’ll know which IP address is looking and can pinpoint exactly which profile that person has and customise the marketing message.

The problem is that the media owners have not been so good at adjusting their services yet so I still get to see a lot of crap I don’t want to see as a consumer.”

“The next big thing will be when the largest media for advertisers – television – becomes really digital and not only distributed digitally, so that it turns interactive, so that you can choose yourself what to see and where etc. Then the whole advertis-

ing market will change dramatically,” he believes.

While 50 per cent of the Swedes, according to a recent report, have started watching TV on web, in Asia traditional television is by far still the dominating media for advertising. Though Patrick thinks it will eventually change here too – and much faster than in the west.

“Change will come rapidly since the technology which didn’t exist before is there now, so Asia is about to leap-frog.”

The mobile jump “As advertising tool the mobile phone has not grown to become any significant product yet. It remains fairly private. But in the years to come when 4G can penetrate the market – then the mobile will play an entirely different role when you can choose your content and whether you want to watch it on your phone, PC or PDA.” “The mobile phone market will grow absolutely dramatically in Asia.

And as soon as bandwith increases it will be the dominating way to access the Internet.”

In for example Thailand, Digithai, which is part of Aegis network, is very successful in creating innovative Internet and mobile phone campaigns. iProspect Thailand is its search engine specialist. The iProspect office network is also present in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.

From Sweden to Malaysia Before moving to Asia Mr Ståhle was the CEO for Aegis in the Nordic countries until 2006. Some time during the second quarter of 2010, Aegis will, however, already say goodbye to its Asia Pacific CEO who will pursue a non-executive career, being only 55 years old, and with a clear vision in mind: to assist entrepreneurs and businesses as a mentor within the media sector.

“I’m meeting many very clever and young entrepreneurs. I wish I had had an opportunity to get the kind of support 20 years ago, that I am able to give them today,” he says.

“I know a lot about how to develop organisations, adapt the products in order to catch clients so you have reasonable expansion models etc. I think that will be very fun.”

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Maintaining Swedish Roots in Singapore Five years ago, the Karlsson’s made the decision to move to Singapore with their two children. Since then, many things have changed. A third child has made her appearance in the family, but one thing that hasn’t changed is their mind about living abroad.

ouise Karlsson is sitting by the end of the table in a soft leather chair in one of the meeting rooms at Canadian International School of Singapore. She is only seven and in her school uniform but she is principal of this meeting.

Her parents, Conny and Victoria Karlsson are sitting next to her, smiling. The whole family looks so Swedish that they could be picked straight out of an episode of “Emil from Lönneberga.”

In fact, the Karlsson’s don’t just looks Swedish, they try their best to be, because to them, maintaining the culture and values is tremendously important – especially because they live thousands of kilometers away from what used to be home.

By Katrine Sigvardt

Life in Singapore

Conny and Victoria Karlsson with their daughters Louise and her younger sisters Elin and Jennifer.

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“We wanted to live in Singapore, because we wanted to be warm,” Louise announces.

Conny and Victoria add that although being warm is certainly one

of the benefits of living in Singapore, it was not for them the primary reason why chose a life abroad.

They decided to move because Conny was offered a position with Cybercom in Singapore. Victoria had already lived in America for six years, and the couple had also spent a year in Madrid together. So it did not take long for them to accept the new opportunity and meet the adventure moving to Singapore would be. At the moment, they have no current plans of ever going back.

Taste for international life “Life in Singapore is easier than in Sweden in many ways. The climate is better and the children can run around in their underwear all day if they want. We are able to travel to exciting places that are close by, and we can afford to have hired help in the house which, in the end, gives us more quality time together.”

But even though the family enjoys their Singaporean lifestyle, they make a point of going back to Swe-

den twice a year for summer and Christmas.

“Then we go ice skating and I throw snowballs at my dad,” Louise says.

There is however more to the visits than fun and games. Both Victoria and Conny are proud to be Swedish, and it is very important to them that their children grow up knowing their roots and feeling Swedish.

“Sweden is a good country. A lot of good things come from Sweden, and we want our girls to know that,” Victoria says.

A fairy-tale country Both Conny and Victoria are aware, though, that the children’s idea of Sweden might not correspond entirely with reality.

“Because we only go at those times of the year, they think that Sweden is the land of Christmas presents and summer barbecues, but of course there is more to Swedish life than that,” Victoria says and adds that she hopes one day to be able to take them there during spring or fall, because even though those seasons are the epitome of Sweden, her children have no concept of what they are.

To compensate, Louise’s best friend in Sweden sends her photographs of the sprouts and delicate flowers of spring and of the piles of red and orange leaves in the fall.

Relationship with grandparents The hardest part about being abroad as a family, is that the grandparents are not always around to help out when they are needed.

The fact that they do not see each other for long periods of time is also something that might affect the relationship the daughters have with them. Fortunately, the grandparents try to visit as often as possible, and the children love it.

Sometimes, however, Conny and Victoria wish they had their families closer. The Karlsson’s have recently bought the well-known and well-known STYLE:NORDIC shop in Singapore that sells exclusive Scandinavian design in the area. Victoria is the Managing Director of the company and sometimes she wishes 2 ScandAsia.Sg • April 2010

that her parents were around.

“It would be nice if I could just call and ask them to help me out once in a while. We do have our hired help, of course, but it’s not the same. They’re not family.”

The Singaporean school system expects a lot of involvement, too.

“When your child asks why all the other mommies are there and you are not, you’ll want to be there,” Victoria says.

A global education The couple decided to enroll their daughters at Canadian International School of Singapore where they believe their children will receive a better education than they would if they still lived in Sweden. However, as they say, it all depends on what goals you have for your kids.

“We want our children to be world oriented and global. They get that here and they learn to believe in themselves. To us, that is really important.”

And the kids are truly global.

Louise has friends from all over the world. Her best ones are from India, Australia, and Singapore, but it is not something she really thinks about.

“I just play with them and have fun,” she says, and to the Swedish family, the fact that everyone is con-

sidered equal disregarding nationality and skin color is also one of the benefits of attending international school.

Belonging somewhere Even though it is important to be global, it is also important to maintain and nourish one’s roots. That is why Louise attends Swedish school for two hours every Friday. There the students, who are already able to speak Swedish, follow a Swedish curriculum and learn about Swedish culture and literature.

“The roots are important. That is why we make sure we celebrate all the Swedish festivals even though we are here. We have name days and Mid Summer festivals,” the couple says and adds that it is important to them that their children do not grow up feeling rootless. They know children who do not know what to say when people ask where they are from.

“It is such a simple question, but for these children it is very tricky,” Victoria says and emphasizes that her children will never have any doubts about where they are from.

Both Louise and her little sister Elin were born in Sweden, even though they left at an early age. The third child, Jennifer, was born in Singa-

pore and the whole family chuckles as they start talking about her because apparently, she is more Asian that any of them: “My little sister only eats at school because she loves Asian fish porridge,” Louise says and giggles as her mother adds that the rest of the family has no idea what fish porridge is but that they have been told by the teachers that she devours it every day.

Even though she acts Asian, little Jennifer will also grow up feeling Swedish in Singapore, and that is why both Conny and Victoria are not worried about the children’s future even if they, however unlikely, should decide to move back to Sweden.

“They will realize that Sweden is not the magical country of Christmas and summer holidays that they know. The international environment abroad has its own challenges though – learning a new language and saying goodbye to close friends on a regular basis are just some of them,” they say and add that life abroad has taught them to overcome different challenges but also prepared them for whatever the future holds.

Canadian International School (Singapore) Tanjong Katong Campus (Early Childhood to Grade 8) 371 Tanjong Katong Road Singapore 437128 admissionstk@cis.edu.sg Phone: +65 6345 1573 Fax: +65 6345 405 Toh Tuck Campus (Early Childhood to Grade 3) 5 Toh Tuck Road Singapore 596679 admissions@cis.edu.sg Phone: +65 6467 1732 Fax: +65 6467 1729 Bukit Tinggi Campus (Grade 4 to 8) 71 Bukit Tinggi Road Singapore 289759 middleschool@cis.edu.sg Phone: +65 6875 1519 Fax: +65 6875 1516 Kampong Bahru Campus (Grade 9 to 12) 514 Kampong Bahru Road Singapore 099450 highschool@cis.edu.sg Phone: +65 6323 0208 Fax: +65 6323 0209

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Sg 3

Swedish Victory in Singapore

By Jan Tommy Fosse Photos Stein Mangersnes

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he annual Swedish-Norwegian sports day in Singapore took place on Saturday March 6th. This year the event was held at Serangoon Stadium and almost 450 Swedes and Norwegians participated in the various events. Before the sport activities started, both the Swedish and the Norwegian national anthems were sung, there was time for warm up and “good luck” wishes.

The annual sports day started with the youngest children running their 10 meter race,.

Then the older children ran their 40 meter and 60 meter races. Simultaneously those that were not running went over to the long jump venue to participate there. When the children’s races and long jump was over, it was time for the adults to run and jump before the football matches for children and adults.

In addition to the sports, the children could play on the playground, the cafeteria was open and sold “kanelbullar” and “vafler”, soft drinks, hotdogs, fruit and ice cream and there was plenty of time to catch up with old and new friends.

As always the competition is serious and participants from both countries want to leave the stadium with the best nation trophy. This year the victory, by a good margin, went to Sweden.

Congratulations to the Swedes in Singapore!

The Swedish and Norwegian Church in Singapore is looking forward to welcoming everyone back next year.

4 ScandAsia.Sg • April 2010

Be the First to Be Surprised at B – Lay Tong B – Lay Tong Resort, the new Hip and Exciting Resort in Patong is now opened. ocated on the most prime convenient address at the up-market north end of Patong Beach, B – Lay Tong is a pulsating resort that offers state-of-the-art design and lounging space. The resort is, just steps away from the beach and offers great sea views and sunsets to remember! Consisting of 123 rooms & suites, all rooms are designed with subtle lighting and decorated in one of 4 colour schemes based

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on the concept of Feng Shui, red (fire), blue (water), green (earth) and gold (wind). All of the rooms boast state-of-the-art audio and LCD equipment with free WiFi and LAN internet connection, as well as luscious in-room amenities combined with the finest quality furnishings and fittings. All Deluxe rooms come with a spacious Jacuzzi or a large bath tub while rooms on the ground floor have direct access to the adjacent lap pools and the lush inner garden courtyard.

The resort facilities include a meandering see-through infinity pool, a serene spa, a gym, contemporary dining spaces offering Mediterranean and Asian flavours, a library to nourish the mind and a full service business centre to stay connected. At the heart of it all will be

One Free Night at

the Beat Club with the latest hi-tech sound system playing the hottest beats. Music will play an essential part in the B – Lay Tong experience as well-know guest DJs from around the world spin their tracks and the latest hits spill out over the airwave’s of the resort’s own radio station.

“Be the first to Be Surprised at B – Lay Tong”, introductory rates are available from now until October 31, 2010. Rates start at THB 4,900* for a Superior Garden View inclusive of breakfast for two persons.

Come and be surprised with funky

surroundings and extra value to enhance your stay. *Rate is net and inclusive of service charge and applicable tax.

For more information or to make reservation, please contact the resort reservation centre Tel: +66 76 344 999, e-mail: rsvn@b-laytong.com, website: www.b-laytong.com or InVision Hospitality’s Sales & Marketing office at Tel: +66 2 684 1616 or e-mail: sales@b-laytong.com

Haad Son

Stay one night Free!

Valid: 01.05.2010 - 30.06.2010

aad Son Resort are located on their own secluded white sandy bay on the popular sunset coastline of Koh Phangan. The hotel was established almost a decade ago. Its rich tropical gardens and beautiful natural surroundings harmonize with the environment creating a special private paradise.

Haad Son resort has a great variety of accommodation options with the emphasis focused on quality and style, from island huts to luxury aircon villas. Haad Son resort prides itself on its great service and friendly family atmosphere, so no matter what type of accommodation you choose you are guaranteed to enjoy

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2 ScandAsia.Th • April 2010

your stay at this luxurious beautiful location.

Haad Son beach is one of very few on the Island which has remained undeveloped and it presents a perfect picture of an idyllic desert

island cove. The complex occupies the north end of the beach and the central and southern areas are completely uninhabited, leaving a 300 metre long stretch of tropical beach fringed with shady coconut palms.

- Stay 03 nights pay 02 nights - Compulsory breakfast during free night is 200 per person - Applicable for new booking from 01.05.2010 onwards - First and last night of stay must fall within the above periods.

- This promotion can not apply to extra bed.

- This promotion cannot be combined with Special Rate or any other promotions For more information contact: Haad Son Resort 85 Moo. 8, Koh Phangan, Suratthani 84280, Thailand, Tel: +66(0)77-349103-4, Fax: +66(0)77-349104, E-mail: haadson@hotmail.com www.haadson.net www.haadson.info

Bonus Night

at

See Through on Haad Yao Haad Yao beach is one of very few on the Island which has remained undeveloped and it presents a perfect picture of an idyllic desert island cove.

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aad Yao See Through resort is a brand new hotel located in the north-west of the island, in Haad Yao. The area of Haad Yao is also called long beach for its one kilometre beach. Many people consider it to be the "perfect" beach of Koh Phangan. Its rich tropical gardens and beautiful natural surroundings creates a special private paradise atmosphere. In the resort the sand is white, the sea is blue and that makes it the perfect spot to dive or snorkel. The landscape is unique and irresistible.

Haad Yao See Through resort is the perfect place to relax and enjoy your vacation. See Through resort prides itself on its great service and friendly family atmosphere. The hotel has 30 rooms just by the sea.

Almost all the rooms have sea views and the swimming pool.

The rooms are modern and well equipped and the resort has it own private beach where you can spend easily all your vacation.

The hotels restaurant and bar are just on the beach; from there you can enjoy splendid sunsets.

The restaurant serves western and Thai food from the morning to the evening.

At your disposition there is a pool table and a video projector for movie evenings.

The bar is on the beach and it is a perfect place to enjoy the sun with a drink and have a swim on the sea. Our professional bar team will be happy to make you a special cocktail.

Special Promotion:

Bonus Night Valid: 01.05.2010 - 30.06.2010

-

Stay 03 nights pay 02 nights Compulsory breakfast during free night is 200 per person Applicable for new booking from 01.05.2010 onwards First and last night of stay must fall within the above periods.

This promotion can not apply to extra bed.

This promotion cannot be combined with Special Rate or any other promotions

For more information please contact: See Through Boutique Resort 85/6 Haad Yao, Koh Phangan, Suratthani 84280, Thailand Tel: +66(0)77-349315, 083-0707317 Fax: +66(0)77-349316, Email: haadyaoseethrough@gmail.com www.haadyao.net 4 ScandAsia.Th â&#x20AC;˘ April 2010

Five Scandinavians Friday night entertained around 100 Thais at Mingles Pub and Restaurant at the Atrium Hotel.

By Niels C. Jensen Photos Disraporn Yatprom he band was the SwedishDanish-Norwegian JazzKamikaze, which plays their own fusion of jazz and rock. This month they are doing their tour in Asia.

Friday night was a special concert for HitmanJazz business partners and friends. Most of them Thais but also a few foreigners enjoyed JazzKamikaze’s music this night. Kamikaze is Japanese and means something like storm, which very well suits the Scandinavian band, which have to be experienced live. Jazz is usually sit down and relax music but the JazzKamikaze concert was more in

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Hard Rocking Jazz stand up rock manners. The stage was filled with an amount of energy never seen at jazz concerts before.

Their repertoire included a song for Myanmar, which two of the band members visited a couple of years ago, the song was called Land of Gold. While playing a more jazzy song the band promised the next one will be more rocky, still the first song was doing it quite good as a track of rock.

The five young guys where all dressed in black t-shirts and vests and very much into their music performance. Using their bodies as well as their voices to tell their story and reach the audience. The big applauses and the many young women screaming were a clear indicator that the audience was satisfied.

The concert went on without any pauses for the band. One time the Danish version of “one-two-threefour” said like “en-to-tre-fire” was shouted out by the Danish vocalist.

Before the concert ended so many young women was screaming and cheering it was more like Rolling Stones was in the house than a jazz band. And standing was no more a possibility but an obligation, when the saxophone and clarinet was played at once by one man and the audience was singing along: “The music is heaven.”

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Th 5

Cafe Europe in Bangkok Saturday Denmark came to Bangkok.

When the new Cafe Europe at Sukhumvit Soi 20 held Grand Opening. he hostess had lost her voice, but the Danish specialities, soft jazz music and cold beers was more than enough to make it “Hyggeligt” aka a good time for everyone.

Before Anita Lauritsen worked in her husband Kenn Lauritsen's company selling plumbing and heating products.

But all the computer work became a bit too boring for Anita, and then suddenly there was the opportunity for her to start her own Café.

“I always wished to start my own and here was the chance, and I took it,” whispers Anita, who had also her voice temporarily due to a too cold air-conditioner.

Cold beer, drinks, water and samples of Danish and Thai foods were all free this Saturday afternoon at the Cafe Europe. It was a clear success, some of the best-sellers included samples of Danish open sandwich with meatballs and others with liver pâté and bacon.

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In Denmark know as smørrebrød med frikadeller and leverpostej og bacon. But the tasty spring rolls were also quite popular.

Anita and Kenn Lauritsen and their eight-year old daughter Cassandra have lived in Bangkok for almost three years.

This is also easily recognized this day were the Danish greeting “Go'dav” is heard more than “Hello” or “Sawasdeekaap”. The guests this day is friends of Anita and Kenn and and most of them resident Danes in Bangkok, and almost everyone is on first name with everyone.

When the talk of this, that and the other is going on at Café Europe, Mark Hodgkings are playing his saxophone at soft and pleasant tones.

Meanwhile Anita and the Thai waitresses serves more cold drinks and snacks to the guests.

Come at visit Anita and her Café, it is further down Sukhumvit Soi 20 than you have ever been, but then you will also meet a bit Denmark, that you did not believe was in Bangkok.

“I always wished to start my own and here was the chance, and I took it,” says Anita.

6 ScandAsia.Th • April 2010

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Th 7

Richelieu as Entrepreneur How was it possible for Richelieu to accumulate such wealth during his years in Siam?

On a general level the answers can be named: Commissions, ‘Corruption’ and Concessions.

hen the Admiral left Siam in 1902 it was onboard the Royal Yacht ‘Maha Chakri’ bound for Singapore, from where he would sail to Europe with one of the regular shipping lines. The direct EAC route Bangkok, Europe, Copenhagen had not yet been established. King Chulalongkorn and many members of the Royal family accompanied him to Singapore as a sign of friendship.

We can also suppose that Richelieu, as he so very often did, also served as the captain of the ship.

He had been the Royal Yacht captain for many years and sailed extensively with the King, especially during the seasons of inspection.

On arriving in Denmark with his wife and children, Richelieu first rented, then bought Kokkedal Castle in North Zealand. From other sources we learn that his personal annual income was higher than the ten leading financiers in the country — combined, and they were definitely not poor people. He was one of the richest men in Denmark.

How was it possible for him to accumulate such wealth during his years in Siam?

On a general level the answers can be named: Commissions, ‘Corruption’ and Concessions.

On a more personal level: Hard work, loyalty, political flair and language skills. Richelieu taught himself Siamese during his first command in the navy; he furthermore learned the elaborate language spoken at court. He was a visionary and saw the options and opportunities during this ‘Nation-building’ period in Siam.

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The Oriental Provision Store With a partner H.N. Andersen he founded a business in Bangkok in 1884, Andersen & Co. (later EAC). The company owned The Oriental Hotel and soon thereafter established the ‘Oriental Provision Store’. In 1878 Richelieu was appointed Captain of the Royal Yacht ‘Vesatri’, and in 1887 made Superintendent of The Marine Forces. In this capacity he was the purchaser of all goods and commodities for the forces and also for the Royal Yacht. It seems that Oriental Provi8 ScandAsia.Th • April 2010

sion Store became the main provider of all goods and commodities for the forces and also for the Royal Yacht. They were punctual with deliverances, which was especially important regarding supplies for the new yacht of 2,500 tons, ‘Maha Chakri’ delivered in 1892. The ship was sailed to Siam from Scotland by H.N. Andersen and Captain Guldberg; Andersen did not have a Certificate for International navigation.

Mister 5 percent In the book ‘Admiralen, Kongen & Kaptajnen,’ A. Eggers-Lura (1998), former Manager of EAC, discusses the belief that Richelieu, with a probability amounting to certainty, drew a personal commission of around 5% on top of the deliveries to the Marine Forces and Court from Andersen & Co., even though it is known that Richelieu always sought acceptance of delivery agreements from his supervisor Prince Chao Sais. For reasons understood there doesn’t exist any written ref-

erences, e.g. in memoirs, to these deals. Nevertheless, the money involved must have been enormous, taking alone the lavish lifestyle of the Court, and his responsibilities while onboard the Royal Yacht, into consideration.

Introducing the Western moral concept of Corruption into this ‘Nation-building’ period in Siam would be meaningless. Clear and transparent transactions are most desirable in modern societies. Instead, the concept of ‘One good turn deserves another’ reigned in Siam, and to some extent still does. The system was built on family relations, both Chinese and Siamese, discretion and trust.

To give an example of things as they then were and the way things were done, it can be mentioned that king Chulalongkorn in 1891 sent Richelieu as his envoy on a private diplomatic mission to France, Denmark and, most importantly, to Russia. The Siamese group was headed by the King’s brother Prince Damrong. During Richelieu’s

Richelieu founded with his partner H.N. Andersen a business in Bangkok in 1884, Andersen & Co. (later EAC). The company owned The Oriental Hotel and soon thereafter established the ‘Oriental Provision Store’ - which became main provider of provisions for the navy under Richelieu’s command.

Richelieu’s first concession was to build and run a private 21 kilometer railway between Paknam (Samut Prakan Province) at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River and Bangkok.

The most important concession was the Siam Electricity Company Ltd. It is due entirely to Richelieu’s determination, networking and business flair that this company succeeded. In 1912, the majority of the stocks were sold to Belgian interests.

Below left: Richelieu bought Kokkedal Castle when he returned from Siam, effectively one of the richest men in Denmark.

that it takes at least 50 years for a teak tree to mature.

Paknam railway

absence, H.N. Andersen was appointed acting Superintendent of the Marine forces. Now he was the purchaser and the provider. Practical it may have been, but even then maybe a trifle unorthodox. However, there was no law regulating such matters, and the absolute Monarch King Chulalongkorn was in the know concerning what happened in the foreign companies. Bangkok was not a big place in those days.

Concessions paid the bills The Concessions were the deep wells of wealth from which the King could draw the money needed for the modernization of Siam, as well as to cover the costs of his travels and private building enterprises, such as, for example, the Summer Palaces in Bang-Pa-In. You can say that the King sold the teak forests of the country to raise capital for modernization. Foreign companies, including EAC, paid highly for concession plots of forest land where they could log the trees in millions.

No thought seems to have been given to the fact

Richelieu also acquired concessions, but all within the field of urban development. The first was a company concession to build and run a private 21 kilometer railway between Paknam (Samut Prakan Province) at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River and Bangkok. At a certain stage, the project became short of funds, but the King invested around 172,000 Baht and became a shareholder.

The line was strategically important, as shown by the ‘Paknam Incident’ in 1893. It was inaugurated in July 1891 and was soon a success. Richelieu headed the company, which continued to run all the years up to 1959. After World War II it became a tramline.

The second was the first electric tramline opened 1894 under Danish ownership; Richelieu was the leading figure in the company. W. Fleuron Jacobsen was hired as manager and proved to be a very competent daily leader. The line ran 7, later 18 kilometers, from The Royal Palace to the harbor around Klong Toey. It was inaugurated by the king. Richelieu must really have had a partiality for rails, because when he got back to Denmark he started and controlled a private railway line between Copenhagen and Slangerup in North Zealand.

Siam Electricity Company The most important concession was the Siam Electricity Company Ltd., obtained in the year 1898-99. The company had the sole rights to deliver electricity to the capital, with at that time around 400,000 inhabitants. The concession was given for 50 years. SEC was founded by a consortium with G. M. Glueckstadt, Landmandsbanken (Farmers Bank), in Copenhagen as chairman, Richelieu as managing director and engineer Aage Westenholz as manager. The company was extremely profitable. Setting up of an electricity company in Bangkok had been tried earlier, but the attempts had failed. It is due entirely to Richelieu’s determination, networking and busi-

ness flair that he was the one who succeeded.

In 1912, the majority of the stocks were sold to Belgian interests. We do not know exactly how many shares Richelieu himself possessed.

It has not been possible to estimate the turnover and profits of these concessions, but a quite frank advertisement in a leading Danish daily from August 7th 1907 (this from Eggers-Lura (1998)) throws some light on the matter. Siam Electricity Company advertised an opening for a traffic manager to be stationed in Bangkok. In the text is mentioned that the tram line and the electricity plant combined generated a profit of 1,200,000 Danish Crowns—a gold mine in 1907.

Big business in Denmark After returning to Denmark, the Admiral engaged himself in many sorts of business at a high level; he was, of course, a member of the board of Directors EAC, Chairman of the board of directors Landmandsbanken, Chairman of B&W shipyard, DFDS shipping, etc.

Defeat came late to Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu, but when it came the blow hit hard and darkened the last 10 years of this proud man’s life. He died in 1932 at the age of 80 years.

Landmandsbanken collapsed in 1922, and in 1923 Richelieu was convicted of gross negligence and fined 4,000 Danish crowns by the Supreme Court.

Through all the years Richelieu maintained friendships with the Siamese. King Chulalongkorn visited him while in Denmark and his close friend Prince Damrong paid his last visit in 1930.

Andreas Richelieu always stayed in the realm of big business, unlike some of his contemporaries such as, for example, the Carlsberg brewer Carl Jacobsen, who founded both an art museum and foundations for art and culture. Maybe that’s why the Admiral is not anchored in the public mind and remains a strange bird in the aviary.

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Th 9

Future of SSS in the Hands of Scandinavian Society Siam recently celebrated its 90th anniversary, but the organization is struggling and whether it will live to be a hundred is entirely up to the members, says Chairman Eid Alexandersen.

By Katrine Bach Sigvardt

s the oldest organization for Scandinavians in Thailand, Scandinavian Society Siam (SSS) has been a central meeting point for Scandinavians for almost a century. It has given its members a chance to meet and get to know other expats as well as exchange information on life in Thailand.

For decades, being a member has been considered a privilege, and the SSS has been a strong and powerful organization. It has played an important part in people’s lives, but recently it has lost its influence.

The older generation of expats in Thailand still considers the organization a legend. However, it seems that this opinion is becoming less and less dominant and the interest for Scandinavian Society Siam is dropping.

Previously, the SSS was the only way for members to meet and interact, and the eagerness to spend time with other Scandinavians was evident.

Now, however, the board can hardly get anyone to sign up for the planned events.

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Great 90 Year Anniversary In January, the SSS celebrated its 90th anniversary at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok. Eid Alexandersen and her board had put a lot of time and effort into organizing the party.

Their disappointment was enormous when they realized, three weeks before the event, that only 37 people had signed up.

“We changed a few things and by the day of the party, 170 welldressed Scandinavians showed up.

Thankfully!,” she says.

The party, which had a 1920’s theme, was a big success. The guests had a great time, and to Eid Alexandersen, it was the highlight of her chairmanship.

10 ScandAsia.Th • April 2010

“That’s when I felt that all of our hard work had been worth it,” she says.

But because it is so difficult to get people to respond to the different events, morale among the board members is dropping. The lack of commitment from the rest of the society has a discouraging effect on the board who feels that it is not worth the effort to spend both time and energy on planning events that no one is really interested in.

Internet society The changes that have occurred in society over the past 20 years have also affected the role of the SSS. When it was established, it was meant as an easy way for people with similar backgrounds to meet and interact. The introduction of the internet and the constant development of new technology have made it even easier for people to create as well as maintain networks no matter where in the world they are.

The people for whom the SSS is still an important part of their lives belong to the older generation, and Eid Alexandersen thinks that the effect of the technical development is more prominent among the younger expats.

The chairman welcomes modern life and the changes that technology has brought with it, but at the same time she thinks society is taking an unfortunate turn.

She explains: “The internet is something that many people can’t live without. On the other hand, people can live without society. They don’t really feel that they need to be tied together with their own people anymore, but if they do, they can do it from their home.”

People have so many choices.

They are able to interact on several different platforms and Eid Alexandersen thinks that is one of the reasons the SSS is losing ground.

She adds that the sad thing is that people do not speak to each

Its Members “They need to want to put all their time and effort into it willingly.

‘Willingly’,” she says, ”that’s the key word.”

Keep it alive

Board Members of the SSS blowing candles on the Birthday cake at the 90 year anniversary gala dinner.

other anymore, and the result of that will be destruction of the community and the act of being together. The SSS provides a forum for physical interaction, and she hopes that there will still be room for that in the future.

Wholehearted commitment The fact that many of the board members never had a real wish to join the committee does not help the situation either.

Setting up SSS events and parties is very time consuming. Therefore, it is essential that the people involved in the organization are committed to the work and the task at hand.

Most of the board members never had a plan to join the committee. People were forced to join the board. When they attended the meetings, they were lured into joining even though they did not have the intention of becoming active board members.

According to Eid Alexandersen that is the reason the organization is falling apart.

The chairman really hopes that the SSS will live to see its 100th anniversary. As chairman of the organization, she has put a lot of time, work, and energy into the organization and she hopes it will not be wasted.

More than that, though, she really believes in what the SSS stands for. To her, the organization is a legend with a good story and a great cause, and it is important to preserve that.

For the SSS to live on, she hopes that the members will realize they need to give something back to the society.

“I wish and hope that some of the Scandinavians here will give their time to save this organization,” she says.

“That’s what this is all about; giving and taking. The members want to take. They want the opportunity to come to the functions and the parties but they really have to give back if they want this to continue. If they start giving, the SSS could continue for another ten years – maybe longer. If they don’t want to give, it has to die, and that’s hard.”

SSS 90th Annual General Meeting Wednesday 28 April 2010 Time: 18:00 to 00:00 Venue: The Rembrandt Hotel, Rembrandt III (2nd floor), 19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 Bangkok.

Reception starts at 6:00pm with drinks and Biksemad!

AGM starts at 7:30pm.

Agenda according to the ByLaws

Swedish Duo Rolling to The Swedish couple Jim Petersson and Maria Larsson is doing the trip of a lifetime. Jim on a skateboard and Maria on In-liners. As the very first in world they do the journey from Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand to Singapore – skating all the way. A journey of about 2500 kilometres.

By Niels C. Jensen

fter one week of relaxing at Koh Chang the Swedish couple Jim Petersson and Maria Larsson are ready to roll again. Wednesday morning they left Samut Songkhram.

They started out in Chiang Mai the 16th January and until now they have been skating 12 days but there still is a long way to go. But they do not have any rush and are planning to stay some days in Hua Hin and later on in Phuket.

“We sk ae 3-4 days and then rest for next 2-3 days. And we skate about 60 kilometres per day, which we are doing in like 5-6 hours,” Maria and Jim tells.

Jim and Maria have been together for one year and in Sweden they still live separately. Maria in Skåne and Jim in Blekinge. But in this trip they are together 24-7 which is: ”So far – so good,” replies Jim when I ask how it has been to travel together as a couple.

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On the roads of Thailand Maria and tells that the road condi-

12 ScandAsia.Th • April 2010

tions in Thailand have so far been very good: “The highways have a lane only for motorcycles, bicycles and skaters. It feels very safe,” says Maria.

On the road the young Swedes often meet local people who want to talk to them. But since they do not speak Thai and the locals often do not speak English they most of the time use simple body language.

Why not backpacking?

The big question to be asked is why the couple wants to skate through Southeast Asia and not “just” backpack. And Maria quickly replies: “We really like to challenge us self and we wanted to be the first in the world to do something special,” and Jim continues “I am the first to skate at a longboard all the way from Thailand to Singapore and Maria is the first woman to rollerskate the journey.

They also like to meet new people and that is also one of the reasons that they did not book anything from home: “We have no bookings we just

skate until we find a place to stay,” Maria says and continues: “When you skate you see a lot of places and meet and lot of people. While the bus just passes by.”

Thai hospitality and spicy food The decision about where to go was easy as Jim and Maria both had been to Thailand before and they both loved the food and the people

Singapore “But first we need to go shopping in big scale, the shopping should be fantastic there I have heard,” says Maria with a big smile.

More than vacation

and wanted to go back. Then Malaysia came into the route as they the final destination should be Singapore. The plan is to roll into Singapore in the beginning of June.

In Singapore they are going to visit some of Jims family who lives there and then finally fly back to Bangkok to get a flight back to Sweden:

The trip is not only a big experience for Jim Petterson and Maria Larsson, they are also raising money for The Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation.

From when they started planning the trip they thought about the the publicity their journey could get and decided that it should be in benefit of a good cause. The goal is to raise 50.000 SEK. In the official homepage of Jim and Maria's trip you can help them achieve their goal and donate money directly to the The Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Make your donation here (Swedish) and for all non-Swedish: Information in English.

BEST TIME

WORST TIME

The best part so far has been a visit to Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai: “It was a very nice place, also for the animals. Not just concrete cellars but like a natural environment, that was very nice to see,” says Maria

The worst experience was when Jim had an skating accident: “We were skating downhill and I realised to late how steep it was, I could not brake and had to jump off the skateboard and hurt my right foot quite bad. And it is still not completely well,” tells Jim.

February 2010 • ScandAsia.Th 13

Foundation for the Future For Danish international students in Bangkok, an International Baccalaureate education from KIS will provide benefits throughout life, particularly in our increasingly borderless world.

KIS International School, 999/124 Kesinee Ville, Pracha-Utit Road, Huay-Kwang, Bangkok 10320, Thailand T: +66 (0) 2274-3444 F: +66 (0) 2274-3452 www.kis.ac.th

14 ScandAsia.Th • April 2010

KIS

International School is one of only three international schools in Bangkok authorized to offer all three International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes – providing a cohesive education for children aged 3 to 18 years old.

Many international families in Bangkok struggle when choosing a school for their children, mainly due to lack of knowledge about the curricula offered and the value and relevance of each for their children’s futures.

At KIS, we have chosen the IB curriculum as the sole education programme for a wide number of reasons, not least the value of offering an accessible and relevant education for students, regardless of home country or mother tongue. KIS’ ethos and the structure of the IB means students from almost 40 countries benefit from the international perspective and transferability of the curriculum at KIS. For Danish and other European families, the long term advantages of having their children study UK or US curricula, dictated by the Governments and economics of these countries, can be questionable. The IB, with its holistic approach and globally aware characteristics, is increasingly becoming the curriculum of choice for many international families.

Combination of the best Danish parents wanting to educate their children with an international perspective, without denying their home culture, can gain advantages from many of the characteristics of the IB

programmes. At each stage in the children’s learning, starting right from the Primary Years Programme, children are taught to understand and respect different cultures, including their own, and to embrace both similarities and differences.

Mother tongue learning is also an important focus of all IB Programmes. This emphasis becomes particularly relevant in the later stages of a student’s education because of university choices and admission requirements.

Recognized all over The IB Diploma is recognized and welcomed as an entrance qualification for all higher education institutions in the Nordic countries – provided the applicant has passed their mother tongue in their IB examination or is able to pass a required language test in the country in question. KIS secondary students whose mother tongue is neither Thai nor English may decide to study their mother tongue as their second language as an independent study unit.

This option allows students to continue their mother tongue studies to an advanced secondary level all the way to the IB Di-

ploma.

KIS assists parents in setting up additional mother tongue language programmes upon request which can be done at primary and secondary levels through after school classes, personal tutorials and small group tuition during school time.

For international students in Bangkok, the benefits of having an IB education are numerous.

Not only does it give admission to universities all over the world, its strong emphasis on international understanding, responsible citizenship and critical thinking provides skills for life that will assist students in both the workplace and their personal relationships.

University counsellor available For families who are settled in Bangkok for the long term but want their children to attend university in Denmark, the IB is by far the most transferable curriculum. Additional assistance is provided by KIS’ full time university counsellor, who is responsible for contacting universities around the world and helps students prepare for admission requirements and applications.

Families who wish to arrange a campus visit can contact the Admissions Dept on +66 (0) 2 274 3444 ext. 4118 or email aine@kis.ac.th.

Two old-school nerd guys, Erland Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, from Norway was truly loved by the crowd in Bangkok who screamed and applauded at every opportunity when the Kings of Convenience performed in Bangkok.

By Niels C. Jensen

1000 People Bewitched From Track One ings of Convenience did not need the big set up.

The two guys were just there with their guitar and piano and the audience was complete bewitched.

The Norwegians even got away with their special Norwegian humour. Some girls in front of the scene had for example made a banner showing the letters “ooooohh” which could become very useful if the musicians should forget their lyrics, Eirik Glambek Bøe claimed. Eirik Glambek Bøe did also entertain with his many gestures and some kind of dance, which is not easily described by words.

The crowd was mainly smiling youngsters between 20-35 years, dressed in t-shirt and jeans, in all the concert had a very nice and chilled or should we say convenient atmosphere.

“The music makes you smile and feels like driving on a long road with the windows open,” as described by a girl in the audience.

K

The words from the crowd The self-promoted Kings stepped into the heart of more than 1000 people. Some of them was Thai Manopan Leepaibool and his friends, who were at the concert to listen to the nice music and afterwards they go to a party. It was Manopan Leepaibool who introduced his friends to the Norwegian Kings: “I read about Kings of Convenience in a Art and Design magazine four months ago and I have listened to their music since,” he says.

16 ScandAsia.Th • April 2010

He explains why he prefers international music to Thai music.

“I am a big fan of folk-pop music and Thai music is often just a copy of international music. So I prefer international music,” says Manopan Leepaibool, who works as creative designer.

Scandinavia was also represented at the floor in the Studio 1 at the Moonstar Studio, Lad Prao 80.

Swedish Stefan Bengtson and his girlfriend were lucky to find a ticket to the Concert on Facebook: “We really wanted to go but it was sold out so very fast, but then we were lucky to find a ticket on facebook,” says Stefan Bengtson, 31, who has seen Kings of Convenience live one time before in Germany.

The Swedish couple has lived in Thailand for one and half year. Stefan is writing on his Ph.D. about Education in Vietnam and his girlfriend is working for the UN.

The music makes you smile and feels like driving on a long road with the windows open.

Southeast Asia Tour It is the very first time Kings of Convenience is performing in Thailand, but this in the next month they have jobs all over Southeast Asia. Originally the plan was not to go Thailand – but at the end of the concert the Norwegian Kings promised that they will come back to Bangkok in future.

This time Bangkok was not only performing at Moonstar Studio, for the Erland Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, they had also been out in the streets to see for themselves what was going on in Bangkok and the moment: “It is really hard to understand who is the good guys and who is the bad guys is all this, and then we wrote this song,” said Erland Øye.

The song is called “Rule my world” and you can hear it at MySpace. http://www.myspace.com/ kingsofconvenience

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Se 9

In many cases, moving abroad can take its toll, but for this Finnish family, relocating to Singapore has been a piece of cake.

By Katrine Sigvardt

Finnish Kids Enjoy Life Abroad s they sit there by the big conference table at International School Singapore, it is clear to just about anyone that Emil, Karin, and Paul aged 14, 16, and 18, are related. Not only do they look alike, with that Finnish glow of content and peacefulness, but they also talk to each other in that very peculiar way that only exists between siblings.

“We go to Finland in the summer and we always stay for two whole months,” one of them says.

“No, school is only out for six weeks,” another adds, while the third claims that in fact both are wrong and that they stay in Finland for six weeks at a time every summer.

Almost a year and a half ago, Emil, Karin, and Paul moved to Singapore with their parents. Joining a new school that followed a completely different curriculum than they were used to and taught in English rather than Finnish, there were a lot of new things to get used to.

The three Finnish teenagers have, however, sailed though obsta-

A

cles and challenges, and now they are like fish in water in their new surroundings.

Easy transition According to the children, they were the ones who pushed their parents and made them move. Paul especially was excited about the idea.

“I wanted to move. If we hadn’t come here, I would have gone on exchange somewhere,” he says and adds that at the time, he was open to change and wanted to experience something new.

Coming to ISS was indeed a new experience, but the teens adapted quickly and within a couple of weeks they had completely accepted and adjusted to their new surroundings.

Even though the Finns were suddenly exposed to the challenges and demands of MYP (Middle Years Program) and IBDP (IB Diploma), which are the curricula taught at ISS, Paul says it only took him two weeks to get used to the new system. His siblings agree and add that the reason they were so quick to pick it up was because of the support they received from teachers and other students.

“I think it is easier to come here and be new at an international school than it is at a normal school in Finland,” Karin says.

“Everyone is international here and they are all used to adjusting to new schools and students, so they know what it is like when new people come.”

City life vs. small community For the three Finnish students, the main difference between living in Finland and Singapore is that Singapore is much bigger in the sense that they come from a small town community just outside Helsinki.

“Everyone knows everyone there,” they say.

“Here we don’t have that.”

Because they come from a small town, they enjoy the fact that they have come here and met new people from all over the world. Back in Finland that rarely happens and one’s circle of friends stays the same forever.

The fact that they have seriously improved their English language skills is just an extra bonus.

Family life Living abroad has also changed the children’s relationship with each other and with their parents.

“We probably see our parents more than we would have, if we still lived in Finland,” they say and Karin adds that moving abroad has brought them closer together as a family.

10 ScandAsia.Se • April 2010

ISS - International School Singapore Elementary School (Grades K to 5) ISS International School 25 Paterson Road Singapore 238510 Phone (65) 6235 5844 Fax (65) 6732 5701 Middle School (Grades 6 to 8) ISS International School 25 Paterson Road Singapore 238510 Phone (65) 6737 6407 Fax (65) 6735 4966 High School (Grades 9 to 12) ISS International School 21 Preston Road Singapore 109355 admissions@iss.edu.sg Phone (65) 6475 4188 Admissions Office: admissions@iss.edu.sg Phone (65) 6470 0113, 6470 0114, 6470 0138 www.iss.edu.sg

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April 2010 • ScandAsia.Se 11

A Passion for Teaching After 38 years of teaching, Holger Jensen, Danish language teacher at NIST, still loves his vocation.

Holger Jensen feels like a fish in water - both in Bangkok and in his choice of career. Some of his students at NIST are Max and William Bestle (bottom far left), Natascha Lefort (middle left) and Henrik Romhild (middle right.)

By Katrine Sigvardt

W

hen Holger Jensen thinks back on his own school experience, he remembers an incident where the teacher handed out stickers to his students according to how well they had finished an assignment; the better the assignment, the bigger and brighter the sticker. Holger’s disappointment was enormous when the boy sitting next to him was awarded a large, colorful sticker with a Red Indian on it, while all he got was a small one of a boring, gray mouse.

At the time, he never thought he would once make a career of teaching himself, but he did, and now, having taught more than 500 students, one of the core principles of his work is still that learning has to be fun.

Leaving Denmark To Holger, a career in teaching was not an obvious choice, and he had to try his way forward working odd jobs. He started working on a ship, but suddenly the dream of becoming a teacher emerged in his head, and instead of slowly disappearing, it continued to grow. Holger therefore attended teaching college to see if this was really the career for him. As it turned out, it was and in

and exchange ideas on how best to teach their foreign languages to their students. He explains that it is such a nice group of people to be a part of and he appreciates the level of cultural understanding they have achieved by sharing a teachers’ lounge and drinking coffee.

Life in Thailand

1972, he started his new career.

In 1994-95, Holger went on his first pack packing experience around the world. It was an experience that made a huge impact on him. Little did he know that just a few years later, he would actually leave little Denmark behind for good.

A Danish couple based in the capital of Thailand contacted him and asked if he might be interested in coming to Bangkok for eight months to teach their teenage son, Simon.

“All of a sudden, I just heard myself say ‘yes’,” he says and before he knew it, he was off to Bangkok and a new job that would prove to be very rewarding.

Little victories

New International School of Thailand 36 Sukhumvit Soi 15 Bangkok 10110, Thailand T: +66(0)2651-2065 F: +66(0)2253-3800 www.nist.ac.th

12 ScandAsia.Se • April 2010

“It was amazing! The things I was able to teach that kid,” Holger says as he recalls his first teaching experience abroad.

“When he had learned how to read, the two of us went to a café to celebrate.”

To Holger, those are the moments that matter the most, and it is within those same moments that his passion for teaching lies.

“It is the most fantastic experience when you know that finally,

the student gets it. You can almost see, the piece of the puzzle falling into place, and bingo! It just clicks!

That is why I love my job,” he says and adds that he gets the greatest pleasure when a child after a lot of hard work, suddenly knows how to read.

International environment For the past nine years, Holger has practically been part of the inventory at New International School of Thailand (NIST) where he has been teaching Danish at the foreign language department. He does not work there full time but he comes in several times a week to teach some of the Danish children who go to school there.

It is a big school but Holger knows the hallways and the numerous corridors like the back of his hand. He turns corners and walks up and down stairs until he comes to a halt in front of a door covered in different flags.

“I love this room,” he says as he walks into the foreign language teachers’ lounge.

It did not exist when he first started at NIST, but now the teachers who represent 22 nationalities have a place where they can talk

Holger Jensen loves his life in Bangkok and feels that he got it just right when he decided to pursue a career in teaching. At 64, however, he is starting to consider putting an end to the busy days of teaching.

“I have this dream of one day opening a little café shop where I can sell silver jewelry and old books.

I see myself sitting at a small table in the corner where I will be reading my books while eating brownies and talking to customers,” he says with a dreamy look in his eyes and a little smile on his lips.

At the same time, though, he admits that he will probably never be able to let go of teaching completely. It has been such a big part of his life for so long that he feels he will have a hard time living without it.

Born to teach When watching Holger at NIST it becomes clear that this man is truly in his right element. He is one of those teachers who leave a mark on the children they work with, and it is no wonder that he is still in touch with several of them and that even people he taught back in Denmark still visit him in Bangkok from time to time.

With a chuckle and eyes of wonder, he concludes: “I am so surprised that I am not sick of it yet, but the truth is that I am just as excited about my job now as I was when I started at 26.”

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Se 13

Smooth Transition to Harrow Line Jessen hardly knew any English when she started at Harrow.

The different way of teaching was a shock, too. That was two years ago, but since then a lot has changed.

I

Harrow International School 45 Soi Kosumruamchai 14, Kosumruamchai Road, Kwaeng Sikun, Don Muang, Bangkok 10210 Tel: +66 02 503 7222 Fax: +66 02 503 7223 www.harrowschool.ac.th

was really nervous,” Line recalls of her first day at her new school. “Mostly, because my English wasn’t that good. Everything was so different for me.”

Line had just moved from Denmark to Bangkok with her parents and everything was new. She had been with her parents on a successful familiarization trip prior to the move, but still there was a lot to learn.

However, after meeting her Housemaster, she soon felt part of the group. She was given a buddy to show her around and help her settle

Sigtuna: A school for the future Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket enjoys one of the finest locations in Sweden. It is situated on a hill in the most beautiful part of Sigtuna, close to Stockholm, Arlanda and Uppsala.

into her new environment.

And settle she did. After some intensive English lessons, she is achieving great academic success and she has made a wide circle of friends from many nationalities. Her quick adaptation and progress was so evident that she was awarded a prize at Harrow’s annual Speech Day last year.

Line’s achievements didn’t come out of thin air, though. They required hard work and, knowing only a little English, getting through the first couple of weeks was tough.

She received a lot of help from her new class mates, but her teacher, supported her through the transition.

“He made sure that I got lots of extra English help and spoke to me clearly and slowly whilst I was learning the language,” Line says, and according to her that is what gave her the confidence to keep working at improving her skills.

The hard work paid off, and Line has always been glad that her parents chose Harrow as her new school. Of all the schools they visited, they liked Harrow and the idea

of the British Curriculum the best.

“My parents wanted a curriculum that would help me in later life choose the universities I want and they understood that the British National Curriculum has a very strong reputation,” Line explains about the choice her parents made.

She is particularly happy about the way they teach at Harrow.

“My previous school was OK, but I felt that the teaching wasn’t that great. I remember sitting in the history class, and just wanting to sleep. At Harrow the teachers expect you to give your opinions much more and to work out what you have learnt for yourself. It is more challenging, but it means that we understand things in a more meaningful way,” she says.

According to Line, her first impression of Harrow was a good one. Everyone was friendly and they helped her adapt to her new surroundings.

Even though it was tough in the beginning, she highly recommends the school to other Danish students who are moving to Bangkok.

igtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket is one of the most modern and successful boarding schools in Europe. Approximately 550 pupils attend the school, of whom 350 are boarders.sshloffers both the national curriculum natural sciences (NV), and the social sciences programmes (SP). In addition, the International Baccalaureate Diploma, administered by IBO in Geneva, has been offered at the school for many years. Good results from these three programmes provideaccess to most colleges and universities around the world. SSHL also offers the Middle Years Programme (MYP), a programme which is based on evaluation of the entireeducational process, not just the results.

This provides a natural link between the middle and the high school years. In many ways, SSHL is a unique school with a strong international influence, high standards of teaching, and impressive academic results.

S

The insignia of Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket, SSHL Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket, SSHL P.O.Box 328, SE-193 28 Sigtuna.

For further information, Tel: +46 8-592 571 00, Fax: +46 8-592 572 50 or E-mail info@sshl.se.

Visit to our website www.sshl.se 14 ScandAsia.Se • April 2010

April 2010 • ScandAsia.Se 15

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