Our last stop on the trip was to Gothenburg! It was another beautiful city that I enjoyed walking around and wish we had more time to explore. Visiting Volvo Cars and Volvo Group was a long, tiring day but interesting. I didn’t expect to provide ideas to Volvo Group (just like I didn’t expect to for einride) but it was surprising yet nice that they were willing to hear our thoughts and ideas. It was nice that they saw us on the same level in Scandinavia rather than being at the bottom of the food chain.
I enjoyed the time in Gothenburg walking around but also meeting Swedish professionals, who unfortunately we did not get enough time to spend with. Just as I was getting less shy and talking to someone I connected with, we had to hurry to the farewell dinner. It would have been nice to have had a whole evening dedicated to meeting Swedes and learning from them. Of course it is great having the opportunity to visits these great companies, but it would also be nice to learn from native Swedes outside of an office environment.
As I said in a previous post, I wouldn’t have put Sweden on the top of my list of countries I wanted to visit, but after this visit, I really REALLY want to visit Sweden again and tell everyone and their mom to visit as well. Sweden has so much to offer! Perhaps I would feel differently if I visited during the colder months but I’m willing to give it try since I had such a great experience during the summertime. I learned so much from our business visits: sustainability, company culture, innovation, the time and freedom to pursue your own side projects and more. America can learn so much from Scandinavia.
I’m so thankful for this opportunity to visit Sweden and Denmark as well as all the companies we went to! I’m also grateful for my teammate/roommate, Jamie! I hope to be able to afford traveling overseas without the help of scholarships, an employer, or student loans. I think it’s so important to try to understand and learn from other cultures and wish more people felt the same way (especially those with power and influence). Hopefully I can visit Sweden again soon! Who knows, maybe I’ll end up living there! (if a desert rat like myself can stand the freezing cold!) I’m sad to leave but also happy to come home. Goodbye for now, Scandinavia.
Love,
Mallory
Jamie in Gothenburg
Gothenburg- yet another Swedish city which makes me say “I really need to visit this place in the winter so I can convince myself not to move here.” I know what you’re thinking… which museum did you see first? Well, I decided to save that for a future trip to Gothenburg. The Post Hotel, a former postal office in Gothenburg, made it hard to want to leave the hotel. They have a special pop-up Hendrick’s Gin bar for the summer, so I may have settled in there. The first evening we went to a restaurant called Barn which had a schnapps pairing with every meal. I asked the servers if I should get it with my meal and they all enthusiastically said yes. It was… an experience. I had the Östgöta Sädes Brännvin which means ‘Eastern-Sweden malt and grain schnapps’. I dug deep and have to admit, it did pair well with my chicken sandwich. But it was certainly a journey, with a very high alcohol content. Afterwards, I asked the server what the hell? They explained that it was just a cultural thing. They drink schnapps with their herring, and enjoy it especially during Midsummer. I’m glad I got a true glimpse into this aspect of Swedish culture, but boy was it a surprise at first.
Volvo and Volvo Group
The next day, unfortunately our last on the trip and in the city, had us at two related but separate companies. At Volvo we toured their automotive factories. It was huge, and we only saw two of the four main portions. We also learned about their history and mission. If I can ever afford a Volvo I’ll definitely consider buying one! They are safety incarnate.
The next stop was Volvo Group. This company focuses on trucks, buses, and construction equipment. We had another case study here where we focuses on shifting freight and logistics transportation to autonomous and electric vehicles. Sound familiar? Similar to Einride? The founder of Einride got his start at Volvo Truck so it makes sense they would have similar goals and ways of operating. It was enlightening to see a how a well established company operates versus a start-up. I thought it was especially interesting how they shifted an informative meeting to having us perform a case study. It is a clever way to keep their actual goals and current operations close to their chest while making their visitors feel very involved.
Ending Thoughts For a Travel Course
I had a great time on this Scandinavian trip. I learned a lot about how the people in this area of the world do business and what matters to them the most. There is an air of mutual respect entrenched in the work culture there. The underlying social framework and social welfare system there allows people to focus on the reason for doing the work, versus the bottom line. The trust that exists between labor and management allows people to work to live rather than live to work. This way of living and working is something I have tried to incorporate into my own management style for years. Seeing it in action at the businesses we visited and in pretty much every place I visited- including restaurants, museums, and even a gym – really allowed me to see how much room I have to grow. While working for any of the companies would be great, I think learning more and incorporating what I learn into my life will only make me a stronger leader and manager in the long run. I’m not even touching on how deeply important sustainability is to the people and businesses of Scandinavia. I have a renewed optimism for sure.
I’m so grateful for having come on this trip. I feel lucky to have had a roommate, Mallory, who matched my tempo and personality when it comes to sharing a room. (And who didn’t mind that I can be a little messy with my suitcase.) It was a blast, and such a great educational opportunity. It was definitely a whirlwind and I can’t wait to plan my next visit. Maybe I’ll take more photos toward the end of my trip next time.
Until next time- thanks for coming along!
Jamie
