Nordic in the Tropics: Recent Episodes
Philip Berger
“Nordic in the Tropics" is podcast that explores the contrasts that Nordic Citizens living in tropical countries experience. About the cultural exchanges, the similarities & differences, how the citizens interviewed, adapt to the local culture and what do they give or take from their own. In each episode, we'll meet a Nordic citizen calling a tropical country home.
In this episode, we meet Lindsay Sanner, a Norwegian who started a school in Kenya. Lindsay delves deep into the vast differences between rural, coastal Kenya and her hometown, Oslo. Lindsay goes full in to questioning why the Nordics are always awarded "the happiest places on earth" when people seem much more happy in rural Kenya. She also tells us about the school she founded outside Mombasa and how she keeps it running.
In this episode, we'll meet Peter Sjögren, a Swedish businessman living in Sri Lanka. Peter talks, in depth, about the differences in doing business in Colombo vs back home in Sweden. Peter delves into trying to use a more flat organization in his business as well as the cultural exchanges that are possible or not in doing business in South Asia. Peter also touches on the recent attacks in the city he calls home.
In this episode, we'll meet Lotta Lassesson, who's run a Swedish café on Bali for over a decade. Lotta has cooked for locals, tourists, dignitaries and government officials. She's incorporated Swedish food as well as a local twist on ingredients. Lotta explains how she's implemented a more 'Swedish' way of running a business and how a flat organization could work anywhere in the world.
In this episode, we meet Antti, a Finnish creative and filmmaker living in Singapore. Antti touches on the many similarities as well as vast contrasts of Finland vs Singapore. Antti touches upon education, the role of family and what culture really means. We also touch briefly upon the extreme censorship and lack of freedoms often perceived by people in the West and how the local culture views the state as more of a father than caretaker.
In this episode, we meet Maj Lindström, a photographer and artist living outside Guadalajara, Mexico. Maj goes into the vast differences in culture but also in views on sustainability. Maj touches on many aspects of her own work, environmental activism and family. Maj also delves into why there's such a different outlook on how the rest of the world views the environment outside of the Nordics.
In this episode, we meet Jan Steentoft, who works with an organization called Baisekeli (https://baisikeli.dk) that ships used bikes from Northern Europe to Mozambique; where they're fixed up and resold using the local workforce. Jan has some really interesting stories and a unique perspective of a Dane living in a poor, African metropolis.