i think i get odeon. is he a typical swede?
Yes, he's probably the most typical Swede among the four of us here. I'm the most untypical Swede.
I'm not typically Swedish at all. Your statement tells us a lot more about you than it does about me.
First of all, while I live in Sweden, I'm a Finn. The Swedish citizenship happened because the Finnish military tried to draft me when I was 17. Long story.
Do they typically draft 17 year old boys, or was there some sort of mix-up?
No mix-up. Eleven months in the military is, and was then, obligatory in Finland. The draft at 17 is a preliminary thing where they stake out your future in the military, do tests and all kinds of fun stuff to see what you're best suited for. Problem is, I was in the middle of a gymnasium term, in Sweden, with several more to come, so I said "no thanks". They responded with a threat where they basically said that they had the right to come and get me by force, if I didn't get there voluntarily.
I knew they'd do it so I had applied for, and got, a Swedish citizenship by then. I told them that they had no right to kidnap a citizen of another country.
Of course, two or three years later, while I was studying physics, the Swedish military got in touch. They were easier to avoid, though. All I had to do was being honest with the shrink.
