Thinking about working or studying abroad in Sweden? After 2 years of living as an expat in Sweden, here are 6 things you should know before you make the move.
Here is how to live in Sweden! Your complete guide to what you will need to settle down in this Scandinavian country.
Thinking about working or studying abroad in Sweden? After 2 years of living as an expat in Sweden, here are 6 things you should know before you make the move.
The poster child of the Nordic model is a dream move for many people looking to experience the Scandinavian lifestyle. Here's how to move to Sweden.
Thinking about working or studying abroad in Sweden? After 2 years of living as an expat in Sweden, here are 6 things you should know before you make the move.
Have you thought about moving to Sweden this year? Check out this list of pros and cons of living in Sweden before you make this big decision!
An Erasmus in Denmark would have decided her future. From Copenhagen, where she met the man of her life, to Malmö where she lives with her family today. For the…
Thinking about working or studying abroad in Sweden? After 2 years of living as an expat in Sweden, here are 6 things you should know before you make the move.
Moving to Sweden? Follow our comprehensive 10-step checklist for new arrivals, covering permits, housing, banking, and more to ease your transition!"
Thinking about working or studying abroad in Sweden? After 2 years of living as an expat in Sweden, here are 6 things you should know before you make the move.
Are you looking to move to Sweden from US? We will help you in relocating to Sweden from US. Contact us for US To Sweden Movers.
Thinking about working or studying abroad in Sweden? After 2 years of living as an expat in Sweden, here are 6 things you should know before you make the move.
Move abroad | living in Sweden | move to Sweden | travel Sweden | explore Sweden | where to live in Sweden | why choose Sweden to live
Check this page to see if a destination has been covered on the blog and immediately click through to read inspiring and helpful articles.
Move abroad | living in Sweden | move to Sweden | travel Sweden | explore Sweden | where to live in Sweden | why choose Sweden to live
If you’re not in a rush, then Swedish trains are a great value travel alternative to see Sweden on a budget, especially traveling between the cities.
When you hear Sweden, you most likely think of a Nordic land with blond people, weird festivities like Midsummer, and edgy Stockholm street style. Not only that, every year, Swedes are reported to be among the happiest people with enviable work-life balance and renowned social equality.
Move abroad | living in Sweden | move to Sweden | travel Sweden | explore Sweden | where to live in Sweden | why choose Sweden to live
The poster child of the Nordic model is a dream move for many people looking to experience the Scandinavian lifestyle. Here's how to move to Sweden.
But what if you're going to do it on your own? In this blog post, I will break down the process of how to move to another country and provide some tips on how
Dating in a foreign country can bring a new set of traditions and cultures. We guide you through all you need to know about dating in Sweden.
Unfortunately, it's not all Swedish meatballs, northern lights and cinnamon buns.
Sweden gets ignored by most expats and people looking to move aboard. But I want to give my experience about why I moved to Sweden and why you should think about it too.Back in 2013 I was pretty bored. I was working in a pretty stressful company, had graduated from university a year before and ... Read more
In the summer of 2013, I decided to do something I literally never dreamt of doing: I moved to Sweden. I, know, crazy. How did I end up here? This is probably the most common
Are Swedes great in bed? Do they really eat rotten fish? Read on to find out if everything you thought is true before moving to Sweden.
If you’ve been yearning to live abroad but aren’t sure how to make it work financially, now might be your big break. Sweden (yes, Sweden) is experiencing a serious labor shortage and needs to fill this cavernous gap — right now. Despite seeing a…
Uncover the essence of living in Sweden in this detailed guide. Learn about moving, culture, and lifestyle in this Scandinavian gem.
"It's still hard," Poehler admitted. "I speak Swedish at, like, a 7-year-old level. My 6-year-old son's friends think I'm cool, and my 8-year-old son's friends think I'm a moron, a total fucking moron. So 7 is the cutoff where I start to lose my audience." Swedish is a very different sounding language, Poehler noted. It also doesn't help that most Swedes speak English and would rather do that than try to converse in broken Swedish: "If I start speaking Swedish to someone and then they find out I'm American, they're offended that we're having this horribly difficult conversation when we could have just been speaking English."
When I fell in love with Lapland over the summer, little did I know that I would be moving there the coming winter! A whole winter under the Northern Lights
Thinking about working or studying abroad in Sweden? After 2 years of living as an expat in Sweden, here are 6 things you should know before you make the move.
But what if you're going to do it on your own? In this blog post, I will break down the process of how to move to another country and provide some tips on how
What is living in Sweden like? What does lagom mean? Do Swede's actually have fika everyday? This guide shares all the best things about living in Sweden.
Time for more Moving to Sweden posts. This one is all about the little things. The culture shock that comes with making the move to a foreign country. Of course, if you’ve made it this far you’ll already have read through the rest of the Moving to Sweden posts: Moving to Sweden – What to Bring Moving to Sweden – The Swedish Language Moving to Sweden – Finding a Place to Live Moving to Sweden – The Metric System and You Moving to Sweden – Getting a Cell Phone Moving to Sweden – Getting from the Airport to Stockholm City Moving to Sweden – The Weather Moving to Sweden – Swedish Citizenship Test Moving to Sweden – Public Holidays Moving to Sweden – Finding a Job Moving to Sweden – Making Friends Moving to Sweden – Cost of Living Moving to Sweden – The Laundry Room Moving to Sweden – Marijuana Moving to Sweden – Most Common Jobs and Salaries When I moved to Sweden, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. Of course, I knew that moving somewhere, whether from Greeley, Colorado to Eugene, Oregon or from Greeley, Colorado to Stockholm, Sweden carries with it a bit of culture shock. But come on, I spoke decent Swedish. I had a passport. I had lived here before. I thought I knew the language. I thought I knew the culture. I thought I knew enough to not suffer from horrible culture shock. I was wrong. Not because suddenly I was forced into situations in which I felt completely out of place, but because I was forced into situations in which I felt like I should belong, but wasn’t quite there. I was on the fringes of culture shock. And that shocked me. Coming from the US to Sweden, there is an expectation that things will be different, but not too different. And at first glance, that is absolutely true. A two week vacation to Stockholm, and you wouldn’t notice the differences. Of course there is the different language and enough H&M stores to make a teenage girl piddle. But you can speak English and buy Levi’s and drink a Coke and not think twice about it. But it’s the little things that you notice when you’ve been here for a while. Like grunts being an acceptable form of response. The sharp intake of breath meaning yes. Obviously. To the untrained English speaking ear, it might sound like an utterance of surprise. It’s not. It is an utterance of affirmation. Like all of the public holidays. I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating. Red days. They are red because the Christian calendar liked to focus people on those important days by printing them in red. Sundays for example. And of course who could forget the Ascension. In a country as secular as Sweden, some less religious holidays are celebrated. Like International Workers Day on the first of May. Whatever the reason, enjoy your day off and try to avoid embarrassing circumstances like showing up for work. Like fika. The act of stopping everything you are doing to drink coffee and eat delicious baked goods. Some companies seem to shut down for about half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon as the entire staff eats a cinnamon roll and drinks a cup of coffee. It’s amazing. It’s delicious. It’s frustrating. Embrace it. Like the customer service. There is none. Seriously. Get it yourself. Find it yourself. Don’t ask questions. I bitch and moan about this still. And I’ll bitch and moan about it until I leave. Except now I know enough to get it myself, find it myself, and not ask questions. But it took a while to get used to. Like the alcohol policies. There is one distributor of alcohol in the entire country. They are run with an iron (curtain) fist. They are closed on holidays. They close early on Saturdays. They don’t even keep your beer cold for you. But plenty of Swedes will defend Systembolaget to their dying breath. I won’t. If anything, being of legal age to drink and living in Sweden will force you to plan ahead. Spontaneity is frowned upon on a Saturday after three in the afternoon. Want to bring a six-pack over to a friend's for a night of hockey on TV? That’s a great idea. As long as you had that idea during opening hours. Like waiting in line. Swedes don’t really wait in line. Not in the way we know a line to be at least. And it’s not because they are trying to sneak their way in front of you. It’s because the Swedes have what is called a kölapp. A tiny little piece of paper with a number on it. When it’s your turn, a light will flash and your number will pop up. This eliminates the needs for lines. It’s amazing when it works. What is less amazing is when you don’t know about the system. Because suddenly you find yourself standing around confused and mildly angry while that guy in the comfy looking chair suddenly slides in front of you. Whenever there is a potential for a line (bank, bakery, pharmacy, etc.) just start looking around for a little dispenser of small numbered pieces of paper. Trust me. Like worshipping the sun. You’ll start to do it. You’ll start fantasizing about sunny beaches despite your pale, easily reddened skin. You’ll think that the charter travel trips to the Canary Islands are actually starting to look reasonable. You’ll throw your face to the sun during those waning moments of daylight in the middle of December. And not a single person will think less of you. Like the trust. Some ski resorts have areas for you to leave your lunch. They are not locked. They are not guarded. You just leave your backpack with your lunch in it. And no one takes it. And of course, like the toilets being a different height from the ground than in the US. I’ll be honest, I’m a bathroom reader, so when sitting down I’m not thinking of how close I am to the ground but this was brought to my attention by my cousin and her sambo. Turns out they noticed when visiting the US. Just beware. Welcome to Sweden. And culture shock. To receive A Swedish American in Sweden in your inbox enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner
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What’s the best Nordic country – Finland, Sweden, or Norway? We’ll try to answer that in this detailed comparison of the three countries!
Simmering racism is bubbling under the surface of Sweden’s job market and denying the role it plays in immigrants’ difficulty finding work is disingenuous.
Check this page to see if a destination has been covered on the blog and immediately click through to read inspiring and helpful articles.
But what if you're going to do it on your own? In this blog post, I will break down the process of how to move to another country and provide some tips on how
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Thinking about working or studying abroad in Sweden? After 2 years of living as an expat in Sweden, here are 6 things you should know before you make the move.
Our guide will get you straight to Sweden's best Viking sites – and show you where you can drink beer from a goblet!
Moving to another country is more complicated than it initially seems. Here's a moving abroad checklist to ensure you have a stress-free move!
A few days ago, a Russian military aircraft nearly collided with a SAS passenger plane somewhere between Copenhagen and Malmö. The plane was flying without its transponder on, so was apparently invisible. You know, except to the people in the plane. This isn’t the first time this has happened and the way Russia is going it won’t be the last. They’ve violated several countries’ airspace and don’t seem all too concerned about doing it. In fact, the Russian ambassador to Denmark, Mikhail Vanin seems pretty sure the Swedes are just a bit paranoid and imagined the near miss. He was quoted as saying “[t]he Swedish authorities also recently said there was a submarine in their waters. There wasn't. Now they say again that they have seen something. I'm afraid the Swedes visit Pusher Street very often.” Then he went on to make veiled threats about not waking up the Russian bear and blah blah blah, Putin is manly and rides horses without his shirt on. What is much more interesting than the Russian bear, is the Swedes and weed. Because that’s what this ambassador is getting at. Pusher Street is, of course, the street in Christiania, Copenhagen, where you can buy a whole lot of hash. Cannabis. Clearly, comrade Vanin hasn’t spent much time in Sweden. But I have. And maybe you’re thinking of spending some time here. Or even moving here: Moving to Sweden – What to Bring Moving to Sweden – The Swedish Language Moving to Sweden – Finding a Place to Live Moving to Sweden – The Metric System and You Moving to Sweden – Getting a Cell Phone Moving to Sweden – Getting from the Airport to Stockholm City Moving to Sweden – The Weather Moving to Sweden – Swedish Citizenship Test Moving to Sweden – Public Holidays Moving to Sweden – Finding a Job Moving to Sweden – Culture Shock: It's the Little Things Moving to Sweden – Making Friends Moving to Sweden – Cost of Living Moving to Sweden – The Laundry Room Moving to Sweden – Most Common Jobs and Salaries And what better way to prepare for your move to Sweden after having found a place to live and understanding the laundry system than to take a look at the drug policy of the country? I should say this up front: I don’t smoke weed. I haven’t tried it and just am not all that interested. So keep that in mind as you read, but coming from the US where marijuana use is becoming common in the medical community, where my home state has legalized it, it’s a topic of conversation in both Sweden and the US, so I suppose I'm an advocate of legalization. And in that classic way that helps people earn credibility – it’s cool, I know a guy who smokes. He told me I could write this. So without further ado, some information about weed in Sweden. You know, just in case. Weed will make Swedes nervous. And I’m painting with broad strokes here. If you want it, you can find it. People smoke it. It exists, you can buy it, albeit illegally. But it makes Swedes nervous. I remember studying abroad in Uppsala years and years ago. I remember going to a party where I don’t remember if I drank too much. I remember smelling weed. But that smell is distinct. And I watched as people around me started leaving the party. Clearing out. It was just too much. Drink yourself to the point of vomiting and unconsciousness? No worries. That’s just a normal Friday or Saturday night. But weed? You may as well have clubbed a baby seal while shooting heroin and chanting U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! in the middle of rush hour at Central Station. People will give you a wide berth. It’s just not socially (or legally) acceptable. It wasn’t always this way. Thanks to Nils Bejerot’s campaign for zero tolerance back in the 1960s, the Riksförbundet Narkotikafritt Samhälle (The National Association for a Drug-Free Society) was formed in 1969. And that was that. Under the impression that drug usage works as a an epidemic and is spread from user to user, RNS uses a mix of imprisoning users, treating users, identifying early users, and some early education for the young ‘uns. And with that, Bejerot and RNS convinced everyone that drugs are bad m’kay. Including weed. According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, as of 2012, lifetime prevalence for cannabis use for adults aged 15-64 is only 14.9%. That means that only 14.9% of those surveyed had ever tried weed over the course of their entire life. Denmark comes in around 35%. Turns out Pusher Street is pushing that number higher. You can check your favorite European country’s weed numbers here. Compare that to the United States where some studies show that over 50% of those surveyed had tried weed sometime during their illustrious lives. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration put that number at 51.9% in 2013 for young adults. That same EMCDDA study put the Swedish number for young adults at 22.2% in 2012. Math is hard, but that’s about twice as much. Drug use is separated into three different categories: minor, ordinary, and serious. Seems easy enough. What that means in time served kind of depends. Generally speaking, a minor offense means you’ll probably just pay a fine, although you could spend up to six months of time in jail. If you bump up your offense to the ordinary one, you cold be facing up to three years in prison. A serious offense will result in a prison term of between two and ten years. Or, if you’re an immigrant, I suppose just deportation. But how do you move up the ladder of offenses? It mostly has to do with the amount. A minor offense for weed will mean about 50 grams of cannabis (that’s about 1.7 ounces). Ordinary is about 51 grams to two kilos. Serious is more than two kilos. The EMCDDA and, strangely enough, the Parliament of Canada, has a wonderful overview of Sweden’s drug policy. While plenty of countries (and American states) are changing their attitudes towards marijuana use, Sweden, well, doesn’t. There’s not even much of a discussion about potential legalization. Drugs are bad. Marijuana is a drug. Marijuana is bad. Drugs are illegal. Marijuana is a drug. Marijuana is illegal. It really is that simple for a lot of Swedes. Every now and again someone will pop up and write a piece in the newspaper calling for a change. Every now and again a professor will make a statement pointing out that yes, marijuana is not all that great for you, but neither is alcohol, maybe we should reconsider the drug policy. And then those articles will get lost in the internet somewhere and folks will go back to buying weed illegally or just leaving the country and heading down to Pusher Street in Copenhagen. Just maybe not at the rate that Vanin thinks. Welcome to Sweden. And marijuana policy.
When it comes to big moves, "stuff" is your greatest enemy. This detailed guide on how to declutter before moving abroad will help!
Caroline. 21.
Interested to visit the most sophisticated Nordic country in Europe? Check out these top 15 places to visit in Sweden that may interest your wanderlust!
Ten Things That Will Shock You on Your Sweden Vacation Hey there, fellow travelers! Today we’re posting from Sweden. We love to help travelers prepare for their vacations, and other than telling you the best things to do, we love to share the things that will shock you upon arriving in a new destination. Today
If you want to spend your vacation outdoors, surrounded by beauty everywhere you look, put Sweden at the top of your travel destination shortlist! With glistening lakes for kayaking, wide-open spaces for wandering, snow-dusted mountains
