Written by Andaç Baran
25 Jan 2017
Hi everybody,
I have tried to summarise 8 significant phenomena about Sweden which will somehow summarise what is waiting for you!
Keep the location of the nearest IKEA in mind
you come to Sweden, you rent your flat. Your house probably will be unfurnished; you need new furniture. If you want to buy second hand furniture, there are many internet sites for this. Blocket, tradera are some of these. YET, if you think you do not want second-hand stuffs and you are desperately in trouble at what you are going to do because Sweden is expensive… But IKEA is not…
Learn how to go to IKEA. Although IKEA is considered expensive in some countries, IKEA in Sweden is a preferred place for students due to their generally reasonable prices.
Be on time and Smile
Swedes are usually punctual people and expect to be so for other people. Although we, students, are not so punctual,it is important to be precisely punctual, especially when you go to a meeting.
Plastic: Useless
In Sweden, you need to go to a supermarket to buy foods and drinks as usual. Yet, when you come to cashier, you also need to pay for plastic bags! It is a common thing in Turkey as well yet some students get shocked when they noticed that they have to pay for plastic bags as well. Since Turkey, I have always carried my fabric bags when I went out to shop, so you may choose to follow my steps.
Free and Free
Even though almost all health services are covered by the tax, there is a fee for every first payment between 100 and 200 kronor. Apart from that, all health services is free.
Education is free for Swedish citizens as well as EU, AEA and Swiss nationals.
Food in the tubs
When you go to the market in Sweden you will see that a huge bunch of tubes filled with stuffed foods will be on shelves. You may find all kinds of foodstuffs in this place, while we may have very many creams or something. Cheese, sauces, livestock, hardy, you can find many foods in the tube.
Swedish: A New Language
Although 80% of the Swedes know English well, it would be very useful for you to learn Swedish. People will of course speak English with you and will even want to speak English to improve their English, but when it comes to business life and private life, Swedish will make it easier for the Swedes to accept you, and will speed up their acceptance. You can also learn free Swedish by going to SFI. 🙂
July: Holiday Month
Yes, July is the holiday month but not just paid employees for all Swedes. Workplaces usually close the shutters for 6 weeks. Restaurants, workplaces, bars, shops are all closed in July. The Swedish towns are vacated by the Swedes in July, tourists fill in the towns, meanwhile many Swedish are sunbathing in the southern European coasts.
Enter the Queue
In Turkey and even in the other southern European countries, people are also queuing, yet Sweden is in a different level. For the Swedes it is very important to enter the queue and wait for the sequence to come to itself. So get used to waiting in the queue before you come to Sweden.
For sure, these phenomena translate into something about Sweden. As you can see, they love decoration, they value kindness, they care the nature and environment, they value education and health, they have a weird cuisine:), they value their culture, they love enjoying the Sun an holiday, and they respect each other.
