What I miss and what I don’t miss from home

Oh wow, time really flies!

I just realized I have been living in Sweden for more than 7 months and it is hard to express in words how intense and surprisingly beautiful the last months have been.

Living in Sweden couldn’t be more rewarding and has transformed me so much and in so many aspects –  you can read this post if you want a glimpse of my reflections about it.

Sweden has transformed into a more flexible and adaptable person, in such way I feel confident now to tell you that I actually feel at home in this foreign nordic country.

I not only understood and assimilated the country’s idiosyncrasies but also felt comfortable adopting the Swedish lifestyle. So comfortable I couldn’t even think of many things I missed from home!

However, the visit of my family earlier this month made me think of my adaptation process and consequently, reminded me of some pleasant aspects of my home country Brazil.

So, I decided to write this post about what I miss and what I don’t miss from home and maybe you can relate to some of my comments.

Sunny days and sunsets

There is no way to deny the weather is one of the best aspects of living in a tropical country as Brazil.

It is a privilege you just don’t realize you have when you spend your whole life enjoying sunny, bright, warm and beautiful days all year round. Sometimes, I even got bored of having so many similar and wonderful days.

Little did I know how precious those glorious Brazilian sunny days that starts at 5:00 am and last until 6:00 pm are and how much I would miss them!

In case you are wondering, I come from Salvador, a city where it is never cold or dark, not even during winter time. Thus, I am fortunate enough to say that home for me is a colorful and vibrant place where I can always scape in my mind when I am homesick 🙂

Going to movies regularly

As a cinephile, I used to go to the movies regularly, at least once a week, if not twice. I know it is a lot, but I just couldn’t help it!

However, here in Sweden, I have only been to a movie theater twice in 7 months and the reason for that is the high price of the tickets combined with the absence of discount for students.

A movie ticket here costs around 15 euros, while at home I used to pay something around 4 euros and that difference made me wish I was still Brazil many times over the last months.

Food

Well, it is impossible to talk about what I miss the most in Brazil without mentioning the food, especially the food from my state.

Although I like the Swedish food and especially the fact that international cuisine options are available everywhere in Sweden, sometimes I just wish I could teleport myself and have a meal with my family or visit my favorite restaurants back home.

I guess everyone who is living abroad suffers and misses the typical food from their home countries, right?

Family and friends

As I told you in this post, I hadn’t realized how much I missed my mother and sister until I saw them disembarking in Lund’s train station yesterday.

Honestly, I think my heart stopped for some seconds and then exploded of joy when I hugged them after such a long time apart!

Oh my, I miss them. Actually, I miss my whole family, my friends, my people. It is not something that I think about every day, but when I do, I feel it with all my heart.

Although I miss so many things from my home country, there are things that I don’t and definitely would not mind if I never experience them again!

Lack of personal space

Brazilians are social, like really social. We like to connect with other people in a very personal way, even if this person is a strange sitting beside you on the bus. No kidding!

That means your family, colleagues, and friends will demand to be part of your life and to know the details of it. Also, they require you to be around and meet frequently.

But in Sweden personal relations are different and by that, I am not saying that Swedes are not friendly, because they are extremely social and warm and if you are interested in knowing more, you should check my post here.

What I am trying to tell you is that people here in Sweden respect privacy, they don’t need to know nor intervene in your personal issues and most importantly of all, they value personal space and time.

As I am in a very special and contemplative moment of my life, I am enjoying a lot spending time with myself only and I feel that Sweden is a perfect place to value and maintain personal space.

Safety problems

Walking around anywhere at anytime without not fearing anything is a privilege for Swedes and everyone living in Sweden.

But that situation is unfortunately far from the Brazilian reality and I can assure you that living in constant fear is something that I don’t miss from home.

Traffic

Every day I spent at least 40 minutes on the traffic on my way to work and the same time to go back home.

That makes almost an hour and a half lost in my day. Precious time I could invest in so many important and enriching experiences!

No, I don’t miss that and I am sure you can imagine how happy I feel when I jump on my bike and commute everywhere with no traffic and no stress, right? I even wrote a post about it and you can read it clicking here.

Noise

Brazilians are passionate, warm, happy and extremely enthusiastic about sharing our culture. Naturally, most of the times, such excitement is expressed in a loud way, which personally bothers me.

In Brazil, people listen to loud music on the streets, traffic and street advertisement are noisy and people are loud. So, it is clearly hard to find a quiet spot for some minutes.

While others Brazilians usually complain and miss that aspect of our culture, I must admit I don’t miss that at all and I actually appreciate the quietness of Swedes.

I love silence and being surrounded by so much quietness makes me feel relaxed and connected to myself!

How about you? What do you miss and don’t miss from home?