Written by Camilo
29 Mar 2020
Living in a new country that is very different from my birth country has been challenging in many aspects; however, I must admit that I enjoyed the change a lot. Not only my daily routine has changed, but also my entire way of see the life. In short, I have a swedish way of life now. Do you want to know why? Follow me in this short blog.
Food!
I am from Bolivia, when I used to live there,it was impossible to follow a vegetarian diet, there are few options and also a lot of junk food on streets. Here in Sweden my diet has changed dramatically, I am not only eating less meat, but also I am considering to become vegetarian. Why? because is healthy and also because is more sustainable (I will go to that topic later). It is not easy to have a radical change on the diet, but here was so easy, there a lot of options and the most important!. You are not alone! a lot of international students and Swedes have a vegan or vegetarian diet. They also help me a lot giving me recipes and tips.
University!
I came from a very different system education, most of the time we have many subjects at the same day, also we I used to have also classes every day and period exams. I was shocked when I arrived here and the systema was completely different. Swedish University education is based a lot in self study and self organization. It doesn’t mean that there is no group work, but It is a systema that can shock you at the beginning. After month I like the system, especially because sometimes you have free days just to study or being on library. I must admit that many people complain a lot about the system, but i understand that is because is different and some people can;t handle changes fast. In my case I got used quickly and I really like the system.
Individuality
This one sounds weird, but It is an important one. Many people criticize Swedes because they can give you the impression of distance a lot. However with the time I realized that, what they do is appreciate a lot the individuality and personal space. I think I also change that about me, back in my country I used to feel a lot of pressure about attend parties or just confort people and also overreacting when people don’t give me enough attention. Living here makes me appreciate a lot my personal space, my individuality and also have a lot of individual activities. That doesn’t mean I am isolated, on the contrary It means I found the perfect balance between social life and individual life. LAGOM!!
Nature
My hometown is La Paz -Bolivia, one of the busiest cities in Latin America. I love La Paz; however, there are not many nature nearby (at least not like Sweden). I must drive to the countryside to find nature. Now, living in Gothenburg is really crazy for me how nature is everywhere. I have a nice forest and lake just 10 minutes walking from home!! Besides, In my daily life vocabulary there new phrases like: “Let’s meet in the lake nearby”, “I will go for a walk through the forest for some minutes”, “Let’s go to see the penguins in front of the faculty”. Also, spring is coming so the nature will be even better!. I cannot imagine my life now without nature.
Definitely, I am not the same person like 7 months before! I changed and I like it! Also I am glad that this happens thanks to the life here in Sweden that’s why I accept that: I have swedish way of life now.
What about you? How Sweden change your life? Leave your comments
