Sweden

Overview

Sweden is a land of cultural contrast, from the Danish influence of the southwest to the nomadic Laplanders in the wild Arctic north. And while urban Sweden is stylish, modern and sophisticated, the countryside offers many simpler pleasures for those in search of tranquillity.

Sweden's scenery has a gentler charm than that of neighbouring Norway's rugged coast. Much of Sweden is forested, and there are thousands of lakes, notably large stretches of water between Gothenburg and the capital, Stockholm. The lakeside resort of Östersund, in the centre of Sweden, is popular with Scandinavians, but most visitors opt first for the cities and the Baltic islands: the largest island, Gotland, with its array of ruined medieval churches, is a particular highlight. Another major attraction is the so-called ‘Kingdom of Crystal', a forested area between Malmö and Stockholm boasting many fine glassworks.

Historically, Sweden has an interesting story. Its contacts with the outside world began in earnest during Viking times, when in addition to the well-documented raiding, there was extensive trading around the Baltic, primarily dealing in furs and weaponry.

Swedish connections with the other Scandinavian countries, Norway and Denmark, have been strong since late medieval times. The monarchies of all three are closely linked, and at various times, one king or queen has ruled over more than one of the countries. Indeed, Norway only fully shed Swedish control for the last time in the early years of the 20th century.

The land and its people have an air of reserved calm, and while best known for its automotive and musical exports - Volvo and Abba are household names - a strong historical undertone bubbles close beneath the surface. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Stockholm, where dozens of museums, medieval and baroque edifices housing boutiques and cafes overlook the attractive harbour.

With thanks to World Travel Guide

Country information

Map of Sweden

Lonely Planet

Wikipedia

Swedish Tourism

First Hand Experiences

Jack - Sweden 2009

While I was on exchange in Sweden a few things struck me as odd first time I experienced them,

Firstly; Swedes aren’t very talkative the first time you meet (it takes months to figure this out and also to become a bit Swedish yourself) but they’re busy sizing you up, checking you out, seeing how you act or what your like before they loosen up around you, for me this took over 6 months with some people, but once they’re relaxed you’ll find a totally different person from what you’ve experienced those first six months. You find friends who’ll go to any lengths for you, a trust relationship that is rare to experience so often and of course a blooming social life that you thought died when you arrived here.

Secondly; While Swedes talk to one another and with you you’ll find that they agree with you throughout the whole conversation even if they think or know that your wrong, this is polite in Sweden to do this since it shows to the other person that your listening to what they’re saying and that you understand what they’re on about, I first found this really rude since they kept interrupting me with nods, exclamations and sharp intake of breath (this constitutes as a ‘yes’ in Sweden since its so cold during winter) but then I slowly started doing it myself and now I even answer questions by breathing. First time my host mum did this I stopped mid-conversation and asked her if she was ok or needed a drink since I thought she was having a coughing fit.

Third and last; politeness is above all else! When you go to a café, konditori or even a shop, you can see and watch Swedes patiently wait their turn to be served or waited upon by the staff, nobody pushes, raises their voice or becomes impatient with up to 10-minute wait between being served. This is totally normal behavior and after months here you learn to see its part of the Swedish psyche. One time it took up to 30 minutes for me to be served in a mobile phone shop when I was just after some credit for my prepaid phone. They say ‘Tack’ which means ‘thank you’ more often than not and they don’t have a word for please so most of any conversation is just ‘tack tack tack’.

Of everything I experienced here on my year I thought that these three things are most significant to any student wanting to come here, if you can learn these three important factors of Swedish social psyche then you can thoroughly enjoy your exchange and have one of the best years of your 18 years of life (long time I know) Patience is the key to everything!!! Without patience you will hate everything! Open your mind to new ways of thinking because in their eyes your wrong and they’re right. You’ll find Sweden relaxed, a bit cold and best of all your daily life’s tempo is slower (that’s why they’re so patient) but if your good at socializing, talking and drawing people out of there shell, you’ll find that you couldn’t have picked a better country to be in.

Go with the flow and become Swedish, you’ll never regret it....Oh and also the rumors are true the girls are amazing!