Hello everyone,

I finally have some time to write after a busy first month of classes.

Brief update: I got a Swedish ID card, and I’m waiting to hear back from the bank about my application. Fingers crossed it happens soon, because I need BankID. (More on that at a later date.)

I realized there are quite a few major differences between the American and Swedish culture. Below are the biggest ones so far.

Swedish Transparency

The biggest culture shock is that there is 100% transparency in Sweden. This means that everyone’s information is easily found online. Birthdays, addresses, move in date, previous addresses, income, tax returns, property owned (like cars, and houses), marital status and so much more. This was discussed briefly in my class. We learned that The law dates back to 1766, but has been updated more recently. It is called Offentlighetsprincipen or Principle of Public Access. It’s also unique to Sweden and it’s not a law in other Scandinavian countries, like Denmark. (The Danes must value their privacy more.)

I’m honestly not a big fan of having my personal information on the first page of Google, but the Swedes see it as a vital part of their democracy. Which I understand, since you can see all the information about your representatives and politicians. On the other hand, there are also lists titled Richest women in your county and similar pages which are published online. In the context of the internet and today’s world, it definitely has its problems.

Independent Children

The other big culture shock is how independent children are. It’s not uncommon to see children around the age of ten alone at the grocery store. Most children ride their bikes to and from school without adult supervision. Small children ride their bikes with mom or dad, but once kids reach a certain age they start becoming independent.

It was surprising at first, since it’s not very common to see children out it public alone in the states. It still throws me off sometimes, but I’m seeing it more and more since I live by a school.

Bathrooms

All public bathrooms are single person rooms with a toilet and sink. They’re also labeled WC (water closet) and are not gender specific. They do have handicap bathrooms as well, which are labeled with as such. I did find out that some public places charge to the use the bathroom. It’s usually 5-10 SEK (50 cents to a dollar), but that’s more common in larger cities like Stockholm. I haven’t run into this problem yet.

Recycling

The last culture shock, that I’m still adjusting to, is sorting each piece of recycling. My apartment complex has a recycling and trash room. In it, there are several bins that are labeled according to material. I’m still getting in the habit of not throwing away plastic, because almost all plastic is recycled here in Sweden. Even plastic packaging from wrappers and bags. Also, things like batteries and light bulbs have their own bins. Here’s a picture.

There are also different bins outside and in public that are sorted similarly. I’m still getting used to reading the signs. (I’ve accidentally thrown recyclables in the wrong bin a few times.) It’s ok, because it’s a relatively new process and even the Swedes put stuff in the wrong bins, so I don’t feel as bad.

Final Thoughts

Since it’s now been almost two months since I landed arrived, Sweden is starting to feel more like home. The cultural differences are teaching me a lot about. Even when I don’t agree with an aspect of Swedish culture, (cough cough, transparency laws, cough cough.) it will be ok in the end.