Have you ever wondered what it is like to move to a country where you don’t speak the language and where traditions are subtly different from the country you left behind?
Join Robin Bell as he makes such a move. Robin moved to Sweden after living for thirty years in Australia. From a land of hot summers, cricket and surfing to a land of thirty degrees below zero temperatures, of bandy and ice hockey.
Read about Swedish culinary delights such as raw, fermented Baltic herrings, lingonberry jam in sausage like tubes and Jansson’s Temptation.
Learn the history behind the Lucia celebrations and the Swedish Midsummer celebrations. Discover where the real Santa Claus lives and how he cools off in summer.
Find out the dangers from Trolls in the Swedish forests and the hazards of Swedish roads - and no, we’re not talking about Volvo drivers now...
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By Caroline Liebenow
Oct 15, 2009
"informative and entertaining!" Each section of this book covers a particular aspect of life in Sweden from the point of view of an expat, with refreshing bits of humor added to brighten even the more serious topics. I have visited Sweden several times but never lived there. As a former expat in one of Sweden's neighboring countries (Finland), it was interesting for me to discover what the two countries have in common regarding how the society works- similarities no doubt stemming from having had close ties throughout history- as well as the surprising differences. How Swede It Is is not a comparison of life in Sweden versus Finland, but I will approach this review from that angle because many are of the belief that Sweden and Finland are basically the same country when compared to the rest of Europe. Sometimes that appears to be so, when reading Bell's accounts of Sweden's immigrant integration programs, national diet based on fish, potatoes, and wild berries, bureaucracy... More > involved in letting foreigners study or find a job, the nation's attempt to claim sole rights to the idea of Santa Claus, fondness for secondhand shops, and the glorious traditions of observing both Christmas and Midsummer. The differences are just as interesting, for example: Sweden's continued sense of admiration for its royal family (Finland has never had a royal class at all), the fact that Sweden has a significantly larger population of foreign-born residents and citizens (as well as citizens born to immigrant parents), and Sweden's tendency to be a more flowery, decorative, and celebratory culture by Nordic standards. How Swede It Is is an excellent primer for anyone planning to immigrate to Sweden. It will also serve as a wonderful trip down memory lane for anyone who used to live there, or a perspective for people who have lived elsewhere in the Nordic region. - C. Liebenow, author of "Why Did You Come Here?: Adventures of an American in Finland", http://www.lulu.com/content/178994< Less
