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Sweden-GAF |OT| I'd Say It's Pretty Lagom

RoadHazard

RoadHazard

Gold Member
During my searching for snus info, I also stumbled upon this site: http://www.snusdirect.com

Pretty damn cheap. As an example, a tin of Göteborgs Rapé costs 29 SEK, while a "stock" of 10 costs 259 SEK. Not sure if the site is reliable, but those prices are pretty spectacular compared to buying snus in your typical store.

EDIT: Oh, they don't actually ship to/within Sweden. Kind of weird, but oh well.
 
P

Presco

Member
Thread subscribed. Swedish GAF, I have questions!! I have a job offer in Lund that I am strongly considering. Position would start next year and I'm coming from Toronto.

Housing? I hear it's very hard to come by and that I would have a better chance of finding something in Malmo. I'm used to a bigger city so I think Malmo might be my first choice anyways. I also hear that it's expensive. I'm also used to expensive so I'm hoping it's not shockingly expensive. Can I expect to find something relatively nice for 2 people and possibly a baby for ~$2000 CAD / USD (~13250 kr)? Less would be better but that's what I pay now. Are there sites like Craigslist to find housing?

Is something like parental leave available to a foreigner? Same goes for healthcare. I'm assuming yes to both since that's how it is in Canada.

Transportation? I currently own a newish car but would be selling it if we moved. I'm assuming public transportation is good but what kind of commute am I looking at? I'm thinking a good couple of bikes will be worthwhile investment.

Language? I hear that English only is OK but I'd like to make an effort to pick up Swedish as well. Especially if we end up staying and having a kid. How would I go about taking a course?

I have many more questions but I'll stop for now. One more, is it as gloriously godless as I hope/hear? Other must know things for someone new to the country?
 
K

KAOz

Short bus special
Majine said:
I had a nap!

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0rk34bYDB1R
Click to expand...

Hahahahahahaha!

Barnäääs-sååååuuuus!

Presco said:
Housing? I hear it's very hard to come by and that I would have a better chance of finding something in Malmo. I'm used to a bigger city so I think Malmo might be my first choice anyways. I also hear that it's expensive. I'm also used to expensive so I'm hoping it's not shockingly expensive. Can I expect to find something relatively nice for 2 people and possibly a baby for ~$2000 CAD / USD (~13250 kr)? Less would be better but that's what I pay now. Are there sites like Craigslist to find housing?
Click to expand...

Are we talking that cash per month? Because yeah, that would not be impossible at all. Not one single bit. Also, don't know if there are any Craigslist-like sites for Malmö or Lund. Sorry.

Is something like parental leave available to a foreigner? Same goes for healthcare. I'm assuming yes to both since that's how it is in Canada.
Click to expand...

Only one I can respond to here, is healthcare. Which I do believe you can get. Especially if you become somewhat of a citizen. But other people might know way more than me.

Transportation? I currently own a newish car but would be selling it if we moved. I'm assuming public transportation is good but what kind of commute am I looking at? I'm thinking a good couple of bikes will be worthwhile investment.
Click to expand...

Here in Sweden, bikes are fucking worth it. Seriously. Also, public transportation is quite top-notch. This shouldn't be a problem at all.

Language? I hear that English only is OK but I'd like to make an effort to pick up Swedish as well. Especially if we end up staying and having a kid. How would I go about taking a course?
Click to expand...

If you want to check out Swedish courses and stuff, check out SFI (Svenskundervisning För Invandrare). Should be able to find loads of stuff about it, and in the towns you are going to stay at. Otherwise, our English is good. And to be honest, alot of swedish people find it "cool" to get to speak some english. Just prepare for loads of "shit", "fuck" and "motherfucker".

One more, is it as gloriously godless as I hope/hear? Other must know things for someone new to the country?
Click to expand...

Must know thing: Friday is Taconight. Friday is also important because then we have Fredagsmys.
 
B

Bento

Member
Xint said:
High five!
Click to expand...
Oh my goodness, a fellow monster hunter (I assume that's Nargacuga) and living in Umeå as well? o_O Impossibru! Those people only exist in America and Japan!

Btw, do we have any guys or girls from Oslo here (not Swedish but Scandinavian)? Used to live there for three years, lovely place and has some really nice concert venues (Blå, Garage, The Villa and others).

Btw2, shouldn't this be in the OT Community?
 
RoadHazard

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Presco said:
Thread subscribed. Swedish GAF, I have questions!! I have a job offer in Lund that I am strongly considering. Position would start next year and I'm coming from Toronto.

Housing? I hear it's very hard to come by and that I would have a better chance of finding something in Malmo. I'm used to a bigger city so I think Malmo might be my first choice anyways. I also hear that it's expensive. I'm also used to expensive so I'm hoping it's not shockingly expensive. Can I expect to find something relatively nice for 2 people and possibly a baby for ~$2000 CAD / USD (~13250 kr)? Less would be better but that's what I pay now. Are there sites like Craigslist to find housing?

Is something like parental leave available to a foreigner? Same goes for healthcare. I'm assuming yes to both since that's how it is in Canada.

Transportation? I currently own a newish car but would be selling it if we moved. I'm assuming public transportation is good but what kind of commute am I looking at? I'm thinking a good couple of bikes will be worthwhile investment.

Language? I hear that English only is OK but I'd like to make an effort to pick up Swedish as well. Especially if we end up staying and having a kid. How would I go about taking a course?

I have many more questions but I'll stop for now. One more, is it as gloriously godless as I hope/hear? Other must know things for someone new to the country?
Click to expand...

Lund is a "student town", so I can imagine it being a bit difficult getting something there. Malmö is probably a bit easier (but still not exactly easy, since it's the 3rd largest city in Sweden). Not sure about the pricing down there (I'm in Gothenburg), but what you're asking for doesn't sound unreasonable at all to me. It all depends on how close to the city center you want to live, etc, of course.

Lund is very close to Malmö, you can go between the two in 10-15 minutes by train. Public transportation is generally pretty good in Sweden, especially in and around the larger cities.

English should be perfectly fine, I'd say most people younger than 50-60 speak and understand it without issue. Not sure about taking a course in Swedish, but it shouldn't be too hard to find something like that around Malmö/Lund.

And yes, it's pretty godless here. I don't think I know a single seriously religious person. Many are atheists like me, while others will tell you they believe there's "something", but there are rather few who are truly religious and believe in "God".

KAOz said:
Must know thing: Friday is Taconight. Friday is also important because then we have Fredagsmys.
Click to expand...

Haha, yes, very true. Also, "fika" is pretty much a religion here. We fikar all the damn time.
 
RoadHazard

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Majine said:
I don't even know the definition of fika. Random snackbreak?
Click to expand...

Wikipedia said:
Fika is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a break, most often a coffee break, with one's colleagues, friends, date, or family. The word "fika" can serve as both a verb and a noun. Swedes consider having a coffee an important part of the culture. You can fika at work by taking a “coffee break,” fika with someone like a “coffee date,” or just drink a cup of coffee. As such, the word has quite ambiguous connotations, but almost always including something to eat, such as cookies, cakes and even candy, accompanied by a drink. This practice of taking a break, typically with a cinnamon roll or some biscuits or cookies, or sometimes a smörgås or a fruit on the side, is central to Swedish life, and is regularly enjoyed even by the government.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fika_(coffee_break)
 
L

Ledsen

Member
Corky said:
Got my first bill last week, 4000 kr to pay off in november...

30 hp left.
No job.
FML.
Click to expand...

Keen said:
Is that quarterly or monthly? Try running out of weeks of CSN in the middle of semester with no job, and them wanting money ASAP. At least it was only 1200 or so per month. I think I paid 3700SEK a month right when I got back from college because they were idiots
Click to expand...

If you don't have any income or if you're still studying you don't have to pay, guys. Just call/write them an e-mail.

fanboi said:
How to learn Swedish, should go in the op :lol
Click to expand...

LOL

KAOz said:
If you want to check out Swedish courses and stuff, check out SFI (Svenskundervisning För Invandrare). Should be able to find loads of stuff about it, and in the towns you are going to stay at. Otherwise, our English is good. And to be honest, alot of swedish people find it "cool" to get to speak some english. Just prepare for loads of "shit", "fuck" and "motherfucker".
.
Click to expand...

SFI could be a poor choice since there tend to be many fugitives in those classes, many of which haven't had any education and/or are illiterate. The pace will be pretty slow. He'd probably be better off studying at a school.
 
L

Ledsen

Member
Another tip for any expats-to-be: if a Swede rapidly draws a breath with their lips pursed, it actually means "yes". It's true.
 
W

waypoetic

Banned
KAOz said:
And here. In the middle of Sweden. But I guess it's just me and my friends who keep doing it alot.
Click to expand...

Jämtland? Dalarna?

When i was a kid i lived in Jämtland, so that "tjjjjooop" sound has pretty much stuck with me since. Where i live now, in Gothenburg, they make a "ööööh" sound - it pretty much applies to everything. No wonder "göteborgare" get mistaken for drunks.
 
K

KAOz

Short bus special
waypoetic said:
Jämtland? Dalarna?

When i was a kid i lived in Jämtland, so that "tjjjjooop" sound has pretty much stuck with me since. Where i live now, in Gothenburg, they make a "ööööh" sound - it pretty much applies to everything. No wonder "göteborgare" get mistaken for drunks.
Click to expand...

Pennybridge Pioneer. :p

Dunno why we do it really. Guess we're just special.
 
S

Scrum

Member
Hejhopp alla glada.

Borås, the worlds most boring town at the summer since everyone and their grandmother are in Varberg.
 
C

Corky

Nine out of ten orphans can't tell the difference.
BeeDog said:
Indek at KTH :)
Click to expand...

cool, hoping to finish my civing at chalmers but I'm lacking any and all kinds of motivation right now... just want to take a loooong breakt from studying even though I'm 25 and should probably be done by now.

The winterdepression of 2012 is going to kill me.
 
B

BeeDog

Member
Corky said:
cool, hoping to finish my civing at chalmers but I'm lacking any and all kinds of motivation right now... just want to take a loooong breakt from studying even though I'm 25 and should probably be done by now.

The winterdepression of 2012 is going to kill me.
Click to expand...

Trust me, you don't want to take a break/start working and have something left at the uni. Juggling both your normal (working) life and your last school work is a living bitch, especially if you have tons of costs that need to be covered in RL.

Try finishing up school ASAP, you won't regret the feeling of getting closure, or as we Swedes call it, "sätta punkt för skiten". :)
 
M

Majine

Banned
19166273.jpg
 
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