Ten Things To Understand Before You Move To Sweden
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Understand that a lot of people confuse Sweden with
Switzerland. Ensure your travel agent is not among them.
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Understand that people don't think you realize that the Swedish winter is awful.
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Understand that you have only a vague notion of why you're
going, otherwise what would be the point?
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Understand you will predictably miss your cat, Durham Bulls
games, and sweating in the North Carolina summer even if it does feel like the
Devil's armpit. Understand that you will also miss a lot of things that you
didn't expect to miss.
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Understand that moving is a grand opportunity to throw away
tons of accumulated crap. You won't miss it.
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Understand that a few people will not appreciate that you are
really looking forward to this, and will offer criticism instead of
congratulations. Understand that you need this like a hole in the head!
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Understand that many people will think you're going just based
on Sweden's reputation for a population dense with female beauty, which will
make you question your integrity. People will become bored when they learn that
your motivation is personal growth and not scoring chicks.
- Understand that a small but terrifying number of people think
that the USA is the only country in the world with flush toilets and microwaves
and that Swedes do laundry by beating their clothes on rocks in the river,
after they break through the ice.
- Understand you will not miss handguns, Jesse Helms, or grits.
- Understand that you won't understand until you get there.