1 . Before moving to Stokholm, I did my research on Sweden and was confident about my move. However, I quickly realized on my first day that so much of what I learned was so very wrong. There are many things that a Google search cannot show about Sweden.
The first is fika. A fika is taking a break from whatever you are doing to enjoy a coffee with friends. Swedes value community highly so it makes sense that they would like to set aside time each day to reconnect with others. Fika is a great time to meet new people as well as catch up with friends.
I grew up in the American South where everyone is very friendly. I found that little things like not being asked my life story at the coffee shop by the waiter upset me. However, Swedish people are not rude. Instead, they practice being logom, which means “just enough”.
The winters can be very dark and cold, so the Swedish people do not take any sunny day for granted. Since the weather has been fine, I have found myself walking a lot around Stockholm. Often it is easiest to get from place to place by walking, which allows you to see so much of the city and enjoy the fresh air. Though it has been very tiring to get used to, it also has made me feel better about all of the kardemummabullar that I have been eating!
I think it is important for students who want to study abroad to know that it is hard to move to countries no matter how “similar” you may think they may be. You have to jump in with both feet and be patient with yourself as well as others. As long as you keep an open mind and are willing to learn, you will have a great experience.
1. What do we know about fika?| A．It is a waste of time. | B．It is a way to balance life and work. |
| C．It is all about drinking coffee. | D．It is a Swedish social tradition. |
| A．They are friendly. | B．They seem a bit cold. |
| C．They appear really rude. | D．They are interested in other's life. |
| A．It is fun and not very tiring. | B．It is good exercise on cold days. |
| C．It allows her to enjoy sunny days. | D．It gives her the chance to eat the local food. |
| A．Be confident. | B．Be careful. |
| C．Be open- minded. | D．Be hard- working. |
