-Where were you born?

Somewhere between Tatooine and Middle Earth. Ha! No, seriously in a NJ commuter suburb of New York City.  

-In which country and city are you living now?

I live in Växjö, Sweden, which I have to tell you, is very far away from Stockholm! (Many Americans automatically assume that if you live in Sweden that you live in Stockholm. Um, nope.)

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I live with my Swedish husband, our son and am currently pregnant with our second child. 

-How long have you been living in Sweden?

A little over 3 months.

-What is your age?

I am in my early 30s. (See-- evasive but honest + polite) 

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Sweden?

My husband and I met in Sweden when I was here 8 years ago. We fell in love and eventually he followed me back to NYC where we got married and lived for 7 years. After our son was born 3 years ago, we decided that Sweden was probably a much easier and more sane place to raise a family. In the meantime, I had a training grant sponsored by the US Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, so we moved the convo to the back-burner for the 5 months we lived/worked down there, but when my husband was offered a position with a firm in his hometown in Sweden, we decided to give it a go. 

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

As a wife of Swedish citizen and as a mother of a dual Swedish-American citizen with a future Swedish citizen in-utero, and as an American citizen, no, the process was extremely simple for me. 

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Sweden is THE epicenter of socialist universal healthcare, so in a word, no.  

-How do you make your living in Sweden? Do you have any type of income generated? 

I worked as a copywriter and publicist in advertising for nearly a decade in NYC. I have retained a few clients for remote, freelance work. I also have my MLS (Master of Library & Information Science) that I completed recently (and for which I was awarded that grant in Bolivia) that I had gotten in the hopes of one day becoming a Young Adult librarian. 

Alas, although I do speak Swedish fluently, my writing and reading skills are not professional-grade yet. I actually started an intensive Swedish grammar/writing course with the hopes of improving my level significantly. Once I have taken this course, after giving birth and after the standard 480 (paid!) days of parental leave will I really seriously start to think about my professional future in Sweden. Sweden is nice like that after New York - no rush! Social safety nets! Yay! 

-Do you speak Swedish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

Yes. I do speak Swedish fluently. My husband and his family are fantastic teachers, I must say! I also have a deep love of language and linguistics - both of my native tongue and of new languages. 

I do know of lots of English speakers living in Sweden who do not speak Swedish. This generation of young Swedes are really marvelous at English and more than eager to practice/show-off their fabulous English skills, so it is indeed possible to live here without Swedish. That said, it's much harder to get a job without Swedish. It's harder to make Swedish friends. And there are many older Swedes who are not comfortable or fluent in English, so the non-Swedish speakers will miss out on getting to know a lot of nice older folks here. 

This is my opinion, but Swedish is not a terribly complicated language (like Finnish or Thai or German) but the most serious difficulty that native English speakers will encounter is that once a Swede learns that you are a native English speaker, they will want to speak English with you. I had to fight a lot through my first years of learning Swedish to get past that barrier. But now my fluency and speed in Swedish is such that I do not have that challenge anymore. That said, if a Swede has lived abroad in an English-speaking country (someone like my husband), I will usually speak with them in English. 

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

In a word, yes! There's a lot I don't miss about my life in the USA, but my family and friends - absolutely. Thanks to email, Skype and Facebook though, the distance is a lot easier to bridge. 

-Do you have other plans for the future?

In the future, I'd like to be able to write with the same ease and fluency in Swedish as I do in English. I think it would be fun to write a column (in Swedish) for a local newspaper here about an outsider's perspective on current events. 

Generally, I feel a lot of freedom here about the future. Contrary to what some people believe, the social safety nets in place here make taking professional risks a lot less intimidating. That's how I feel, anyway. 

I also plan on continuing to do a lot of international travel with my family.  Having significantly more vacation time from work is awesome! 

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We have a beautiful 3-bedroom apartment in the "downtown" (in quotes because I'm still a big-city biased New Yorker). It's in an old courthouse (Swedes call it a "tingshus") that has been renovated into apartments. We rent and I think that the cost is a bit below market rent. In any case, it is MUCH cheaper than what we paid for a lot less space (and a lot fewer amenities) in New York. I guess with the USD/Kronor conversion rate, it's about $1000 USD a month. I've heard horror stories about the queues for apartment rentals in Sweden but thanks to my husband's family's local connections, we lucked out. I love our home! 

-What is the cost of living in Sweden?

It is much higher in some aspects (food, clothing, electronics, toiletries) and much lower in others (childcare, healthcare). 

-What do you think about the locals? 

I am very fond of the locals here. Many Americans and other expats in Sweden mistake the Swedish shyness and reserve for arrogance, or are offended by it. Me, I'm over the New York in-your-face types of interaction. I think Swedes are just lovely, in general. I value personal privacy and really appreciate the lack of unsolicited "helpful" advice from strangers as a visibly pregnant woman. That drove me up the wall during my first pregnancy in New York. 

Contrary to popular stereotype, Swedes absolutely do strike up spontaneous conversation with me, often in the playground when they hear me speaking in English with my son. English is definitely an ice-breaker with many young Swedes. Though I often switch to Swedish afterwards. I can be a showoff sometimes. LOL! 

I do acknowledge that I have a different experience as an American who speaks fluent Swedish. I can imagine that people coming from other countries might have a different experience. 

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Sweden?

Positive: Social safety nets, very safe in our town, strong regard for personal privacy, very pro-woman policies, seriously awesome pre-natal and post-natal care/childcare, lots of vacation time, clean air, clean streets, high quality food, lack of corn syrup in food, beautiful lakes and forests and nature, children have a real childhood here, teenagers seem respectful in general and not like knuckleheads, significantly less materialistic society, terrific bike paths. Oh and I like how you're allowed to be humble and unsure here. I am very sensitive to some of the aggressive hubris in [some not all] Americans. 

Negative: I am not a fan of the weather where we live. The clouds often gather here in the forests of the Southeast. I do not like passive-aggressiveness and am clueless how to respond to it (sorry I learned to argue like a New Yorker). It can be very hard to get a straight answer out of people in the more bureaucratic organizations. Oh and also the groupthink mentality can get on my nerves at times. I am totally fine with agreeing to disagree. That's not so popular here. 

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Sweden?

This is the place to be if you are a woman and/or a person with a family. 

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Sweden?

You can read my blog for an account of my daily life in the forests of southern Sweden. It's not a pretty or slickly designed blog, but if you are curious or even just a little nosy, come and have a read! :)

http://intheforestoffika.blogspot.com

-Where were you born?

Melbourne, Australia

-In which country and city are you living now?

Stockholm, Sweden

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I live with my Canadian partner and two children.

-How long have you been living in Sweden?

Since 1995, but I was also here in 91-92 for about 15 months.

-What is your age?

40 - (Feb 09)

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Sweden?

I met a Swede when I was just 20 years old. A few weeks earlier I had been looking out over the lights of Perth on NYE and was struck by some sort of realisation that I probably would not spend the rest of my life in Australia. The thought had never occurred to me before that - although I was planning to go to Asia and teach English - just for fun.

Once my relationship with my Swede ended I had a great job and a great set of friends - it wasn't the time to go home. Then I met someone else - a Canadian, and we both appreciate being in a neutral country.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

Not after first living with my Swede in Australia for a year.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

I was classified as an immigrant and had full coverage. There is also a mutual agreement between Sweden and Australia so if you come from one country and are in the other you get the same coverage as the locals.

-How do you make your living in Sweden? Do you have any type of income generated?

I got my first job through contacts - working in a shop, it really helped my Swedish. My second by responding to an ad in the paper and my third by approaching the company directly. Approaching companies directly has been most successful for me. It is a difficult job market to break into and is based a lot on contacts - if not a direct approach.

I have a marketing background but was tired of working exclusively in Swedish so I went into and have more experience in corporate training - cross-cultural communication, rhetoric, presentation skills etc. I've done a lot of translation and teaching business English too.

-Do you speak Swedish and do you think it's important to speak the local language? Please add your thoughts on local customs and whether it's important for expats to respect/observe local customs.

I think the reality is that it is a global community and the old concept of integration is somewhat fading. We move around because we want to, not because we need to and we naturally take some of our customs and culture with us. There is a strong expat community in Sweden and all my friends have a link to some other country - in fact when it comes to Swedes many have some sort of link to the outside world - that is one of the things I like about being here.

Saying that, I do speak the language and did from very early on. You cannot live a "normal" life until you do - you will always be an outsider otherwise. It also gives you a whole new dimension and enriches your life in a way you would otherwise not have thought possible. And you don't really know a person until you speak their language, that also goes for the country and culture as a whole.

The Swedes have really rewarded me and continue to do so when it comes to my Swedish. I have always been commended for my efforts - I think they are impressed that an English speaker can speak Swedish. It is the pronunciation and intonation that are most important - you will always be forgiven for your grammatical mistakes - as long as you sound something like a Swede.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes? Describe your favorite recreational activities there or those that are available.

I miss my family, friends, the way of life and the weather. I have also changed over the years and become more Swedish, I find many of the values and ways of life compatible with my own values. I love being outside, being in the forest, ice-skating, being able to swim everywhere in the summer, the seasons, the traditions and customs - they are all very pagan in origin - very connected to the seasons, to nature and to old ways.

Things become most difficult when something happens to someone back home - it is difficult to be so far away.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

Not sure - my partner is Canadian so we have several options. I really don't know where we will be in 10 years time. Mostly it depends on our work.

We do travel as much as we can afford to - to Australia, to Canada and anywhere else we can, including around Sweden.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We bought a small (2 bedroom) apartment close to town. It is tough to buy a place under 2-3 million kronor and an apartment also incurs monthly fees of at least 3,000 kronor.

-What is the cost of living in Sweden?

High, but it is becoming more and more on par with Australia - there are some obvious costs like payroll (30%) and income taxes (30%) as well as VAT (25%) but there are many advantages in financial terms as well - sickness  benefits, maternity/paternity leave, unemployment benefits, etc. etc.

Once I get my website up and running I will be able to give more specific information about the cost of housing and living expenses - www.liveinsweden.se.

-What do you think about the Swedes? 

A complex question - they love to speak English, they are generally interested in and welcoming of expats in particular. As I said many have some sort of connection to another country - a parent who comes from another country, family who have moved, studies abroad, etc. It is however good to know that they will rarely take the initiative to social contact - they will not invite you over or out until they have known you quite a while and they will not ask a lot of questions. So volunteer information, ask them questions and invite them out or over - they will respond well in most instances. There is a great respect for personal privacy in this sense, and they will not want to put you on the spot.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Sweden?

It is a beautiful place but the weather leaves a lot to be desired. It is relatively expensive but there are lots of things you can do that don't cost a lot of money.

It is difficult to get to know the Swedes but once you do you have loyal, life-long friends. The worst thing in my mind is the lack of communication out on the street - not a smile, not a hello, rarely a sorry or an excuse me. 

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Sweden?

As with going to any country - try and be open minded. Remember people are not as they are at home and they have their reasons for being that way - even if you never understand those reasons. Sweden is often judged harshly, as are the Swedes - but this place is a diamond in the rough.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Sweden?
A fantastic resource for mums - www.mumsinsweden.com

-Where were you born?

Great Britain

-In which country and city are you living now?

Stockholm, Sweden

-Are you living alone or with your family?

Alone

-How long have you been living in Sweden?

One year

-What is your age?

33

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Sweden?

I have only really lived abroad once before and I wasn't sure New York really counted. NYC is very similar to the UK in a lot of aspects and in the main shares the same language. I really wanted to live somewhere I knew very little about, was culturally different, not too far from home and where I could learn a new language.

I knew age was creeping up on me. I am probably a lot more reserved now than when I was in my twenties.  I knew it would be even harder to go abroad alone in my forties, so I had to make a decision soon.

Then an unexpected opportunity came knocking. The company I work for were opening a new office in Sweden. I was already Sales Manager for that part of the world so I was asked to go over for six months to train the new staff up. The company wanted me to stay longer but being apprehensive I only wanted a six-month sabbatical. 

Another unexpected opportunity came up when I was asked to manage the whole of Scandinavia from Sweden. A very senior promotion and I am committed to staying here for at least five years.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?

Fortunately, being an EU citizen, I have a right to work here.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

I was covered by the company and it wasn't long before I switched to a Swedish tax and got into the system that way. You do pay to see a Doctor/GP. It's not a lot and it means you get to see them on the day.

-How do you make your living in Sweden? Do you have any type of income generated?

I work for an international online travel company called Booking.com  They have an aggressive expansion policy and it wasn't long before I was asked to head up their Nordic operation. I had been the Area Manager for Distribution for Eastern Europe and the Nordics, so it made sense to move to our new Stockholm office when it was open.

I have met some expats here who are really finding it hard to get a job in Sweden. The lack of Swedish is the main barrier, if you are considering moving here and don't have a specialist skillset I would make sure you get work lined up before moving out here, especially with the way the economy is.

-Do you speak Swedish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

I taught myself the basics before I came here and did go to evening classes at Folkuniversitet. Unfortunately, the day job requires me to travel a lot, so I couldn't commit to classes.  The problem in Swedish is that everyone speaks beautiful English and many of them like to practice it. So the speed at which you will learn Swedish will be a lot slower than learning say German if you lived in Germany.

It's easy to get very lazy with the language. My office is international; we speak English so I have to make a real effort to improve on my Swedish. I watch tv, listen to radio, watch Swedish DVDs with subtitles or audio. Unfortunately, the Swedes do not dub their films. I read newspapers websites, support the local football and bandy team and do try and integrate. Otherwise I would just speak and hear English all day.

Expat bars are ok if you want to watch your favourite team but I try and stay out of them and drink in Swedish bars. I always try and start a conversation in Swedish, most Swedes find it amusing but in a fun way. The cashiers in the supermarket are really surprised after they say the obligatory 'hej' I always ask them hur mär du? (how are you) and their reactions are one of shock! Still it's a good way of drumming up conversation in the early days.

Swedes really don't expect foreigners to speak their language, not in the bigger cities anyway, so you will score bonus points if you can speak some.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

I don't miss Britain. I love my country but I am getting a real kick out of learning about a new one. I miss my football team if I am honest: Swansea City who for most of my lifetime have played in the bottom division. Now they are one division and playing beautiful football in beautiful stadia! I do miss that and tend to come back and watch them on occasion.

Sweden offers a lot of recreation. Fantastic forests to explore. Some amazing lakes. Skiing of course, which I have yet to try. Lots of watersports.

Stockholm is a great city, I love it here. It's based on 14 different islands, all with their own identities and ambiences. There is lots of water, some beautiful walks, great bars and restaurants, lots to do. 

There are even new sports here. Ever heard of Bandy? No, I didn't think so. Neither had I. I went to a Bandy game on Boxing Day! Fantastic!

British people are very lucky living in Stockholm. There is an English shop selling items such as Branston pickle, Pringles and Paxo stuffing! 

Also there is an excellent old school English butchers in Stockholm. Taylors and Jones is actually run by a Welshman from my home town and an Ulsterman. Delicious sausages and pies, they do order in cheeses from back home and I even ordered my turkey from there!

-Do you have other plans for the future?

My main plan is to get out and about more. My job means I get to all the major Nordic cities. Now I want to explore the smaller provincial places.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

I am renting. Now this is the bad thing about Stockholm. Renting a place can be tough as there is not enough housing. My rent is called 'andra' which is basically a sub let. This is rife in Stockholm because people do not want to give up their rentbook even when they move out because they are so rare.

I pay 8500 SEK in Mariatorget, which is a beautiful area in Södermalm. I am looking to buy in the new year. The prices have dropped a lot because of the financial crisis. In my area, a similar size place is at least 2.5m SEK so I will have to move a bit further out as I don't want to live in a one-room place.

-What is the cost of living in Sweden?

For most things, very expensive. Alcohol is ridiculously taxed. I paid 23 Euros for a jd and coke and a vodka and coke the other day.

Some Swedes I know seem to think Stockholm is on a par with London, but I don't see, even basic food items - bread and milk - are more expensive. I wouldn't like to live here on a small budget, that's for sure.

-What do you think about the Swedes?

There are good and bad in all. I think the Swedes are a great bunch but they do like to complain about the smallest of things. The problem is that the Swedish welfare state used to look after everything. The Swedish Social Democrats were in power for most of the last century; it is a form of Socialism that actually worked but it does mean some Swedes are not pro-active but just complain. They expect everything on a plate.

I think foreigners might start coming in for a hard time as Sweden is in for a rough time with the economy.

According to Sweden's biggest Union, Unionen, every third Swedish company is moving operations out of Sweden. Unemployment will be record high in 2009.

Most Swedes that I have met are a happy, friendly and welcoming bunch.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Sweden?

Positives.
Clean air, beautiful countryside, great place to bring up kids and get educated. The Swedes obey the rules.

Negatives
Jantelagen - the rule that means nobody should be better than anyone else.
Swedish employment law is great for the employee but tough for businesses.
The Swedes obey the rules! (both positive and negative)

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Sweden?

Immerse yourself in it. If you have no network here, learn Swedish, get involved in sports or hobbies. Don't stay at home watching your DVDs from back home. If you don't mix, it can be a very lonely place to live.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Sweden?

• Let Me Tell You About Sweden

http://www.letmetellyouaboutsweden.com

This is my own blog. I set this up just before I moved here. I post almost daily on the good, the bad and the ugly. No holes barred. 

• The Local

http://www.thelocal.se

Swedish News for English speakers.
Keeps you up to date with the news in Sweden and has a good discussion board where you can ask all sorts of questions.

• Klartext

http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/p4/klartext/artikel.asp?nyheter=1&ProgramID=493&artikel=184871

Swedish News for Swedish learners
The News in Swedish but read out slowly - great for learners!

• Nics News

http://www.nicsnewest.blogspot.com

Another foreigner in Stockholm. I like Nic's blog because it's very family orientated. I am not married and have no kids, so this shows another aspect of life in Sweden that I have no experience of.

-Where were you born?
USA

-In which country and city are you living now?
Umeå, Sweden

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I'm living with my husband and two cats.

-How long have you been living in Sweden?
Three and a half years

-What is your age?
31

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Sweden?
We didn't come up with it. It sort of just happened. My husband is a scientist and we were living in Iowa at that time. Being from big cities, it was a huge culture shock to end up in a small Midwestern town. We hated every minute of it, and wanted to move. Also, the political climate in the US was not to our liking. So, husband applied for positions abroad, and was offered two. Sadly, we wouldn't be able to take our cat to Australia, as I won't put my child in animal quarantine. So Sweden it was. At that time, Sweden also had animal quarantine requirement for pets from the US; however, it was abolished on July 3rd 2004. On July 4th, I brought my cat over, and we've been here ever since.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
My husband has a work permit sponsored by the university where he works. As a spouse, I was also able to get not only a residence permit, but also a work visa.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
Sweden has universal coverage, so we didn't bother with additional medical insurance.

-How do you make your living in Sweden? Do you have any type of income generated?
My husband had a job offer before we came here. His field is highly specialized, and he found a position advertised on one of the scientific websites that he visits. I work from home as a freelance writer and a scientific proof reader.

-Do you speak Swedish and do you think it's important to speak the local language? 
I do speak Swedish. Our first winter here I had absolutely nothing to do, so I signed up for Swedish classes at the Swedish For Immigrants school. It was free and turned out to be a very interesting experience. Later, I took additional Swedish classes at the university here. My husband speaks maybe two words of Swedish. Since Umeå is a university town, almost everyone speaks English to some degree. Knowing Swedish is very beneficial however, even if just to understand what the natives say about you behind your back.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I don't really miss my family and home. I'm not even sure where home is at this point. I've lived in six different countries as an adult, and in a few more when I was a kid. Homesickness is not an issue.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
All our plans depend on husband's job, so wherever he needs to go next, I go too. It's fun. It's unpredictable. I can't imagine being settled in one place for the rest of my life. I think I'd chew my leg off out of sheer boredom and frustration.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We rent our apartment. Due to our nomad lifestyle, we have no intention of buying. Our rent is 3800 SEK, which is very cheap for the place we're in.

-What is the cost of living in Sweden?
High. Comparable to New York, I'd say. We try to buy everything other than food outside of Sweden. It's cheaper and the quality tends to be better.

-What do you think about the Swedes?
People think I'm negative and that I dislike Sweden and Swedes. Oddly enough, my friends here are mostly Swedes. You have to understand that Umeå is not Stockholm, or Gothenburg, or Malmö. Life that far up north is different, and people are also different. Some are nice, some are racist pricks, and some are my best friends. However, when compared with the rest of Sweden, or at least with Stockholm, people here tend to be more prejudiced towards foreigners of other ethnicities.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Sweden?
It's a very fun country to live in. You can learn something new every day. Negatives? Cold and dark winters. And I mean really dark. Much darker than in Stockholm. On the plus side, we have daylight all the time in the summer.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Sweden?
Do your research. Sweden's PR department spews all kinds of wonderful propaganda about how wonderful Sweden is. The reality is starkly different. When the honeymoon period wears off, you will be disappointed.