Originally from Great Britain, Shane now lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden. Here he describes aspects of his expat life there: from experiencing the sport of bandy for the first time, to the cost of food and drink, to housing rental rates, and to some observations about Swedish attitudes and behavior.	Shane

-Where were you born?

-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?

-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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.