The Typical Swede

#1 Swedes love their coffee Few people drink more coffee than the Swedes. In Sweden, coffee drinking is fostered through a tradition called fika – in which friends, family or colleagues meet for coffee or tea, often with something sweet on the side. Most Swedes will enjoy at least one fika a day as an opportunity to bond. #2 Get in line From the pharmacy and tax office to your local grocery store’s meat counter, you’ll be forced to exercise patience as you wait to be served in a numbered queue. Many businesses have a ticketing system – usually a small hard-to-find machine hung on a wall that dispenses number notes. Once you grab your ticket, you’ll have to wait until your number shows up on a screen before you can proceed to the counter. #3 Speaking Swedish helps (no, really?) Chances are you can live here for years without learning a lick of Swedish. Swedes are widely rated as world number two at English as a second language. Therefore it might take you longer to learn Swedish, and the Catch-22 is that fluency in the language is crucial to full integration. Signing up for SFI (Swedish for immigrants) could be a step in the right direction. Learning Swedish might be a challenge, but worth the effort. #4 Get your shopping done before 17:00, if you can Many stores close early, especially at weekends. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a store open past ten in the evening that isn’t a petrol station. It’s worth keeping in mind that since many Swedes are done with their regular jobs around five it’s likely that you’ll be battling crowds to get your shopping done between five and half past six. #5 You will squeeze food out of toothpaste tubes To prepare you for your first visit to the cold foods section of a grocery store, understand that in Sweden, tubes are also used to package foods such as caviar, mayonnaise, mustard, and other similar condiments. At some point, you’ll probably squeeze some caviar from a tube onto half a boiled egg for breakfast.  #6 You will see fathers pushing prams When it comes to equality between the sexes, Sweden is one of the leaders, and the men definitely pull their own weight in staying home and raising infant children. In Sweden, couples are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave, and this time can be shared between parents. #7 Many businesses shut down in July It’s not uncommon to find restaurants and stores shut down for an entire month, usually in July, while employees take their four to six weeks holiday.  #8 Lagom There is a societal code of conduct in Sweden which really has no direct translation. Loosely translated, the word lagom means ‘just enough’, ‘in moderation’, ‘appropriate’ and other synonyms you can pull out of the dictionary. When used in reference to societal behaviour, it means blending in appropriately without extreme displays of emotion. #9 Take off your shoes! You’ll quickly notice that shoes are taken off when entering private residences in Sweden. Some explain it with the simple fact that Swedes spend a lot of time outdoors during winter and are prone to dragging in dirt. Others say it’s a sign of respect for the home. Either way, you might want to think twice before wearing full lace-up boots when visiting folks. #10 It is safe to drink the water Drinking straight from the tap is the norm in Sweden. The water is clean and fresh, so you can save both money and the environment by not buying bottled water.