Having spent the better part of the last two years in Sweden, I find it pretty interesting how much rivalry there is between cities/areas of Sweden. A city from the north makes fun of each different area in the south in a different way, Malmo versus Stockholm versus Goteborg (and vice versa south to north).... and not only that within the area (say Norrland) they make fun of the people from different communites relatively close by. Like saying the people from a town 10km away talk funny, (it is interesting to have so many different accents in a small area (Sweden) compared to Canada.....it would be like having 20 fairly different accents all in Manitoba).
In Canada people get on eachother about where you live or are from but in general it is not that bad and lots of the time based on a sports team rivalry (other than francophone/anglophone issues which can get real heated)...Rivalries and badmouthing do exist for sure but I do not notice it as much. In general, people seems a little more appreciative of the other areas of Canada, not that Swedes aren`t , I just notice the rivalry a bit more.This could be just me, being new here,being more aware and the people trying to educate me about Sweden promote their areas a little more.
Anyways....I really like Malmo and area (and stockholm and lulea and goteborg). It is not unsafe (even in 'sketchy' areas and at night). Though maybe it is for a Swede, but I have a feeling a lot of this is based on Swedish rivalry. The city itself is pretty charming, the centrum pretty classic european style with fun nightlife and friendly people. It is close to Copenhagen, so time there is a must, one of my favourites in Scandanavia, but do not discount time in malmo as well (plus 20 euro a day on trains does add up if you were to stay in cph).
Things are generally more expensive here than north america. About 7-10 dollars for a beer in a bar, ....cheaper in cph, only slightly more expensive than Canada for grocery store/liquor store...though beware in Sweden you can only get 3.5% beer when system bolaget is not open (most of the time
), in cph cold 4-5% beers anytime/anywhere. Food relatively the same, more pricey, kebab/burger-fast food is about 7-10$ a meal. Easy to pay 30-50$ for a nicer dine in meal (in general restaurants here serve up better food than the same type in Canada). Expect to pay 100$ a night for a small hotel room close to centrum, and by small i mean small.). So it is pricey here, but just be glad it is not in Norway, unless you are making Norwegian money, Norway is crazy expensive.
Anyways do it! The Swedes are awesome people, while a little shy and quiet to start they quickly open up after a bit of talking (or a few drinks), just make them feel that their english really good (which it is , they just need to hear it). Don't act like a North American idiot on spring break and you will make friends quickly. They are knowledgable and passionate about hockey, just make sure you like at least a few Swedish players
They have some really good Swedish food if ya want...reindeer, cloudberries, hardbread and caviar and every kind of cheese in a tube you could want (from bacon cheese to shrimp cheese),and max burger for your fast food cravings is a nice time (compared to bk and mc`ds). It will be Christmas and if you are lucky some will invite you over for gingerbread with blue cheese and glogg. You get to celebrate chirstmas a day early, and everyone here thinks the rest of the world does that and North americans are weird for celebrating a day late (while the opposite is true). You will learn drinking songs, christmas songs and in general the Swedes like singing when they party or on any holiday (not only when they talk
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And yes, Swedish girls are very cute, carry themselves well, speak english very well and think a Canadian accent is adorable (guess why I live here now with mig honung ...I know you dont say that Swedes, but a little Canadian swenglish does wonders)...just to try to out fancy the Swedish guys, they take care of themselves at least as well as the girls if not more.
thats what I got for ya.
swedes, please dont jump on me for any misspellings, misinterpretations or generalizations, but please correct if im wrong.
