A Foreigner’s guide to Sweden

Don’t smile at strangers, complain about the weather and buy a lot from Ikea. Joanna Tsai gives you the ultimate guide on how to be polite and blend in in Sweden.

• Men, NO chivalrous acts, including holding the door and letting women pass first.
• Don’t smile at strangers.
• Offer your flatmates tea or coffee if you’re making some for yourself.
• Put the toilet seat lid down after using it.
• Tell people you’re in a relationship even if you’re not so they don’t think you’re hitting on them when you only want to be friends.
• Invite prospective friends or lovers out for coffee (aka “fika”) to get to know them, NOT to your house.  Only those that’ve passed the test get invited over.
• And if you get invited over, take off your shoes!
• Quality, not quantity when it comes to your social circle.
• Your home decorating skills, or lack of, will be noticed.
• Buy a lot, but not everything, from Ikea.
• Create a cozy atmosphere when socializing at home by lighting candles.  Also, realize that this does not imply a romantic atmosphere in Sweden.
• Have fika around 3pm.
• Complain and talk about the weather.
• You have a better chance of making friends in the summer when people are happy.
• Be modest and if you tell someone about an accomplish, down play it or seem not as excited as you really are (“jantelagen”).
• Dance like crazy with friends at the nation clubs whether you are a girl or boy and don’t sleezily hit on people.

All in all, Sweden is great, although it’s sometimes surprising that there are so many cultural differences despite the fact that Sweden is a developed Western country that is America-friendly.

So even if you think Sweden might not be exotic enough for you adventurous travelling types, if your eyes are really open and you want to explore a different culture, I’d still recommend Sweden.