https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Sweden in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed If you're ever fortunate enough to spend a full year in Sweden, you'd better be prepared for a whole universe of unusual traditions. Podcaster Oliver Gee of The Earful Sweden shares what he considers to be the five most unusual traditions in a Swedish year. https://www.thelocal.se/20210121/a-crash-course-in-weird-swedish-traditions Thu, 21 Jan 2021 11:49:02 +0100 a-crash-course-in-weird-swedish-traditions Swedes are a rather intriguing bunch, says podcaster Oliver Gee, who after ten years mingling with the Swedes has listed ten of their oddest traits. https://www.thelocal.se/20200909/ten-weird-habits-of-the-swedes-oliver-gee Wed, 09 Sep 2020 12:52:13 +0200 ten-weird-habits-of-the-swedes-oliver-gee There are plenty of Swedish traits that quickly become part of your everyday life. We want to know what Swedish habits The Local's readers can't shake off. https://www.thelocal.se/20190510/tell-us-what-swedish-habits-have-you-picked-up Fri, 10 May 2019 13:31:30 +0200 tell-us-what-swedish-habits-have-you-picked-up If you've lived in Sweden (or read The Local) for a while, you are probably familiar with the social norms. But for a newbie, certain quirks can be confusing. Brit Ellie Day recounts the mistakes she made when she first moved to Sweden – so you don't have to repeat them. https://www.thelocal.se/20180314/warning-8-faux-pas-to-avoid-committing-as-a-newbie-in-sweden Wed, 14 Mar 2018 08:59:59 +0100 warning-8-faux-pas-to-avoid-committing-as-a-newbie-in-sweden Matthias Kamann, the author of 'How to be Swedish: a quick guide to Swedishness in 55 steps' shares his ten best tips for Swedifying yourself. https://www.thelocal.se/20170712/how-to-be-swedish-in-ten-easy-steps Wed, 12 Jul 2017 17:19:31 +0200 how-to-be-swedish-in-ten-easy-steps After a while in Sweden, many foreigners find themselves turning a bit Swedish. Here are ten signs that you might have been here for just a bit too long. https://www.thelocal.se/20140402/ten-signs-you-know-youve-been-in-sweden-too-long-2 Wed, 02 Apr 2014 18:55:00 +0200 ten-signs-you-know-youve-been-in-sweden-too-long-2 A tough-love guide to integration in Sweden, from librarian and pre-school teacher Amy Johansson who has been there, and done that. https://www.thelocal.se/20170315/11-tough-love-ways-to-integrate-in-sweden Wed, 15 Mar 2017 07:59:59 +0100 11-tough-love-ways-to-integrate-in-sweden OPINION: Neil Shipley, originally from the UK, writes about why he is proud to call himself Swedish. https://www.thelocal.se/20170228/do-not-buy-into-the-lies-spread-about-sweden Tue, 28 Feb 2017 07:59:00 +0100 do-not-buy-into-the-lies-spread-about-sweden The struggle to try to integrate is one many internationals experience, and Sweden is no exception. So what exactly does it take to be considered truly Swedish, according to the Swedes themselves? https://www.thelocal.se/20170214/heres-what-swedes-say-it-takes-to-be-truly-swedish Tue, 14 Feb 2017 16:54:24 +0100 heres-what-swedes-say-it-takes-to-be-truly-swedish In this guest blog post, American Kevin Buckley sinks his teeth into one of Sweden's most peculiar traditions: lördagsgodis. https://www.thelocal.se/20170123/sweet-tooth-why-are-the-swedes-obsessed-with-candy Mon, 23 Jan 2017 13:17:13 +0100 sweet-tooth-why-are-the-swedes-obsessed-with-candy We look back at ten of our most-read lists about Swedes, Sweden and Swedishness this year. https://www.thelocal.se/20161228/top-10-lists-that-tell-you-all-you-need-to-know-about-swedishness Wed, 28 Dec 2016 07:59:59 +0100 top-10-lists-that-tell-you-all-you-need-to-know-about-swedishness A foreigner with terrible Swedish complains about terrible words used in Swedish. https://www.thelocal.se/20161215/eight-horrible-swedish-words-that-get-on-my-nerves Thu, 15 Dec 2016 13:31:17 +0100 eight-horrible-swedish-words-that-get-on-my-nerves If you're a foreigner who's got used to living life "the Swedish way", or a Swede who's moved abroad, common conversations with locals in other countries can end up feeling rather strange. https://www.thelocal.se/20160113/nine-chats-that-are-only-odd-if-you-live-in-sweden Wed, 13 Jan 2016 08:30:36 +0100 nine-chats-that-are-only-odd-if-you-live-in-sweden British writer Clement Boateng loves his new life in Sweden. He just wishes someone had warned him about these ten things first... https://www.thelocal.se/20161207/ten-things-i-wish-someone-had-told-me-before-i-moved-to-sweden Wed, 07 Dec 2016 07:59:59 +0100 ten-things-i-wish-someone-had-told-me-before-i-moved-to-sweden The Local's intern Saina Behnejad, whose Iranian parents moved from Stockholm to London when she was five, explains why she will always keep returning to Sweden. https://www.thelocal.se/20160805/im-one-of-those-people-who-dont-know-where-they-belong-sweden Fri, 05 Aug 2016 12:14:32 +0200 im-one-of-those-people-who-dont-know-where-they-belong-sweden The Local's Swedish Editor Emma Löfgren moved back to her home country in 2015 after years abroad. She's so happy she doesn't have to hear any of these things any more. https://www.thelocal.se/20160518/things-swedes-get-tired-of-hearing-abroad Wed, 18 May 2016 08:59:59 +0200 things-swedes-get-tired-of-hearing-abroad Swedes abroad miss a lot of things about home but many of them have got no time for the tax system or the business climate, a new survey shows. https://www.thelocal.se/20160304/why-lots-of-swedes-abroad-wont-come-back Fri, 04 Mar 2016 12:17:44 +0100 why-lots-of-swedes-abroad-wont-come-back Do the Swedes have certain habits you just can't work out? Here, The Local's Emma Löfgren, who returned to Sweden from the UK four years ago, lists some of the Nordic traits that leave her foreign friends bemused. https://www.thelocal.se/20150422/my-swedish-habits-that-foreigners-just-dont-get Wed, 22 Apr 2015 08:57:49 +0200 my-swedish-habits-that-foreigners-just-dont-get To literally translate a proverb is a silly thing to do. But when some Swedish proverbs translate to such ridiculous things as "getting your beard stuck in the letterbox", we realized we simply had to gather more. Here are the top ten. https://www.thelocal.se/20130424/47540 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:21:00 +0200 47540 Sweden can be a difficult country to integrate into at the best of times, but what about the opposite? How hard it is to get under the skin of the Swedes? Check out The Local's guide to exactly what really makes a Swede tick. https://www.thelocal.se/20130227/46446 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:31:00 +0100 46446