Swedish people through an Argentinian’s eyes

Written by Malena Rasetto

I think it’s time to bury the myth and tell the truth. Europeans are not cold as Argentinians are not warm, at least not all of them. If there is something I learned traveling is not to generalize people or things, but to observe them and to connect with them. In this article Swedish people through an Argentinian´s eyes, I will describe Swedish the way I see them.

I arrived in Sweden two months ago and I have so many wonderful things to say about them. The only comment I would accept is that the way Swedish people behave has to do mostly because of the weather, but I wonder, is that a bad thing? 

Of course, it’s not. 

Privacy

The first thing I noticed when I arrived in Sweden is the sense of privacy they have and how they respect others’ privacy too. I love that. 

You can see it from a school meeting to the way they keep their curtains up even during the evening. Everyone keeps their windows open and lights on during the whole day and it’s taken for granted that no one will be looking inside the neighbors’ houses. It may sound silly, but for an Argentinian, it’s something completely weird as we try to close the curtains even in the afternoon. 

Swedish people tend to be very independent, and private, they don’t give opinions or judge others for their problems or ways of living. 

Friendly 

In the same way, they are private they are friendly. The first time you meet a Swedish, they may look “cold” and “not funny”, but they are the opposite. According to my experience, they are trying to know you, to break the ice; once the ice is broken and they can connect with you, Swedish are the most friendly people you’ll ever meet. 

I think being friendly and private are related. According to these Argentinian’s eyes, they like to keep their own privacy but when they get to know you well enough you know you have made a friend for the rest of your life.

Open-minded

It is amazing to visit a country so developed. I love the way they see life and people. They accept each other and they are very curious about different lifestyles. 

Every time they ask me about my lifestyle as a backpacker, they listen to me paying a lot of attention and are curious about how I do it, but I never feel judged for that. On the contrary, I feel safe talking about the different ways of living and traveling I have experienced in my life. 

How the weather affects Swedish behavior

You may wonder what the weather has to do with it. 

What I mean is that in winter Swedish people are self-contained. Given the -20°C they have in the middle of January, it is kind of obvious they won’t go out often. For that same reason, they are private because they stay at home living their own life and enjoying their own circle. 

When it comes to summer, I haven’t experienced one here yet but I reckon they love going out to the lake and socializing with friends. 

Another aspect about Swedish people through an Argentinian’s eyes is the importance of sport in their everyday life. Even in winter, most of them go out for a walk, or go ice skating, skiing, or running. At least, that is what I have observed and what I admired the most in the north. Swedish people don’t mind the weather, even if it’s sunny or snowing, they are going out to enjoy nature.

Swedish traditions 

Fika 

Fika is a traditional meeting Swedish people have with friends or family. They meet up in a coffee shop or at home to have some tea or coffee and eat something sweet like a chocolate cake. Fika is a way for people of all ages to have fun with their loved ones.

I love this tradition because it is similar to the merienda (tea time at 17 pm) we have in Argentina. 

Winter bath

A traditional activity I am also enjoying myself is the famous winter bath. A winter bath means swimming in a frozen lake. Most people do it after a few minutes in a sauna but in my experience, I practice winter bath after a run or long walk. It’s all about breathing in order to relax your body. So I think that bravery is another adjective to describe Swedish. 

Swedish people through an Argentinian’s eyes

My experience

I entered Sweden last December. So far, I have been up north and down to the south and stayed with two Swedish families while interacting with locals.

I feel welcome and safe. I remember that in my first week in Sweden I needed to send a package and I didn’t have any idea how to do it here, soI asked for help from the staff. They were so patient, lovely, and helpful with me that I can’t be more thankful to them. I have to admit I was afraid they would look at me with a weird face judging me for asking how to send a package abroad. Please, understand that everything is in a new language and the post-service varies depending on the country. 

In my opinion, living with Swedish means discovering the culture from the inside, exchanging knowledge and lifestyles, learning every day. 

Every time I’m going to the supermarket, I experience good reactions from the staff when I don’t find a product or I don’t understand the ingredients. It might be obvious, but the way most Swedish behave in these little details means everything to me and I’m sure that it’s the same for any foreigner or expat. 

To sum up, I think that Swedish and Argentinians behave in a similar way even though the countries are far away from each other and that we have a completely different culture. 

Swedish people through an Argentinian’s eyes is about sharing the cultural exchange I’m experiencing. I hope you really enjoyed this article and I hope to see you all in the next article. Hej då.  

About the Author

Hej! I’m Malena. I’m an Argentinian travelling Sweden. After living in Ireland for 2 years and a half I decided to start backpacking Europe. I’ve been living with different families since then. I love to be around different cultures, I love outdoor activities like hiking and swimming. I love blogging, reading and writing. You can find me on Instagram as @malenarasetto. I really hope you enjoy my articles! Vi ses!