Canadian Woman Moves To Sweden, Lists The Culture Shocks She Experienced In A Viral TikTok Series (17 Culture Shocks)


Have you ever visited a country and felt like everything there is a gazillion times better than at home? Its people, culture, food, environment, architecture, perhaps even the sense of personal security – whatever. 


For some, it might be because you get to break out of the tedious routine and experience something fresh and new; however, for Madeline Robson, a Canadian who has been living in Sweden for over four years, it happened to be more than just novelty, as the place has indeed proven to be pretty grand! 


More info: TikTok | Instagram | Madeline's Website



Image credits: madeline.rae


#1


My salary is actually higher this month since I took some vacation. Yeah, you always get paid a little bit more on vacation days to incentivize you to take the time off.


Image credits: Nubia Navarro (nubikini)


Good news! Bored Panda was lucky enough to get through to Madeline and pose a couple of questions about her life in Sweden. First things first, we invited the TikToker to introduce herself: "My name is Madeline Robson and I am a Canadian who has been living in Malmö, Sweden, for over four years. I originally come from Windsor, Ontario. I work in marketing, particularly with communications and social media, and started sharing my experiences and culture shocks living abroad in Sweden back in 2020 on TikTok. After a while, I started sharing on Instagram as well and now have over 300,000 followers across both platforms."


We then wondered how Madeline ended up in Malmö, to which she replied: "I met my Swedish fiancé while traveling in New Orleans. I was there for a bachelorette party with a group of friends and met him in a bar on the last night of my trip. He was traveling solo in the US. I went back to Canada the next day, never expecting to see him again. But we kept in touch and texting turned into video chatting. And a few weeks later he asked me if he could come visit me. Our second date lasted almost two weeks in Canada, and then a few months later I went to Malmö for the first time to spend Christmas with him and his family. Over the next year, we dated long-distance and traveled a lot, and then I was ready for a big change and decided to move to Sweden to be with him. I was only planning to stay a year or two, but over four years later I have no plans to leave."


#2


I've actually been thinking seriously, I might go back to school. I mean, why not? The tuition is free, of course, and the government pays you an allowance while you're studying. And then I'll just take a loan for my living expenses because it's basically interest free.


Image credits: Pixabay


Now, we were also curious about what inspired Madeline to start the TikTok video series: "Working in social media, I was very curious about the platform and how many creators were growing quickly. In late 2020/early 2021, I gained over 150,000 followers by sharing my culture shocks. Now, it has been two years since those mega-viral videos and I had learned so much more about Swedish culture along the way, so I decided to revive it as a POV series. And was surprised to see how many people were still interested in learning about all the little things about living in Sweden that I find so special."


It would also be criminal not to ask the TikToker about her favorite thing about Sweden: "There's a lot of things I love about living here, particularly in Malmö, but the biggest improvement in my life has been in my work-life balance, which is what I was sharing about in my recently viral video. The anticipation of summer break at this time of year is something I never thought I would experience again once I became an adult. And having at least 25 days of vacation that I am encouraged to take gives me time to prioritize and take care of myself."


#3


My son is sick today so I'm actually going to stay home and VAB. Oh, no, no, no, it's not a problem. I still get paid to stay home with him when he's sick.


Image credits: Polina Tankilevitch


#4


My friends just bought a house in the countryside, so I'm heading out there to visit them today. Oh, no, no, I still don't have a car but since you can get anywhere by public transit, I'll just take the bus.


Image credits: Mads Thomsen


Last but certainly not least, BP pondered whether Madeline has any advice she would like to offer to those who are thinking about packing their bags and legging it to Sweden: "This advice applies to anyone wanting to take a big step and move abroad. I think it's easy to watch videos like the ones in this series and romanticize a big move abroad, but it isn't a decision that should be taken lightly. Moving to a new country can be challenging and stressful, and it is a big sacrifice in many ways to be so far away from home. Navigating everyday life in a country that you didn't grow up in, learning a new language, and finding your community is hard. All that to say that I wouldn't change a thing and I am so happy with the life I have chosen. But there are a lot of days that I miss home, too."


#5


Speaking of vacation, I was thinking I'll take four weeks off this summer. Actually, my employer is making it mandatory take at least three weeks of paid time off to reset. But I thought a month would be really nice


Image credits: Leeloo Thefirst


#6


I'm actually thinking I'll only take 10 or 11 months of parental leave and then my husband he'll take 6. And then anything left over will just save for later.


Image credits: Polina Tankilevitch


Are you already contemplating buying plane tickets? Yes or yes? Either way, we hope that you've enjoyed these eye-opening disparities, and in case you want to find out more, we've already covered an article on Madeline's TikTok – so make sure to check it out too! Also, don't hesitate to give her a follow and let us know which fact has surprised you the most.


#7


I think the hardest part for me is the darkness, you can not really understand the darkness unless you've lived through a winter here, it's about five hours of peak hear in Malmo, and this is the most southern city in Sweden, it is hard. So if you're someone who is heavily affected by the weather, this is probably not the place for you to live.


Image credits: Alex Fu


#8


Oh no, I don't have an education fund for my kids because university is free, but I am saving up to help them buy their first apartment.


Image credits: cottonbro studio


#9


I just got back from the doctor and they are recommending that I try new medicine. But I was shocked it is so expensive. Thankfully, we only have to pay a maximum of 2,400 kr ($220) per year for prescriptions.


Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk


#10


When you go to a formal dinners, Swedes will actually like to encourage you to sit with people you don't know. This isn't applied to all dinners, of course, but I've been to weddings, work events, dinner parties, where the host actually made a seating arrangement that encourages you to get to know someone new.


Image credits: Jonathan Borba


#11


A lot of people talk about the cost of living in Sweden. And I think that the essentials are quite fair, considering how much people make here. But it's the cost of the extras or the non essentials that are really expensive. So things like going to a movie, grabbing a drink, staying in a hotel, that can be really, really pricey. And seeing that there's a lot less consumer choice also makes things feel a bit more expensive.


Image credits: EVG Kowalievska


#12


Swedes are generally most comfortable when they're leaning on activity as a social security net. Let me explain this. So let's say you go to a party, there's a very high likelihood that the Swede will bring out a game to help stimulate the socializing or make up a quiz to get people talking about something. And this isn't just friends, if you go to a work event, there's often also an icebreaker activity. And the one that surprised me the most is when you go to a Swedish wedding. They play games during the reception.


Image credits: cottonbro studio


#13


Now, Swedes are known culturally for keeping to themselves and being a bit more reserved, and taking a long time to warm up to people. So I know a lot of people who said they really struggled to make friends in Sweden. When I first moved here, I hung out in the international community a lot, because that was an easy way for me to make friends. Over time, I have made Swedish friends. But it has been an effort, you really have to put yourself out there. And that's something to consider if maybe you're a shy person, because I've heard of a lot of people feeling very, very lonely here.


Image credits: Leah Kelley


#14


This inflation is the worst my daycare bill just went up from 1,000 to 1,200 kr ($92 to $110).


Image credits: The Come Up Show


#15


The next one is language, which may seem a bit obvious, but I think people underestimate how hard it is to exist in a new country, when you don't feel comfortable in the language. Swedish it's just really hard to learn. And I truly feel anxious and insecure about my language every single day. So living with that every day is actually really, really challenging. And something that people don't talk about a lot, but something to consider if you're going to move to a new country


Image credits: Efrem Efre


#16


One of the biggest downsides, it's the weather. Here in Malmo rarely snows in the winter. So it's really gray and really rainy, almost all the time, which is a really hard adjustment.


Image credits: Nikolai


#17


Did you hear they changed the cafeteria food at the kids school? I know I should be thankful that it's free but my kids are just not fans of "vegan Monday."


Image credits: Deeana Arts