Ketemu artikel menarik dari TheLokal.se, situs berita Swedia berbahasa Inggris. Artikelnya membahas hal2 unik tentang Swedia yang cukup berguna untuk siapapun yang berniat tinggal di Swedia. Aku akan copas point2nya (tapi ga semua), tapi akan nambahin info sesuai sama yang aku alami sendiri disini..

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1. Start building your coffee tolerance

According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), Sweden ranks 2nd in the world after Finland in terms of coffee consumption per person. Coffee drinking is fostered through a tradition called fika — in which friends, family, and/or colleagues meet for coffee or tea.

Fika is often enjoyed with freshly baked pastries such as cinnamon buns (kanelbullar), collectively called fikabröd. What makes the concept of fika intriguing to foreigners is the sheer frequency at which it is observed each day. It’s not uncommon to grab a cup of coffee after breakfast, after lunch, before dinner, and after dinner. This tradition is an opportunity for Swedes to set aside a few moments each day for quality bonding over coffee.

–> Memang orang Swedia suka banget ngopi. Si bubu dikantornya punya coffee break time 2 kali. Pertama sebelum makan siang dan keduanya sesudah makan siang. Biasanya coffee break ini selain buat refreshing di sela2 waktu kerja, juga sekalian untuk bersosialisasi sama temen sekantor. Selain itu kedai kopi di Swedia ada dimana2. 2 merek yang terkenal adalah Espresso House & Wayne’s Coffee. Merek2 seperti Starbucks dan Coffee Bean entah kenapa ga masuk ke Swedia.

2. Keep that plastic bag

Before you toss out that plastic bag, you may want to reconsider. Most grocery stores will charge you a few kronor for plastic or paper bags in an effort to keep waste low and encourage recycling. Sweden is one of the most eco-friendly countries on Earth, and its capital Stockholm was awarded the European Green Capital distinction in 2010 which recognizes exemplary recycling and sustainability efforts.

–> Kayaknya aku pernah nulis sedikit tentang ini.. Disini setiap belanja di supermarket harus kudu musti bawa plastik besar sendiri. Setiap plastik baru yang kita beli di supermarket harganya bisa sampai 5kr. Itu lumayan banget kalau dikumpulin. Biasanya orang2 baru beli plastik kalau mereka ga rencana belanja trus tiba2 butuh. Supermarketnya kadang2 nyediain plastik gratis sih, tapi kebanyakan bentuknya plastik bening yang kita pakai kalau beli buah/sayur di pasar swalayan itu (tanpa pegangan).

3. You can probably get by with English for decades, but…

Chances are you can live in Sweden for years without learning a lick of Swedish. That’s because many Swedes are fluent in English and are always happy to switch so they can practice their English on you. This means it might take you longer to properly learn the language, and the Catch-22 is that fluency in Swedish is crucial to full integration. Signing up for SFI (Swedish For Immigrants) — which is free and provided by the Swedish National Agency for Education — could be a step in the right direction.

–> Hampir semua orang di Swedia bisa bahasa Inggris tapi ga semua. Aku pernah ke dokter dan si dokternya ga bisa bahasa Inggris. Mungkin bisa tapi ga mau ngomong sama sekali. Akhirnya ya terpaksa dengan kemampuan bahasa Swedia seadanya harus bisa jelasin sakitnya kenapa dll dan juga harus dengerin penjelasan di Dokter dalam bahasa Swedia… Jadi gimanapun juga ga bisa terus2an bergantung sama bahasa inggris.

 

4. Get your shopping done before 5 p.m. (if you can)

Many stores close early, especially at weekends and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a store open past 9 p.m. that isn’t a gas station. One explanation is the numerous trade unions that enforce workers’ rights and place more emphasis on maintaining healthy work-live balances, thus improving overall quality of life. Swedes work to live, not live to work. It’s worth keeping in mind that since many Swedes are done with their regular jobs around 5 p.m., you’ll likely be battling crowds to get your shopping done between 5 and 6.30 p.m.

–> Rasanya dulu udah pernah cerita tentang ini. Di Swedia kebanyakan toko2 tutup jam 6an dan waktu weekend kecuali supermarket dan restoran yang biasanya tutup jam 9 atau 10 malem. Tapi bagus juga sih, jadi orang2 disini ga selalu harus nyari hiburan ke mal.. bisa ngelakuin aktivitas lain.

 

5. Daddies pushing strollers

When it comes to equality between the sexes, Sweden is one of the leaders, and men here definitely pull their own weight in staying home and raising infant children. Couples are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave, and this time can be shared between parents. So you’ll often find new fathers with parked strollers and babies strapped to their chests, having lunch and fika dates with other dads.

–> Bukan pemandangan aneh kalau dijalan tiba2 liat papa2 muda lagi dorong strollernya sendirian tanpa istri. Entah lagi di taman atau di bus ada aja bapak2 yang sibuk sama anaknya. Hal ini karena yang udah disebut diatas ditambah juga kebanyakan keluarga muda disini ga mampu (dan jarang ada juga) nyewa babysitter. Jadi mau ga mau ya harus ngerjain sendirian. Ga ada yang namanya risih atau ngerasa kalau cuma tugas si istri untuk ngurusin baby-nya. Sesuatu yang kayaknya beberapa cowo2 Indo harus banyak belajar..

 

6. Melodifestivalen

Few events unite (or divide) the entire country as strongly as Melodifestivalen. This widely popular music event, held every February through March, is a welcome distraction on long dark winter nights. Melodifestivalen is an annual national music competition and its voted winner goes on to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest which pits European countries against each other musically. Melodifestivalen launched the career of a certain band named ABBA, which went on to win the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo”.

–> Demam Melodifestivalen di Swedia itu kayak apa ya kalo di Indo.. hmmmm… mungkin kayak AFI jaman dulu gitu lah, dimana2 semua orang kayaknya pasti nonton. Hype-nya tinggi banget. Sehari setelah penayangan finalnya kayaknya dimana2 yang dibahas cuma tentang si melodifestivalen aja.. 😛

 

7. Winters are really cold, dark, and can be depressing

It’s no secret that Sweden’s geographical location makes it prone to cold, dark winters. At the depth of winter in some northern parts of the country above the Arctic Circle, you might get as little as three hours of sunlight per day. And in Sweden’s northernmost city, Kiruna, you get no (as in zero) hours of daylight. While winters can be rough, you’ll be rewarded during summer with long hours of daylight and moderately warm temperatures which make Sweden one of the most beautiful places to be in during May to August.

–> Been there done that… Winter di Swedia memang agak2 bikin depresi. Mungkin karena gimanapun juga namanya orang Indonesia yang setiap hari ketemu matahari pas winter disini matahari ga muncul sama sekali.. pastilah berasa bedanya. Belum lagi dinginnya ampun2an. Setiap pakai baju harus 3-4 lapis biar tetep anget. Kalau udah masuk rumah, harus keluar lagi rasanya malesssss banget. Setiap keluar kayaknya pakai baju yang sama terus, abis cuma keliatan sepatu, jeans sama jaketnya.

 

8. Be on time

It is common knowledge here that “time” should be respected at all times — regardless of whether you’re going for an interview or meeting up with friends for fika (unless in the case of emergencies). Meetings will start on time with or without you. The train will leave on time with or without you. While many cultures may have more relaxed attitudes towards appointments, here in Sweden, time truly waits for no man because Swedes value punctuality.

–> Kebiasaan yang ini agak susah buat orang Indo yang terkenal suka ngaret. Tapi emang disini kalau udah bilang mau dateng jam segitu jarang banget telat. Kalaupun iya pasti nelp dan ngabarin kenapa. Di kelas SFI kebiasan pada suka dateng telat (tanpa ngabarin), akhirnya guru di kelas kesel juga dan setelah itu dia bilang batas waktu telat cuma 15 menit, kalau dateng lebih telat dari itu dia ga akan ngulang apa2 aja yang udah dia terangin dan ya mungkin ga masuk absen juga.. seyeeeem..

 

9. Business casual means jeans

General everyday fashion in Sweden is simple, relaxed, and casual. This same concept has seamlessly seeped its way into more formal business settings. Unless your colleague is meeting foreign clients or attending a high stakes board meeting, chances are they are wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

–> Baju kerja si bubu setiap hari kalau ke kantor dulu adalah T-Shirt & Jeans.. Setiaaaap hari. Sekarang dia ganti pakai polo shirt, tapi ga pernah lebih rapi dari itu. Baru berubah juga gara2 aku gerah liatnya… abis kayaknya santai banget. Kebayang dong di Indo kalau kerja bajunya harus kayak gimana? Untuk cowok setidaknya harus pakai kemeja dan celana bahan. Si bubu baru ganti pakai kemeja kalau ada kunjungan dari tamu2 kantornya aja. Itu pun jarang2. Entah kenapa disini ga terlalu bikin ribet masalah baju. Asal kerjaan beres ya gpp. Paling yang agak rapi baju2nya kalau kita ke Bank. Sisanya… ya santai…

 

10. It is safe to drink the water

Drinking straight from the tap is the norm and highly encouraged in Sweden. The water is clean, fresh, and ice cold so you can save tons of money (and the environment) by not buying bottled water.

–> Seperti di Singapore, di Swedia juga kita bisa langsung minum dari keran. Biasanya di setiap rumah sistem kerannya ada air panas dan dingin. Jadi ga perlu lagi masak air. Tapi sampai sekarang aku jarang banget minum langsung dari keran. Kalau di rumah, mertua pasti masak airnya. Kata beliau sih kebiasaan dari Indo yang ga bisa ilang sampai sekarang (walaupun udah tinggal disini 20 tahun lebih). Aku sendiri cuma minum air keran kalau di sekolah aja, itu juga gara2 sumber air putihnya cuma dari situ. Air botolan di Swedia juga ada sih, tapi kebanyakan berkarbonat. Jadi rasanya kayak minum coca-cola tapi hambar. Aku sih ga suka, padahal rasanya macem2.. ada apel, jeruk, dll dll.. cuma aneh aja.. air putih ada gasnya. -__-“

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Itulah 10 point yang aku ambil dari artikelnya. Untuk baca lebih lengkap bisa langsung lihat aja disana. Ada beberapa hal yang kurang lebih sama kayak di Indo (seperti harus lepas sepatu kalau mengunjungi rumah orang lain, atau tergila2 sama yang namanya ngopi ataupun nongkrong di coffee house), tapi ada juga yang unik banget dan butuh beberapa waktu untuk bisa nyesuain diri sama kebiasaan disini.