10 Interesting Things I’ve Learned About Sweden So Far (in no particular order):

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When entering a Swedish house, you remove your shoes and either put on a pair of โ€œinside shoesโ€ that you bring with you, or just wear your socks.

Sweden is very green-sustainability is almost universally embraced here.

Sweden has 8 political parties currently represented in the Riksdag Administration (like Parliament). Not 2โ€ฆbut 8.

Many American foods have been integrated into the Swedish food scene. Pizza, hamburgers and hot dogs are everywhere.  Frequently, restaurant/cafรฉ meals include a salad, bread, and kaffe (coffee) or te (tea).

Coffee is very popular in Sweden, VERY.  But you will only find Starbucks in 1 airport and 2 train stations. Many say the local coffee houses are better.  (As a tea drinker, I can neither confirm nor deny this)

There is NO bottled water, unless itโ€™s carbonated.  People drink tap water here. And live.

Finland was once part of Sweden.

Sweden is a monarchy (similar to Englandโ€™s monarchy). The Royal Family consists of King Carl XVI Gustav, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine, Mr. Christopher Oโ€™Neal, Princess Estelle, and Princess Leonore.

Fika is a Swedish term for coffee break.  It usually includes pastries, coffee and tea. Fika is both a noun and a verb.

Spotify, Electrolux and H & M are all Swedish exports. Swedish Fish candy is not.

Mellanie Griffin-Michael

<i>*BASAA Scholarship</i> Hello! My name is Mellanie, and I am a third year psychology student at Lesley University. Lesleyโ€™s campus is in Cambridge near Boston, MA but I am located in Atlanta, GA. What a commute, right?? Actually, I am an adult student in the online bachelorโ€™s program. Iโ€™m also the mother of two โ€œtraditional-agedโ€ college students, and when Iโ€™m not studying, or working as the receptionist at a user experience research firm, I am likely to be found listening to music, spending time with friends, practicing my Russian or some combination of the same. Iโ€™m planning to travel to Orebro University in Sweden as an exchange student for the fall semester. In addition to taking psychology and Swedish social policy courses, I will also be learning the Swedish language. Additionally, I plan to visit St Petersburg and try out my Russian skills, and to work with a local womenโ€™s or childrenโ€™s charity during my six months abroad. As a non-traditional student, the idea of simply returning to school to pursue my dream of becoming a psychologist seemed so large and almost insurmountable when I started this journey. Now, I am not only looking at the finish line on my bachelorโ€™s degree, but also at being the first adult online student from my school to participate in the exchange program. Not to mention traveling outside of the U.S. for the first time in my life. Itโ€™s exciting, humbling, and a little scaryโ€ฆbut Iโ€™m ready. Adjรถ fรถr nu (โ€œGoodbye for nowโ€ in Swedish)!