Student blogs

Hej hej!

Here is the continuation of this series I started a few months ago, and has helped me realized all the little things that make Sweden an interesting place to live and study!

Cashless society

Before, I was used to certain restaurants requiring cash and not accepting you to pay by card. However, in Stockholm, I have seen the opposite, there are a few places that do not accept cash and only take card payments! So, I recommend people about to move here to not worry about getting Swedish crowns in cash, having a bank card works just fine. I think it is very interesting how cashless the society is!   

Ingressive sounds when Swedish people agree

In Sweden, sometimes when you are talking to someone, you might hear a noise that sounds like they are sort of taking in air through their mouth in the middle of the conversation. This means yes! In the beginning, it did not sound like a very “yes, I agree with you” sound, but now that I have gotten used to it, I get it. So, don’t be too confused (or scared) when you hear the noise, it is normal.

Apparently, it is more common in the northern areas than in the southern areas, and ingressive sounds happen in other Scandinavian languages as well (and even in Atlantic Canada)!

A.C. not common in apartments

I believe it is not that common for apartments to have it, maybe because temperatures are usually not that high. But late May and June were really hot in Stockholm, and it’s a bit difficult to sleep when it is that warm. I have to admit that I am a fan of A.C. and I kind of missed it.

Public places do have air conditioning though, so it could be much worse