The Cultural Shock
One thing Rotary talks about a lot before you head off to unknown lands is 'the cultural shock'. As we all know, each and every country has its own customs and traditions particular to them. Some of these are very obvious from the beginning, so that tourists immediately pick up on them. Other cutltural aspects can be rather hidden though and harder to depict. In fact, some of these small cultural changes have taken me two months in Sweden to really notice, and I'm sure there are still more I'm yet to discover.
In these past two months, I have slowly grown accustomed to the Swedish ways - immersing myself within the culture. While some of these have been rather easy to follow, I still find myself slipping back into my Australian habits at times. This can be for things as simple as crossing the road. Since Australia drives on the left side of the road, I always feel the need to look both directions for both sides of the road, as I never feel quite sure about which way the traffic might come. I still find it confusing when I see the cars moving in the opposite direction around the roundabout, or how the passenger seat is now located on the right of the car. Simple as it may seem, old habits die hard. This has been something I noticed from day 1 of my exchange, and still find confusing.
Another cultural change that you learn very quickly in Sweden is the unspoken law of ALWAYS taking your shoes off when entering a house. To walk inside while still wearing shoes is considered highly disrespectful here in Sweden. Luckily this has been a rather easy cultural change to adjust to because, while not always expected in Australia, I would usually take off my shoes. However, I do sometimes find it funny to see the stacks of shoes which seem to bombard the entries of every single Swede's house. I'm not kidding - every. single. house. If you are planning to finish off a really cool outfit with some fancy shoes, don't expect anyone to actually see them for more than 30 seconds of which you are spending taking off your jacket and then removing your shoes.
Now let's move onto some of the particular personality traits of the Swedes. This is just a general overview, because of course, everyone is different, however, these are some habits which differ to what I have experienced in Australia. Throughout the past 2 months, I have learnt that the Swedes are rather independent individuals and like to have their own space. This means that when you are walking down the street and passing by a stranger, it is uncommon here to make eye contact or say hello. I sometimes still find myself smiling at strangers who probably think I have either mistaken them for a friend or I'm really weird. I'm going to assume the latter. This is also seen on buses where people will try their best not to sit next to strangers, and for those of you who have seen the bus station meme...yes, this can be quite legitimate at times. They are also quite comfortable in moments of silence. They don't tend to fill conversations with unecessary small talk (or at least...I think that's the case. It can be quite difficult to assume when you don't quite understand the language). I believe the Swedes like to keep things nice and simple, which is why I believe the northerners have designed a very convenient reply to conversations. A sharp intake of breath - nope, they aren't completely shocked about something, it just means yes. I can't say this habit has quite sinked in for me.
Finally, let me talk about school here in Sweden. While I mentioned some of the small changes in my post titled The School Life of a Swede, I have learnt a fair bit more since that first day. Firstly, equality is a very important concept in Sweden. This can be seen just through the relationship between students and teachers. While there is a level of respect given to the teacher, there is also this feeling of equality where the teacher is on the same level as the students, rather than someone of higher authority looking down on the students. The students also refer to their teachers by their first names. At first I found this really shocking as I instantly assumed it would be considered rude. Even now I feel the temptation of calling out to teachers as 'Miss' or 'Sir'. Continuing with the concept of equality, my school does not segregate male and female bathrooms. I spent countless times looking for a sign before finally just asking one of my friends which toilet was for women, and was surprised to hear they are all shared. I still feel awkward about it though.
I could continue to go on about all the cultural differences between Sweden and Australia, but hopefully this overview allows you to understand what 'the cultural shock' really is. There are so many small things you would never even consider that are completely different in other countries. However, I love learning about them and seeing that there is no one set way of going about certain things in society. There is no single right way. Hopefully my friends here in Sweden also understand that next time I do something culturally strange!
In these past two months, I have slowly grown accustomed to the Swedish ways - immersing myself within the culture. While some of these have been rather easy to follow, I still find myself slipping back into my Australian habits at times. This can be for things as simple as crossing the road. Since Australia drives on the left side of the road, I always feel the need to look both directions for both sides of the road, as I never feel quite sure about which way the traffic might come. I still find it confusing when I see the cars moving in the opposite direction around the roundabout, or how the passenger seat is now located on the right of the car. Simple as it may seem, old habits die hard. This has been something I noticed from day 1 of my exchange, and still find confusing.
Another cultural change that you learn very quickly in Sweden is the unspoken law of ALWAYS taking your shoes off when entering a house. To walk inside while still wearing shoes is considered highly disrespectful here in Sweden. Luckily this has been a rather easy cultural change to adjust to because, while not always expected in Australia, I would usually take off my shoes. However, I do sometimes find it funny to see the stacks of shoes which seem to bombard the entries of every single Swede's house. I'm not kidding - every. single. house. If you are planning to finish off a really cool outfit with some fancy shoes, don't expect anyone to actually see them for more than 30 seconds of which you are spending taking off your jacket and then removing your shoes.
Now let's move onto some of the particular personality traits of the Swedes. This is just a general overview, because of course, everyone is different, however, these are some habits which differ to what I have experienced in Australia. Throughout the past 2 months, I have learnt that the Swedes are rather independent individuals and like to have their own space. This means that when you are walking down the street and passing by a stranger, it is uncommon here to make eye contact or say hello. I sometimes still find myself smiling at strangers who probably think I have either mistaken them for a friend or I'm really weird. I'm going to assume the latter. This is also seen on buses where people will try their best not to sit next to strangers, and for those of you who have seen the bus station meme...yes, this can be quite legitimate at times. They are also quite comfortable in moments of silence. They don't tend to fill conversations with unecessary small talk (or at least...I think that's the case. It can be quite difficult to assume when you don't quite understand the language). I believe the Swedes like to keep things nice and simple, which is why I believe the northerners have designed a very convenient reply to conversations. A sharp intake of breath - nope, they aren't completely shocked about something, it just means yes. I can't say this habit has quite sinked in for me.
Finally, let me talk about school here in Sweden. While I mentioned some of the small changes in my post titled The School Life of a Swede, I have learnt a fair bit more since that first day. Firstly, equality is a very important concept in Sweden. This can be seen just through the relationship between students and teachers. While there is a level of respect given to the teacher, there is also this feeling of equality where the teacher is on the same level as the students, rather than someone of higher authority looking down on the students. The students also refer to their teachers by their first names. At first I found this really shocking as I instantly assumed it would be considered rude. Even now I feel the temptation of calling out to teachers as 'Miss' or 'Sir'. Continuing with the concept of equality, my school does not segregate male and female bathrooms. I spent countless times looking for a sign before finally just asking one of my friends which toilet was for women, and was surprised to hear they are all shared. I still feel awkward about it though.I could continue to go on about all the cultural differences between Sweden and Australia, but hopefully this overview allows you to understand what 'the cultural shock' really is. There are so many small things you would never even consider that are completely different in other countries. However, I love learning about them and seeing that there is no one set way of going about certain things in society. There is no single right way. Hopefully my friends here in Sweden also understand that next time I do something culturally strange!
.JPG)
Comments
Post a Comment