Why I Left Sweden! 

I live pretty far up north in Sweden and I love the dark months. There is a different kind of silence and calmness when its cold and dark that I havent found anywhere else 😊

"Moved to London for the lovely weather" That's something I never thought I would hear in my lifetime !

I could make the flip side of your video; why I left London and love living in Sweden. 😂 Quite frankly, I'm quite a few years older than you, so I don't buy into all the trend stuff, you can choose to ignore it. I feel so much safer as a woman going out alone in Stockholm than I ever did in the UK. It's not perfect here, but my quality of life is SO much better than it was in London.

The reasons you left Sweden are all the reasons why I wanna go there

"I love Sweden, but I belong here" teared me up a little! It's the same fe eling I have being an Italian immigrant living in London :)

Hiya! Japanese living in the UK here. I'm glad you decided to make London a home. You wouldn't have felt the same way if you decided to live in Tokyo. Tokyo is fun for visiting but living there as a foreigner without speaking the language would've given you a very tough time. Japanese people are not as accepting and welcoming as you think! 😊 9:14

In exactly two weeks I will celebrate my first year living in Spain. Emigrated from Brazil. Struggling mentally and socially a bit, but I don't regret taking the plunge. It was the scariest thing I ever did, and it makes me happy to know I can go through anything now.

I find the point about being an author very funny because a stereotype here in Germany is that there are a lot of crime writers in sweden. My mom has a whole bookshelf with this "genre".

I come from Argentina, a country in South America. Sweden has always appeared to me as a place where everything seems to work exceptionally well, almost like a utopian dream. While I haven't personally had the opportunity to live in Sweden, I am fortunate to have friends who are Swedish as well as friends of Swedish origin living in various parts of the world. In all honesty, I've come to understand that the concept of 'home' is predominantly shaped by the people we choose to surround ourselves with, rather than our country of origin. It's a personal journey to seek growth, opportunities, or adventure, and I'm truly grateful for the diverse experiences it brings.

I moved to Sweden 10 years ago and there is barely a day I don't miss the UK. Eventually we will get off our butts and I will drag the Swedish husband and our son over there for a holiday at least! I was born and raised in Germany and never felt at home there either... Funny how that goes. But the parts of the UK I yearn for are rural and quiet... With a seaview and a hill to hike... :D

I have wanted to THANK YOU for awhile for the essay you published in 'Simple Matters', the one about moving back to your home town and then finally moving back to London. We lived in a place we loved but had some missteps and ended up 'stuck' back in our hometown. It was an absolutely dreadful time, but your essay gave me hope and helped me get through it. And now we are back in our "London". From the bottom of my heart, Thank You!

Here in Greece, despite the warm weather that most people think about first, the last decades it's becoming more and more depressing. Unfortunately, most young people want to leave the country experiencing everything falling apart, including their dreams. The thing is salaries are grindingly low so it is almost imposible to save money. Personally, as an artist, I really struggle but I want to travel the world and all of you guys, talking for and from so many different places on earth gave me a sense of brotherhood and hope. Thank you all and thank you Jenny! My warmest Greek wishes to all of you! Enjoy life wherever you are and in whichever way you want or can. Peace and love ♥

As Italian, I ve worked as architect in gothenburg for one year. It was very difficult to make friends

I moved to Germany for 1,5 year because of war in my home country. Now I am in Kyiv, at home, and this is the sweetest feeling for me. However, the situation is not stable and additionally I am a researcher who are looking for the postdoc. That's why I sure I'll move somewhere again.

This were exactly my arguments until I had children . Once London nurseries and schools become your reality you will find yourself in a very British society where families are not values and equality of education really is not a thing compared to Sweden and other Nordic countries.

As an American who lived in England for a bit, tall poppy syndrome was an interesting and very obvious social phenomenon to observe. It's a way to keep people in line and from getting too big headed. By contrast, in the US capitalism, aggressive ambition and keeping up with the Jones' is the norm. The stress and superficiality of so much of American culture has never resonated with me. So some of the Scandinavian mottos, like having just enough and not too much sound wonderful and prioritizing of things that really matter.

I emigrated to Sweden one year ago and I love it! 😃 The people are so kind and respectful to one another, life is so relaxed here, and the nature is so beautiful 😍 But, yes... the cold and darkness is a thing... 😅 Still, life is great here. 😊 It was really interesting to hear your point of view on it.

I just moved to Sweden a month ago to pursue my slow life in the countryside dream, so I guess I'm in the right place

in the UK for 12 years now, finally got my citizenship this year 🎉 Started with London, then Birmingham then finally tucked away in the rural Scottish Highlands.... I do miss the weather and my family from my home country but life feels much more free here. People just let you be with less judgement and government interference 😊

Originally from the south of France and although it is one of my favourite place in the whole world, I’m forever delighted, in awe and grateful to be living in Amsterdam for 2+ years now ❤️ as you mentioned every day feels like an adventure, so exciting!

It's so beautiful hearing your side of the story regarding life in Sweden! I am actually preparing to go there and your reasons for leaving are the things that make me excited to go there. The stability and squareness of it all seem ( at least at the moment) like the greener grass on the other side! Thank you for this, always a pleasure watching your videos ❤️

I am Polish but I've lived in UK (Liverpool) for 5 years, and it's definitely not perfect here, but I do like living here, and one of the main reasons is the currency. English pound has been a really strong currency internationally, while Polish currency has been very weak in comparison. This means that when I earn money in pounds I can much more easily afford buying things from abroad and also travelling abroad. One of my biggest dreams ever was to visit Japan and I did it this year, and plan to do it again next year, while I think that if I stayed in Poland I would simply could not afford a trip to Japan.

well, for many Slavic ppl, "Sweden" means a lot of money, wealth, beautiful nature. I can't even afford for 2 weeks in hostel in Sweden. I can see in comments that there are not many Slavic ppl on this channel, I think we live in very different worlds with different problems :)

Wow, I'm Canadian and moved o Sweden like 7 years ago (Swedish sambo y'now), and can really relate to all these reasons you talked about why you left! Unfortunately, I've never fallen in love with Sweden the way other immigrants have, the summer weather is truly depressing at times, the conformity, and yes jantelag drives me a little bit nuts (can't you just say my outfit looks good?), so I get it. We're looking to move, maybe back to Canada, but it's so validating to hear an actual Swede list reasons why they don't feel quite at home in Sweden. Thanks for the video!

I'm from London, left 30 years ago, as I could see the writing on the wall. It's no longer a free country, and it's going down hill, fast. Just sold my property, I'll never go back, not even for a visit.

Hurray, Jenny! I am so thrilled for your happiness. I adore London, and I would be living there, as I am a proud Brit. I just can’t stand the climate. I am a summer person forever, so I am moving back to my beloved Hawaii very soon! I am indeed highly sensitive to my surroundings, so climate is the number one priority I consider when setting up a long-term home for myself. The grass is very often truly greener on the other side.

Hej Jenny, I have moved to a job Stockholm 23 years ago. My country in the Baltics became way too small for me in a variety of ways. All the points you've made in the video are true, to a large extent anyway. What I appreciate about Sweden is: that balance between work and non-work life is possible to strike, access to nature, Stockholm as a small big city, efficient governement sector, i.e. it's very easy to deal with institutions, general civility and politeness, cleanliness. Things I struggle with: deteriorating school and healthcare systems, price level (especially for services), lack of community (it is very hard to make friends as an adult, and heck, as a child too sometimes), and of course, the weather. I joke sometimes that brits complain about their weather because they haven't lived in Scandinavia! Thanks for the video, Jenny! P.S. I looove London! ❤

I was born in a medium-sized city in France, and remember this longing I had for all of my adolescence for a larger city. Right after high school I finally left to study in Paris, which I loved, but again, after 6 years there I was starting to see the limits of my world and was pushed by my then-boyfriend to move to Edinburgh Scotland, where I finally had to get my English level to a correct base and met people from different parts of the world making me realise some of my "close french mindset". As Brexit was voted I initially wanted to move to London, but without any prospect for work it felt like a big financial risk and I ended up moving to Warsaw, Poland with my Polish boyfriend. Some very tough years ensued, the language, the lack of social circle, etc, but after 5 years here I finally feel great, but for sure will be moving again, but after having to struggle through being in a new country where you don't get the language I will stick to English-speaking places from now on, i cannot loose again 5 years of my life to integrate into a culture, so hopefully New-York, maybe London, just money decisions :)

I live in a very rural area of the U.S. it is mountainous and very beautiful and one of the things i love about it is that the 4 seasons are all of equal length! We get to enjoy all the kind of weather without time to get extremely bored. I also love that the mountains look different every single day when you are so far up you can see the weather moving in at a distance and the sunrises and sunsets and the mists of early morning or after rain. I'm beyond grateful that I get to live surrounded by beauty, since I'm at a stage of my life when traveling much isnt a possibility. When i think of Sweden i think of the northern lights and my heritage on my mom's side! One day I would like to experience the long nights and days of the far north and to see the auroras. One thing that is very different culturally is that (at least in my part of the U.S.) individual dreams and ideas and plans like quirky endeavors are definitely not discouraged. There is definitely a follow your dreams attitude here, as well as 'if at first you dont succeed, try try again'. I do like that, and I think it helps to keep my chin up in the current hard financial times.

As an Englishman who moved to Stockholm in Sweden 20 years ago, I can honestly say that I totally understand your points about Sweden, it is definitely a beautiful place, it is definitely dark for far too long in the winter months & although most Swedes are polite......ish they aren't exactly the make you feel at home types....I have remained in Sweden purely for my children as coming from London I feel this is the sort of place I wish that I had, had the opportunity to grow up in but even after all these years of living in Sweden, England & London in particular will always be my true home.

Jag flyttade till sverige från australien för 15 år sedan. Tack och lov jag har inte hittills märkt att folk är inte bra med att ge komplimanger, eller bryr sig mycket om trends. MEN det finns flera saker som jag gillar inte alls om Australien. Vilken tur att vi har hittat ett nytt hem som passar oss mycket bättre! 😅🤍

Wow..Im British and worked in Sweden for 10 yrs. I enjoyed everything about Stockholm and the surrounding neighborhood towns that I lived in. I wasn't pleased that in 10 years I moved 7 times, the last one to my having my own government flat ( own name on door aa we immigrants described it 😊) Arrangements for carrying on at the workplace was super! I loved the seriousness of how Swedes took their holiday times for fun/ travel/ family reunions etc. Public transport compared to London was a joyful ride with minimum delays for me compared to trying to get around in London. Transport fares were cheaper and there was less complications paying for community based bills...they were already deducted as part of your income tax. Yes 30% of your earnings. I think it was a great way to do it! It was hard to accept at first but it was what it was and nothing could be done otherwise. Now having returned to the UK I am lost in transmission and often wonder what made life seem better in Sweden than here in London. Having listened to your analysis I'm realising that, yes, those were the reasons that I enjoyed my stay there. Im so blessed for being able to be a citizen of both places 😊 Thanks for the reminders of the good Swedish life

I'm in the US, where you have to have quite a lot of money to even travel, much less move to another country (unless you live near a border). People make fun of Americans for never having been anywhere and acting amazed about other parts of the world, but if you see those in an American, it's because leaving is hard if you're not rich (at minimum upper middle class).

I still live in Sweden after many years with international jobs. I appreciate the Jante law, that is what makes the Swedes also great, of course I do understand your take on this as well and sometimes I would love to brag about myself or say more positive things about others. It has even ended up as a normal thing in the job culture in Sweden to say positive things about colleagues at work, just to not make people too depressed and perform better.

From Tokyo. I am so happy to hear that you actually concerned about moving to Tokyo! I've lived here for 10 years and it's great. Compared to very local side of Japan where I was born, Tokyo is more diverse. But may not be more progressive than London. I am thinking about moving somewhere but still haven't decided where... I love hiking, surfing, but I also like to live the place where people are more open minded. Thank you for your video, gave me a inspiration and courage :)

I am a Brazilian living in Chicago for 10 years. I've also lived in the UK. There's no way I will live in Brazil again. I realized not long ago the toxic culture traumatized me. I was subjected to early sexualization and no child should go through this. When I was 12 I remember a minor was on the cover of Playboy. Fuck that.

Wise words. I left Sweden too. Not going back.

Agree on every point. I love Sweden, but sadly never felt a sense of belonging. London is where I found a home and where I feel utterly alive. ♥

As a Greek raised in Athens and most of my adult life in Greek islands.. I really regret moving in London .London is full of life and you have job opportunities but on the other hand is dangerous, and being multicultural makes it hard to get real friends that they share same interests as you.And I don’t even want to mention the whether fact .. witch is the mostttttt important for everyone who moved here from the Mediterranean countries.. the restaurants and the coffee shops here are filthy no matter haw expensive or fancy they are ,,, there is no way they can compare to the ones back home …the food in Mediterranean countries is amazing. Health system if you don’t have private insurance is crap .Dental care?? What dental care hahah . So yea I fell I will go back , I miss the sea the sun the great views and the amazing food .Also the prices here are extremely unreasonable so even if you make more money… I spend them just to go home as many times as possible, so there is no point for me staying here .Education also is not that great…

I haven't spent as much time in Sweden as I would like, but I absolutely adored the time I spent in Norway, with occasional Swedish visits. Like you described, I get bored easily, but I find I get a better outlet for my restlessness in more remote areas. Small-town Canada is the place for me: varied seasons and tons of space to explore via bike, skis, ATVs, canoes, etc. I tend to feel a little trapped in the city with all the traffic. My dog agrees.

I was in Stockholm during the summer of 2021. The weather was spectacular. Three weeks of sunshine and temperatures around 30°C. I remember saying "who needs Spain when you can sizzle in the sun in Sweden". 😄 I had a lot of trouble sleeping though because it never got dark. I'd love to experience the Swedish winter one day. The Swedes are very friendly and helpful but they tend to keep to themselves. It would be great to visit again but I don't think I'd want to live there.

Jantelagen was honestly killing me. Growing up in Sweden, I had a very “large” and loud personality compared to what is “allowed/tolerated” for a girl. I didn’t have that Swedish jantelag-filter where I would judge other people and myself based off of it. And I was completely shunned by my peers starting from a young age. I now live in a similarly humble country but that actually allows people to pursue and feel proud about their accomplishments and talents without downplaying them constantly.

Having lived in Sweden with a Swedish girlfriend in the late 90s in the Malmo area it was a lovely part of the world. You couldnt get me back there at gunpoint.

The first thing I think of when someone mentions Sweden is always Jenny Mustard

This was super insightful to hear your perspective and appreciation for your home country. I still wanna live in Sweden, though 😂❤

I found this video and your life experiences of living in different cities very interesting. I'm from London and lived there my whole life, (excluding 4 years in NYC). I left London in 2020, to live in Lund in Skåne region. The weather is actually very similar to the weather in southern England, so that's the least of my worries. I am also close to Denmark, so there is a major city in another country, only 45mins away on the train. (I absolutely love Denmark). I'm finding life very hard socially in Lund, I'm used to big city life. 10million people live in London and 140k live in Lund. My kids are in the school system (which is great) but for me, I get bored here. Until recently, I'd not made a single friend in the 3 years I've lived here. I find Swedes to be incredibly insular and they suffer from passive aggressive behaviour, (which is a key hate of mine). I coach at my sons local football club, which keeps busy socially. I desperately want that big city life again, but I have to tough it out because I don't want to disrupt my childrens social life and education, (they have lots of friends here). You are 100% correct, when you describe London as one of the few world cities. I would add New York to that also. That's why I lived there happily for 4 years. Anyway, good luck on your new life in London. I miss my home, and you are incredibly lucky to have a comfortable life there. Thanks for the video.

I moved to Barcelona from Moscow 1,5 years ago, and I'm starting to seriously miss winter. I went to Amsterdam and was delighted by the rain. I'm starting to think about moving to a northern country.

Even if the sun never shone again in Sweden I bet I would be happy there - Swedes are all the sunshine anyone needs. 🥰🥰🥰

I'm Australian & once spent a winter working in Northern Italy. When it wasn't snowing it was overcast or foggy. I found it quite depressing not seeing the sun for sometimes two weeks at a time. Also, most of the year back home we wear light clothing most of the year. Wearing layers of clothing for six months of the year was a drag for me. In Italy, I worked outdoors part of every day. Long sunny days are the life for me!

In Germany, we don’t have Jantellagen per se, it’s perfectly fine to give other people compliments, but to outsiders, they might seem understated even though we certainly don’t mean it that way. One of the most common expressions of approval is: „not bad“. And people very much shy away from expressing that they are good at something themselves. There is this prevalent false humbleness that people expect. „Oh I’m not THAT beautiful“ „Oh I don’t know if I really did well, there were some mistakes after all“. Don’t even dare to have the confidence to state that you are good at something. ESPECIALLY as a woman. A lot of Germans very much feel competitive with other people („oh she got the job because she is prettier“ „he always sucks up to people but he is so fake“ „she can only do this because her parents are middle class and not poor like mine“), but don’t dare to be open about your privileges yourself. One of our most famous politicians, Friedrich Merz, claimed to be upper middle class while flying around in private jets and working for BlackRock with a million € salary. I think it actually helps to be open without pretense about the privileges you have and don’t pretend you are „ugly“ and „stupid“ when you are not.

Trend sensitivity is so real Edit: As someone living in the American south, moving to London "for the weather" is crazy!

All of these things are the reasons I chose to moved BACK to Sweden 🙈 the only thing I thought would be hard to live with again is the cold and darkness, but honestly I figured out it’s the only time I feel like I can breathe properly

I’ve wondered whether I’ll stay in my home country forever, or if my spouse and I will move, but we are still trying to make enough just to get by. I know our hard working to will pay off once I finish school, but I do badly want to go see the world with my honey by my side. ❤ one day, and Jenny-you give me hope that that day will one day come. Ty darling ❤❤

I don't live anywhere near London but as a Brit I LOVE that you feel so at home here!❤

Moved away from Switzerland 8 years ago to England but I don’t feel at home in either place. Hopefully someday I will find where that is

I'm french and cameroonian, I was born in Cameroon. I left my birth country when I was a teenager to live in France and now, I feel the need to realise my childhood dream to move to London. I'm now preparing my immigration. British people I met usually don't understand my decision to leave France since they have a different image of the country. I think it's important to escape from our usual environment and get some fresh air elsewhere.

I was born in Sweden as a second generation immigrant. This video really hit home for me. I'm not ungrateful for my upbringing there, but I would never ever consider returning to live there ever again. With much love from a fellow 'citizen of the world' in Paris. xs

I totally relate to your appetite for novelty, big cities, and pushing yourself to experience something like emigrating. That's why we're moving to abroad next year.

This was so interesting, Jenny! Your first point honestly was surprising to me, as i always had the impression that Swedes were sort of above trends... like they do their own stylish thing no matter what's going on in the style world. I personally love that well-known, minimalist swedish aesthetic! Really great video, love how fair you were about everything. To answer your question, i live in Athens, Greece and really am very happy with it, there are so many facets to it, things to see etc. And the sunshine is incredible, gotta admit!

I moved away from Denmark for many of these reasons. Especially the specific style/trends (so nice to hear someone say it!!), the small amount of people and the dark/grey winters where you can go weeks without seeing a glimmer blue sky. I moved to Berlin and spent 3,5 years there. I loved the freedom to be able to just be me, instead having to fit into a specific box. It's as if in Denmark (and probably all of Scandinavia) there's only one way to be alternative or different, and you have to do it this specific way, almost so that you're easier to sell a specific product to. I just recently moved back to Denmark, in Copenhagen and I wish I could say that things are different than my expectations, but it is very much the same as expected. Although I will say I love the clean streets and people seem to be more economically stable and therefore in a better mental state.

I live in Oslo but my background is from Sofia and Budapest. It’s a beautiful town and country but yes, I feel that is time to go another place ❤.

I was born and raised in Stockholm but haven’t lived there in 17 years. I agree with you when it comes to fashion and style, especially in Stockholm - everyone kind of looks the same and it feels uptight and calculated. I feel like Stockholm lacks the raw authenticity that you can find in London, New York or Berlin. There are so many different people and styles in those bigger cities which I love.

Living in Canada, our climate is darn near identical as Sweden, so I feel like I’d adjust well to that. I do love complimenting people though, so I’d struggle with having to down play the compliments lol On the other hand, I’ve been told that I’m very humble and don’t accept compliments well 🤣 I definitely don’t feel at home where I live and would love to move.

My home country is completely different from Sweden. I am from Greece and whenever I moved I heard the same question '' but why would you live a beautiful sunny country''. Because the sunny is nice and fun for vacations. When you live in 36-40C for months and you have to work and keep going with your normal life it's unbearable. Beaches near a city are always too crowded and after a tiring day you don't have the strength (even your underwear is wet from the sweat at this point even if you are in places with AC). On top of that you add the sweet humidity and the lack of rain and it feels like you are in a pot of boiling water. I won't even mention the terrible economy, extremely hard to get a job and how people here are backwards and conservative in many ways. I don't think there is a perfect country though and if you remove your rose coloured glasses you can see the bad and the good of a country and pick were you might fit in better and hopefully you will be able to move there and enjoy the life! I do think that London fits you much better than Tokyo btw 😂

Hi Jenny, I understand and relate. I miss my hometown in Poland, but I feel simply Europen and living in Cologne, very close to few other countries (sailing in Holland on the weekend - why not), makes me feel great! Not mentioning first few years of struggles in a new country. It changed me as a person. I am happy everyday that I have now so many new opportunities (happy and tired). Keep going and enjoying!

I'm an immigrant to Sweden and I love this place so much!! I literally love Sweden for all the reasons you left haha

wow im from panama and went to stockholm on march and i absolutely love it! the transportation was perfect on time, people were nice, the weather! delicious! the view, everything

I have been living in Oslo, Norway for the past 10 years and I feel like almost everything you talked about applies on Norway as well. I come from the Czech republic and me, my husband and our two girls are actually planning to move back to Czech rep. in the upcoming year. But I must say, that I actually really enjoy the stability and even the "boredom" of living in Oslo and I know that back home it will be much bigger hustle and even though I am quite excited about that, I am also fairly scared. So, it´s really interesting to me listening someone not liking the same things I actually enjoy greatly. Funny :D. Thanks for this video! :)

Just recently moved to London and feel exactly like you about it! I know this city is forever for me. After living in a few different places I'm ready to settle down here, it is the perfect amount of excitement, adventure and something new, while also having quiet beautiful places for rest and relaxation available like the many beautiful parks and the amazing British countryside. Maybe I'm romanticising it a bit, I'm sure there will also be things that will bother me over time, but I have a long history with London and have always felt like I fit right in whenever I visited so I can't imagine that I will ever change my mind about wanting to be here even if not everything will be perfect (nothing is anyway).

I’m Portuguese and lived in Sweden last year for 8 months, I was working in fashion, while summer was great, winter came and I couldn’t do it. The darkness, and the way Swedish culture (or lack of) works just isn’t for me, everyone ends up dressing, thinking and acting the same and I also felt it was one of the least multicultural places I’ve been. Like you said, for a summer house yes, to live forever no. Now I live in Berlin and while also it has its bad things I feel much more at home. Don’t get me started on systembolaget… drugs even like weed are a major crime Lolol, I didn’t feel free at all.

You are still jättesvensk in your approach to this video (and all your videos) which is something that I really love about your content! So balanced and contextualized.👌 It is so interesting to hear that perspective, for me, as a person that moved from a megacity to cozy little Göteborg. I have found the people to be so nice, so real and so warm. Swedes have a reputation for being distant, but i have found that it is a very thin shell and once you apply even a little pressure it cracks and out comes the nicest, most genuinely caring person who is ready to be your friend for life. Apart from the cold dark rainy winter nights, I couldnt be happier with taking the chance and moving to Sweden. I hope London brings you as much joy and Gothenburg has brought me!

I believe swedish culture somehow inriched my live and oppen up my eyes for the coloures live has to invite as foreigner grew up in swedish invoroment made me to recognize what i want and what i dont.Thank you sweden and swedish people

Dear Jenny, in my opinion, this is your best presentation yet. (I subscribed quite a while ago.) I am from Northern California and lived many years in Kyoto, Japan and earned residency after 10 years working at a sake brewery. I have a dear friend in Stockholm who is Swedish yet different from the general Swedish mould with his own business. He loves the sun as I love the rain because our climates are so different. Like me, he is very independent and has a strong will to make progress. If you consider going to Japan, please consider the western part. It's not as flashy as Tokyo but the food, culture, people are incredible. It is my second home. By the way, my little sister just had a first amazing trip to London. I'm so happy! I worked in London for a summer whilst in university. Congratulations on your book! Warmest Californian wishes to you! :)

I agree London is amazing, i live about 40 miles from london and every time i visit i fall in love with it just that little bit more !

I come from a small Northern town in the UK but have moved to work in London. The job opportunities are so good, but it's funny how people have such different personalities. I can't wait to escape the noise & bustle of London, to a quieter country life in the North again 😅 Different strokes for different folks!

This video makes me want to go to Sweden! Such a beautiful country ❤

Ahhhh. This rings a bell. For many of the same reasons, I love visiting Norway, but could not consider living there after two lengthy stays in the 1990s. That said I loved the dark and winter weather, But we have that in Northern Michigan, USA too. : -)

Funny thing. In Poland we tell each other compliments but it's kinda rude to admit they're true. We usually say: 'no, but, oh c'mon' as a response.

As a Dane I recognise everything you listed lol :D We also have Janteloven and it’s bothersome. Foreighers love the chic style worn by everyone in Copenhagen, but that’s the thing - it’s worn by everyone, and everyone looks the same, designs their home the same and they all have the same bloody coffee cups from Royal Copenhagen! lol. I’m considering moving to the UK; my dad lives there and my brother moved there recently. So it’s not a huge scary thing for me, personally. Brexit will make it more difficult though. I moved to Sweden for 8 months which was fun, but I was in Norrland and got a taste of an even darker winter than what I was used to 😂😂 also cars are much cheaper in the UK! I want to love somewhere rural, have my own horse and drive an old Land Rover 😅 Denmark has some of the most expensive cars. People laugh when they realise I’m a qualified veterinary surgeon, working full time and I drive a small car! Taxes here are high but I’m just not getting my moneys worth. Our society is centered around families and caters to people with kids. I’m child-free by choice and just feel like all my hard-earned money is funding all these other people’s kids 😂 UK has more reasonable taxes, cheaper cars, cheaper groceries, and it’s not so much a monoculture like Denmark is.

I use to give so much compliments to others, directly from my heart, without any other explanations, and I am Swedish 🤗💖

I love my home city but it’s expanding and changing to just a lack of community. I’ve packed up and left england and moved to wales. It’s quieter and I don’t feel the constant rush while here. I think it’s worth jumping out of your comfort zone - sometimes it’s best to be away from where you grew up

I’m from london and I live in Stockholm. I do miss it. A lot. ❤

I'm American. At first I was scared to move to another state. Then I loved where I was. As a kid, I was always amazed by people that moved ro a different country, especially when they had barely nothing. I'm still amazed today.

Tall poppy syndrome is it national sport here in Australia. I have lived in Sweden and didn’t find it near as bad as here.

i feel safe in the wilderness, away from man made crazy world of shoppers, hoppers , droppers , boasters, comparers , frustration and never happy people

I can certainly understand what you're talking about! My wife and I have moved a dozen times in 40 years; over 17,000 miles. I am Swedish by heritage (all 4 grandparents were immigrants) so one of our moves was from Portland Oregon to Stockholm and I loved it there. I have to agree with you on your reasons to leave, although the darkness didn't bother me as much as it did others. We spent 6 months in the UK doing house sitting and I have to say that I LOVE it there. I will be in Corsham for a month for a house sit in April and I can't wait! Bless you and keep up the good work!! KRAM

I've lived in Dublin and Berlin, but neither felt right for me. I'm thinking of moving again. Stockholm was the most peaceful city I've ever been to. I'm still trying to find the right place for myself, but my job limits me to just a few locations, so the search continues.

I'm American, and the culture is way different here! What you said about the lack of incentives for starting your own business is very interesting. It's those tradeoffs. I love that America incentivizes creativity; it can lead to important inventions and developments. But there's also a massive wealth gap, so much classism, and everything is commodified. America is very focused on the individual (which also goes hand-in-hand with the previous point), which encourages sincere compliments and appreciation of a person's work and contributions. And, in general, people are encouraged to express themselves as an individual.

I live in Berlin in Germany, I know I wanted to move after like 2 years, but I had to finish my studies and now am looking for a better fit. I had lived in Seoul, I had lived in the German countryside, but never have felt truly home. I'd love to move to Edinburgh. I spent my summer there and just loved it. It was the right size, I loved the people and I just felt like I belonged. However, this would be a big jump and I'm not sure I'm ready yet, but I'm pretty sure one day I'll leave this city/country behind...

I’m from the Caribbean and am determined to live in Malmö someday. I’ve been there many times for work and to visit friends, and each time I am overcome with a strong sense of home. I love it there! Is it possible that some of what you describe - the trend obsession, jantelag - is more of a Stockholm thing? Because I’ve heard my Malmö friends make fun of Stockholmers for those same reasons. My experience of Malmö has been more bohemian and creative. By the way, I LOVE YOUR BOOK.😊

I’m active duty in the US… retire in 5 years, I want to find a way to move my family to Sweden. All of what you explained sounds beautiful. Especially the humble culture.

we kind of have the opposite of jantelagen in Switzerland. If you think something is bad or you want to criticize someone you still kind of give them a compliment, but a bad one. Like for example (we just had this at the dinner table) when you say "it tastes special", it means you don't like it.

Really good video, but I couldnt help myself from giggling when you mentioned "We moved to London for the weather." Any other city in Greece, Spain, Italy would have been a home run for sure.

I have also emigrated several times, first in 1982 from San Francisco to London, then again in 1987 from New Mexico, USA back to London and in 2006 from London to Örebro, Sweden, two hours due west of Stockholm. I hear what you are saying loud and clear about Swedes not wanting anyone to think too much of themselves or to stand out. Örebro is an exceptionally hard town to truly be part of and if you are SUPER QUEER, as I am, well, it's even harder. I go to Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö as much as possible but the loneliness and insular attitudes of most people who live here has made it impossible to integrate, even as a privileged white 'love immigrant'. On the plus side my (now ex) partner and I were able to have two amazing children. The downside is that I am stuck here until the kids are 18 which will be in 9 years time! I have never had a problem making friends in any of the many places I have lived but Sweden is a nearly impossible nut to crack and my mental/emotional health has suffered. I am going to check out the well being site you mentioned. Thanks.

It’s cold and dark for months. Lived up there for a year. Noway, the daylight change will make u crazy,

Born and bred in New Zealand and currently living in Auckland. I haven't been to Sweden, but spent a week in Denmark in 2016 (my niece married a Dane) and I felt very at home amongst the Danes and Swedes at the wedding. I know Sweden and Denmark are different countries, but thought I'd mention that I'm familiar with the Scandinavian 'way'. I see many parallels between Kiwis and Swedes! We also have tall-poppy syndrome here but I am noticing that slowly fading. Our sense of style (fashion and decor) are very similar to Swedes: neutrals, modern, minimalist. We love black (it's our national colour!). And although our weather isn't as extreme as Sweden, being close to Antarctica, we get a version of the Northern Lights (ours is obviously the Southern Lights 😆), and at the very far south of the country in Summer, twilight lasts until quite late. We also have a similar society where we tend to move as a pack (not too individualist at this stage), and we have socialised healthcare and a robust social welfare system. Our weather is more temperate (Auckland is sub-tropical) but we still have many similar landscape features as in Sweden such as forests and lakes, although we are probably more mountainous. I was born and raised in the Wellington region and have lived overseas (including London in the mid-90s!) but really like Auckland and have been here for 25 years now. Let me know if you want me to suggest some great fashion, design and architecture instagram accounts to follow.

Keeping up with trends and the weather/sunlight situation are the main reasons I don’t want to move back even though Sweden has so much more of a social network as a society. I am more of free spirit and don’t want to have my style evaluated and looked down on. I have sunshine and bright days almost every day and that makes me feel good.

I used to live in london, I grew up there. I moved to the US and I am torn between whether i miss it or not or if it was ever for me. Tbh, London attracts a lot of ambitious people who want to live lavishly and are driven. Personally, i just want to live a comfortable life that isn't exciting, but is stable, granted i always avoided areas where those kinds of people congregate and tended to only stick with people who were also born and raised in London. Where i live now, it doesn't feel like home the way London does and it's very boring, but a lot of the best things about London is wasted on someone like me. I kind of also know that i will never be able to live in London ever again and be able to have the financial stability that is important to me.

I recognise a lot of the things you mentioned. In my early twenties I had this burning urge to just get out of Sweden, and I did. I've been back here for about seven years now, and to be honest I'm still tempted to leave because I feel like a bit of an alien and my closest friend circle is in the UK. But Sweden is also where my safety net is, and a country I love. Funnily enough, I'm a small business owner, and it is as you say: You lose so much privilege by taking that jump here. But again, it's because my safety net is here that I'm able to do this. Sometimes I do wonder what it would be like to have started in a different country though, where I wouldn't have to pay up to 50% taxes on meager profits. (Sidenote, I WANT to pay my taxes and contribute to society, but I'd like to be able to get on my feet too.) I have a bit of a love hate relationship with this country.

I am leaving as soon my studies are finished, its good here not great.