I know I’ve been living in Sweden when:
- Someone I know plays golf and votes for the Left Party
- I’m wearing red pants and I don’t think twice about it (I also have a pair of bright green and light blue slacks.)
- I’m no longer uncomfortable with long periods of silence
- But I wrap up converations with a strange “ummm” that starts low and ends mid range, signalling to the other Swedes that this conversation is over
- I walk past a slide at a playground that’s shaped like a caviar tube
- I have an adjustable desk at work so I can stand up (Employers are required to provide stand-up desks.)
- I took five weeks off this summer — two weeks of vacation and three weeks of paternity leave
- There’s an election coming up, and I just passed a sign for a political party called: The Pirate Party
- I have opinions about Swedish meatballs and have gotten used to robotic lawnmowers
- I feel a bit emotional when I hear Öppna Landskap