Loading

Archive for Kate Reuterswärd - Expat

Kate Reuterswärd is an American, a serial expat, and a travel addict who has been lured to Sweden by love. You can follow Kate on Twitter @kwise321 or check out her personal blog

45 Swedish Words You Should Know Before Starting a Business in Sweden

14 comments

Have you ever thought about starting a business? If so, you’re not alone.

Unless your transition abroad was prompted by a job offer, it can be extremely difficult to enter the job market in a foreign country. Language barriers are only the tip of the iceberg—different educational systems, unfamiliar or incompatible certifications, and a lack of a social or professional network represent huge barriers between the average expat and a full-time job with benefits.

As a result, many expats are inspired to start their own businesses. Including (effective June 1)… ME! Sole proprietor of Kate Reuterswärd Consulting, right here.

As I go through the process of starting a business here in Sweden, I’ll be writing about the process and what I learn. If you’re thinking about starting a business, don’t hesitate to leave questions in the comments! If you have already started a business and have advice to share, please feel free to jump in and share.

First things first: 45 Swedish words you should know before starting a business in Sweden.

Like nearly all things here in Sweden, you really can do everything in English, but having some key Swedish words up your sleeve is always a plus, especially when you’re trying to navigate websites or looking for specific forms.

Read more » >>

Kate Reuterswärd - Expat

May 13, 2012

7 Things to Love About Valborg and May Day in Sweden

7 comments

I’m starting a new campaign.

From now on, every spring day should be just like Valborg and May Day.

Sure, we can squeeze in a few days of work here and there, but once we’ve done our duty, I want everyone to get out to the park and kick off their shoes just like they did last Monday evening. Seriously.

I don’t want to go overboard here, but Valborg and May Day are like the best parts of Swedish spring condensed into 24 hours of pure sun-loving, laid back fun. To celebrate Valborg and May Day, all you need is a blanket, a couple of cans of cider or soda, a grill, and some sausages. Then you can just sit back and enjoy the day until it’s time to light enormous bonfires.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. There are seven elements from Valborg and May Day that I want to be applied to every single other day in spring, and they are as follows…

1. A RED DAY and a SQUEEZE DAY

Read more » >>

Kate Reuterswärd - Expat

May 6, 2012

Witches and communists and fires, oh my!

6 comments

I’m not much for right-wing politics in the US, and usually their talking points about Sweden tend towards the incendiary at the expense of the, ahem, facts. IT’S A SOCIALIST NATION!!! FULL OF GODLESS HEATHENS!!!! they cry from inside their padded cells TV studios.

STAY AWAY FROM THE BIKINI TEAM, FOR LO, THEY WILL TEMPT YOU UNTO WANTON BEHAVIOR!!!

Normally, I would laugh at them and their exaggerations, but just this one week, they are totally right.

Thanks to the annual double-whammy of Valborg and the 1st of May, we are about to be immersed in first, a wave of pagan celebrations and second, the worker’s holiday (a.k.a. the Communist’s Day to shine).

With the Swedish name, “Valborgmässoafton,” it’s a little tough to know what exactly we’re supposed to be celebrating. Other languages have a name that is more clearly connected to the holiday’s origins: Walpurgisnacht, Walpurgis Night, la Noche de Walpurgis, Noc Walpurgii, Valpurgiya gecəsi (ok maybe that last one is a little hard)—all honoring St. Walpurga, of course.

St. Walpurga: a lovely, oily, foaming-at-the-mouth kind of girl. Photo: Johnny Chicago/Wikipedia commons

Read more » >>

Kate Reuterswärd - Expat

April 30, 2012

A Romantic Getaway at Ystad Saltsjöbad

5 comments

Have you ever heard about the one marshmallow/two marshmallow dilemma?

In the late 1960s, Stanford professor of psychology Walter Mischel ran a series of tests on children to measure their levels of self-control. He would allow them to choose a treat of their choice (one of which was a marshmallow), and then leave them alone in a room with the treat. The children got a deal, though: if they could resist the temptation to eat the marshmallow until the researcher came back, they would be rewarded with an extra marshmallow. Pretty sweet deal… if you can resist temptation.

When I was young, I was a classic two-marshmallow kid.

Lindt truffles, for example, were a special treat for extra special good behavior. I would carefully bite the little ball in half and save the second part for the next day. My mom thought there was something wrong with me. (Or just as likely, that I had been switched for another woman’s child at the hospital.)

These days, the two marshmallow behavior manifests itself in my habit of spreading out special treats and events so that the calendar is evenly peppered with things to look forward to. The bigger the treat, the more likely I am to postpone it so that I can look forward to it for a long, long time.

Which brings us to last weekend, when Simon and I finally took advantage of the romantic getaway to Ystad Saltsjöbad we had been given for our wedding a mere five months or so ago.

My favorite part of the trip (besides all my other favorite parts) was undoubtedly the apparel. Have robe and monogrammed slippers, am ready to relax. Photos: Kate Reuterswärd

Part of me is tempted to just say, “HOOOWEE! WHAT A WEEKEND!” and leave it at that.

You guys have seen The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, right? So you know what life is like in Sweden. Just take Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and put it in a spa, take out the violence and abuse, and add ridiculous amounts of eating, and you’re so there. Catch you on the flip side.

Read more » >>

Kate Reuterswärd - Expat

April 25, 2012

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Tax Season in Sweden

21 comments

You’re all alone, and every little noise is magnified by the solitude in your apartment.

Somewhere in the hall, you can hear footsteps and the sound of something heavy being dropped unceremoniously outside your door. Then the creak of a rusty hinge; the swoop of something smacking on the floor. You sit, quivering: trying not to make a sound, already fearing the worst.

And then slowly, haltingly, you get up from the couch, silently cursing as a noisy floor board gives away your movements to no one in particular. And as you near the door, you reach out with trembling fingers for the large envelope that’s fallen to its resting place on your door mat.

I knew it. I had hoped it wouldn’t be true, but there it was. Undeniable.

Photo: Kate Reuterswärd

My tax statement from the Swedish Tax Authority.

Read more » >>

Kate Reuterswärd - Expat

April 17, 2012