Canadian Woman Moves To Sweden, Lists The Culture Shocks She Experienced In A Viral TikTok Series (17 Culture Shocks)

Good news! Bored Panda was lucky enough to get through to Madeline and pose a couple of questions about her life in Sweden. First things first, we invited the TikToker to introduce herself: "My name is Madeline Robson and I am a Canadian who has been living in Malmö, Sweden, for over four years. I originally come from Windsor, Ontario. I work in marketing, particularly with communications and social media, and started sharing my experiences and culture shocks living abroad in Sweden back in 2020 on TikTok. After a while, I started sharing on Instagram as well and now have over 300,000 followers across both platforms."

We then wondered how Madeline ended up in Malmö, to which she replied: "I met my Swedish fiancé while traveling in New Orleans. I was there for a bachelorette party with a group of friends and met him in a bar on the last night of my trip. He was traveling solo in the US. I went back to Canada the next day, never expecting to see him again. But we kept in touch and texting turned into video chatting. And a few weeks later he asked me if he could come visit me. Our second date lasted almost two weeks in Canada, and then a few months later I went to Malmö for the first time to spend Christmas with him and his family. Over the next year, we dated long-distance and traveled a lot, and then I was ready for a big change and decided to move to Sweden to be with him. I was only planning to stay a year or two, but over four years later I have no plans to leave."

Now, we were also curious about what inspired Madeline to start the TikTok video series: "Working in social media, I was very curious about the platform and how many creators were growing quickly. In late 2020/early 2021, I gained over 150,000 followers by sharing my culture shocks. Now, it has been two years since those mega-viral videos and I had learned so much more about Swedish culture along the way, so I decided to revive it as a POV series. And was surprised to see how many people were still interested in learning about all the little things about living in Sweden that I find so special."

It would also be criminal not to ask the TikToker about her favorite thing about Sweden: "There's a lot of things I love about living here, particularly in Malmö, but the biggest improvement in my life has been in my work-life balance, which is what I was sharing about in my recently viral video. The anticipation of summer break at this time of year is something I never thought I would experience again once I became an adult. And having at least 25 days of vacation that I am encouraged to take gives me time to prioritize and take care of myself."

Last but certainly not least, BP pondered whether Madeline has any advice she would like to offer to those who are thinking about packing their bags and legging it to Sweden: "This advice applies to anyone wanting to take a big step and move abroad. I think it's easy to watch videos like the ones in this series and romanticize a big move abroad, but it isn't a decision that should be taken lightly. Moving to a new country can be challenging and stressful, and it is a big sacrifice in many ways to be so far away from home. Navigating everyday life in a country that you didn't grow up in, learning a new language, and finding your community is hard. All that to say that I wouldn't change a thing and I am so happy with the life I have chosen. But there are a lot of days that I miss home, too."

Are you already contemplating buying plane tickets? Yes or yes? Either way, we hope that you've enjoyed these eye-opening disparities, and in case you want to find out more, we've already covered an article on Madeline's TikTok – so make sure to check it out too! Also, don't hesitate to give her a follow and let us know which fact has surprised you the most.