“Interesting choice of country. I have heard that Sweden is the most unfriendly place for foreigners, and winters there are very cold and dark.” said my colleague when I told him I would move to Stockholm for my master’s.
I smiled at him and said, “I guess I will find out myself.”
In my mind, I thought, “He is probably envious and said that to upset me. I’m sure it will be a great experience.”
There’s a special kind of dreamy mind we have at 23 years old. I certainly did. My colleague and everyone who told me that it would be difficult and very cold wasted their time. All the articles I read of other students and expats complaining about loneliness went over my head. The lists ranking Sweden at the top of the loneliest cities in the world was just some noisy data.
I was social, amicable, and proactive. And I knew how to dress with layers and get out of the house no matter what. I had everything needed to prove everybody wrong.
So I packed my stuff and …
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