I'm moving to Sweden!! Need input...

[TastyTim]

Okay so the reason I ask atheists about this is because they are the only ones I have really encountered that have responded positively to the idea. In fact, when I asked about it on Reddit a bunch of them actually said they were considering doing the exact same thing!

Now I'm not saying you can't respond negatively to it, but I think the idea of moving away from America (where I live) to an extremely godless country (despite the official status of religious symbolism there) is an attractive notion to a lot of atheists and therefore, I get a lot of support from them.

Now here are some facts about the country of Sweden:

1. The Swedish Parliament is composed of 47% women.
2. Only 14% of Swedes consider religion to be an important aspect of their lives
3. Only 23% of Swedes believe in God (even though 70% are "members" of the Swedish church haha)
4. Sweden is an extremely peaceful country
5. Sweden is an extremely environmentalist country
6. PoliticalCompass.org places Sweden nearest the center of its socio-economic grid
7. Etc. Etc. Etc.

My plan - being only 18 years old - is to utilize the European Union's "Erasmus Mundus" scholarship program which gives out sizable scholarships to students from around the world, especially to non-European students. Living in America, I could potentially receive a scholarship of up to 62,000 US dollars from them to pursue a two-year Master's degree in Sweden given that I have a previous higher education degree and that my academic track record proves itself "outstanding" by that time. Doing this would allow me to become acquainted with the culture and society as well as form ties with the country without having to really pay for all of it, but it would not count as actual "residency". I will have to spend five more years in Sweden afterwards on my own with a career and everything in order to become a Swedish citizen. For that is my goal, to actually move to Sweden.

The reason I'm doing this is partly because of irreligious reasons, but mainly because the US is basically going straight down the crapper. By the time I decide to start a family here there will be nothing left for my children, my wife, and I. The opportunities will be largely if not virtually all hoarded by the financial elite and will therefore make emigration impossible. I'm just worried it will be too late by then. I want to take advantage of this scholarship while I still have a chance.

What does everyone think of this? Positive thoughts? Negative thoughts? Whatever thoughts you have, please share them.

P.S. This section of the forum seemed the most appropriate for this thread. As it's not really a light-hearted discussion per se it doesn't belong in the off-topic, but since we're talking about countries and politics I figured this would be a good place for it.

[kılıç_mehmet]

It's EU country, it must be good.

[leo-rcc]

If you are not transgender, Sweden is a nice alternative. Though a bit cold for me.

[kılıç_mehmet]

The reason I'm doing this is partly because of irreligious reasons, but mainly because the US is basically going straight down the crapper. By the time I decide to start a family here there will be nothing left for my children, my wife, and I. The opportunities will be largely if not virtually all hoarded by the financial elite and will therefore make emigration impossible. I'm just worried it will be too late by then. I want to take advantage of this scholarship while I still have a chance.

I think that you fail to realize that it's actually Europe itself that will face such a downhill, not America.
If I were you, I'd stay in America, rather than to go Sweden...
Two words: Blanda upp.

[Minimalist]

Learn to speak Swedish.

[Erinome]

I was actually considering the same thing. My family is from Sweden, and I just found out that my father has dual citizenship as an American and a Swede. To be a citizen there you have to learn to speak Swedish. It's a requirement. My father's last name is Lundborg, which I just found out is spelled something like "Ljundbjorg" in Sweden. All I really know is it had a lot of J's in it. lol

Sounds like a good plan, dude. I would seriously start learning the language now. It's quite difficult!

[kılıç_mehmet]

I was actually considering the same thing. My family is from Sweden, and I just found out that my father has dual citizenship as an American and a Swede. To be a citizen there you have to learn to speak Swedish. It's a requirement. My father's last name is Lundborg, which I just found out is spelled something like "Ljundbjorg" in Sweden. All I really know is it had a lot of J's in it. lol

Sounds like a good plan, dude. I would seriously start learning the language now. It's quite difficult!

Never can be as difficult than the neighboring country's language, finnish.
However, that does not constitute a big problem in Finland, since it's mandatory to learn both swedish and finnish in Finland, but not Russian, even though Finland's own blood brethren primarily live in the ex-soviet countries, like Estonia, and in small pockets of indigenous people in Russia, although the True Finns party aims to change that, and abolish mandatory swedish in schools.
Finland is also in belongings of , a primarily swedish speaking island, which one could also tell by it's name Å-land with an "Å" which is a letter in swedish but not finnish.

But rest easy, at least they do not have weird surnames like with -dottir suffixes, like in Iceland.

[Autumnlicious]

The Swedes and the Finns have a long history together. Russians, much less so (bloody more often than not).

In the old days of Kings in Sweden (when they actually had decision power), Finnish berserkers were frequently employed as bodyguards, often because their loyalty and rage was considered to be a benefit, along with their anti-social (by Swedish standards) proclivities that would make them hard to influence.

Cultural contact between the two has gone on a long time.

That's why Finland has Swedish as a second language and not Russian.

Russia didn't help it's image in the eyes of the Finnish people with the Winter War, of course.

I wouldn't expect Finland to fall in with Russia or be cowed. Nor would I expect Finlandia to have a permanent fallout with Sweden.

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Swedish, like German, isn't that hard to pick up if you already speak English. If you can speak German, you can definitely learn to speak Swedish.

[kılıç_mehmet]

The Swedes and the Finns have a long history together. Russians, much less so (bloody more often than not).

In the old days of Kings in Sweden (when they actually had decision power), Finnish berserkers were frequently employed as bodyguards, often because their loyalty and rage was considered to be a benefit, along with their anti-social (by Swedish standards) proclivities that would make them hard to influence.

Cultural contact between the two has gone on a long time.

That's why Finland has Swedish as a second language and not Russian.

Russia didn't help it's image in the eyes of the Finnish people with the Winter War, of course.

I wouldn't expect Finland to fall in with Russia or be cowed. Nor would I expect Finlandia to have a permanent fallout with Sweden.

---

Swedish, like German, isn't that hard to pick up if you already speak English. If you can speak German, you can definitely learn to speak Swedish.

Well, that sort of cultural domination...Really, if it's going to be that way, they ought to have Turkish as a secondary language in the whole of the Balkans.
But my point was that Finland is like the second-easternmost of all the western people, and they should be more in touch with their roots, rather than the ones of their cultural dominators.
Of course, it's up to the Finns to determine that, but I know a few enthusiasts on that subject myself.

[5thHorseman]

Sweden are not in the EuroZone so like us Brits, will not be on the big end of donating if one of the EuroZoner members like Greece or Italy goes down the pan.