Life as a North German in "North" Sweden.
Around one year ago, I moved to Sundsvall, Sweden, to study abroad. One semester turned into two semesters, and then I decided to stay here even longer. For how long? I don't know, maybe 5 years, maybe 10, or maybe forever. But also, after one year, I can already tell the differences between Germany and Sweden. There are not a lot of things I miss from Germany besides friends and family, but there are a few.
Volksfeste
In Germany, we celebrate a few folk festivals throughout the year. In the northwestern part where I am from, typical for most villages are Schützenfest, Kirmes, and Erntedankfest. Each of these festivals has a long tradition dating back to history before Germany even existed. From a Swedish perspective, each of them has one big difference compared to Swedish public festivals: the amount of alcohol and unhealthy food consumed. What I have experienced in Sweden is that most festivals try to be as family-friendly as possible. That means most of the time, no alcohol at all and lots of activities and shows for smaller kids. Whether that is a positive or negative thing, everybody has to decide for themselves. In my opinion, both have their benefits.
Ostfriesen Tee
Luckily, tea is not that difficult to import to Sweden and doesn't take up too much space in a package. So I don't have to completely give it up. But Ostfriesen-Tee is so much more than just tea. It's a culture, a celebration, and a tradition that many North Germans share with each other. Every family has their favorite brand and tradition for how to drink the tea. Also, there is the myth that the tea only tastes good with water from Ostfriesland. I have no evidence for that, but I would count it as proved by Trump-Scientific methods just to keep the myth alive 😄. But of course, the tea will differ in taste depending on the water you use. In Sweden, we have Fika. It's kind of the same but also different.
Brötchen
I don't have to explain too much. Every country has their own bread, and I sometimes miss the typical German Sonntagsbrötchen that are crispy outside and fluffy inside with a savory taste. The Swedish bread is not bad, but it's sweeter, has a different consistency, and is just different from what I grew up with.
The flat land
I love the Swedish nature, mountains, rivers, lakes, hills, forests, and green and colorful grasses in the summer and snowy hills in the winter. I can't imagine living without this beautiful nature surrounding me anymore. But from time to time, I miss the flat land with the wide view of nothing else but grass, water, dirt, and a few old, lonely trees.
Plattdeutsch
I never spoke Low German when I lived in North Germany, but since I moved to Sweden, I realized that Low German is a big part of North German culture that is fading away. Often, you only realize that something is important when you lose it abruptly. I hope the language will not die, and that people will treasure their culture more than I have done. Without all the regional differences that exist in the world, the world would be boring, so we should celebrate and love these diffrences instead of being ashamed of being different from the "rest."
Jever
Jever is a city in Ostfriesland, North Germany, with a beautiful old city center, nice cafes and restaurants, and a small castle with a lovely park. But that's not what I'm missing. Next to the old city center is a brewery that produces the best beer in the world, named after the city, Jever. You can actually order it at Systembolaget, but it costs three times more than in Germany and is often only available in cans.
