Um I’d say fairly hard, and I’m decently conversational in Spanish and my japanese is ~N4 level. It’s a really specific language (danish) so small mistakes make it basically unintelligible. But the actual language is very simple.
It’s not anywhere near as necessary as a lot of other places in the world though, since many people here speak English really well. But it’s definitely important for long term prospects here and anywhere else you are.
It’s a stress point among many when living somewhere besides your home country, for sure!
To move. I’m planning to take a vacation to the Netherlands to see if I can fit in with the culture after I graduate, and then work towards finding a job there if I like it. The EU is putting a lot of effort into promoting and adopting open source as part of digital sovereignty, and I want to be a part of that movement. I’d be curious to hear what your experiences were like moving to another country.
Yeah! Open source wise you’re absolutely correct. It’s obviously not perfect (and I’m in Denmark, not the Netherlands) but there’s so much less tech dystopia here than the US.
Um yeah, there’s a lot to say! It’s hard for many reasons, logistics, distance from family and friends, cultural differences. I guess the main things are keeping a (gainful) job for a visa (I mean I had that pressure for money and healthcare in the US, so I’m used to it). Learning a language and culture. Dealing with dark winters. Being a foreigner at a time when many countries are being less inviting to them. But all the upsides are amazing and plentiful! It’s so worth, but man it’s not for the faint of heart
Thanks for sharing, that confirms a lot of my suspicions. I’m well aware it’ll probably be one of the hardest things I’ll ever do in my life, but I feel like its one of the few places that has a hopeful future. Not having anyone to rely on is the thing I dread the most, especially for things like emergency situations. I’m gonna have to put a lot of effort into meeting new people, making friends, and building a new support network. It’s a daunting task.
Yes to everything you’ve said. The good news is that plenty of other people who have moved there from other places are in the same position to want to make friends. And there’s loads of clubs and activities and organizations to become a part of. All of which are great ways to make community!
But yeah it’s straight up hard often times. It gets way easier though. People are often surprised when I say it took a full year or a little longer to get settled
As someone who moved to one of them years ago from the US, it’s fucking sick: 10/10 recommend.
How hard is it to learn the language?
Um I’d say fairly hard, and I’m decently conversational in Spanish and my japanese is ~N4 level. It’s a really specific language (danish) so small mistakes make it basically unintelligible. But the actual language is very simple.
It’s not anywhere near as necessary as a lot of other places in the world though, since many people here speak English really well. But it’s definitely important for long term prospects here and anywhere else you are.
It’s a stress point among many when living somewhere besides your home country, for sure!
Any advice to share?
To move or to visit? Yes, either way
To move. I’m planning to take a vacation to the Netherlands to see if I can fit in with the culture after I graduate, and then work towards finding a job there if I like it. The EU is putting a lot of effort into promoting and adopting open source as part of digital sovereignty, and I want to be a part of that movement. I’d be curious to hear what your experiences were like moving to another country.
Yeah! Open source wise you’re absolutely correct. It’s obviously not perfect (and I’m in Denmark, not the Netherlands) but there’s so much less tech dystopia here than the US.
Um yeah, there’s a lot to say! It’s hard for many reasons, logistics, distance from family and friends, cultural differences. I guess the main things are keeping a (gainful) job for a visa (I mean I had that pressure for money and healthcare in the US, so I’m used to it). Learning a language and culture. Dealing with dark winters. Being a foreigner at a time when many countries are being less inviting to them. But all the upsides are amazing and plentiful! It’s so worth, but man it’s not for the faint of heart
Thanks for sharing, that confirms a lot of my suspicions. I’m well aware it’ll probably be one of the hardest things I’ll ever do in my life, but I feel like its one of the few places that has a hopeful future. Not having anyone to rely on is the thing I dread the most, especially for things like emergency situations. I’m gonna have to put a lot of effort into meeting new people, making friends, and building a new support network. It’s a daunting task.
Yes to everything you’ve said. The good news is that plenty of other people who have moved there from other places are in the same position to want to make friends. And there’s loads of clubs and activities and organizations to become a part of. All of which are great ways to make community!
But yeah it’s straight up hard often times. It gets way easier though. People are often surprised when I say it took a full year or a little longer to get settled
Stay right on escalators. Swedes are very passionate about that.