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Internationals in Lund and southern Sweden

At the International Citizen Hub Lund we are happy to get in contact with people from all over the world. There are a number of internationals who have been with us from the start and have made the journey you're about to embark on. These internationals represent several countries and do a fantastic job welcoming newcomers to southern Sweden. Get inspiration and guidance by reading their stories!

Stories by internationals

From that moment on, I realized that I had been doing it wrong on many levels so I decided to make a few drastic shifts in my mindset and attitude. Here are a few things I’d like to share with my fellow global citizens...

I describe it as a phase that is difficult to put in words. Just like any struggle in life, you get to question your self-worth, capabilities, and decision-making skills when things are not working out...

What helped me was imagining celebrating my 80th birthday in detail. What will I wear, who will sit by my side, where, and what will my speech be to life? I see myself as an active and trendy old lady who gives Art Mentorship and helps people...

For the third video from our series "My life in Sweden" we invited Carrie, to share a little bit of her HUGE talent in Stop-Motion videos and her amazing life experience in Sweden with our community. Don't miss her super-fun point of view!

Living in Sweden has afforded me the opportunity to explore, experiment, and expand my horizons in ways that I believe wouldn't have been possible in my home country. Culture has been my bridge to integration, the common thread that binds us all.

It is no wonder that the character once beloved for its daring nature proving that girls can be as strong as anyone else was born right here, in Sweden. In an environment where you are allowed to embrace creativity, one can imagine beyond the norms

Things were stable and we were planning a big wedding for 150 people. You’d think I’d put up a bigger fight when later that year Avner told me he was considering applying for a job in Sweden. But for some reason my immediate response was “go for it”.

The second video from our series "My life in Sweden" is about Jess, one of our ambassadors and entrepreneurs. Witness her transformation and how she found her place!

During my first drop-in I remember being surrounded by the Hub’s staff and other internationals like me. It felt like I had found a warm and sunny spot in the middle of cold Sweden.

The first video from our series ''My Life in Sweden'' is about Poornima, one of our ambassadors who kindly shared with us a little bit of her story. So let's press play and delight ourselves in her life in Sweden!

…it came as a shock to me that my highly educated friends working as Engineers, Doctors and in management position are not aware of personal finance skills as these are never thought in school or never discussed openly. Hence, I started a Facebook...

When I started working in a Swedish company, I noticed some differences compared to Brazil, the main ones being: in Sweden there’s more reasonable deadlines; there’s more respect for the employees’ time off work and there’s no conflict...

People from all over the world

  1. “abc, abc ” Abc, abc, abc, abc Abc, abc, abc, abc Abc, abc, abc, abc Abc, abc, abc, abc Abc, abc,

  2. “From that moment on, I realized that I had been doing it wrong on many levels so I decided to make

  3. “That phase in one’s journey can only be understood by those with similar experiences. I describe it

  4. "What helped me was imagining celebrating my 80th birthday in detail. What will I wear, who will sit

  5. For the third video from our series "My life in Sweden" we invited Carrie, to share a little bit of

  6. “Living in Sweden has afforded me the opportunity to explore, experiment, and expand my horizons in

  7. “I count myself fortunate to be enveloped in this artistic embrace, where creation isn't a lofty

  8. “Things were stable and we were planning a big wedding for 150 people. You’d think I’d put up a

  9. Until December 2023 International Citizen Hub will be sharing a monthly video, from our series ''My

  10. “…it came as a shock to me that my highly educated friends working as Engineers, Doctors and in

  11. Until December 2023 International Citizen Hub will be sharing a monthly video, from our series ''My

  12. “During my first drop-in I remember being surrounded by the Hub’s staff and other internationals

  13. “But in the face of adversity, I reminded myself why I had come here in the first place. It was to

  14. “When I started working in a Swedish company, I noticed some differences compared to Brazil, the

  15. “I got a job offer nine months after arriving in Sweden, still I could not have achieved it on my

  16. "Another highlight was a day trip to the island Ven. It’s a short ferry ride away from Landskrona,

  17. "So, I'm pretending that I'm an editor passing a note to a CEO somewhere, bored out of their minds

  18. "I started getting frustrated a lot. What am I doing wrong? Is it me? - I asked myself. At some

  19. "For me, it had also a bigger meaning: to support my fellow countrymen suffering from the war in

  20. "And I saw a large number of men and women from different parts of the world, excellent

  21. "Much like my own relocation to Sweden, the Entrepreneurship Journey is never straight forward and

  22. "The Swedish concept of "lagom" is a standard that embodies comfort and balance. From work-life

  23. "What was special while coaching, was that I shared with some all the feelings of disappointment,

  24. "I offered my work in order to return what was given to me and to contribute as an active member of

  25. “I believe that the whole Universe is a manifestation of energy and all changes in the universe are

  26. "Meanwhile, I was also juggling all sorts of other perplexing life tasks. Swedes generously offered

  27. "It is one thing to move away from your home country for the first time and live in many ways in a

  28. "It was cold and windy, and both streets and sky seemed fused with the same gray filter. But I was

  29. "The transition to my new Scandinavian home proved challenging. I searched for something that would

  30. "It had been a Jobbsprånget session! I was ecstatic, hoping that this opportunity would help me

  31. "I have been wondering when I would get to a point where deciphering a foreign world would not

  32. "Your willingness to participate is key, whether be it at networking events, job fairs, hobbies – be

  33. Denna sida är äldre än 12 månader och är kanske inte längre aktuell. "At a surface level, a Fika is

  34. "I met so many fellow expats with rich experiences and multiple solutions for mitigating problems

  35. "I do not change myself any single day just to fit in my working environment. Instead, being myself

  36. "I have started exploring different things and hobbies and capturing all the little moments for

  37. "In October 2020 I decided to stop looking for jobs and work fully on my idea to establish my own

  38. " I love Swedish weather and enjoy the rains and dark days. The cold breeze with sometimes foggy

  39. "In Sweden, you will often find that information is out there. There will undoubtedly always be a

  40. " I finally realised how valuable my previous work experiences are: I have lived and worked in three

  41. "Ultimately it was my social and professional network that helped me get my foot in the door to

  42. Denna sida är äldre än 12 månader och är kanske inte längre aktuell. "Out of all the excitement I

  43. Denna sida är äldre än 12 månader och är kanske inte längre aktuell. "Each story is unique, and,

  44. Denna sida är äldre än 12 månader och är kanske inte längre aktuell. "The key to survival in a new

  45. Denna sida är äldre än 12 månader och är kanske inte längre aktuell. "Therefore, I would like to

  46. " You might ask how did I know if I was doing the right thing or not? How do I know if I am moving

  47. "One of the best things I gained from the program was the network of friends. A group of fellow

  48. "Moving to a distant country involves many emotions. It's a mixture of feelings, I feel curious

  49. "All in all, I think Sweden is a country that is really trying to helps immigrants integrate into

  50. "So, returning to the point, If I could give a tip, I would say: I am not the first one having these

  51. "The following years brought different feelings to the surface and I started to develop this

  52. "Be an open-minded person to take advice from the professional and experienced people. Keep updating

  53. "While my partner took the next step in her career, I took a year off. A sabbatical. A planned break

  54. All I needed was just 1% of their trust and I’m fully prepared to earn the remaining 99% to show my

  55. "I realized the things I should and should not have included in my applications and how my CV

  56. "How was the job hunting? Well, I won’t lie, it has been blood, sweat and tears. So many times, I

  57. "My other advice is to never be afraid of starting over again, be persistent. You are never too old

  58. "When setting up my new business in Sweden, I was astonished by the support provided by various

  59. "While starting the mentorship program I received a message from my former employer in The

  60. "As a non-Swedish speaking resident, I realized that I have very limited access to Swedish history

  61. "As the interview was being done online, why not use this technology in my favor? So, I decided to

  62. "The passion of the entrepreneurs amazes me, and I believe this passion is what we need when we are

  63. "Having an updated and well-tailored LinkedIn profile is super important in Sweden to portray your

  64. "Knowledge is power, and as a newbie you can end up feeling very powerless. The great thing is that

  65. “Moving to a new country is not a fairytale. Moving to a new country is a lot of hard work. And

  66. "Job hunting in another country is the storm I am facing. Going through it will make me stronger and

  67. "Networking in Sweden is Godsend especially in your job search. Yes, sounds bizarre but true in

  68. “International Citizen Hub Lund is not just a place providing sessions for the job hunter but also a

  69. "Not a surprise – you will meet new people! I can honestly say that people here are nice, welcoming,

  70. "I also found out about the Kick-Start Program, which came highly recommended by one of the alumnus

  71. "With the advice and guidance of the staff of International Citizen Hub Lund, I managed to join

  72. "My philosophy is that introducing fresh perspective and new techniques allow you to grow and thrive

  73. "Every step I have taken on my journey has led to something in the end - I am convinced of that. You

  74. "Don’t expect anything to happen quickly. This goes for everything from enrolling children for after

  75. "Many times I have been insecure about my chances into the Swedish job market. However, in all the

  76. "My demanding studies during the two years in Lund passed by quickly. I applied for jobs in my field

  77. "I came to know about public employment service “Arbetsförmedlingen”. There I found an interesting

  78. "The year 2020 brought us one more thing to deal with, covid19…and everything switched to virtual

  79. "All of these activities helped me in some way. I would even credit that they brought back my joy

  80. "In Sweden, you are seldom out of options unless you give up yourself. What I learnt over these

  81. "I have also ‘found my voice’ during this time, and started writing about what I do and why and also

  82. "Important note! You need to stay yourself and not to lose your authentic personality. I often hear

  83. " I quickly found out that your previous experience doesn’t really matter, nor it matters if you are

  84. "It sounds unbelievable: only a year before I was in their same situation, sitting on those chairs,

  85. "Living abroad inspires me to do things I always wanted to do but did not have the time or

  86. "As for any other society Sweden too has definitely its do's and don'ts and one does not have to go

  87. "One sentence in one of these sessions stuck with me, 'A lot of you expats have a lot of skills that

  88. "Don't waste your energy trying to explain why your home country is more appropriate in some aspects

  89. "Lund is actually a city of opportunities, offering a lot for learning and development, especially

  90. Denna artikel är äldre än 12 månader och är kanske inte längre aktuell. "After few weeks of being

  91. "Office environments here tend to be a lot more informal than my previous jobs. It is likely that

  92. "Take the time to read up on cultural etiquette and you’ll make the transition from tourist to local

  93. "Getting accustomed to a new culture, new habits, new traditions is indeed challenging but at the

  94. "I read about the International Citizen Hub Lund when I was still in Barcelona, and I went there the

  95. “So here is my first advice to the newcomers that plan a long stay here — if you have the option to

  96. "Another important aspect for me to settle down is to be able to bring positive energy to my

  97. Integration in Sweden: how to do it faster than in ten years "I watch, listen to and analyze myself

  98. "Despite all good things about the country it was very tough for me to leave my identity behind and

  99. "I would say it's still difficult getting used to my new life, and it's going to take more time for

  100. "In my case the breaking point was when I understood the meaning of the most important advise I’ve

  101. "I think newcomers who are creatives face additional challenges compared to those who have careers

  102. "I lived in 6 countries. My strategy was always: 1. Join relevant local member organisation to

  103. "One of the most rewarding experiences I’ve faced around here was getting to know the International

  104. " the ceramic studio became Ateljé Råbygård and grew from my hobby studio into a course center and

  105. “I was lucky to join the Kick-Start Program, I think that was a life changing moment for me. It’s

  106. "International Citizen Hub Lund has opened up not just one, but many doors of opportunities for me.

  107. "We chose a house out in the countryside with 30 minutes’ driving time for my husband to get to work

  108. " all the partners are connected: International Citizen Hub Lund will lead you towards Malmö

  109. "Participating in the Kick-Start Program was a stepping-stone towards a career development and

  110. "Upon arrival we had the normal challenges of opening bank accounts and applying for the all so

  111. "Here you get a warm smile and support on all different levels of life! The International Citizen

  112. "What I think was a big advantage of this program was great guest speakers. We met experienced

  113. "What I want to say with this is: Do not be shy to mingle with people. Attend the events at