Here are some of my personal observations about the Swedish people.

Sounds of the language. When I came to Sweden, I was very glad to hear the language. It was like a treasure, something unobtainable in my native country.

Then I got used to it. I spoke it without any particular awareness that it was a foreign language, spontaneously like when you speak with the people you know well.

In the last few months in Sweden I was gettingt bored of my job. I started to feel a bit annoyed of listening to Swedes as well: their liksom (sort of), vad då? (So what? What do you want?), and the peculiar Swedish way of inhaling the air to show agreement or interest. Many women seemed to be too loud and talkative (compared to Russian women).

But a few months after I left the country I began to miss the Swedish language again!

Attitudes to Russia. The need for security. As other Westerners, the Swedes are not much interested in Russia, especially now that Russia is poor, corrupt, uncooperative, etc.

Due to certain events in our common history (Poltava, Peter the Great's incursions on the Swedish coast, and the recent searches for Russian submarines) the Swedes are more mistrustful to us than some other peoples (e.g. the French, Italians or Norwegians).

Most Swedes have heard something about Yeltsin, Zhirinovski, Putin and they used to ask me what happened to Gorbachov. They are curious about Russian cuisine, Russian caviar and vodka. The Russian rough way of life fascinates them, because they feel that their life is sometimes too orderly and planned.

I knew only one person there who has seen a Russian film (but there are also very few Russians who have seen any Swedish film). In school they may have read a few stories by Tolstoy or Chekhov, that's all.

Only 7000 Swedes per year visit Russia (1999). The main reason is because they're afraid of being robbed, of catching TB, etc. I think this fear is completely justified. Nowadays Russia is very insecure even for the natives. Those who don't speak Russian can make oneself understood by speaking English in Europe or America, but in Russia it may attract the attention of criminals, starting from Sheremetiyevo taxi mafia. Or take that awful practice of policemen in St. Petersburg who rob hapless foreigners...

The Swede with whom I lived in same house, Christopher, had been in Namibia before, but he said he was afraid to visit Russia: "In Namibia orientation was easier: poor blacks, well-off Europeans. In Russia everything is mixed. A crook may look like a respected businessman".

Swedish people pay a lot of attention to safety. Only 60 Swedes in 1 million die in traffic accidents, lowest number in the EU (in Portugal over 200). They stick to eating ecological food (marked "KRAV"), many are vegetarians.

Environment. What I also like about Swedes is their attitude to nature and to the environment in general, e.g. cleanliness in cities. It seems that Sweden is one of the cleanest countries on Earth. Except for the bus terminal in Hudiksvall that reminded me of Russia, but only remotely :).

And I'm also fond of Sweden's environmental policy on the international arena, like environmental projects in the Baltic region.

I can also mention a few other attractive characteristics of the Swedish character and society: excellence in work, life-long learning, popular movements in all spheres of social life, aid to the Third World countries, etc.

In summary, I can say that in course of my stay in Sweden I gradually adopted the Swedish frame of mind. Now I see many things - e.g. global problems, environment, safety, education, etc. - from the Swedish perspective, even though I'm well aware that Sweden is a diverse country in terms of its nationalities, political orientations of its citizens, their faiths etc.

This is reassuring that this small country plays such a positive and stabilizing role in our troubled world.

I hope that in future I'll be able come and live again in this beautiful land where I feel at home.