Want to chat with a random Swede? Well Sweden's board of tourism is giving you that chance with a new hotline number.
The program is from the Swedish Tourist Association. It's meant to "spark people's curiosity about Sweden - our culture, nature and mindset," according to the association's website. Watch "The Swedish Number" video below.
https://youtu.be/mtb3f_NAmK0
The group created an app that Swedes could download and then spread word about the phone number.
Anyone, anywhere in the world can call the number and be connected to whatever Swede is answering at that moment. "Get connected to a random Swede and talk about anything," The website is:
The Swedish Number theswedishnumber.com
The association created a U.S. number for Americans to dial to reach the Swedish hotline: 301-276-0600.
The website for Swedes to sign up tells them, "Answer for Sweden. We are the first country to have its own phone number, which the whole world can call, and we who live in Sweden can help answer it. It's a regular conversation, except that when someone dials the number they're connected at random to a Swede."
Note that depending on the time of day where you are, you might not get through to anyone in Sweden. As the website says, "You are welcome to call at anytime, but we might be asleep."
Is that cool or what?