Let’s face it: not a lot of people are really enthusiastic about the idea of learning Swedish. Personally, I could argue during hours why you should learn Swedish (coming in the next blog post!), but one thing is that it is a truly beautiful language. However, if you’re not a big fan of long vowels (Preciiiiis!, Absoluuuut!), there are some words that you will learn just due to the fact of living in Sweden.
So to make it quick, here are the 10 most important Swedish words: Read more »
What I hate above all is to be a tourist in a city. Or more precisely to be seen as a tourist by the locals. Putting on your sneakers, a backpack and walking with a map… you know what I mean. Of course, this is a part you practically can’t avoid in the beginning. I admit, like everyone else, I used my “lonely planet” guide, discovering who Gustav Adolf was and what Gamla Stan is. But what I really wanted was to feel Stockholm, and to feel it as someone who has lived here and for whom it is his home. And there is only one way doing it. Read more »
I guess I was lucky: a lot of students struggle to find a place to live in Stockholm, which is not the easiest task, but I was lucky enough to get a room at the campus Lappkärrsberget, or Lappis for the intimates.
Road to Lappis on a rainy day. Photo by Nathalia Mikhalkov.
When I arrived to Stockholm from France, I was surprised by the way people are dressed. At Stockholm University you can meet many students wearing clothes that I probably would never put on even going to a nightclub. Huge wedges, acid-green trousers, black lipstick… I just loved it. Come as you are. No one cares. Or, on the contrary, everyone cares, so please, be original if you wish, no one will judge you.
One of the big shocks was the discovery of the Systembolaget, the only shop where you can find alcohol. Coming from France where the culture of wine is a part of everyday life, it was difficult to get used to the fact that you can’t find alcohol anywhere else. If you want to drink alcohol, you need to be organized. And going to “Systemet” becomes a real expedition for students on the Friday afternoon. Read more »
Rather than saying that I chose Sweden, I’d say that Sweden chose me.
When I was in doubt between Germany and England for my Erasmus destination, my Norwegian friends told me: go to Stockholm, Stockholm is for you! There was not much time for hesitation, so I made my decision very fast without even knowing where I was going. I was too excited by the idea that for one year I will get lost in a curious culture and become a stranger to myself.
What is Sweden for a basic tourist who has never been there? IKEA, blondes, Vikings… COLD. Read more »
…is a French student of Russian origin, currently an exchange student at the department of Political Science at Stockholm University. This is Sweden as she experiences it.
…is a student from Ontario, Canada, studying sustainable development at Uppsala University. This is her take on life as a foreign student in Sweden.
… already went back home to Oregon, unfortunately. But you can still enjoy his humorous posts from his study days at Linnaeus University in Växjö.