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Tag archives for diversity

Culture Night in Uppsala

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One of the biggest reasons for studying abroad or doing a Masters program in Sweden is getting to know many people coming from all over the world.  It is quite possible that people coming from every continent will be in your class. This gives all students an opportunity to not only learn about other cultures, but also make friends from around the world.

The result is that most cities in Sweden are very culturally diverse. In Uppsala this is celebrated every year during the cities own KulturNatten (Culture Night). The idea of having a Culture Night is to bring together all members of the community to share in a range of different expressions of culture.

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Kristin Follis — Student

September 13, 2011

A Carnival of Cultures

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Upon arriving to Sweden, it is without a doubt that you will realize the diversity of cultures that exists. The students you will live or go to school with is just the beginning of the diversity you will be able to discover.

While many of these cultures are showcased by local restaurants, cafes, student groups or dance teams around the city, there are also many festivals that take place in Sweden.

These festivals give you the opportunity to understand more about some of the different cultures that exist. Usually you can try some traditional food, listen to different styles of music or watch some cultural dancing.

This past weekend the third annual Kulturenas Karneval (Carnival of the Cultures) took place in Uppsala. The idea of the carnival is to display and present some of the great cultural diversity in art, food, music and dance that exists within the city.

The feature of the carnival is the parade that sets off the day. The procession was filled with many different cultural dance groups from many countries, including a skillful acrobatic team tossing each other around, despite the threat of hard pavement below. The bright and barely there costumes along with the powerful drum beats made for an exciting parade.


Some of the dancers from the Carnival of Cultures Parade. Photos by: Kristin Follis

The rest of the day was filled with a food and craft market, film festival, dance and theater, live music, arts and crafts, as well as workshops for kids. There was an abundance of food from fresh Swedish fika breads to Ethiopian lentils to ecological hamburgers and even some Mexican corn on the cob and quesadillas.

The live music continued into the night featuring salsa, cumbia, rock and Moroccan styles. Also included was a number of different dance performances from styles all over the world.

Sweden’s culture diversity is without a doubt one of the greatest benefits to becoming a student here. Not only will you meet people from all over the world in your corridor and classes but also within the cities. Festivals and Carnivals like the one in Uppsala are great examples of how these cultures can be displayed and appreciated. And really, who doesn’t enjoy some salsa dancing and homemade traditional Ethiopian food all in one day?

The acrobats from the parade had some crazy stunts! Photo by: Kristin Follis

Kristin Follis — Student

May 31, 2011

An International Food Party!

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Perogies, guacamole, meatballs, tortillas, tom yum gai, carbonara, paella, naan, dumplings… the options are endless.

The best part about studying in Sweden is the diversity in every class. Not only does this contribute to interesting discussions in class, but it also means getting to know many different cultures.

A typical corridor dinner! Photo By: Mararie (CC BY SA)

Coming to a new country, far away from your home, family and friends, can be difficult, but meeting new people is never difficult. Most exchange students live in corridors where you have your own room and share a large kitchen and living area with 8-15 other students from all over the world.

One of the best ways to take advantage of this diversity is to take turns cooking some food and EATING.

My program started in the end of August last year with just over 100 students representing approximately 52 nations. Most people were thinking ‘wow… we represent a huge percentage of countries in the world’; I, however, was thinking ‘wow… imagine of all the good food that people can make’!

And thankfully I wasn’t the only one. A month after the first day all 100 of us met in a common room near the student housing area to have an international food party. The selections included Indian, Thai, Swedish, Chinese, French Canadian, and even included an American classic, root beer floats.

The result of an international food party! Photo by: Wowwow Ja

And of course, it’s even better if you can actually learn how to cook. Next time you go home for a visit you can dazzle your friends and family by cooking some spicy Thai soup, Russian pelmeni or an Indian masala.

There is no doubt that the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. And, there is no better way to unite a diverse class or a corridor than to share food from all over the world. I can assure you the food will be amazing!

So remember when your leaving for your studies in Sweden, don’t forget your recipes to your favorite homemade food!

Kristin Follis — Student

May 29, 2011