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Tag archives for summer

The Swedish countryside: perfect in all seasons

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Before I first came to Sweden I associated the country with blue and yellow Ikea, the world famous Eurovision sensation ABBA, meatballs (even as a vegetarian I know these are good homey Swedish food); I associated Sweden with Phoebe in the American sitcom “Friends” playing a Swedish masseuse but maybe more serious and something I aspire to win one day: the Nobel Prizes (yes I intend to win them all :) . However, during my first trip here I experienced a side of Sweden that for me is one of the best aspects of Sweden.

Sweden has a population of around 10 million people. The main cities are Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo. However, a large part of Sweden is the countryside, the rural aspects that are not only people but deer, moose, fox, hares, owls and all sorts of other fascinating creatures. To me the Swedish countryside could easily be a place I could call home!

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Naieya Madhvani - Student

March 23, 2013

“Oh when I look back now that summer seemed to last forever”

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For me, as for Bryan Adams (please, don’t judge my music taste) and for a lot of you I guess, summer is a special time of the year. As one Russian song says: “Summer is a small life”, meaning that it’s a whole life on its own, isolated from the rest of the year.

At the end of every scholar year I have the feeling that summer is going to bring something, something exciting, something incredible in my life.

And here, in Sweden, the relation to summer is even more particular.

I had a conversation with a Swede who told me that for a lot of people in northern Europe, Scandinavia and especially in Sweden, summer is a sort of a huge getaway. Summer is the time that everyone is waiting for, the time during which we can do everything we were dreaming about during the cold winter. And especially in Sweden summer brings hope and people believe that it will arrange things and everything will be better afterwards.

Summer is here, and then there is nothing.

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Nathalia Mikhalkov — Student

June 30, 2012

You know you’ve been in Sweden too long when you…

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* Call your friends to go for a “fika“…

instead of inviting a friend to go for a coffee, it becomes natural to ask:

“Are you up for a fika around 4 p.m.?”

 

* Write “hej” instead of “hey“…

when you begin text messages. And no, it is not misspelled.

 

* Get angry when people do not recycle properly…

because everyone should know what plastic and what carton is.

 

* Think it’s usual to see cows on the way to uni…

when you’re walking from the student residence Lappkärsberget to Stockholm university.

 

* Appreciate the smallest ray of sunshine…

when it’s the only one you’ve seen since several days/weeks/months.

 

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Nathalia Mikhalkov — Student

June 24, 2012

Good morning, Gotland.

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We were walking in the dark blue. The sky was almost black but the horizon in front of us it was still purple and orange. 1 a.m. Salty air. I was walking a little behind my friends with my heavy back pack trying to guess what this city looks like. “Here!” One of my friends in front shouted. We stopped and started to build the tents.   Waking up on the next morning with the eyes still closed I heard the waves murmur. I pulled my sleepy head out of the tent and half-opened my eyes. White beach. Rocks. Turquoise water. Good morning, Gotland.

White and blue. Gotland, June 2012. Photo by Nathalia Mikhalkov.

White and blue. Gotland, June 2012. Photo by Nathalia Mikhalkov.

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Nathalia Mikhalkov — Student

June 21, 2012

Living the Swedish Lifestyle

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The typical Swedish lifestyle encompasses many things; there is a great desire to be in nature, to be active and moving, to be healthy and happy, to have an open mind, to strive for equality and to experience old traditions to the fullest. To truly get the Swedish experience while you’re here you have to jump into the Swedish lifestyle.

Be Active

There is no doubt that Swedes love to be active. Whether it is outdoors or indoors, you can find Swedes working out hard all year long. Staying active through playing on sports teams, hiking outdoors, or going to the gym is an important part of Swedish society. Being active is supported through education and work; there are sport holidays at school and even financial contributions to the cost of working out from employers.

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Kristin Follis — Student

October 7, 2011