Ahh I finally have time to write about my first impressions of Sweden. It seems like this week has gone by so fast, it’s been just over a week since I’ve arrived but feels much longer, which is good, I already feel comfortable and that this will be a good fit for the next nine months. I’m pretty well settled in and have the town somewhat figured out. It has been great meeting students from all over the world. Feels like it is a mecca for international students. Orientation week has been fun going to all the different Nations(student clubs/pubs) which is mainly what the student life consists of. There are 13 different nations named after “provinces” in sweden so the resident students are placed based on where they are from while us international students get to decide based on which one suits us best from the daily activities they have, pub atmosphere, club nights, library, food, gasques, etc. although we can still go to any of the events at other nations. It is really neat that all the nations are in old historical buildings throughout the city. Uppsala is so beautiful, first thing I noticed flying into sweden was that it is very green and lots of open space, but easy to say compared to most of the states haha, not covered with cement or big cities, buildings everywhere. I live right downtown, very convenient and can see the top of the cathedral from my room. Crazy to say that I live by a castle and a cathedral. Uppsala has a lot of history and it seems they really try to keep it traditional and original. There are viking stones around the cathedral park that date back to the 11th century and the famous “silver bible” in the Carolina Rediva library from the 8th century. It is amazing to see all the history. The campus is spread throughout town as well, most departments also being held in historical buildings, like the main university building is where the nobelaurettes come every year and also royalty throughout the year. It is so fun to just walk around and see all of these things and learn about them. It is a college town, the city was built around the university(started in 1477) and the cathedral. Everyone bikes from young to old and although it is a bigger city, 4th largest in sweden, it is very easy to get around. The student life is great so far. Fika is very big here and it is basically “coffee time” or just take a break and hangout with friends have pastries or coffee. Nations clubs and pubs take up most of the nights, cider is popular and very good. The swedish seem to be very easy going, but also very reserved. Life is in slow pace here and relaxed. Everyone has been very nice, I feel completely safe walking around at night and luckily for my sake everyone speaks english. I want to learn some swedish while I am here so I’m not the typical traveler who doesn’t know the language. Uppsala has a great downtown with shops, restaurants, outside dining, parks and a river that runs through separating the two sides, then up the street are the nations and the castle and cathedral. There are also many other museums like the Carl Linneus museum, he is one of the most famous swedes to come out of uppsala. His botanical garden is one of the sights to see. I made a trip to Stockholm, which is just a 40 minute train ride south. It was really fun and so much to see there. It is the capital of sweden and also the “capital of scandinavia.” We saw the Royal Palace, Nobel Museum, famous hotels and other museums. A lot to take in for just one day. It is a few little islands, all connect by bridges. We took a ferry boat around for the day and got off at each stop. It was different to be in the Baltic Sea. Stockholm is a very entertaining city with old history but also new advancements. Everything has been great this far, meeting so many new interesting people, fun city, new places, learning new cultures and experiences, good times! I am really glad to be here just not looking forward to the winter too much. Some friends and I are making trip plans for around europe as well so looking forward to that and o yes classes will fit in somewhere.
