Friday, January 16, 2015

First Impressions

The shuttle bus took us from the airport to the Upplands Nation at the university. Sweden is a really beautiful country; it's very colorful. Those picturesque red and yellow farmhouses you find on the internet really exist. The landscape was filled with green pine trees and covered in a light snow. It was about 30 degrees, which our driver said was fairly mild weather for this time of year. I hope it doesn't get much colder!

At the Upplands Nation, I was able to check in with my contact person at the International Office, get a temporary student card, set up my internet, and get my class schedule. It was very helpful and I talked to some more exchange students.

Since I couldn't check into my housing until 1 and Cassandra and Amanda couldn't until 3, we decided to take a walk around the block and see if we could find anything to eat. There was a cozy Asian place, a bakery, and then a cafe called Ofree Stoll. We ate at the cafe and I ordered the special which was grilled chicken with curry sauce, rice, vegetables, a small salad, and a drink. I tried my first Swedish drink called Julmust. It's mostly a Christmas drink, but it tastes kinda like a mix between coke and berries. I really liked it.

The cafe was a really nice respite from all the hustle and bustle. We sat by a window and people watched. I noticed that people in Sweden are economical--they walk, they bike, they own small cars, they take public transportation.  They also don't really seem bothered by the weather!

We hung out at the cafe for a while and then went back to the nation and checked in. There were shuttle services from the nation to each housing site, but the waiting times were at least an hour, and since my dorm is close, I walked. It must have been such a sight to see me pulling along two bags. Earlier, I had seen a guy carrying all of his stuff, and I joked "wonder where he's going?" Turns out the same place I was! It didn't help that I had to carry all my baggage up the stairs, step by step.

My room is on the fourth floor, which is the top floor. I live in the corner room, so it's a little bit larger and nicer than the other rooms. While I originally thought that I would have a sink and a toilet, I found out I only have a sink and share a toilet and a shower. The bright side is I have a comfy couch in my room. I got settled in and unpacked and tomorrow I am going to further get adjusted and go grocery shopping.

I think I picked a really great place to study abroad at and I'm really excited for all my adventures. I'm figuring things out as I go.

1 comment:

  1. I tried it a lot... why does not work?!?!
    Heyy It's Sam! You run the blog. So interesting! it would be really great if you keep it to the end of staying in Uppsala. You have a nicer room than mine, but I don't care! I am satisfied with everything around me. We are going to have great times throughout this semester. Nice meeting you again! Goood night!

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