Update!

Maria, Noemie and I at the Rackargerget bbq

It's been a week since I arrived here!  Here's a summary of what I have seen and done in the past few days..

The first couple of days were honestly pretty boring.  Aside from my housemates, I didn't know anyone else, and spend lonely hours wandering about campus and town.  Ok, it wasn't too bad, but those days went by really slowly, especially since I didn't have (and still don't) internet connection in my corridor.

Orientation started on Tuesday, and it's been a blast since.  SLU organizes information sessions for all incoming exchange and international masters students, as well as activities and tours that gives us a chance to get to know one another.  The majority of students are from Europe, and a small handful of us who are from North America.  There are a lot of German and French exchange students, and many of them are here to also improve their English.

A cool little cobble-stoney street

I went on a tour of the city yesterday, and it was my first true walkabout town and I got to see most of the central part of the city.  It's a beautiful city, and since it is a very old city, it has some very historic parts to it.

Domkyrka, Uppsala's famous cathedral

Colourful buildings in the old part of Uppsala

 There is the largest cathedral in Scandinavia (this is what I look out for when I want to check that I'm heading in the right direction towards the city), there is a pink castle that the king built years and years ago to guard the city, and the Fyris river that people bike along or sit on benches close by to feed the ducks.  Many of the old parts of town have little cobble stone pedestrian only streets, with cute little cafes in the alleys.  The yellow, pink, and other colour buildings really make this a cute place to walk about and visit.

My new bike and the Fyris River that goes all the way to SLU

I forgot to mention that I finally got a bike!  Uppsala is a student town; with a population of 150,000, and 40,000 being students, you can understand why there are so many people who refuse to pay 30 SEK for every bus ride.  Uppsala is built for bikes, and most of the bike lanes are on the sidewalk; Uppsala puts Vancouver (a "bike-friendly" city) to shame!

I bought my used bike from ABBA (haha) for 750 SEK. It works well, has gears..and well, that's all you really need, right?  It should do the job for the next eight months (I hope). I am so glad I went with this bike, because I know students now are having a hard time finding affordable used bikes, with a few of them resorting to purchasing new bikes for about 2000 SEK.  So if you plan on coming here, look for a bike as soon as you arrive, and visit sites such as Blocket.  Also, make sure your bike has a white front light, a red back light, and a bell.  If you don't have all of these and the police catch you, you will be fined!  Finally, get a good bike lock because there are bike stealers in the city.

For the past few days, I have been spending time with the other exchange and masters students exploring the city and visiting the nations.  The nations are something that we don't have in Canada.  In Uppsala, which is famous for it's nations and student life, there are 13 nations to choose from.  If you pay 250 SEK for membership in one of these nations, you gain access to some sweet deals within the nation, activities, and parties.  Each nation is named after a region of Sweden (historically, members of each nation all came from the same region), such as Norrlands, Varmlands, Stockholm, etc.  But no matter what nation you join, you can still go to the events put on by the other nations, although you don't have first priority and may have to pay extra.

Deliciousness!

Yesterday, I also had my first real meal in Sweden!  Ok, it wasn't exactly Swedish..but it was delicious!  I can't remember what the name of the market was, but we ate in a Granville Island-type market (much smaller, though) and I had pasta with salmon and a saffron-dill cream sauce.  The student price was 80 SEK, so not exactly cheap, but not too expensive.  Anyway, it was worth it.  It was the best food I have had since I have arrived :)

Also, it's getting quite chilly now.  We spoke with a Swede at one of the nations, and he said this year the weather has changed faster than usual.  Two weeks ago, it was summer, and now...I am wearing my winter coat and scarf, and still feeling cold!  I can't imagine what I will have to face in a few months..

Anyway, that's it for now.  Will be back soon.  Hej da!