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!

Three flights and one bus later...

View of the sunset from my window

...I made it to Uppsala!  This is the fourth largest city in Sweden (with a population of 145,000 – oh, how China must be laughing) and home to the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), which is where I will be studying agricultural sciences for eight months.  

 I am finishing up my undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, where I am studying in the Global Resource Systems program within the Faculty of Land and Food Systems.  I am focusing my studies on human nutrition and sustainable agriculture. 

I decided to create this blog for myself, family, friends, and of course, for anyone else who might be curious about what it’s like living in a Nordic country! 

I arrived in the afternoon at the Uppsala Central Station on Saturday, August 21^st, jetlagged and hungry.  I had gone through three flights and no meals and tight connections where I almost missed one of my flights!  

My bedroom.  Everything is furnished by Ikea!

My buddy from SLU, Ida, was kind enough to pick me up at the station, load my bags into her car, stop by the local supermarket for some groceries (aka peanut butter, bananas, and bread), and bring me to my room on campus.  I am living in the residence called Galbo, and the residence units here are known as corridors, which are similar to the units in Fairivew.  There are eight of us living in a corridor, and we share a kitchen and living room.  Laundry is in a separate building outside, which is luckily just a few steps away from my corridor.  Unlike Fairivew, we each get our own bathroom within our bedrooms, and the rooms are larger than those in Fairview or any residence at UBC!

I was SO hungry when I arrived, but then I realized that this wasn’t like the conferences I’ve been pampered with these past two summers, where everything is paid for and you are well-fed the minute you step off the plane.  Nope, I’m still a student living on my own, and I had NO FOOD IN THE PANTRY, unless you count the peanut butter and bread that I bought.  And some crusts from my leftover pb  and j sandwiches, and a squished granola bar. 

Galbovagen

 I love the view from my room, which overlooks a bit of farmland and a gorgeous community garden, and I often see hard-working families and couples harvesting the veggies.  

Little lamb

A pond?

Feeling slightly carbed-out on Sunday, I went for a short run around campus.  The campus is very cute, and many of the buildings (including Galbo) are built resembling barns, and painted red.  It’s a relatively small campus (coming from UBC) but I like it!  It’s in the countryside, and I even found some sheep in a pasture close to Galbo.  This is my kind of campus!

That's it for now; orientation starts today so I'm looking forward to the next few days.  Will update soon.  Hej da!


PS, I'm in Sweden (not Switzerland) ;)