Exchange to Sweden

I don't know what I was expecting when I decided to go on exchange to Sweden. Maybe I just wanted to change everything in my life. Change is what I got. Lots of it!

I don't want to bore you, dear reader, with the details of my flight. After all, we all know how horrible people are and how bad service is and bla-bla-bla. I must say though, flying through Reykjavik was certainly quite the experience. When you arrive, you get to leave the plane by walking down stairs... I mean you actually go outside and wait for a bus that will drive you to the airport. I got a nice whiff of Icelandic air. Very fresh and surprisingly cold, even in the summer. Careful though, traveling with Icelandair isn't for the feeble minded. There is no WiFi so you better hope the TV in front of your seat works well.

Approaching Iceland, not a single tree in sight. Truly magnificent land. 

 Boarding for Daneland!









When you arrive to Denmark (yes, nobody flies directly to Malmo) you have to take the train for a solid hour before you get to Lund. In Lund, you'll probably realize that buses here don't take cash. You might be forced like I was to walk all the way to your hotel (I strongly suggest you download a map, you'll quickly realize Sweden is one giant maze). This ain't the STM or the ATM (for those who live in Montreal); if you don't have the card or the app - you're walking. I really wish I knew this before I arrived. Apart from that, the public transportation is quite impeccable: clean, fast and reliable. Nonetheless, as it can be quite expensive, the best way to move around in Skane (southern region of Sweden) is by bike. I mean everything is made for bikes here. Walking around, I swear you'll see more bikes than people.

So far, all I've done was walk around and shop, so here are a few walking-shopping things that I've discovered:

Yes, Sweden is expensive. I got over it and won't complain about it anymore, I promise. You'll compare at first, but then you'll give up (or you'll get very hungry). I really don't recommend saving money on food because you'll definitely get sick (personal experience talking here).
Speaking of comparison, for us Canadians, everything in Sweden seems to revolve around the number 6. You divide and multiply by 6 for a price estimates. You subtract 6 for Canadian local time. Keep in mind everything closes at 6 and nothing is open on Sundays.

One thing I do like very much about Sweden is how quiet it is. Seriously, people whisper in shopping malls. Kids aren't yelling. It's as if everyone was disciplined super strictly from a very young age. I was expecting some crazy overpopulated European experience but instead I found the ultimate level of civility. Walking around, it's also nice to see the contrast between old and new.

Part of the old town. Notice how empty the streets are. All the tourists (thousands of them) seem to care about is shopping.

Swedes seem to be very fond of Kraftor, which is crayfish. They import it from Louisiana and have it with beer (ol). I haven't tried it yet because I don't have access to a kitchen, but I most certainly will as soon as I get the chance.

Who would have thought I'd find signs in Polish right here in Sweden. Looks like I haven't been learning it for nothing! I haven't found who speaks Polish in this hotel and I'm not sure I want to (maybe they are getting many Polish guests?).


One thing is for sure, I understand Swedish very well, but they don't seem to appreciate it when I try to speak Swedish to them. They notice I'm a foreigner (I wonder what gives it  out, eh? Maybe it's my American Express card) and they just switch to English.



I think when I was planning my exchange I expected to be in a sparsely populated village with Saunas and vast forests. Maybe a couple hundred years ago this would have been the case, but Sweden is a pretty modern country now. No smell of chimney fire in Lund. Maybe Eslov, the village I'll be living in will be different.

17/08/2017

 I settled in Eslov a few days ago. Commuting is very easy, it only takes about 7 minutes by train and then I have a bike at Lund Central Station. I do have to get to Eslov station and that takes about 20 minutes by foot. This is only a temporary accommodation, until September (I hope). My landlord seems to be having second thoughts about bringing in 3 students. When I found out, I rushed to the housing agency and annulled my cancellation (yes that's possible in Sweden) of the student housing. That room will be empty though, so I should be expecting a productive trip to IKEA very soon. 

I still have a lot of free time (between course registration and student get togethers) during which I keep exploring Lund. I consider myself lucky that I found two people from Canada who seem to share my exploration drive. Everyone else seems to be driven by alcohol. We have made plans to visit Malmo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and maybe, if we have time, Hamburg. 

This is the train station I walk to every day (Eslov). It might look like nothing, but the trains in Sweden go at a speed of almost 200km/h. (I actually live 30km away from Lund!)

My friend from Ireland that I met on the first day asked me to help him carry his bags to his B&B. Of course, he didn't mention it would be 6km away and we would have to cross a few fields. He basically lives on a farm for now. Luckily the weather was nice so it was a pleasant hike.

This is the science building with an observatory tower! Unfortunately, my access card doesn't unlock it. 

The group of drinking friends that I met made a group chat and called it "The Family". Since it was my idea and I knew more than them about Lund when they arrived they gave me the nickname "Dad". These people are kind, but seem to have no other interests than pubs and parties. It's nice to be included, it might be even nice to have a beer with them, but I could hardly say that I identify with these people. I think I'll make better friends once classes start and I'm surrounded by classmates. I'm not being depressive or anything. I'm actually in a fantastic mood because everything around me is so new and interesting.

Good thing is that Swedes have begun to understand my Swedish and Germans have said that my German is impeccable. I must be on the right track with this language switch.

 24/08/2017

 My living situation causes me a lot of trouble. The landlord has second thoughts about having 3 students living in her house, so she kindly hinted to us that this isn't working out according to plan and that if we wanted to leave that would be ok. Honestly, it's a good thing she did because the living conditions in this house are horrible. She's not mean or anything, she just has a very peculiar lifestyle that I don't think many can live with. To better understand why, here is a couple of things our landlady believes in:

1. The environment is the most important thing in the world:

Because of this strong believe, she doesn't clean the house with any chemicals. There is no bleach to clean the bathrooms and kitchen, the fridge smells of rotting fruit and there are no plastic bags or containers to pack your lunch. We've been using table cloths. Thank goodness she has the common sense to use dish soap (although I do have doubts about the effectiveness of "bio" dish soap).

2. She composts - or attempts to:

The entire house smells of apples that have gone bad. No wonder, she has 2 compost stations in the kitchen! One on the counter on a plate (yes, you read right, she just leaves remains of food to rot on a plate on a kitchen counter) and one under the sink. If you approach the sink or wave your hand around the "compost" area, a swarm of fruit flies will attack you. 

 3. The house is in dire state:
I can't really complain about this one too much, after all, she is a single mom. However, she doesn't seem to be trying very hard (she only keeps her daughter part-time). She keeps asking me to fix her lawnmower (computers, lawnmowers, same thing, right?) as if that was the biggest problem in the house. Just a few days ago, the fuses burned and half the house was left without electricity. Unfortunately, the washing/drying machines as well as the pump stopped working which led the basement to smell like a poorly kept public restroom. Even worse, she hardly seemed to care. So much that I had to buy and replace the fuses myself! These are the major flaws in the house, but there are plenty of other ones that I haven't mentioned such as:

- There are no mirrors, anywhere. I can't shave!
- There is no functioning vacuum cleaner.
- Ceramic cups all have fissures which is actually quite dangerous.
- My room has no table, and no table is expected.
- The drain in the sink upstairs is clogged so the faucet can only be used with extreme carefulness.

I'm pretty happy to be moving into a dorm (boy have my standards dropped) on September first. I haven't paid rent to her yet. I will only do so when she signs off on the contract so she doesn't come looking for me saying that I owe her something.


On a more cheerful note, I went to Malmo with my friend Gwen yesterday to register at the embassy and to have a look around. We quickly found out that if we posed as a couple we would get served quicker and would get discounts everywhere, including transportation! When we arrived at the embassy, we were told that we aren't allowed to take any pictures. I quickly understood why - the embassy was full or migrants! Of what I heard while waiting my turn, these people (mostly middle-aged men) arrived from various Arabic countries and were either demanding benefits (money and food stamps) or demanding Swedish Visas to live in Germany. They weren't asking at all, they were actually demanding by saying things like "You have to give me money because I came from very far" or "I want to go to Germany because they have better benefits, give me a visa". It was really strange and uncomfortable to observe these men demand things from Sweden. I was happy enough to be out of there and to visit the more tourist-friendly parts of Malmo. I didn't see much of the city, because I had to go back to Lund at 3 to make it in time to the "Taste of Sweden" activity, where I was able to try out various Swedish dishes including the famous stinky Surstromming!

These hedgehogs are everywhere and they are super friendly. At night, you have to watch where your going or you might step on one of the dozens of these little guys roaming around parks.

If there is one thing I really miss about home it is quality tea. Swedes aren't tea drinkers so good tea is rare and expensive. Regular Earl Grey tea is too weak here and doesn't really taste like anything. This "Russian Earl Grey" is the closest thing they have to normal tea. Unfortunately, the box costs 40 Krona so it is basically a luxury item.

Bellow is the train that links all the Swedish cities together. It's a high speed train, nothing like trains in North America. I actually live quite far from Malmo (70km) but this train covers that distance in just under 15 minutes. It's not even expensive. A trip to Malmo costs about 40 Krona if you're traveling with no discounts.

 I went on a day hike with the university. I didn't expect this activity to be so popular. There were 4 buses full of students.






Despite the dire living circumstances, I'm having a great time. Exchange students are very social and really good at conversation (when sober). The one thing that bothers me was that I caught myself being envious of the Environmental Engineers (and engineers in general). They really have a community going on, with each type of engineer wearing different colored overalls. My department didn't organize anything for us other than course registration. I guess business students are too uptight for games and colors.

1/09/2017

I haven't written in a while because my housing situation was only getting worse. Since we let our landlord know that we weren't planning on staying, she decided to neglect her house even more than usual. The situation got to bad that Erik and I decided to sleep one night in a park. I bought a tent and sleeping bag for 300 krona (I really don't understand prices here, a beer in a pub is 100 krona...)

I also went to a Swedish nightclub. Now I know that I don't like nightclubs and that I've always advocated against them, but curiosity got the upper hand this time and I decided to check it out. Despite the sweaty people, the atmosphere was quite different that the club in Montreal. People were there to dance - and they were actually dancing! The club also featured songs I thought I'd never hear again, such as Dota or Boten Anna by Basshunter. I still don't like clubs, but clubs in Sweden are significantly more bearable than those in Montreal. 

On a different note, I went to Copenhagen recently with my new "Squad".

 

Ellie (German), Erik (German), Gwen (British-Columbia), Jessamy (Dutch). The formation of this group was rather spontaneous, but everyone there is part of the "family". 

Famous Copenhagen Cathedral. You're not allowed to take pictures inside so you'll have to believe me that it was beautiful. 

Pretty interesting that their police drives around in a Mercedes. They really put Canadian police to shame with their luxury cars. 

 Anyone that goes to Copenhagen has to try out this hotdog from a Pølsevogn (Sausage Wagon). It costs a ridiculous amount of money but it is worth every penny. Don't expect to be full after this though, it's good to have a lunch and treat this as an appetizer.

I was really spoiled in terms of trains here. You have to take a train to everything and anything. Choo-choooo!

This is the view from the tallest tower in Copenhagen. It costs 30 Danish Krona to get up and it takes about 20 minutes to climb. There are no stairs though, the tower is build in a massive slightly sloping upward spiral. 

I'll update further after I move into my dorm.