Sweden: The Great Exchange

Exchange student currently studying at Uppsala University in Sweden.

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When I find an empty washer/drier in Flogsta

I’m like:

[toswedenandback]

Oh you fancy huh?

Aka. the tiny guide to Sweden for the incoming exchange students!

It seems Uppsala has been invaded by newbies! And since not all buddies are created equal I thought I'd sum up some of the questions I have been answering over and over this past week:

Basic Swedish:

hello: hej: pronounced similar to the english version 'hey' though the j sound is more like the i in oi! and is sat on much longer than the quick y in hey. Also important to note that this is HELLO and not HEY. You don't need to be friends with someone to use it. 

thank you: tack :again, the ck is sat on longer than an english pronunciation, but the a is quite short. Can be said many times in quick succession. Thank you very much is tack så mycket pronounced kind of like 'tack saw m-eu-keh' The y is difficult to explain as it is not a sound found in english.

Sorry/Excuse me: If you're Canadian you may have to learn that there isn't one direct translation of sorry in Swedish and can no longer say it in place of other words. In the excuse me/I'm sorry senseyoucansay förlåt pronounced furlawt (note the å is not exactly an aw sound, but thats as close as I can figure out). You can also say ursäkta (ew-sheckta) if someone is in your way.

  I don't speak Swedish/I speak English: Jag pratar/talar inte svenska  (Ya pratar inteh svenska) / Jag pratar/talar engelska (Ya pratar engelska). Note that pratar and talar ultimately mean the same thing, but pratar is more commonly used/less formal. 

  That can be extended to the question Do you speak english? : Talar/Pratar du engelska? (Pratar do engelska?)

[uppsalaunibetches-blog]

Seeing my pets when I got back home

[studentinuppsala]

When i have to go to ica

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When I plan to get up early and actually do some work

As soon as my alarm goes off I end end up being like:

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How I feel after two months of living in Sweden

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When I realized that coins that say 10 are worth 10 kronor and not 10 ore

I was like

[howdoiputthisgently]

WHEN THE HUMIDITY IN UPPSALA RUINS MY HAIR

IT’S LIKE:

[toswedenandback]

5 Reasons to Study Abroad at Uppsala

(based only on 2 months)

1-Balance: So you want to challenge yourself without throwing your body into hyperdrive? Uppsala is so very different to North America. The culture is amazing, the buildings are beautiful, the people are friendly, the language is new and wild. That said, its still a student town and very much an international one. Everyone is used to dealing with crazy foreigners. Ask and you'll find everything you need (unless what you need is Twiglets, they don't have those here which is sad)

2- Northern Europe is AMAZING: Somehow the touristy Western culture managed to leave these places intact. You'll still find gift shops and modern cafes, but you can venture through the old parts of the city and truely feel like you're back in time. Travelling between northern European is quite cheap (except hotels). Look out for cheap cruises to places like Estonia, Lithuania, Finland and Latvia. Norway and Denmark are totally do-able by train too.

3- The University: Its older than my country! Its history and prestige give you many options smaller or newer institutions just can't offer. Classes with 5 or 6 students would be cancelled at my uni, not here! There are entire campuses for departments stuck in 1 or 2 buildings at home. More profs, more research, more opportunities. 

4- International University: It really is. You goon exchange to step out into the world, experience different people and cultures. Why see just one? I have 2 professors that recently came from abroad. Most of my friend group is a lovely international mash up. Sweden is a popular destination for many different types of people and we all mix and match together. I've learned more from befriending them than my first semester classes

5- Nations: When you get here, you'll understand. Don't put too much stress on yourself deciding which to join. 

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Learning to dance in the rain

We all know the phrase 'Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain' (or something to that degree) And I like to think this comes pretty naturally to me. The cream rises to the top, so to speak.

Enough with metaphors (sorry I've missed English classes). I find I focus so much more on whats good about my life than the small annoyances. I'm so grateful to even be studying here in Sweden that a few boring classes and less than stellar weather are negligible. I find it so sad when I hear others complaining about small details. 

But.. there is a lot of rain. So if you can't dance in it, you may never dance.. and if you never dance, how will you smile?

[toswedenandback]

Why Canadians are awesome!

We are, we really truly are. I've been holding back my Canadianess which has made me realize how awesome the world would be if we ruled it.

I think a big thing here is that Canadians aren't shy. No, it isn't all that common to strike up a conversation at a bus stop, but we don't keep to ourselves. If someone drops something, we pick it up. If someone is slightly in our way we apologize and smile. If I am buying something from you we share a very quick conversation (probably about our boring day and the weather but still). I actually got glared at today because I went to put up an elderly man's bus pass. 

Also, sitting right on top of one of the most powerful nations in the world (also one of the most controversial) I think we have a very big appreciation for the rest of the world. You can't just learn Canadian history or geography in school because we recognize that there is more out there. I'm not saying all Canadians could draw a perfect world map, but I think we are very humble and this gives us an open mind.

We are socialism done right... well we are no where near socialism, but the values of Canada really centre on giving everyone a chance and promoting equal rights. This trickles down to the inhabitants. This closes the social gaps between the classes and means that it just isn't as taboo.

I love Canadians, though I am biased. Come live and learn.

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Sweden Perspective.

Before arriving here I had no knowledge of Swedish stereotypes or what to expect other than a few people telling me 'everyone is so nice there' (which is true!). Having now been here 1 week there are a few things I've noticed:

1- Take a Number! Swedes don't queue: everything from banks to the small housing office uses the 'take a number' system. Personally, I'm a big fan! It means you can do other things without losing your spot, you aren't waiting around in a queue.

2- Passive aggressive. In most places this is seen as a negative thing, but hear me out. Swedes are very non confrontational. If someone cuts in line or does wait their turn at a round about, no one will make a scene, but you will see everyone's face and they will do their best to demonstrate their annoyance without having to say it.

I had an interesting encounter with this. I was walking down a pedestrian/bike street in the rain. I was passing an older lady and since we both had umbrellas I had to step out into the bike portion. After a few steps I heard a bell from a bike. Now, even though a bell obviously signals passing, there's no way of knowing where the bike is, so  turned around in the split second the biker attempted to pass. She didn't hit me or anything, but I'd clearly been in her way (ignoring that 5 feet of bike path on the other side of me). As I turned she yelled something in Swedish which I can only assume from her tone was an equivalent of GTFO. You could see the other swedes we all surprised and embarrassed and even though it was my mistake completely, they were all glaring at her and giving me very encouraging and apologetic looks.

3- Modesty. Where in Britain everyone is very proud of their 'Britishness', here everyone is very modest. You will never hear a Swede bragging in the slightest as this is considered very rude. Its very refreshing and something I hope to take home with me. 

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Why English is Embarrassing!

So, as I was told many times before arriving in Uppsala, English is rampant here. Everyone under about 40 speaks it almost perfectly and completely willingly. In order to study here (as an international student) you had to be proficient in English, meaning that all the exchange and intl masters students also speak pretty fluent English. 

That said, I hate speaking English. Many friends I have made have been envious that English is my first language, but more than anything this makes me feel guilty. When I go to a store and speak English to the clerk I am speaking my first language and he is speaking his second. We are at an imbalance. I have to admit that sometimes I will fudge broken English or a very weird accent to make it seem as though I am also speaking a second language. This is silly I know, but somehow it makes me feel better. There is a somewhat true stereotype that Anglophones are lazy in languages. Many Brits, Americans, Aussies etc. are never forced to learn a second language because the world uses English so much. So even though I do speak another language fluently and am attempting to learn many others, having English as my mother tongue automatically groups me into this lazy category. 

food for thought.