Month: September 2022

When you arrive in a new country you really want to make your flat or your dorm, the most unique and comfortable place! But as a student, spending all your riches on it is not the sole purpose of your coming to Sweden. So….. Why don’t you try to do that by going to second-hand shops? You could find a lot of things at an amazing price while preserving the planet from overconsumption (probably the sustainability girl in me who talks now XD ) In this blog, I will try to guide you through different second-hand shops around Visby and maybe you will find super cool stuff that no one else has 😉 

Let’s start with PMU Second Hand: 

It is located around 30 min away from Visby (Osterport) but it is worth the visit! 
This second-hand shop is the PARADISE! Really it has everything that you need: glass, plates, books, cool vintage Visby postcards, clothes, and even pieces of furniture. The thing that I like the most about this shop is that the items change depending on the current season. For example, the first time that I went there was during Christmas and I found so many cute Swedish Christmas decorations! I was so happy. It was amazing to bring so many unique items to France and put it on my Christmas tree and decorate my flat with them 🙂 Also, you can find some Gotland tourist items which are one of my favourite things to thrift: So if you want to have some souvenirs really go there! It will be less expensive and you will be super happy to have found it. Also the staff there is super nice 🙂

My second favourite thrift store in Visby is the Red Cross: 

It is a charity shop so you can find these types of shops all over Gotland but the closer one is 15 min away from Visby (Osterport). 
It is a very nice shop with a large selection of clothes! You can find what you like inside. It is smaller than PMU but still with a lot of stuff, you can find: plates, glass, mugs, clothes, CDs,… But the thing that I like about this place is that people with disabilities have jobs and are reusing old pieces of fabrics to create tote bags, scrunchies, aprons, and a lot of other stuff and sell them in the shop and you can have even more unique pieces while doing a very nice action by supporting their work! I always find really unique pieces there such as the Pippi frame or the Gotland Mug! This place is also a café so if you want to thrift as well as a break from all the shopping and hunting that you have been doing this is the perfect place 🙂

My third place is actually Antikvariat Drotten(Antiquarian Drotten Map) 

It is located inside the city and is a very unique place! 
You can find a bit of everything in Swedish and a bit of English Books. It is not open often so check out the time schedule before trying on going there 😉 

My fourth thrift store is Re: Dress

It is actually located next to Osterport. 
It is a very small shop that is kind of hidden but very nice to go to. This is more of a luxury/ expensive item shop! So if you want to check it out and you are ready to spend a bit of money for a very unique piece of clothing, go for it 😉 

The last two places are further away from Visby and are places that I haven’t been but would love to go and try. Those places are Kattstodet Gotland and Ateranvandarna Gotland ! 

Well, I hope that I gave you some of my love for thrift shopping and that you will love to find your own very unique pieces from Sweden and on the same occasion win some money and save the planet! 

Here is the list of all the thrift shops with their addresses and time schedule so you can be ready to go when it is open! A reel was also shared on our Instagram account study@uu where I go to the first two thrift stores !! 

Have a wonderful day! And meet you in the Second-Hand shops 😉 

Moving to Uppsala is very exciting and finding things to do can be scary but also so much fun. Having lived in this gorgeous city for a year, I can tell you there are so many things to do in Uppsala and that’s what makes Uppsala University such a great place to study. From studying in libraries in different university faculties to partying at a student nation, there’s something for everyone to do! But to make things easier for you, I will roughly split the things to do in Uppsala into three groups:

1. Studying

While being a student in Uppsala can be filled with fun and exciting activities, sometimes we must study and keep up with our readings, deadlines, and exams. Studying can often be boring, but Uppsala University offers different faculties with different libraries, but also great unique study areas to make studying more enjoyable. I especially enjoy studying at my faculty because we have a unique study dome where students can study in while enjoying the view to the botanical gardens right next to Blåsenhus. It’s awesome!

If the dome is ever full, Blåsenhus also has such a nice library to study in with many sockets throughout, so my laptop never runs low on battery. The library also has such comfortable chairs; I can study in complete comfort. I do have to watch out because sometimes I can get too comfortable and zzz😴 And this is just my campus! Other campuses also have awesome libraries and student areas. One of the most popular study rooms is the awesome study

room in Ekonomikum. Being in that room is like being in a relaxing starry galaxy. Look at the picture! What else would you want?

Aside from the libraries at the University you can also study at nations. Lots of student nations have their own library or study area where students can study in a more casual setting. It’s a great place to study right before going to the pub or any nation activity. If you enjoy fresh coffee and getting some fika while studying, you can also study at a café! I enjoy getting a nice cup of coffee and a piece of cake while studying. But don’t forget your headphones otherwise the people in the café can be kind of distracting and all you’ll be doing is drinking coffee and eating cake😅 Going to a café is also lots of fun to meet friends for fika in between studying. Fika really is an amazing Swedish tradition, please take advantage of it and try out all the Swedish desserts!

2. Student Nations and Student Unions

Student Nations have nice libraries and study areas, but they also host so many events for students in Uppsala. If you don’t know what to do during the week, you can always check out the nations’ website: nationsguiden.se Here you can get all the information you need about what nations are up to from breakfast until party time 🎉 Many nations also have their own restaurants and cafés, so you can easily find somewhere to eat from breakfast, lunch, and dinner! The food differs per nation, but the food is good, and the best part is that it comes at a student price, so eating at a nation is cheaper than eating somewhere else. Nations also offer different groups with different activities. I was a part of the theatre group at Kalmar nation, and it was so much fun.

Nations offer groups like choirs, art club, dance clubs and much much more! This year I did theatre club, but who knows what I will do next, maybe I will join another club or start my own. All of this is possible at student nations, woohoo! Nations also host game nights, pub quizzes, karaoke, parties and lots of other fun activities. It’s truly a great place to meet new people or go out with friends. While partying and activities are great, you can also make some money by working at nations. Working at a nation can be very fun and easy way to make some extra money. You can work with friends or make new friends while working at nations, but sometimes you can also get some free food or access to cool nation events!

The Uppsala Student unions are also a great way to make friends, but also make a difference for the education provided to students at Uppsala university. The student unions seek to help better programmes at Uppsala University through the help of students. So, if you ever have any issues with your programme the student unions can help! Uppsala University has six student unions, five in Uppsala and one in Gotland. There are also various committees and clubs you can join through the student union, such as the debate club or student committees for different programmes. I happen to be a member of the student committee for my programme, Habitus, and we seek to provide a bridge between our department and the students. We gather feedback with and for the department, but also host events for students in order to form a community within my programme. So, student unions and committees deal with more serious matters within the university, but they also host various events. It’s a great way to keep up with university matters while also making friends and having fun.

3. General activities – Museums & Gardens

Aside from studying and attending events at student nations, Uppsala has a gorgeous cathedral you can visit. The cathedral is big and can be spotted from miles away! The cathedral is beautiful inside and out and is definitely worth a visit once you are here.

Uppsala also has various museums you can visit. Many museums are free for students or have a discount for students. One free museum is the Evolutions Museum that consists of three museums which show different aspects of evolution, namely the evolution of zoology, the evolution of palaeontology and mineralogy (aka, fossils and dinosaurs) and the evolution of botany. So, there is enough to see by simply visiting one museum already. You can’t imagine how much more you can explore!

The city also has a beautiful castle you can visit, where you can also have a tour of their dungeons and take a look into what the castle possibly looked like in the past. The castle also has an art museum you can visit. And from the castle you can also catch a gorgeous view of the royal gardens where the Linneanum orangery is located, which holds the botanical garden’s tropical plants and cacti. And if you’re interested in seeing more gorgeous gardens you can visit the botanical gardens! They have flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables and many more plants to admire. They also have a tropical greenhouse that has many cute frogs roaming around 😍The best part? It’s free for Uppsala students! So, what are you waiting for? Go see those cute frogs!

3. General activities – Forests and Hiking trails

Grab your hiking shoes and explore Uppsala in a whole different way! Uppsala is filled with rich nature and gorgeous forests. What better way is there to explore Uppsala’s nature than hiking through the forests? At every start of a trail you can find maps of different hiking trails nearby, but you can also find various maps with hiking trails all over Uppsala at Biotopia. This is a museum in Uppsala which shows the different animals that can be found in Uppsala. There are different hiking trails, from easy and short ones for beginners, to more difficult and longer ones for more experienced hikers. During your hikes you can expect gorgeous views of not only trees and plants, but also different animals like deer, squirrels, hares and maybe even a fox! During your hike you can also pick berries, mushrooms, and fresh herbs to eat! Some hiking trails even take you on a journey to old Viking graves where a Viking Museum is also located nearby, namely Kung Björns Hög!

3. General activities – City Center Activities
When you’re not studying, hanging out at a nation, or discovering Uppsala’s forests, the city center also offers different activities. You can enjoy a cup of coffee and delicious cake at different cafés, loan a book at the city library or just enjoy the many events they offer at the Uppsala square, Forumtorget. At this square they sometimes have Salsa lessons, zumba, board games, music or even a carnival! During Christmas time they also have a Christmas market with lots of other fun activities to take part in whenever you’re in the city! Do you want to visit the city center and want to know what’s going on at Forumtorget? Check out forumtorget.se

All in all, Uppsala has so much to offer for everyone! From studying, partying or even hiking through the forest, the city is always busy and ready to offer the next thing to do. It’s a city where you can never get bored Uppsala is great and never get bored. Many things to do and never get bored.