It was the 24th of August 2025. I packed my life into two suitcases and boarded a plane from Sri Lanka to Sweden.

As a new bachelor’s student at Campus Gotland, unlike many other international Uppsala University students heading to Uppsala, my destination was the small medieval town of Visby on the island of Gotland.

Although I had been preparing documents, arranging accommodation and planning the journey for months, nothing would actually prepare you for the real situation. Looking back, my first couple of days in Sweden was a roller coaster with a couple of mistakes and unexpected friendships. If you are arriving this

Arriving after one day of travelling

I had travelled for almost one entire day by the time I landed at Visby airport in Sweden.

Between flights, airport waiting times and travelling all the way from Sri Lanka, it had been a very long journey. After travelling for 19 hours to Stockholm Arlanda airport, I chose to fly directly to Visby rather than taking the ferry because fast tracking to my new home was important for me over money.

Before arriving, I had booked a taxi with Taxi Gotland, Gotland’s main taxi service (you won’t find buses running every 5-10 minutes here!). The driver welcomed me warmly, helped me collect my keys and drove me straight to my new home.

That’s when I ran into my first challenge.

I was standing outside the building with two heavy suitcases, completely alone in a new country. Data roaming didn’t work for some reason, I couldn’t make phone calls and despite
having the keys, I couldn’t figure out how to open the door. I came from a tropical South Asian island, and we were used to open the doors outwards not inwards! Looking back, it sounds stupid, but my brain had fried after that long journey.

Fortunately, another student arrived a few minutes later and helped me get inside. He showed me my room, helped with my luggage, and even gave me a quick tour of the facilities.

The first thing I did then was connect to the Wi-Fi and call my family back home. However, even after all that long tired journey, I was so excited that I still had so much energy to explore my new neighborhood.

Shopping in Sweden is expensive

The same student was heading to campus and invited me to come along. He showed me the way to campus and some grocery stores nearby. So, I decided to get some essentials for my room and stopped at Coop Öster (the green grocery store inside the city wall). I bought a lot of groceries, brand new kitchen utensils, pans, knives and a mug for 70 kr!

What I hadn’t realized was that I did my first student shopping trip to the most expensive supermarket in town.

Coming from Sri Lanka, I thought every exact grocery item was priced the same in any supermarket. The next day, after visiting Willys and Lidl, I quickly learnt I was wrong. If you are doing grocery shopping, I definitely recommend comparing stores before buying everything at once. Willys and Lidl are budget-friendly supermarkets but are located a bit far from the main city. Same is ICA Maxi and Stora Coop. If you live closer to Mejerigatan, ICA Atterdags is a better
option since its closer even though it is slightly expensive than ICA Maxi but still cheaper than ICA Nära and Coop Öster.

The other thing I learnt from this experience was that unlike in Sri Lanka, you do not have to buy everything brand new.

I had already heard about Sweden’s fascinating secondhand culture before I moved but was not very keen on it. I had found a store called 4Home Gotland on Instagram and decided to check it out the next day, just in case and I understood my second mistake. Many previous students donate items that are still in excellent condition and are available for fraction of the original price. Therefore, I strongly recommend checking secondhand stores before buying new furniture, kitchen equipment, household appliances, deco, bedding or even clothes, especially winter essentials. For more information about second hand stores in Visby please see: Second-Hand Shops/ Thrift Stores in Visby – By: Valentine – study at uu.

However, if you still want to buy new furniture or bedding, JYSK is worth checking. Dollarstore is another perfect place to check for affordable deco, storage, kitchen utensils and other everyday items. Visby also now has an IKEA Plan and Order store, and you can order there as well.

Opening a Swedish Bank Account Takes Time

On my second day, I visited Campus Gotland to collect my welcome package and complete my course registration. The bag includes a Lyca Mobile SIM card with free 8GB data, so you do not have to rush on buying a new SIM. Lyca Mobile is also one of the most affordable network providers, has good connectivity and I still use it today.

My appointment at Skatterverket to apply for a personal number was on the 3rd day. I had already notified my move to Sweden which can be done online on their website and booked an appointment early on. Starting the process early helped me a lot in the administrative process later till getting a Swedish bank account, Bank ID and Swish which is essential for many day to day activities in Sweden. Read more about the process and how long it took here: My Timeline from Applying to Study in Sweden to Getting Bank ID – By: Shakya – study at uu.

And then started the arrival activities organized by the university. I joined almost every one of them including orientation events, guided tours, and Lamningen. I highly recommend you not to miss them as it helped me learn my way around Visby, understand the university culture and more importantly made me meet some of the strongest friendships I built over time which collectively made Visby feel at home to me. Find a more detailed blog about arrival days here:
Getting Welcomed by Uppsala University: The Campus Gotland Edition – By: Shakya – study at uu.

Looking back, my arrival wasn’t perfect. I couldn’t get into my building, had no network connection and accidentally bought all my kitchen essentials from the most expensive store in town.

But those small mistakes became part of the experience.

If you’re arriving this August, don’t worry if everything isn’t sorted on day one. Attend the welcome activities, explore your new city, and give yourself time to settle in. Talk to people and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Every new student is looking for new friends so it’s the best time
to create your strongest friendships.

Before long, the place that feels completely unfamiliar when you first arrive will start to feel like home!