Category: Okategoriserade (Page 8 of 19)

In Nigeria, we refer to newcomers as “JJC” which means Johnny Just Come. That was me in Uppsala last August when I first arrived after 2 years of consistently Uppsala dreaming. Let me quickly say Uppsala continues to surprise me; it was everything I had imagined and more. Like life, a great part of your experience here is what you make of it, your effort to seek the things you want and the willingness to be open to adventure. You will get frustrated at some “Swedish things” but instead focus on understanding the people and the little things that matter to them is the magic in “surviving” your Swedish adventure. Uppsala is beautiful!

I wanted to share how I ended up un Uppsala since this is my first blog post for Tagged for Uppsala.

My name is Margaret Aligbe from Nigeria (You already know that by now) and I am studying Masters in Sustainable Development. I had always wanted to study in Scandinavia because from Nigeria, it was a less-traveled route and it was somewhere up there with all the “laidback’’ lifestyle and love for nature stories. I needed something different and needed some “green” and “chill” in my life, after living in Lagos for so long (Have you been to Lagos? LOL).  I wanted an escape period of learning, so I made up my mind for a masters’ education. How I ended up in Sweden was partly because Swedish people spoke very good English (you have probably heard this before) as I confirmed for a former Tagged4Uppsala Blogger, Oluwafisayomi “Fifi” Adesina and another Nigerian student at Linkoping, Mobolaji Folorunso. Becoming a student at Uppsala University was the icing on my cake, there was nothing you were going to tell me to change my mind when I made it my first choice and I was determined to be here.

In Sweden, I discovered from my research before coming here that the goal of learning is more about application than ‘’head knowledge” which was fascinating to me. As a student, you focus more on understanding that being worried about grades because in the real sense, when you understand what is being taught, you have no cause to fail. The educational system at Uppsala University reflects what the Swedish mantra “Lagom” meaning balance.  Also, since I wanted to sustainable development, Sweden a major player in the sustainability discourse had to be the place to study; sustainability here is major, permit me to say, it is sustainability on steroids, no one jokes here about it and yes, it is that deep.

And yes, seriously, I came here because of Fika!

There are so many things about Uppsala to “gist’’ (Nigerian word for an informal chat or little talk) you about Uppsala and you have read or heard a lot, but I will stick with the food Nigerian version and the weather in another post.

The ‘’Naija’’ Cravings… (Naija is a shorter and savvier way of saying Nigerian)

Food is central to our lives as Nigerians, in families, parties, offices; food is something very “serious’’ not just to us as Nigerians but to many cultures, I believe. This means, as an adult going abroad to study, you are more likely to carry that “baggage” along even if you drop everything else; your cravings stick with you on your journey. Children may easily change their diets to what is available, but it is not that simple as an adult, perhaps over time but since I just got here last August, it is fair to want to eat Nigerian.

As a Naija girl in Uppsala, those cravings got more serious. From wanting to eat local spicy or “pepperish” dishes like catfish pepper soup; Semo and ogbono soup; Amala and ewedu with ponmo (cow skin); pounded yam and egusi (melon) soup; moimoi; Beans or Ewa agonyi (similar to how lentils are prepared) and Ijebu garri; yam and egg to wanting Nigerian Indomie Noodles …..I had to fix my cravings because it was one of my best coping strategy away from family. I eat a couple of Swedish food like meatballs (köttbullar), Cinnamon bun (kanelbullar), semla; I cannot even count how much kilos of potatoes I have eaten and I still drink so much coffee already but you see there is something so strong about being a typical Naija foodie that it is such an old, die-hard habit.

If you are a Nigerian or someone with the Naija appetite reading this, be rest assured you will survive so well in this beautiful city. You will be surprised by the food you will find here. There are a couple of African and Asian stores spread around Uppsala where you can find  95% of the food you crave for and cooking ingredients like Maggi, Nigerian Knorr cubes, crayfish, dried catfish, ground ogbono, egusi (melon), semo, poundo yam, raw yam, plantain (ripe and unripe), bitter leaf, ugwu (pumpkin leaf), ugba, fufu, Iru, palm oil, the hot pepper we call “atarodo” in Nigeria…the list goes on and on.

Below are some pictures of my Naija Foodie moments;

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Buying these local foods can be expensive because price is based on weight, which would mean a small yam can be as high as 50 Swedish kronor (side-eye…lol) and then you begin to start calculating the price in your local currency (I know I am not the only one, who can’t help this behavior), in my case Naira or you start wondering why that pepper has to be so expensive but I eat I must.

Satisfaction with some frugality

As a student, being frugal is key to saving and one way to achieve that is by cooking your own food. When you are buying a cup of coffee every day for “just” 10 kronor, it eventually adds up and cripples your budgeting skills. So, you want to eat well in a smart way! After buying that monthly student bus ticket of 590 kronor (if you do not know how to ride a bicycle like me) and you have paid your rent, food for the month is the next major budget item.

 When I go to local supermarkets, I am always checking the dates on meat, milk, fish and vegetables. You do not want to buy something you cannot finish before it expires, you want to consume it while it is still fresh. Every time, food wastes, your money goes (arrrghh…. the pain in Swedish krona), then you must throw so much away and probably buy the same thing again. To avoid this cycle of waste, I spend more on food I love to eat, this means, I buy less outside and eat more of home-cooked meals.

When it comes to Nigerian food cravings, extreme frugality fails but it is always worth it because I can basically live a whole month without buying any extra food and I feel satisfied after every meal. I must add that there will always be some fika here and there with free food.  I try to eat some macaroni or spaghetti instead of rice every time, this also saves me some money they are cheaper options compared to rice and variety is the spice of life after all. To eat Nigerian means you have to be very disciplined with your spending and as much as it is good to cook meals weekly and storing them in the fridge for the week, sometimes, having so much could amount to waste, as you may not want to eat the same food continuously for a whole week; you have to be tactical in managing your expensive ‘’Nigerian’’ food. You can also make soups like egusi, ogbono, seafood okra or stew (our local tomatoes and pepper sauce), which can last you for so long and you can eat it with different meals like yam, rice, spaghetti or even bread. The trick is to find the perfect way to mix and match what works for you; then you can prepare different types of rice and not get bored the whole week.

After months in Uppsala, I started to reduce my portions, I cannot explain why but it happened to me, which meant, my raw food stayed longer and I did not have to go to the African store often like when I first came, I guess it is one of the things that has changed with my cravings; eating lesser portions but drinking so much water; carbonated drinks are so expensive with sugar tax (what is that? Lol), I might as well cut down on my Coke and Pepsi cravings (In Nigeria, you need Coke or Pepsi to step down your food lol).

Disclaimer; No, I don’t eat my cooked food every time. No matter how frugal I try to be, I allow myself to eat out sometimes if I can afford it, Cooking can be hard work sometimes. I cut myself some slacks on my budget. It is not always that serious.

No Meat?

Meat is expensive. When I say meat, I mean beef and chicken.

In Sweden, people eat less meat and it is something serious even though I have argued in class about how eating meat is unsustainable based on how the meat is produced (a story for another day). While we have free-roaming animals in many parts of Africa meaning we buy our meat fresh less processed; here, it is mostly packaged and likely traveled over a long distance before reaching final consumers which could is not environmentally friendly.  Meat is central to our meals in Nigeria and so wanting to make soups mean I have to buy meat but the secret is; how you buy (Freshly slaughtered or already packaged determines how the meat will taste like), where you buy and in what quantity you buy is very important in saving cost. You can also include fish in your diet like Mackerel (called “Titus” in Nigeria) and other types like Alaska Pollock (Called “Eja Panla” in Nigeria) or Stockfish (called ‘’Okporoko”) in Nigeria and salmon Fillets which tastes really good. Another way would be to buy chicken parts like gizzard or parts like liver and kidney if eating meat is a must.

The least of your worries…

This is more of a Nigerian foodie experience but from my interaction with people around the here, everyone has a way of surviving on their local dishes here and that means wherever you come from, there is always an amazing experience with every meal here in Uppsala. A city that is so big yet very warm you would love it when you are here. Food will be the last thing to worry about. Everyone is welcome!

And so, the journey continues….

/Margaret

When I chose Uppsala University for my master’s studies, “Why?” became the most general question asked by everyone around me at the time. Why Sweden? Why Uppsala? Why not somewhere else? … With all these questions I actually started questioning myself about what lead me to take the decision. So here are the main answers I found out myself to my own questions back then and later realized to be so true after getting here.

Hope someone out there struggling with finding out “why?” will be supported by these thoughts and experiences.

University Culture
Being a Sri Lankan, something I will never be able to experience in my country, is a culture like as at Uppsala University. I could have chosen a well reputed ‘modern’ university but I would not have been able to experience the rich historical culture that runs back to 1477 in any of those universities. Uppsala city indeed is a student city. I have found everything here very interesting from student life, nations, interactive classrooms to building architecture and holidays and all. The nations are something I had almost no idea about when coming here but nations play the best and most important part in student life. The nations are historical as same as the university and my opinion is that the best and safest way a student can enjoy nightlife, make friends and have fun is through nation activities. Nation pubs are also the cheapest options for food and drinks for students.   So if you really want to experience this unique, historical, truly amazing university life, I assure you that “Uppsala is the place!”

The Calmness
Something a fellow Sri Lankan student told me during our first week here is that it is too calm and quiet here and she doesn’t like it. But honestly for me, it is exactly what I wanted! If you are from a noisy and busy city, you will find the complete opposite environment here in Uppsala. I haven’t still been much out in Sweden but I believe the rest of Sweden is also quite the same. Before planning my studies here I did a bit of research about bits and pieces of everything that I thought would help me prepare and there I read about the overall calmness in this country. I am the type of person who seeks peace of mind and from the moment I got here I have loved how calm and beautiful everything around me is. When I say calm and quiet, it doesn’t mean the city is a ghost town; of course the city is fun and active all the time, but the noise and irritating crowd and busy nature – it’s not there! So simply what I mean is, if you love calmness, this is the best but if you love noise, this is not the best.

Nature
Back when planning, I have read about how green and sustainable Sweden is; in fact, more than 50% of the country is covered by forest. When I got here during the end of summer, I loved how beautiful everywhere I saw was. The place I got to live – Flogsta, is in the middle of a bit of a forest and I started feeling truly blessed about my new life -surrounded by trees, with a view of a farm from my window and waking up to the sound of a black and white bird tapping on my window (the bird is called Eurasian Magpie I believe). I have never been a person who likes walking or cycling, but after getting here, during the summer, I loved all my walks and cycle rides no matter how long or short they were because the surrounding was so beautiful. Of course the colour has changed from green to yellow and brown and white with the seasons passed, and I take the bus now as it is quite cold these days, but the nature has always been lovely and if you’re a nature friendly person, this place will be your paradise.

People
From majority of the posts I have read about Sweden, the impression delivered out about Swedes is that Swedes are not friendly. I was never bothered by this as I don’t judge any people by what others say until I get to know them personally as they are. After getting here I realized that what I have read is completely untrue. Swedes are really nice and helpful. I have met people who smiles and greets as they walk down the street and also people who just walks as you or they are invisible. But that’s how people from any part of the world differ from each other. However every Swede I have met and talked so far has turned out to be amazing people and is fun to hang around with. I have met extremely nice Swedish people in the bus who talk to me about their day and want to know about how I’m finding it to live in Sweden. So my advice is, if you’re really bothered about Swedes from what you have read before meeting them, just don’t worry because Swedes are friendly and even though the Swedes are not friendly as assumed (incorrectly) you will meet plenty of other internationals and you will have no problems with people whatever the situation is.

Language
I could have gone to an English speaking country for my studies just to make things easy but I thought of taking up a challenge instead. I thought of the opportunity to learn a new language because I knew that I will eventually learn at least a bit of Swedish during my time in Sweden. When got here, honestly there were times that I regretted this decision because I have got really stuck in situations due to lack of Swedish but still I have survived well and I am improving my language skills. So I don’t regret it anymore and I am so glad that I chose Sweden out of all other countries.

Living cost
This may sound unbelievable but from my experience, I have found the living cost to be comparatively cheaper here in Sweden. This is a major concern everyone had back then in Sri Lanka, including me and my parents because the currency difference is huge in my country and Sweden.  But something I have learnt during my time here is that the living expenses compared to the salaries is quite low here. I work in few student nations and the small amount of money I get from these jobs is enough to cover all my monthly expenses.

From my experience as a student here so far, I have got everything I expected – by choosing Sweden and by choosing Uppsala University. It might not be the same experience for everyone but I believe that most of the students here are enjoying their time to the fullest. I’m so glad that I found my own answers to all the “whys” and decided to chase my dream. The student life is challenging in any part of the world and the work load is always there, but as long as you have a better environment to face all the challenges with a smile on your face, you will definitely have the time of your life.

/Shashini

Hello Everyone,

I am Manish and this is my first blog as #taggedforuppsala blogger. I have been a blogger for a year now, I usually post on Instagram, but I stayed away from the blog page (I don’t know why!). And if you are following us on Instagram you might find me posting more about activities in and around Uppsala. The most common question that students ask me apart from their academic questions is that when can they see the Northern Lights. Chasing Aurora Borealis is on a lot of students bucket list and even though it’s visible from September to April, it remains elusive. One misconception about chasing the Auroras in Sweden is that you can see it all over the country. Unfortunately, this is not true! Except if there is an extraordinary amount of solar activity and a really clear sky.

I would say if the space weather conditions are favorable you can see Northern lights from Uppsala. However, Uppsala is too far south to reliably see the Auroras. You might want to head towards the North, to the Arctic Circle to have the best experience of seeing the northern lights either Kiruna or Abisko National Park (best chance of seeing the Auroras). Abisko has relatively clear skies during the polar night compared to elsewhere in Sweden, as Abisko has a special microclimate.

So how do you hunt these lights ?? it’s a 50% scientific prediction and 50% pure luck, but when things go your way the sense of achievement is huge. Seeing northern lights requires a complicated combination of events to occur but I won’t get into the science of how an aurora happens (you can google it!). But I’m sure you would like to know how to increase your chances of catching a glimpse of the infamous Aurora borealis.

Aurora chasers avidly track the Kp-Index and religiously monitor the meteorological data (you don’t want clouds to ruin your chances) using various apps and websites.

• Kp-Index relates to the intensity of interaction between the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetic field in a horizontal plane. It is ranked on a scale of zero to nine, the higher the value the more the aurora can be seen at southerly latitudes. You can use apps like the “Aurora Forecast” or “My Aurora Forecast & Alerts” app. It is available in both App Store in iOS and Play Store in Android.
• Space Weather monitoring: I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to monitor the space weather. Getting to the geekier part of the aurora hunt, is to check for solar storms. Here you can check for any solar activity and coronal ejection from the sun, if there is any you can easily predict how the aurora will be over the next 3 days.
• Aurora Ovation Oval: Aurora manifests itself in a huge ring above the Earth’s Geomagnetic North Pole which is referred to as the Auroral Oval. You might expect this oval to be visible from the same altitude around the globe but because it is centered on true north rather than the geographical North Pole, this is not the case. In this page you can check the aurora formation, helps you to find the region where the Aurora may be visible.
• There are some groups on Facebook if you’re in Uppsala where people post if there is high probability to see the lights and it is also a great way to meet the people who share the same enthusiasm. Here is the link to the page.

Taking pictures!!!

I’ll give you some very basic settings you can use to photograph Auroras, they’ll probably work in most situations. However, it also sometimes will depend on the auroras you see. So, you might need to adjust the settings depending on how bright auroras are and how fast they are moving.

• Have a sturdy tripod (very important: I have seen people trying to take pictures with handheld camera, it won’t turn out good).
• a DSLR that has manual mode.
• Lens that focuses to infinity.
• Evaluative or matrix metering mode.
• Wide angle lens (16-35mm) with aperture at 2.8 or 4 – the lowest number as your lens can go.
• Exposure at 15 seconds for slower auroras and 10 seconds for faster ones. Adjust as needed.
• Set ISO at 1,600 to start with and experiment.
• If you are a beginner, you’re probably not shooting in RAW, so you want to get the colors as close to reality as possible straight from the camera, you can use Automatic white balance mode.

Once you get to see them, there is a compulsion to see more and more, they are addictive. It’s exciting, you get high from it. Part of the charm is the thrill of the chase because there is never a guarantee that you will see the northern lights, in these two years I have had the chance to see it only six times.

TIP: If you travel all the way to the North to see Northern Lights, be prepared to look for them. Go outside every night. Even if aurora activity is not very high, but the sky is clear, you might get lucky and see some beautiful auroras.

One of the things that I have never imagined when I came to Uppsala was to be involved again in a debate club. I do love debate. In fact, I was doing it for four years in Córdoba, my hometown, with CDU (for Germans, is not related to Angela Merkel´s party) , and there I learnt how to speak and persuade in public, had a critical point of view and, the most important point, I made astonishing friends and I spent my craziest years in CDU, living experiences hardly ever to repeat. So, when I saw a post in “Uppsala International Students | Exchange&Erasmus Uppsala Univeristy” I didn´t doubt to join.

Maybe if you read “Debate club” the first picture that comes to your mind is a posh guy or girl, maybe with a suit sewn by hand and really polite. Well, there are people with this stereotype, but you usually find normal students like you and me who want to improve their language skills. Why? I think the magic thing of the debate is that EVERYBODY can be the best speaker or debater in the world and the “job” carried out prove that. So, in UF Uppsala Debate Club (its official name) you will find cheerful students really looking forward to learning that skills, most of them from scratch so you aren´t an exception.

For the last two semesters, the club was lead by Hugh Bartley, a brilliant and charming debater from Australia that taught and encouraged people to improve their debate skills throughout the semesters. Most of the members were novices, so they started from scratch and they learnt a lot. A proof was the impressive progression shown by them and the novices learnt how to create an argument, defend it and refute other ideas in English.

These formations were focused on these three main points but also there was time for debaters to teach about some topics such as economy, science, or more informal talks like pop culture or sports. This is an overwhelming experience in which you are able to enhance your abilities.

The highlight of the season was the Debate of Champion, in which all of the members showed their gift of the gab and the knowledge

Why I think that the UF Uppsala Debate Club is one the things that you must try during your period in Uppsala? First of all, because you will meet people with a critical perspective and attitude to change the things and break with the establishment is not as usual as somebody can think. From my point of view, this helps to see the things from other perfective and have a wider view of some ideas.

The second point is related to the last because after each meeting the debate usually continues in a nation but with a beer and a burger (sometimes we went to Pizzeria Palermo) in your hands and enjoying the time with your debate friends, which is without any doubt it´s the best way to meet new people. Finally, and from an academic point of view, it helps to persuade your friends to do the plan that you think is best and explain much better your ideas to an audience or your classmates.

So I just can encourage you to join to the debate club and open the door to an amazing world in which you will enjoy and learn at the same time.

If you want to know more about its madness and formation, follow them in UF Uppsala Facebook page or the UF Debate Club Facebook group.

Vi ses i nästa inlägg!

Berni

(Photos by: Hugh Bartley)

First, I have to warn you about this; this is a super personal review about the SD Masters Programme and if you are reading this before you come here I just want you to know that this is only one person’s point of view and we are almost 60-70 people in the course.

As an engineer from Turkey, my intentions before I got here were to learn more about the policy side of sustainability and get involved in ‘social sciences’ part of the academics.  I am highlighting the fact that I am from Turkey, a Mediterranean country with population of 80 million, because one has to understand my background to have a better understanding of my thoughts about this programme. As for my educational background, it was full of memorizing, accepting the learning outcomes and facts without discussing it that much (because usually no one is considered ‘that important’ to share their thoughts, like who are you and why should someone listen to your thoughts type of a mentality) and of course, lots of numbers and equations, experiments and linear thinking. So I was not used to brainstorming ideas, getting involved multinational group projects and of course, nothing about critical thinking. Well.. Now I have to do all of these things, everyday. This is super challenging. I love it. I just feel stupid sometimes but that’s okay. I guess?

First weeks in MSD, I was struggling to adjust myself to ‘the new life’. I was trying to attend all interesting events I could find to make friends so let’s be real, I didn’t pay any attention to the classes in the first month. The best part is, we really didn’t have that much of thing to do in the first month. Everything was easy breezy. We had bunch of MSD social events and fikas, organized by CEMUS which I have never seen any other departments doing that type of things. We had a whole week scheduled, so that we can meet each other and have fun before the classes really really start. It was really nice to get to know each other.

Then, we started to have assignments, projects and lots of readings. I was being super bored at the classes, because usually my classmates were asking questions or talk about their opinions in general while I was rolling my eyes and thinking “ugh ok, who cares let the teacher talk WHY ARE YOU WAISTING MY TIME”. Now I can see that I was just a rude person who has been educated with a strict and not-suitable-for-this-century type of style. Because I am learning lots of stuff from these discussions with my classmates with very diverse backgrounds.

So, as a summary, what to expect from Master’s in Sustainable Development:

-If you are an engineer, if you are a person who is used to memorize things and think according to what has been taught to you before; you will have hard time studying this course. If you have strong ambitions to earn too much money, if you don’t like the idea of having the responsibility on your shoulders to learn everything by yourself instead of a very hard and busy course that you have to learn, than it might not be the right choice for you. You will feel this a waste of time, you probably will find this course very philosophical and useless and easy. Especially if you are a fee paying student, if you don’t do the readings, you might feel that you are spending your money for no reason.

But,
-If you are open for new possibilities, if you are in to discussions, exchanging ideas, thinking in different ways, trying to look at problems in a broader perspective instead of trying to solve it directly and if you can let go yourself with the flow, enjoy Uppsala, nations, enjoy your classmates and their experiences with their lives and explore their unique ideas, this is the right choice for you. If you can take what you can get the most out of this programme, you will most probably graduate as a systems thinker with full of exciting experience.

As for me, I have chosen to study MSD only for 1 year. I think it will be sufficient for me and I don’t think I can learn more than this. I choose to look for opportunities  to work in Sweden and concentrate on my work in energy sector with the help of my energy engineering combined with knowledge about sustainable development goals of UN, systems thinking and other various things I have learned from this programme.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask for me!

Müge Kayra

Hello! I guess most of us start writing about life in Uppsala on our first blog, which might seem a bit boring, but as an incoming student I wish I could have read more of these from different people, everyone experiences studying abroad in his/her own way, so here goes mine!

I had one of the most amazing summers just before coming to Uppsala, and what made it so good were my friends. I went on a little trip with some of them, and on July I worked at a music festival, as I usually did every summer, and in which the team feels like family. I think I was not really conscious of what coming here would suppose until that festival was over, and I had to say bye to everyone. In that moment I realized the thing I was going to miss the most was them (apart from my dogs, obviously hahaha). When I got into the plane many different emotions came to me: I was really excited about coming to Uppsala, start my studies here, and meet new people, but at the same time part of me wanted to stay in Madrid.

I arrived here out of the welcome week, meaning one of the university buddies was waiting for me at Uppsala Centralstationen to introduce me to the place I was going to live: a room in a Flogsta corridor, that actually has really good views. I knew the room was going to be empty, but I wasn’t expecting the weird feeling it gave me on the first night. I felt that I needed to go out and roam around just to not feel like that during the next day. This changed two days after coming, during the IBG welcome days. In these days, we (biology master students) were given lectures about university lifestyle, and about living in Uppsala in general, and different activities were planned, including a barbeque on the last day! This was my first actual contact with other students, and I met a lot of people from different backgrounds and cultures that I can call friends now.

Coming from a big city as is Madrid (Spain), that is always crowded, Uppsala seemed too quiet at the beginning, and it still feels like that sometimes… but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do here! During these months I have been travelling around and trying to do as many plans as my free time let me; I went hiking and berry picking to Flottsund, chased auroras staying up late more than once, and visited Stockholm and Gävle.

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However, if you plan to visit any place while staying here, I would highly recommend checking the establishments opening hours (specially on small cities, I wouldn’t worry too much about Stockholm). I visited Gävle with a friend on a Saturday and the first thing we did when we arrived there was going to the tourism office to get a map, but apparently, the office closes on weekends… Am I the only one for which this doesn’t make sense? I mean, it’s a tourism office, do they expect more visits during weekdays? Anyway, it’s a beautiful place to go, and really small, so you can probably see full of it in half a day 🙂

Gävle – Old town

Of course there are people who look more for party plans, and maybe Uppsala is not the best place to do it, as many places in town close early (compared to Madrid, in where there are pubs and discos open up to 6-8 a.m.), and it’s not the cheapest thing to do, but if you really want to, you can always find a party in Flogsta and Student Nations; I would say there’s one almost every day at some corridor… You won’t find me in one of these though, I guess I had to experience it at least once, so I went to one of them, but now I know they are not for me.

Now that I have been here for a few months, I have done my first exam, and it’s starting to get cold, I can say I miss many things about living in Madrid, but I wouldn’t change what I’m experiencing here to go back. Actually, I cannot wait for it to start snowing and to go north on December… I’ll probably write about that too, so keep an eye on the blog post updates!

I hope this gives you an idea of what you coming here might feel like!

Best wishes, María

If you’ve been in Sweden for a while, I’m sure you must’ve come across this saying. Translation? There’s no bad weather, only bad clothing. There are some pretty interesting sayings and jokes about Swedish weather. If you’ve been in Sweden only for a couple of months, you’ll get to know why soon enough. As Ned Stark (RIP) once said,’Winter is coming’.

Don’t worry, there are no white walkers in Sweden. None that we know of, at least. So don’t polish your Valyrian steel swords just yet (Or dragonglass, whatever works for you).

But don’t get your hopes up, facing the Swedish winter is nothing short of going to a war. Okay maybe I’m exaggerating a bit but coming from India, it was definitely something that I needed to prepare myself for, mentally and physically.

Now I can’t help you prepare mentally, that is something you have to do yourself. I suggest reading up on articles regarding what to expect. But I would say this, more than the cold, it’s the darkness that gets to you.

Anyway, getting back to the point of this blog, I’m going to give you a few tips on how you can prepare for the Swedish winter. I’m going to focus on two areas, outdoors and indoors.

First, let’s begin with the outdoors. After all, you can’t spend the winter like a bear just holed up in your room, can you. You still have to carry on with your life, do grocery shopping, go to classes etc. Good clothing is your friend in this case.

So what can you do?

Layers, my friend. Layers. During the winters in India, (Yes, we have winters. Yes, it can get pretty cold up in the north) I would just buy a jacket and that was about it. But clearly, that wasn’t going to work in Sweden. Buying a thick and fluffy jacket is not the solution either. What you want to do instead is wear multiple layers. Not only do they allow you to ‘control’ how much cosy you want to get, you can top it off with a wind-cheater to protect you from the rain or the snow. I myself bought a fleece jacket to keep me warm and bought a weather-coat to insulate my clothing from the weather. Trust me, it works and is more practical in my opinion, as opposed to buying just one thick layer. But that’s just my opinion. To each their own.

You should also invest in a nice pair of boots that will keep your feet warm and safe. Safe how, you ask? When the snow falls, it looks beautiful and all, but boy does it get slippery. And if you don’t want to break your bones by slipping on ice, then boots is the way to go.

Now, let’s get to indoors. I’ve just got one tip for you but it’s really effective. It worked wonders for me and that is… drum roll please..

LIGHTS! Lots of them. Get a lamp for your table, another one for your bed. Another one for that corner of the room. Seriously, get more lights for your room. During the winters, your productivity can take a hit and the way I deal with it is that I close the blinds of my window at around 4 PM and turn all the lights on (I have 4 extra lamps in my room in addition to the ceiling lamp). Then, every hour or two, I will turn one of the lamps off to fall asleep at just the right time. It seriously helps when your room is bright. And the fact that you can’t ‘see’ that it’s dark outside, you tend to stay active.

So there you go my friend, now you’re all prepared to face the winter. But seriously though, it’s not that bad. Especially when the snow falls. Taking a walk in the forest when it’s all snowy is the best thing you can do during the winters. It is beautiful!!

Good luck!
/Simarjit

Perhaps you’re not surprised to hear that Sweden is an expensive country. Actually, the country of IKEA and ABBA is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. But wait a second because it is not true at all. With some tricks you can save money, not so much but you can take some kroner at the of the month to spend in some beers with your friends in a nations.

Going to weekly Bruised Food Club Market

Every Friday at 15:30 in Ungdomens Hug, Bruised Food Club organize this market that has the aim to give completely free food to the people instead of throwing in the trash. This food is mainly a leftover of some supermarkets or farmers, so is still good and tasty. There you can find vegetables, bread, fruit or milk and pick them up to your place completely “free”. I mean free in quotation marks because you can leave tips and money to Bruised Food Club and help with their mission to give this second live to that food and reduce the food waste in Uppsala.

This is their Facebook profile if you want to catch up with their latest activities

Second hand shop and marketplace

If you will live in Flogsta you will be really lucky if your room has the basic items. So, if you want to fill your room without exceeding there are two solutions: Second hand shop and Facebook marketplace. In the first you can go to Erikshjälpen or Myrorna and an impressive variety of second hand things. From small items such as screens, TVs, routers or lamps to big stuff like couches, small wardrobes, heaters, etc. Also, if you cannot bring with you, they can bring to your place for 200-300 kr. So, you can order with a group of friends a divide the 300 kr because you pay the trip, not the item.

The Facebook marketplace is no rocket science and it works as a normal marketplace in your country. You see an item and ask to the seller. If it still available you can take and reach an agreement with the seller to take it. If you are lucky, some of them can deliver the item to your place for free. In addition, you can find good bikes for 600-700 kr or temporally rooms (for a couple of months).

Finally there is a cheap option but you have to wait a pair of months. At the end of each semester (around November and December) some students leave their items in the bottom floor of Flogsta and you can take them free. You can surprise yourself of the treasures that you can see. For instance, some friends have found disco speakers, grills and small barbecue or freezer.

Dollar Shop and NetOnNet

As its name said is a shop where most of the thing cost 10 kr or 1 euro. In the Dollar Shop you can find a huge variety of things, from cleaning products to chocolate and candies, without forgetting the house or university stuff that also is really cheap if we compare with some supermarket brands or specialized shops. I usually buy detergents, shampoos, day-to-day things and candies there. Although looks like so far from Flogsta, it just 7-8 minutes by bike and less than half an hour by walk.

Also, if you had time and space in your bag, I would recommend going to NetOnNet. They sell electronic things to an affordable price. The routers (a good one if you will spend the whole year) cost around 200kr, the adapters and extension cables cost between 20-60 kr and the TV and screen are affordable. However, the heaters are at the same price to other shops but if you buy in October or September it will be cheaper than in November or December.

Ica Offers

Also, for Flogsta inhabitants, the ICA downhill Flogsta will help you to save money. At the beginning of the shop there is a small area with good offers and prices. They usually have cereals, coffee, sweets or chips. Also, if you go to the fridge behind the bakery stand you can find precooked food and meat with a price reduced more than a 50% in much of the items. That´s because it will expire in a few days so they reduce the price in order to enhance the customer to buy it.

Another advice is to buy with the head and no using your stomach or not guiding by the offers. Buy if you need to eat something.

Going before 22:00 to the Nations

If you are member of a nation you can go to the club whenever you can. However, if you meet with some friends in your nation or if you go to your friend´s nation you have to pay, normally, 60 kr. So, in order to save that money you can go before 22:00, go inside and the guard can seal you. Now, you have two options: going to the club if you want of going to the bar and enjoy some beers with your friends. Personally I usually take the second option and have some beers before enjoying in the pub.

I hope that this post was useful for you and help to save a bit of money for your stay in Uppsala

See you around

/Bernie!

When I meet new people in Uppsala, one of the first questions they ask is, how did you end up in Sweden? And I am always like, ‘Well, I heard a lot about Sweden and when I got the opportunity, I just have taken it and never looked back’. After doing my research on various universities in Scandinavian countries, I got to know that Uppsala is one of the best when it comes to student life.

It all started when I decided to do a masters in the field of sustainability for which I was passionate about. This is the first time I travelled abroad, and that made my journey much more exciting. I got all possible help from the university when I arrived at Arlanda airport during the welcome days. As most of the others I also ended up getting a housing in Flogsta – The hub of international students and corridor parties.

The first few days it was a bit cold and so I used to wear my winter jacket until I met a guy in shorts, these where the exact words he said:

Him: How cold is it outside?

Me: 8 or 9 degrees probably ….

Him: Do you know its going to be -15 degrees in few days?

Me: Oh yes, I heard! How could you survive in that weather?

Him: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes” so you need to dress like this in winter not now. (This was the first time I heard this quote)

Later he invited me to his home to grab some apples.

I met my classmates during the welcome week, and they were from many diverse backgrounds and cultures. The best part of my program sustainable development was that everyone had a different opinion and that made me think how my views are so different. Within couple of weeks I got to speak with most of my colleagues and felt that I need to learn a lot.

During the welcome week we all got some temporary nation cards from the IK (International committee) and then started my journey into the so-called nation life – I didn’t know at that time that my nation will become my second home. Student Nations are something special and unique here in Uppsala. All 13 student nations offer various kinds of activities. All the fun began with working for a gasque without even knowing what it was all about and then becoming a club worker at Smålands nation. I had the best time of my life during those days and made friends for life. Eventually I got to know about Swedish culture and their lifestyle, but I was a complete disaster in learning Swedish.

Winter was very harsh on me, but when I saw the snow, I was always happy. Autumn was so colourful that I started missing it in winter and stopped taking bike to the university because of the snow. I had to take bus every day in the winter. Buying a winter jacket, and snow boots was very helpful for me during this time. Somehow, I survived the winter and moved to the beautiful spring wearing my shorts and sitting in the sun outside. From Spring to summer was the best weather if I ignore the midnight sun.

I am used to just eating in my home or in any restaurant or at my college cafeteria but did not cook or clean on my own before coming to Sweden. Buying what you need, and cooking is hard sometimes. When you see the prices in super markets to buy food it is quite expensive than back home. So, I used to think twice before buying something. Now I figured out what food I want and should buy.

Coming to travelling, I should say I have visited quite a lot in and around Uppsala. I stayed in cabins over the weekends, went on hikes, gone on a cruise in the Baltics, skied in Åre during ski week, went on a Lapland trip – sadly no northern lights, covered east Europe by bus and went to visit student nations in Lund and Helsinki. These are some of the highlights of my travels after coming to Sweden. Every place I went was a new and an exciting experience for me.

My studies in Uppsala had been challenging as I come from an engineering background and I had to read lots of literature in the starting of the semester to understand the concepts. Group works, case studies, home exams, assignments, presentations, seminars, site visits and what not, these all made me the person I am, and I don’t regret it.

Overall, my experience here in Uppsala till now has been wonderful but yes, it is not easy as it looks to survive in a completely different environment, but it worked out for me very well.

Did I miss something? Yes, Valborg! I completely forgot about this insane thing happened to me in Uppsala. It should be experienced on your own. It can’t be explained in words. Hope this blog might give a brief on how Uppsala might look like.      

Thank you!

“You are here.” I am anticipating telling myself those exact words around 11:30 a.m., in Stockholm, at the Arlanda International airport, with a deep breath and a nice release of tension from an 8 hour flight across the Atlantic. However, to even get to “here,” there are a lot of steps I have to take, and while they should appear to be linear, they often come in clusters flush with anticipation, like fireworks.

I started this journey back in the spring of 2017 while I was still an undergraduate at a small liberal arts college in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA (known for being one of the oldest collegiate institutions in America). I was researching international universities that had strong programs in philosophy. I have a long held favorable view of the Nordic countries for reasons that should be obvious. So, I looked at schools in Finland, Norway, and Sweden, specifically. As I narrowed down the field of universities I wanted to attend, Uppsala always stuck out. I decided to apply and hope for the best.

One of the great things about UU, and the Swedish higher education system in general, is how easy it is to apply to their universities. I was pleasantly surprised with the central application system University Admissions. From that website, a prospective student can apply to all of the public universities and colleges, I believe, in Sweden. But further, beyond a few logistical hoops, relative to the American system, the application process was not cumbersome at all. The website makes the process of selecting school, program, uploading documents, and
making necessary information (like which documents are needed, how to send transcripts, links to department requirements) streamlined by hosting all the information in an easy to process format.

So, I filled out a very basic application, sent my transcripts, uploaded important documents (like my passport), and wrote a very concise essay on why I wanted to study philosophy at Uppsala University. There is an application window for applying to schools in Sweden, and international students are encouraged to apply in the first round. This has to do with ensuring enough time is given to process student visa applications, which can be a lengthy process. Pressing on, I made sure I crossed all my T’s and dotted all my I’s, submitted my application in winter of 2018, and patiently waited for a response.

In May I got an email saying that UU had accepted my application, and granted me admission into the philosophy program. I was absolutely elated. The dahlia ignited! Along with my acceptance email came a whole new batch of fireworks, though. Which conveniently put, listed all the necessary immigration, financial, housing, and even cultural, expectations.

This point in the journey becomes a little more arduous, where the Swedish application system for universities has a more streamlined ease, the leg work of applying really starts at this point.

I have never applied for a visa, so Sweden is my first, and even though this process was a little more chaotic, it still felt very much situated. The immigration website was very helpful, clear, and has great user friendliness. I applied for the student visa, which cost about $100 USD. However, applying for the visa requires much more information. I needed to demonstrate that I could support myself financially while in Sweden, I had to list why I was interested in coming to Sweden, and give a few more details about my background. Once I sent that application off I expected not to hear back for a about month.

While I waited to hear back from Swedish immigration, I kept working on my application. The next leviathan was housing, lol. Which in terms of process, again I am quite amazed at how efficient Swedish processes are, was fairly straightforward and easy. I was sent an application from the great and ever helpful International Master Program staff (Cecilia, Lina and Jorja). The only real difficulty was deciding where I wanted to live. I settled on Klostergatan 16 mainly because they offer a pillow and comforter along with the room — more on that later!

After I applied for housing, I quickly received notification of my immigration results. Another firework was successfully launched and enjoyed! At this point, I feel comfortable buying my plane ticket and deciding a date of departure. The school offers a few dates wherein they have transport from Arlanda to Uppsala from early morning until the late evening. So knowing that, I selected a date to take advantage of the transportation. It also feels nice knowing that when I come into the country there will be a host of nice people waiting to greet me and help make my transition a bit less stressful.

In the meantime, the turnaround on my housing application felt really slow. I believe Midsommar was happening and from what I’ve learned that is a pretty significant celebration period in Sweden. But I finally received notice of my housing offer and I was given my choice of Klostergatan 16! That was great news because it means I will have to pack less things for my trip! Finale!

All things considered, this whole process has taken about 6 months to complete. Which compared to applying to my undergrad feels a bit long. However, I had a few added steps in applying to an international program so the length makes sense. Also, the organization of the application process, I cannot stress it enough, is amazing. Even ancillary things like language courses, or videos about the school, this blog, are all very conveniently spaced to each other. One doesn’t have to go on an internet expedition to find useful information, it is all pretty close by.

Another noteworthy feature of this process worth stating, is the approachability of pretty much everyone involved. I keep hearing Swedes have this “shyness” to them, but that so-far has not been my experience. Nearly everyone I’ve talked to an encountered has been helpful beyond expectations. For a university of this size, I haven’t felt like a number, or another face in the crowd. People seem to speak very candidly and will respond to my questions. I was able to reach out to people in my department and even talk to a few students in my program. I feel very welcomed and engaged with, I appreciate that.

Other helpful things to know: There is an international student group on Facebook that is officially sanctioned by the University. Uppsala University’s youtube channel that has some good videos. The immigration website has links to a pretty comprehensive Swedish language course that is user friendly.

I also took it upon myself to try to engage with more Swedish culture and peoples. I joined a semi-famous Swedish guitar players discord server and youtube channel, Ola Englund. There are people from all over the world on his discord, but there are heaps of Swedes, and again they were all pretty candid about being Swedish, answering questions, and generally being pretty welcoming. Even for a bunch of hardened-exterior-Swedish-metal-folks, they seemed pretty nice, haha.

I’m looking forward to it!