Sweden is very, very, very cold. Interestingly, with Europe being hit with an abnormally bad winter, the Swedes have also felt it too, though seem to be taking it in stride. My suitemate told me usually at this time of year there isn't anymore snow...everything is just really wet from the snowmelt and a bit of rain. But now, I find myself tramping through small drifts and dancing around icy patches on the sidewalk to get groceries or run errands.
A few days ago when I was walking back to the hostel I stayed at for a night, I saw a miniature snow plow flattening the snow on the sidewalk from the front, and dumping gravel from the back. These Swedes are so smart. Why put salt on the snow to help create ice? Gravel is probably a better idea...though it doesn't help much when parts of the sidewalks have already turned to ice, so it's a good thing they've got universal healthcare here! I dont' want to think about how many old people fall and break a hip every winter...though I suppose they're all pro at walking on ice by now.
I also can't remember what dirt looks like anymore because there is snow on literally everything.
BUT ANYWAY...
I arrived in Sweden on Sunday morning and took a shuttle bus into Stockholm. From there I ran onto another bus which took me (past a GIANT IKEA) up north into Uppsala. I dragged my bags the 20 minutes from the central station to the hostel I had to stay at Sunday night because the damn housing office wasn't open weekends and I couldn't get my apartment keys. I can't complain though because it was a comfortable stay. I only booked a single room for myself, but they put me in a single ensuite so I ended up with my own private bathroom (woohooo!) and paid less than it would have cost me.
It took a little while to get used to the area and since eating out in Sweden is a biiiig No-no for students (unless you're purposely trying to go broke) I went to the "oriental" supermarket (turned out to have lots of middle eastern foods) that was housed in the same building to buy what looked like milk, something that must have been bologna, and what I knew was definitely a loaf of bread.
Dinner on the first night:
Not bad huh?It's pretty lonesome, traveling by yourself...especially when you're used to having a travel partner or at least traveling with the knowledge that you're on your way to seeing someone who you will get to be with for at least a while. Having never really been homesick before-- not at Cornell and not even while I was in China for 2.5 months-- this was a pretty new feeling for me. I think it would have been easier to bear if the city had been loud and bright like New York or if it had shops that stayed open past 5 PM, but alas, it is Europe after all.
After realizing what I'd done by signing an exchange contract and throwing myself into a completely alien country for 5.5 months and putting myself at the mercy of these beautiful Swedes, I thought I'd made the most retarded mistake ever. "What am I DOING here!!?!?!" was pretty much all that was going through my head at that point. I felt like I was going mental also because I couldn't look at a single thing that reminded me of friends and family without my eyes leaking. To one who doesn't even blink an eye who rams her shins against wooden platforms (okay maybe I did blink a few times) or winces when she slams a knee into the side of a bathtub, crying because I even missed people who I barely knew for 2 days (i.e. Raph's family members) was ridiculous.
Walking around helped though-- keeping busy is the way to go. I bought sheets and a SIM card for my cell, picked up the key for my apartment from the housing office, then jumped into a cab and came to my apartment. Frustration ensues.
The housing office in the city center had given me the wrong key. I couldn't get into the suite anyway because they'd also forgotten to issue me a swipe card, so they opened the door remotely and I was able to drag my luggage into the corridor. After that, when I realized I couldn't get into my room, I called them back, they apologized and asked me to come back into the office for another key. I hopped on the bus (and keep in mind I have absolutely NO idea where I am except that the street name is Rackarbergsgatan) and after a bit of searching, found the office again. I go up, they apologize, give me a new key and a swipe card, then send me on my way. I hop back on the bus (on which you can use a previously purchased ticket as long as you do so within 90 minutes, but which I did not know and bought another for 30 sek (~4 dollars). I arrive back at my apartment and again realize I still cannot open the door. Being very frustrated at this point, I call the company back, they apologize profusely, then ask if I'm able to come back. Uh. I would prefer not to.
After about half an hour one of their technicians comes to exchange the keys for me and I receive another call from the office asking if I can come back within the next few days for sign for the new key. They also issue me a second swipe card. I'm not sure why.
So now I've gotten settled, gotten lost a few times, and made the disheartening discovery of how very far away SLU's campus is from the city center. There was another whole snafu about how I tried to get my internet login information, walked 3 or 4 km in the cold to the IT center for Uppsala University, was told to go to SLU's campus which was another 3 km down, and got turned away from the IT office because they were freaking closed for lunch goddamit. But now all is well and I have everything I need. Well...almost. I don't have a bike. I'm working on that.
Pictures of my pretty decently sized room:
My bed! I had to guess at what size bedsheets to buy since I didn't know what size standard bed it was. The little red table and rug and lamp came with the room :)
The armchair, which is currently being used as a towel rack, and the bookshelves which are also being used to hold some of my clothes, also came with the room.
My large desk (fit for a lefty!) and chair which is just slightly too high for me, but that's okay. It's still comfortable. The little shelf on the left has wheels on it :o
My little sink and mirror! It's in a closet that I can lock too, lol.
My cabinets! The big space in the center only has 3 hangers in it, so i've doubled up my 1 dress with a shirt, and two coats with other shirts. The space on the lower right has a bicycle basket in it so I've been using it as a storage space for plastic bags and my one shoulder bag. The space above that is where I keep all my shirts, pants, socks, underclothes, and swimsuit + goggles + cap. Yup. And you saw the shelf with the 7 sweatshirts.
It's hard to see from this picture, but the white door on the right is the door that opens directly into my room and cannot be locked. There is a short bit of space, then there is another door, of which you can see the door handle and lock. This door is lockable and opens out into the hallway. I wonder why it's designed like that...Maybe I'll take pictures of the shower and toilet later. Kitchen is nothing special.
My suitemate, Elin, helped me move the desk and bed around. Apparently she was an Au pair girl in Ohio...or was it Utah. No... I believe it was Ohio. She's very slender and quite tall with the straight nose and high cheekbones, blonde hair and light eyes that mark a Swede. Her boyfriend, Alex, is staying with her until the end of the week because he gets his room on Friday.
My other suitemate, Andrea, is shorter than Elin and has dark, curly hair and dark eyes, but has equally pale skin. She's very sweet as well and is planning to go on exchange to one of three schools in New York if she gets accepted. St Johns was her first choice and San Francisco was her second, then Cornell was her third lol. Strange ordering, right? She says it's because she doesn't want to work that hard when she's abroad and only wants to take classes she'll enjoy and relax. She did admit that there is a part of her that does want to go to an IVY league though because she apparently applied for Harvard last semester.
The other suitemate is Saman who is half Iranian. His father came to Sweden to escape the war. Apparently his father is the cook in the family, so Saman's grown up eating non-Swedish food. There is another suitemate left who I haven't met and that's because he hasn't arrived yet. His name is Per.
I can't wait for classes to start! It's kind of boring right now, and a little bit lonely since Swedes are a pretty conservative people and it's hard to become close friends with them. Things will get better though. I'm planning on going to Copenhagen before classes begin and then if there is time to take another little trip, I'd like to go dogsledding and perhaps see the aurora!
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