I figured it would be a good idea to give a least a little background information on the town of Karlstad, and the University that I am going to since I haven't really written much about it before now. I am sure that I will learn a lot about Karlstad upon my arrival, so I am not going to go into too much detail now...However this is what I do know:
Karlstad is located in the provence of Värmland, and is about half way between Stockholm and Oslo, Norway. It is situated on the Northern tip of the largest lake in Sweden, Lake Vänern, and came into existence in 1584 as a trading station. There are about 80,000 inhabitants, (which will be a significant change from the 9 million in Chicago! And even the 600,000 in Colorado Springs!) Not only is the town much smaller than what I am accustomed to, but the University is much larger than North Park. There are over 10,000 students at Karlstad University, as opposed to North Park's 2,000ish :) However, despite the major differences, I am excited to experience something new! I am sure I will be updating and editing this once I arrive and I begin to learn about Karlstad and Sweden first hand! Once again, Happy New Year!
