I'm here!

My room
Karlstad at about noon. Notice how low the sun is.
ME!
My friends Kim from Hong Kong, and Antje from Berlin.
Part of my walk to the University...on a sunny day.
This is for you, Cat. Müsli and Yoggi. Yum.
Bikes everywhere with Karlstad's Train Station in the background.

Hej from SWEDEN! I have been here since Monday morning, but it has been quite an ordeal to get access to the Internet…even in the library. Fortunately I got it a couple of days ago, so I have been trying to respond to all of the Emails and good luck wishes. Thank you to everyone for those! Well, there is so much that has happened since I arrived almost a week ago, so instead of writing a huge entry, I am going to split it up into sections. That way, if you only have time to read about a certain part, then you can find it. Hopefully this method works for everyone!

TRAVEL:

            Everything went pretty smoothly with the traveling. I didn’t miss any flights or trains, which was a relief. However, there were a few bumps along the way. In New Jersey, I had to practically run to catch my flight to Stockholm. My name was even called on the airport intercom! That has never happened to me before, so needless to say, I was a bit anxious. Fortunately, I made it and found my seat fairly easily. I flew SAS, which is by far the nicest airline I have ever traveled on. It was so nice, clean and new. Plus they fed me J

            In Stockholm, customs was a breeze. I really don’t think it took more than 5 minutes. It was MUCH easier than going through customs in Bolivia. I got my bags, and made it to Stockholm Central Station fairly easily. The hard part was finding my train to Karlstad. I found the track it was scheduled to leave from, but the train was not there. After about 3 or 4 times of lugging my suitcases back and forth between the tracks and the lobby (which included several sets of stairs), as well as getting help from a random man from London, I came to the realization that my clock was an hour fast. Arg! Fortunately, I hadn’t missed my train like I thought, and I was able to have a pleasant conversation with the man who so graciously helped me (despite my embarrassment at the situation). After 3 hours of looking at Swedish countryside, I arrived in Karlstad, where I was picked up and taken to my corridor.

LIVING:

            So, I live in a “corridor”, which is pretty much a glorified dormitory. My room is pretty nice though. I have a big desk, bed, bookshelf, lots of storage space, windows on two sides, and a bathroom. I even have a doorbell! Down the hall, there is a big kitchen and living area that I share with the other people on my floor. There is one other international student on my floor, but the others are all Swedes. I like it so far J

            I am about a 10-minute walk from campus, but I really enjoy the walk. Despite the cold, it is very relaxing. There are trees all around, at it reminds me a bit of being in the mountains at home because of the “woodsy” feeling and the fresh air. Plus, there is a great soccer field on the way where I have often seen people playing. Unfortunately, there is a huge fence surrounding it. I’ll find a way in J

PEOPLE:

            I have met so many people in the past week from EVERYWHERE. Since it has been orientation week, the people I have been spending the majority of my time with are other international students. I have met people from: China, Germany, Poland, Finland, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, South Korea, France, Spain, Canada, The Netherlands, The US, and more. Sometimes I will be in a conversation with 5 people from different countries and all of a sudden it hits me how sweet that situation is. Pretty cool.

            The two people I have gotten to know the best this week are Kim (A guy from Hong Kong), and Antje ( A girl from Berlin). We are in the same orientation group, so we have done a lot of things together the past 5 days. Our host students, Alexandra and Andreas have been amazing. They are both Swedish, and have been more helpful than I could have ever hoped. The first night, they had us over to their apartment for lasagna, and showed us around the area. Throughout the week, they have answered all of our questions, translated things for us, driven us around, and have just been extremely helpful. It has been such a blessing because I know there are some students who have not even heard anything from their host students.

            I haven’t gotten to know very many Swedes yet, which is a little disappointing. However, I have to remember that I haven’t even been here for a week, so I know I will meet some over time. There are a few on my floor that seem like nice people, so I look forward to talking with them a bit.

HIGHLIGHTS:

            Since so much has happened activity-wise in the past week, I will just mention a few highlights so far.

1. The first night. As I said before, Alexandra and Andreas were so kind and helpful, and I loved going over to their place for dinner, especially since the first night away in a foreign country can be really hard. They were incredibly welcoming.
2. Downtown. On Wednesday, all of the international students took a bus downtown for the day. First of all, it was a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. No joke. I tried to soak in every minute and take lots of pictures because I know how rare that is here.  When we were downtown, we were split into groups where half of us went on a scavenger hunt, and the other half went on a tour. We met up for lunch, and then did the other activity in the afternoon. It was just really good to meet some more people, and learn my way around the city.
3. The Bunker. One of the first nights, all of the international students went to a student-run pub called the Bunker. Nothing fancy—it was just fun to hang out with and meet new people in a relaxed setting.
4. kauIF. kauIF is the “student sports club” at Karlstad Universiy. We heard a presentation about them and what they are about on Friday, and then we were given the option to participate in an aerobics class. I was anxious for any sort of exercise, so I went. So fun. Sooo fun. It was the craziest aerobics class I have ever been to. We were jumping all over the place and flailing about to some Swedish music. We were all cracking up too, which made it even better. I am going to sign up to be a member so I can play soccer, do spinning, aerobics, etc. I am pretty excited.
5. IKEA. So, before coming to Sweden, I had never been to an IKEA. As I was told, there is one in just about every town here, including Karlstad! Alexandra drove Kim, Antje and I there on Friday. On the way, we got a flat tire. It was actually pretty funny. Alexandra’s Godfather came to help usJ (Viva La Vida played on the radio when we were waiting for Alexandra’s Godfather. I know some of you reading this will appreciate that little piece of information) Then we went to Systembolaget, which is the government-run liquor store. We had to pick up stuff for Alexandra’s mom, and we got a few things too. I got a bottle of “the best Swedish beer” according to Alexandra - Falcon, and a bottle of “the best German beer” according to Antje - Becks. I also got a bottle of Carlsberg from Copenhagen that I had at the Bunker. I don’t know much about beer, so they are new to me, but maybe some of you have heard of them…J We’ll see how good they are. It was funny to check out because I am old enough. When I go home, I will still have to wait a month. Ha! Anyway. IKEA. It was fun. Pretty much just how I imagined it. I bought a few things and bought some Swedish chocolate and lingonberries at the end. On the way home, we went to Alexandra’s house to bring her mom the wine. Their house was very nice, and clean J It was really fun to see a “authentic” Swedish house.
6. Friday’s dinner. My friend, Kim, made a REAL Chinese dinner. I was in my room putting up pictures when he rang the bell at about 10:30pm. Ha! Despite the late time, it was so good. We had rice, eggs, lettuce, and pork. I know all of those things sound pretty plain, but it was made with really good sauces, and he was saying that the egg dish is really hard to find. His mom made it for him all the time growing up. Who would have thought I would be eating REAL Chinese food in Sweden?! Haha. It’s great.

RANDOM:

            Here are just a few things I have noticed so far in Sweden (at least in Karlstad). I have been keeping a mental list. I know there will be many more, but for now this is what I have:

1. They have square pillows.
2. Places close early—the library is closed at 7, and there is no one at gas stations past 5.
3. Everyone is called by their first name—including professors and doctors.
4. Everything is smaller. You should see the pop cans. Tiny.
5. Swedish money is very aesthetically appealing J
6. You can only buy contact solution at the eye doctor’s office.
7. Swede’s always take off their shoes when entering a house/room/etc.
8. There are lots of yellow and red wooden houses with white trim. I like them.
9. Busses/trains/etc. are ALWAYS on time. 
10. There is candy everywhere. Every kind you could imagine. And you can buy it in bulk. By the way, Cat…my host student told me the 2 best candies are the ones you sent me. Well done my little Swede!                                    

Well, I know my original intention was to not let this be too long. But what can I say? A lot has happened! Now that I have access to the Internet, I will try and update more often in shorter amounts J I want to thank you all again for keeping me in your prayers. You all mean so much to me!

Until next time, 

Lauren,

Missy,

Sister,

LouBird

J

PS. OFFICIAL ADDRESS:

Lauren Ernst  

Triogatan 12 room 5110

656 36 Karlstad, Sweden