kauIF

This is the spinning room. You can see the Library in the background. It actually looks really cool at night when all of the lights are off during the class, and the library's lights are brightly lit. It makes the University look very modern and nice. Maybe I will bring my camera sometime.... :)

As many, if not all of you know, I really enjoy exercising. Whether it be running, playing sports, or  walking, I just like to be active. It makes me feel better in every way. So, needless to say, after over a week with little to no physical activity other than walking to the University, I was getting a little antsy. Fortunately, there is a great program at the University called kauIF, which provides all different types of fitness classes, as well as the opportunity to play ball sports, for an extremely reduced price in comparison to other work-out facilities. I signed up the first day :) 

So far I have participated in 3 different "activities". The first was a step aerobics class. I do not have much experience with aerobics, but I had such a good time! It was similar to the class I mentioned earlier that the international students took during orientation week. We did various things with stepping, squatting, lifting, etc., and did it all to some great Swedish jams. I also must add...everything--meaning all of the instruction--was in Swedish, so my other international friends and I had a good laugh as we tried to catch on to what everyone else was doing. Haha. I'm going back for sure.

The second class I took was spinning. Good old spinning. I am thankful for the fact that I have had some experience with spinning in the states, so was not as big of a problem that I did not understand the instructor's instructions. :) A couple things that are different though: all of the lights were off during the class, with the exception of a small string of lights around the instructor's bike. It was actually quite nice. Something else: half way through our workout, the instructor refilled our water for us as we continued to bike. Talk about service! I will be a regular in that class as well.

Ok, so I know some of you are wondering....soccer. Yes! There is a soccer "open gym" three times a week on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. The first night I went, there were 34 guys and 2 girls...including me. I know. I guess soccer is not as big for girls in Sweden as it is in the US. ha. Lets just say I was a tiny bit intimidated. So, we were spit into teams, and I played terrible. I mean, it was bad. Someone even nut-megged me for a goal. Ouch. Fortunately, there were some nice guys on the team who tried to make up excuses for me, but it was no secret that I wasn't playing too great. Buuuuut never fear!!! I went back yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, and completely and totally redeemed myself. I mean really, I played great...and I am  not one to point that out unless if it is 100% true :) I don't know if it was because it was my second time, or because there were only 12 guys this time, or if it was just because I knew I had nothing to loose, but whatever it was, it worked. I gained the respect of my teammates, and had a great time. Plus, I am really sore!! Which, as many of you know, I love :) I suppose 2 hours of playing indoor soccer with guys does that. Anyway, it was very encouraging, and I am looking forward to continuing to go and keep up...or even improve my skills this semester!

Well, that's all for now. I just figured I should share that with you since it will be a common part of my everyday life here in Sweden! I will post again soon!

Universitetet

The Library is very nice and modern. 

This is one of the cafes on campus. You can buy a coffee for 9 Kr, a little more than a dollar, but it is pretty tasty. There are lots of chairs, tables, and couches to the right behind the bright sign. It is located right by the library and the entrance to the University, so I have bought coffee there a few times. It is a nice place to relax for a bit after class, or meet some friends for fika.

The main entrance to the University.

This is where most of the students eat their lunch. There is a cafe, but there are also microwaves to heat up something you brought from home.

This is the way I walk to get to my Swedish Class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There are walkways like the one above in between all of the buildings so you don't have to walk outside in between classes.

I have been wanting to post a few pictures of the University, but thought it would be best if I waited until a nice day so as to give you all a better first impression. Unfortunately, I have come to realize that sunny days are few and far between, and because I know some of you are anxious to see photos (mom), I decided to go ahead and post what I have, despite the dreariness of their appearance. Having said that, I hope you are able to get a little glimpse of where it is that I attend classes, go to the library, and have fika on occasion. So here you go! 

For some reason, I am unable to post all of the pictures. I am not really sure why. I still have a bit to learn about how to use "blogger" to its fullest. I will try again soon...but for now, these will have to do!

Winter in Sweden

Fog is common.

This is a fun little story. I was walking by these kids with my camera, and they started speaking to me in Swedish. I told them, "Jag talla lite lite lite Svenska! Talar du Engelska?" It was clear we did not know each other's languages, so I pointed at my camera and asked (through actions) if I could take some pictures. They loved it. When I left, they were giggling and whispering to one another, and all of s sudden they shouted, "Goodbye!!"

Notice the background. The snow doesn't intimidate bike riders...not even elderly ones :)

The elementary school I pass on my way to the University....where the kids were sledding.

I thought that since I posted pictures of Karlstad in the beautiful sunlight, I should also post a few pictures of the "real" weather in Sweden :) Truthfully speaking, the sun has not come out in "full form" since the third day I was here, so I thought it would be good to give everyone an idea of a typical day in Sweden "weather wise". Now, I know that sounds extremely depressing...but I have to admit, for being someone who grew up in a city where the sun is shining almost every day of they year, I have taken this weather quite well. Plus, I have to add, there is a substantial difference between cloudy weather in a big city such as Chicago, and cloudy weather in a place like Karlstad, Sweden. Maybe its the fact that I am in Sweden, and so it is what I expected; maybe it is the fact that I am surrounded by nature, or maybe its simply the fact that I haven't been here long enough to feel its effects...lets hope its one of the first two :) All I can say is it is what it is, so I might as well find the good in it...or try :)

A little of this and a little of that

FIKA. 

YUM.

Candy lover's heaven.

REAL Chinese!

Wok.

Kim.

Well, since I have so many small things to tell everyone about, I figured I would go ahead and try doing one post with different little stories. Maybe this format will be the way to go....we will see how well it works...

CHINESE DINNER:

So I know I already wrote about the night my friend, Kim had made Chinese food for dinner, but he did it again a few nights later and invited Antje (our friend from Germany) as well as Alexandra and Andreas (our host students). It was fun watching him make the 5 different dishes... especially since he only had one wok to use. Needless to say, it took a little while :) When we did finally eat though, it was delicious, and we went to bed full and happy :) Dad- I was thinking of you the whole time because I know how much you like woks! 

CANDY:

Once again, I know I already touched on the subject of candy, but I think it deserves a little more attention. On Sunday, I decided to try some for myself. I got a bag scooped up a variety of candies. Some looked delicious and some looked questionable, but I tried a variety nonetheless. I have to say, after trying many of them throughout the week, my favorites are still the ones Cat told me were the best: Dumle, and Geisha. The Swedish fish were delicious too, of course. Leann, you would LOVE it here :)

FIKA:

As some of you know, I was getting anxious to experience my first "real" FIKA (Swedish Coffee Break). FIKA is one of my favorite parts of the week in Chicago at NPU, when friends get together on Friday afternoon for coffee, sweets, and visiting. Fortunately, a few days ago, Alexandra and Andreas took Kim, Antje and I downtown and we went to a cafe called T for coffee and Samlas. I got a latte and it was deeelicious. While the coffee was good, the best part was the pastry we all tried. It is called a Samla, and is basically a sweet bun filled with cream. Sooo good. Swede's actually eat them on Fat Tuesday as a tradition, so I am sure you will be hearing more about them in the future :)  

It turns out, I liked the cafe so much that I went back today! I had to go downtown to run a couple of errands, and decided to stop in. This time, instead of getting a latte, I got regular coffee....except it was in a mini french press! They handed me a timer and told me that once the time ran out, I should press the coffee down, and it would be ready to drink. It too was delicious. Very strong, but also very smooth. The type of coffee I got (I can't remember the name) is actually mixed in the coffee shop with a various blend of roasts, so it is unique. I think I will be going back. Regularly.

YARN:

This is for you Aunt Chris! While I was downtown, I decided to wander around a bit. I came across the information center and stopped in to look around. The lady at the counter asked me if I had any questions, and I asked her if there was a yarn shop in town. She looked it up, and sure enough there was one only about a block and a half away! I found it, went in and talked to the woman working there. She was very helpful and nice, and let me take a few pictures :) Aunt Chris--there is one type of yarn that they carry which is native to Sweden. It is from the sheep on an island called Öland. Let me know if you are interested! :)

Well, that is about all for now. I am still doing well! I thank Chicago for my tolerance for the weather. It has been wet and dreary to say the least. The roads and walkways are all covered with a  generous layer of wet sulshy slosh....but it has yet to affect me :) I just know that the day the sun comes out will be a glorious one indeed! Classes began this week, but I only have two a week until Febuary 3, when my second class starts. Not bad! So far now, I am enjoying the free time, and trying to plan my various other excursions to a few other destinations! I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for reading!!!

SNOW!

Part of my walk to the University.

I wasn't kidding when I said it is "woodsy"

I woke up this morning to go for a run, and instead found this! A nice blanket of snow. There was about 5 inches on the ground when I woke up, and it has continued to fall slowly throughout the day. I am excited because... 1. It is Sweden, and it only seems natural for there to be snow. 2. Everyone from home has been asking me if there is snow, and I have had to respond with a disappointing "no". 3. All of the people who have been cross-country skating in Karlstad can now go cross-country skiing :). And, 4. When there is snow, everything is brighter! So hopefully at 4:00 pm it won't be quite as dark as usual. 

The only downfall is that I do not have any heavy snow boots. But...as I found out on my way here, the roads and walkways were all cleared this morning. So there you have it! 

Leggings and boots.

Leggings and boots. They are everywhere. Flared  jeans and suede clogs...not so much. I am proud to say that for the first time, I actually looked somewhat like a Swede today :) And it snowed for the first time since I've been here! Hello Sweden!

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