Hello from J?nk?ping, Sweden! I have been in this amazing city in the central part of Sweden for about 7 weeks now. I have been so busy with exploring the city, making new friends, and keeping up with classes, that blogging totally slipped my mind! My journey to Sweden was very long, but so stress-free! I flew out of the DFW airport, had about an 11 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and from there flew to Gothenburg, Sweden. Once I was in Gothenburg, I took a bus to J?nk?ping.
My first impression of this country was something along the lines of, “Wow, this is really cold”, but I have adapted to the weather and really enjoy the change! Before I came to Sweden, I heard a lot of stereotypes about this country, and so far I have to say that all of them are true… Everyone is tall, blonde, and beautiful. People here really like their techno and house music. And like I just said, its cold all the time.
My first week in school?was one of the most fun of my life, and was filled with different events to meet other students and learn more about Sweden and J?nk?ping University. Imagine a week long Fish Camp, minus the piercings, but with hundreds of students from all around the world! After that week, classes officially started, but I will talk more about the schoolwork in my next post!
I live in a student dorm which is about 3 miles from campus, and is right next to Lake Vattern, the second largest lake in Sweden. I live with about 60 other international students, which has been amazing because I now I have friends from all over the world! My favorite part about living here is shown in the picture above, which is about a 5 minute walk from my dorm. The nature here is incredible, and it has been so fun to explore it.
All in all, Swedish life is very different from Texas. The Swedish people are friendly, but not exactly open. In Texas I would say hello to strangers or give them a smile, but?if I did that in Sweden people would think I’m crazy. One thing that has been really different for me has been relying on public transportation! I use my car for everything in the US, so having to rely on someone else’s schedule has been a big change.
I am so glad that I chose to study abroad in Sweden, and I am really excited to spend 3 more months here!