Alright, so here’s my first blog entry from Sweden:

First of all, thank goodness for kind Europeans... since I took two large suitcases and a carry-on, I was having problems lugging it all until two nice Brits insisted on helping me and sharing a taxi. They were going to central Stockholm but KTH’s main campus was on the way so they also insisted on paying the 440 SEK ($80+) bill. A couple guys helped me get my luggage in the union so I could register and pick up my keys. The lady who gave me my keys told me I needed to walk 2 blocks, take the subway to “Universitetet,” and then take the bus to the dorms…. I called a taxi. The driver was very nice but got lost because there are about 15 dorm buildings on three different streets and there is no method to the numbering of the dorms. Eventually he found it and offered to help me take my luggage to my room. I said no and it was while he was driving away that I realized my room is on the fourth floor! It took me a while but I got to my room which was shockingly clean.

That night there was a barbecue at the union for all the international students, so I went, met some Germans and experienced the language barrier. One girl actually told me it was hard to speak English because she had to think about it so much! Luckily, that isn’t the general consensus and I have met many other people who have asked me to correct their mistakes. It is amazing how well most of the people here speak English and how much they want to improve their speaking capabilities. I am meeting a lot of great people and having a lot of fun with the communication challenges.

Swedish 1 began on August 2nd at 9 AM. I got up at 5 to make sure I could find the class and look around the campus (and this can’t be all that surprising to anyone who knows me since you know I always get lost… and that’s when I can read the signs). Class is going well; we are already writing essays! I remember when I was in Spanish 1, back in 7th grade, we started out learning how to count, the alphabet, and pronunciation. Ellen taught us polite conversation on our first day! We went through the alphabet and numbers about two days later!

When I’m not in class, I’m normally wandering around downtown Stockholm. The city is made up of 11 islands and I have been on 4 so far. There are tons of beautiful old buildings with small parks and boats along the sides of the islands. The “tunnelbana” system here is quite extensive and very useful (especially when you buy the card for unlimited rides for a month).
People here are very elegant; the women wear very fashionable clothes and most of the men (that I think are Swedes) wear suits. I have gone to the shopping district multiple times to people watch and check out Swedish fashion. Baby doll dresses and tops, skinny jeans, and Keds (shoes) are all very popular. I went into one store (that I think is like Sweden’s Macy’s) and they were selling distressed Keds for $30+ with the more distressed and colorful ones reaching $65! I have seen so many outfits that most Americans (at least the people I know) wouldn’t be caught dead in! I have also seen what seems like millions of tall, lean, tan, and blonde people. I don’t feel too out of place when I’m with all the other exchange students but that may change when the Swedes come back for school in September.

Food here has been an interesting situation. There is a food market at the bottom of the hill my dorm is on and everything is labeled in Swedish. I guess it’s not that surprising but it’s scary to buy something when you’re not completely sure what it is. I guess cheese, lunch meat, and dairy products are the most difficult to pick out. Cheese is just hard because they sell it in blocks and most of it looks pretty much the same and I don’t think they have cheddar (which is unfortunate because I really like cheddar). I know now that “skink” is ham, “ost” is cheese, and “mjölk” is milk. The milk is sold in the same containers as yogurt (cardboard boxes about ½ the size of a cereal box) and a few people I know guessed incorrectly. I’ve also realized that I have to be more cautious of what I eat here. On Sunday, I went to a café downtown with a Swede and had a warm apple crisp with whipped cream. Monday morning, about 40 minutes after class started, I began to feel really sick. I excused myself to the bathroom… but I didn’t make it! This was not alcohol induced since I haven’t had any for two weeks now, but I had my head in a garbage can in the hall! My conclusion is that the whipped cream at the café had gone bad. I have been sick like that two times in the past six years and I don’t even think someone’s 21st birthday should count (I blame the other time on The Big Ten’s 2 for 1 long island night). Anyways, it was gross and I’d like to avoid any future exposure to spoiled food!