SWEDEN!

I made it to Sweden, safe and sound! It was a crazy couple of days but I'm finally here and it feels so good to be unpacked and settled. Darailia was an enormous help when we arrived because she has been here for 5 months already so she helped us get adjusted and showed us around. It has been freezing here. Like 20 ̊ F in the day. Instead of plowing the streets, Uppsala just packs the snow over the ice and puts down gravel to keep it from getting slippery. Swensie, it would be your nightmare. YakTrax would be helpful, especially on the giant hill in town. There is so much snow and ice everywhere. The only place where there isn't packed snow on the pavement is along Svartbäcksgatan which is Uppsala's equivalent to Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. It has cozy cafes, quaint shops, and small business and cars are not allowed to drive through. I can't wait to go exploring through the shops and check out the fantastic sales that are going on right now.

We've already had our first visit to IKEA! It's exactly like the one in MN except everything is in Swedish.

Using Swedish money is also different. I've been here since Friday and I still feel like I am using Monopoly money every time I pay for something. The money (Kronor) is all different colors and sizes. Also, one Krona is about 15 cents so at IKEA it wasn't outrageous that I paid 480SEK. 

I live in Kantorsgatan, Kantors for short. My apartment is about 2 miles from Rackarbergsgatan, which is where the three other Gusties live. This has given me the chance to become a pro at riding the bus. It is very weird using public transportation to visit friends but I'm getting used to it! My apartment is a weird situation. So there are 5 bedrooms with WCs, a shared shower, kitchen, and dining room. There is one other girl in the apartment and the rest are guys. I have met 5 guys. You don't have to be a math major to figure out that something is off. Apparently there are 3 guys sharing one room. I'm not sure what their situation is but they always leave the odorous Indian food they make sitting out on the counter. One of the other guys is from Ethiopia and he is super friendly. My first night I was struggling to get my internet to work and he helped me get it sorted out and even loaned me an Ethernet cable. The last guy is French. He is also ultra nice. My girl corridor mate  Sofie, is Swedish and seems somewhat shy but very nice. I wish I could remember all their names. That shall be my goal for the week.

Annoying thing: there is no wireless internet in my apartment. I have to leave it plugged in all the time.

Good thing: my roommate showed me a program that allows me to use my computer as a wireless router so I can use my iPad.

Saturday night was extremely fun. We went to Trivia at one of the nations. I had my first legal beer with Signe! It was a light, Swedish beer, Pripps Blå. It wasn't my favorite but it was good. I want to drink European beer while I am here that I cannot get in the States. We meet some people from the Netherlands, France, and Spain. One of the girls from the Netherlands, Esther, lives in the building next to mine so we rode the bus home together. Once I got back to Kantors, my French corridor mate had friends over and he invited me to join them! We played some card games and talked until 2:30 when I had to call it a night.

This week we are going to get phones, finalize our residency permits, and pay rent for the first time. I also want to go to the Systembolaget (state regulated liquor store) and buy my first bottle of wine! In Sweden, you can drink alcohol at 18 but you cannot buy it at the store until you're 20. You can get it at bars and pubs once you're 18 which is strange to me.

Sorry I rambled on with this post. The past 4 days have been busy! Tomorrow is the first day of class! I get to ride the bus to school. Flashback: riding the bus to kindergarten with Natalia where we climbed over and under the seats for fun. Good times. I shall post again later this week!

Hejdå!