Today I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I just took the bus out to Boländerna. The COOP really is just like one of those gigantic American Wal-Marts, minus all the American products of course. Swedes seem to love those carbonation machines, they had an aisle full of the machines and an aisle for the flavourings! Also an aisle just for knäckebröd, and an aisle just for korv (sausage/hotdog/wiener). Hot grillkorv (med bröd/with bread) seem to be sold at every store for 5-12kr and are better than our cheap hotdogs. Anyway some of the more awesome/strange grocery products are in the pictures, like the row upon row of miscellaneous tubes, no clue what they are, but they have flavours like "Chorizo" and various other meats. Other highlights include "americansk" hamburger dressing, in flavours like "bacon", and MAPLE SYRUP! Although none of my flatmates knew what it was when I brought it back (because I had to buy it), and I haven't seen it anywhere else, must be pretty rare. It wasn't even very expensive, about $9!
Other awesome things I bought were apple cider 'soup' with bits of apples in it, Billy's Pan Pizza (from the dragon tattoo books), and Billy's also seems to sell frozen filled pancakes! Num.
I am also convinced Sweden is designed for tall people. I can't reach down far enough into the freezers to get my frozen corn (Matthew). They also sell frozen corn on the cob??
Boländerna is a somewhat industrial/shopping area, so it's hard to get around without a car or bike. Lots of car dealerships, mattress stores, etc. MediaMarkt, though, was so neat. I guess it could be compared to a Future Shop. Huge, with computers, fridges, hairdryers, playstations, etc. But. THREE ENORMOUS AISLES of coffee makers. !!!! I ended up with a waffle iron and a ridiculously expensive alarm clock (but the cheapest they had...) both at 180kr each ($30).
This evening we managed to get everyone together in our corridor for a meeting. The fridges and freezers and cupboards were all full but none of us had much at all in there, so we made several trips to the garbage shed and split the stuff that was still good. It was nice to get to know Frida, Marin, and Rebecca a bit.
Well, tomorrow is my first day of class at SLU! ttfn.
If don't see pictures below, click the link to the Google Web Album. It has a handy full screen option: https://picasaweb.google.com/111478015196222952326/August292011?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Kolsyrat vatten (sparkling water)
Hej!
I have been VERY busy these last few days. I've done a LOT of walking around Uppsala, it really does seem like an European city. Cobblestones, old buildings, universities that started before anyone ever thought of Canada.
I managed to get some more groceries, although it's a 15 min walk and I forgot this while loading up my cart... ouch. Most food is about the same price as at home, it's the appliances that cost way more. There are 4 types of quinoa, dozens of kinds of rice, both cheaper than at home, but the cheapest kettle I could find was about $40 for 0.9 L.
EVERYONE seems to drink sparkling water. I keep accidentally buying it. "Peachy Peach LOKA LIKES L.A!" just sounds so delicious, yet once even slightly warm is completely undrinkable. For me anyway. I have seen Anton chug a big bottle he keeps in the fridge.
Our kitchen is finally cleaned out! No more rainforest on the kitchen table. Everyone moved in today. Anton, Frieda, and Rebecca from Sweden, and Mark from somewhere in eastern Europe. So, our fridge is of course full of tubes of fish eggs and filmjölk, and the cupboards are full of knäckebröd.
Yesterday we had a walking tour of Uppsala put on by the student union, so we saw the castle, cathedral, oldest building, liquor store, etc. Most of us then tried to make our way to Lilla Sunnestra, a lake just south of campus (about 45 minutes from the town centre). We sad things without bikes took the bus, but we got off too early, and ended up walking for over an hour to meet everyone. Must get a bike ASAP.
Friday night we had our 'nations pub crawl.' Student nations are a fairly big deal. They are more than a student club, more like a home base. If you are from Sweden, you are assigned to whichever of the 13 nations corresponds to your region. If you are an international student, you can choose whichever one you want. so we did a bit of a tour. They usually own a large house, often with a professional kitchen, bar, and dancefloor. Some are huge, some are maybe 4 rooms. Each one has different activities, cafe days, club nights, etc but most pubs are open every night. The only opportunity for international students (who don't speak Swedish) to work is at the nations, clearing tables or serving, but the pay is minimal. It's really just to meet people and help out.
University students here party louder than at home...
I was woken up at 6am by singing and clapping and music from a party that hadn't ended yet. Eventually someone shut them down... Swedes DO love to sing. It is absolutely true.
Today was more of trying to sort things out before class starts on Tuesday. Bus card is loaded, new curtains are up, six garbage bags full of the last resident's old bedding and junk are in the bin (this took a long time, I'm 4 floors up, no elevator, and the garbage is not right next to my building). Same deal with laundry... two loads in a broken machine (the sign fell off... I didn't see it til after). Up and down the stairs and over two blocks to the laundry room, checking every half hour to see if my clothes are dry...
The laundry system seems so unnecessarily complicated, but useful. There is a screen next to the door with a card slot, and you swipe your key card to 'log in'. Then you can book one of the 10 washing machines for a 2hr period, anytime within the next month. You choose the day, the time, and the machine.
I returned from another IKEA trip with new curtains and a new chair, so I don't keep getting ejected from the unstable rolling chair that came with the room. The walls in my room are an ugly yellow-beige colour with some stains and chips... new curtains help a lot!! I will post a picture of my room once I actually have time to organize my clothes, and once someone deals with my mattress (the cloth-eathing bugs).
I have successfully bought a hair dryer and straightener, toothpaste, garbage bags, and contact lens solution. Sound easy? Think again. Toothpaste isn't sold at smaller grocery stores, you have to go to the pharmacies. Garbage bags are sold in little rolls, and always seem to be hidden at floor-level on the shelves. Contact lens solution is only sold... in optical stores. It's a behind the counter thing. This took me a VERY long time to figure out.
Weird things about my apartment:
- the lights in the bathroom and hallway are motion activated
- I have two doors into my room
- you have to scrape the drain everytime you wash something out in the kitchen sink, the holes are super small
- my storage area is filled with old mattress foamies that I have no idea what to do with
- the stove doesn't work unless the oven knob is turned on
- the microwave has only two knobs, one like a kitchen timer and one to choose the wattage
Important words:
ta kort - take your card (this makes shopping less embarassing)
kolsyrat vatten - sparkling water (do not buy this! especially if it is not cold!)
dl - deciliter, or 100mL. Cups don't seem to exist.
krm - pinch, as in a pinch of salt
somserby - delicious super sweet pear cider
coop - the Walmart of Sweden
If don't see pictures below, click the link to the Google Web Album. It has a handy full screen option: https://picasaweb.google.com/111478015196222952326/August282011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLW4keS879eubA&feat=directlink
I have been VERY busy these last few days. I've done a LOT of walking around Uppsala, it really does seem like an European city. Cobblestones, old buildings, universities that started before anyone ever thought of Canada.
I managed to get some more groceries, although it's a 15 min walk and I forgot this while loading up my cart... ouch. Most food is about the same price as at home, it's the appliances that cost way more. There are 4 types of quinoa, dozens of kinds of rice, both cheaper than at home, but the cheapest kettle I could find was about $40 for 0.9 L.
EVERYONE seems to drink sparkling water. I keep accidentally buying it. "Peachy Peach LOKA LIKES L.A!" just sounds so delicious, yet once even slightly warm is completely undrinkable. For me anyway. I have seen Anton chug a big bottle he keeps in the fridge.
Our kitchen is finally cleaned out! No more rainforest on the kitchen table. Everyone moved in today. Anton, Frieda, and Rebecca from Sweden, and Mark from somewhere in eastern Europe. So, our fridge is of course full of tubes of fish eggs and filmjölk, and the cupboards are full of knäckebröd.
Yesterday we had a walking tour of Uppsala put on by the student union, so we saw the castle, cathedral, oldest building, liquor store, etc. Most of us then tried to make our way to Lilla Sunnestra, a lake just south of campus (about 45 minutes from the town centre). We sad things without bikes took the bus, but we got off too early, and ended up walking for over an hour to meet everyone. Must get a bike ASAP.
Friday night we had our 'nations pub crawl.' Student nations are a fairly big deal. They are more than a student club, more like a home base. If you are from Sweden, you are assigned to whichever of the 13 nations corresponds to your region. If you are an international student, you can choose whichever one you want. so we did a bit of a tour. They usually own a large house, often with a professional kitchen, bar, and dancefloor. Some are huge, some are maybe 4 rooms. Each one has different activities, cafe days, club nights, etc but most pubs are open every night. The only opportunity for international students (who don't speak Swedish) to work is at the nations, clearing tables or serving, but the pay is minimal. It's really just to meet people and help out.
University students here party louder than at home...
I was woken up at 6am by singing and clapping and music from a party that hadn't ended yet. Eventually someone shut them down... Swedes DO love to sing. It is absolutely true.
Today was more of trying to sort things out before class starts on Tuesday. Bus card is loaded, new curtains are up, six garbage bags full of the last resident's old bedding and junk are in the bin (this took a long time, I'm 4 floors up, no elevator, and the garbage is not right next to my building). Same deal with laundry... two loads in a broken machine (the sign fell off... I didn't see it til after). Up and down the stairs and over two blocks to the laundry room, checking every half hour to see if my clothes are dry...
The laundry system seems so unnecessarily complicated, but useful. There is a screen next to the door with a card slot, and you swipe your key card to 'log in'. Then you can book one of the 10 washing machines for a 2hr period, anytime within the next month. You choose the day, the time, and the machine.
I returned from another IKEA trip with new curtains and a new chair, so I don't keep getting ejected from the unstable rolling chair that came with the room. The walls in my room are an ugly yellow-beige colour with some stains and chips... new curtains help a lot!! I will post a picture of my room once I actually have time to organize my clothes, and once someone deals with my mattress (the cloth-eathing bugs).
I have successfully bought a hair dryer and straightener, toothpaste, garbage bags, and contact lens solution. Sound easy? Think again. Toothpaste isn't sold at smaller grocery stores, you have to go to the pharmacies. Garbage bags are sold in little rolls, and always seem to be hidden at floor-level on the shelves. Contact lens solution is only sold... in optical stores. It's a behind the counter thing. This took me a VERY long time to figure out.
Weird things about my apartment:
- the lights in the bathroom and hallway are motion activated
- I have two doors into my room
- you have to scrape the drain everytime you wash something out in the kitchen sink, the holes are super small
- my storage area is filled with old mattress foamies that I have no idea what to do with
- the stove doesn't work unless the oven knob is turned on
- the microwave has only two knobs, one like a kitchen timer and one to choose the wattage
Important words:
ta kort - take your card (this makes shopping less embarassing)
kolsyrat vatten - sparkling water (do not buy this! especially if it is not cold!)
dl - deciliter, or 100mL. Cups don't seem to exist.
krm - pinch, as in a pinch of salt
somserby - delicious super sweet pear cider
coop - the Walmart of Sweden
If don't see pictures below, click the link to the Google Web Album. It has a handy full screen option: https://picasaweb.google.com/111478015196222952326/August282011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLW4keS879eubA&feat=directlink
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Usch (yikes)
I made it alive... sort of.
Apparently Condor is a totally legitimate airline. The safety videos featured Marilyn Monroe, Lance Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, and the Queen of England, complete with queenly wave, but no English subtitles. In the Frankfurt airport, the first restaurant I come across was... you will never guess. Hooters. There was a grocery store nearby, so I bought some Teekanne (yay) and paid 3 euros to check my email, and get Stina's (my buddy) phone number.
The 2-hour flight to Arlanda also had no English translations, except for something incomprehensible involving ladies and yentelmon, and turbulence.
I step off the plane and what do I smell? IKEA cinnamon rolls. I almost burst out laughing. Also, 4 in 5 young adult women are wearing white converse shoes. And everyone wears leather jackets and/or cardigans.
I found the train station pretty quickly, and I was the only one in it. Then I was the only one in the cabin. Between Knivsta and Uppsala, the train stopped... for 45 minutes. There were a few announcements, but nobody to translate them for me... anyway I got there eventually. Turns out there are no payphones in Uppsala Centralstation, so I had to ask someone (at 11pm) to borrow their cellphone. Stina turned up with my key, and we took the bus to Rackarbergsgatan. I never would have found it without her, the bus stop was 3 blocks away from the bus station. She helped me bring my bags up the 4 flights of stairs and figure out how to open the 3 sets of doors to get into my room. By the time I unrolled my blanket on the mattress it was midnight and I had been awake for 33 hours... so, logically, I barely slept...
This morning I managed to remember there is a tiny ICA grocery store in the same block as my apartment building. Apparently it's one of the most expensive ICA's in Uppsala. The chain doesn't have standard pricing, so you have to go out of town (to the ICA Maxi) to get the cheap food.
I have discovered that Swedes like to hide the regular water where it is impossible to find. After I realized we had no cups, I had to explore for water. If you want pear, grapefruit, passionfruit, vitamin, or sparkling water, no problem. I had to go to a Pressbyran and pay about $4 for a bottle of Evian to get plain bottled water!! Also I managed to pay $5 for a loaf of bread.
Then I went on a hunt (enabled by my GPS) for Nordea bank. It turns out only one branch can set up an account, obviously it's the one on the other side of town. On my walk over there I found The Phone House and got a SIM card, which is supposed to get me free internet but my phone can't seem to figure that out. It also thinks that it's 7:12am... which it isn't. Here it's 10:10pm and in Vancouver it's 1:10pm... I may have to buy a Swedish phone after all. At least it can make phone calls.
I headed out to SLU for my free orientation lunch, and waited in line for half an hour to get my internet password (which is why I finally have internet!!) The campus is AMAZING. It's like a little farm village with lakes and trees and little paths, but then you have a giant brand new glass building, then a red barn, then a 17th century style building. Most of campus seems to be under construction... all universities seem to be.
I managed to get back to centralstation, and realizing I still had no sheets, pillows, or towels, I waited an hour at two wrong stops for the bus to IKEA. I paid 5kr ($0.78) for coffee and a cinnamon bun (NOM) and sat on a couch! They have couches in the restaurant! Swedish coffee is served in a small cup, not as small as an espresso cup, but just the right size, 'lagom'. And the cinnamon roll was toasty and HOT, and it wasn't even under lights. Everything else in the store seemed to be somewhere around the same price as home, maybe a little bit more. Most things that are $1 at home are 9kr here (**). They sell EVERYTHING at IKEA. Fire extinguishers. Bathrobes. Sunscreen. Soap. First aid kits. Backpacks. I got a bed set and some kitchen basics, and lugged it back home on the bus. According to everybody, "Nobody takes the bus in Uppsala." That is not true, I do. How else am I going to get three giant bags home? Not on a crappy old road bike that everybody takes everywhere. Apparently, if you leave your bike unlocked downtown, people will push it into the river. Later they are dragged up, cleaned, and put up for sale in the bike shops...
I get back home and start unpacking, and I move the mattress pad onto the bed only to discover BUGS. I call the Dombron (rental company) "emergency line" but of course nobody answers. After several phone calls to buddies, the mattress pad is out in the hallway and I took a $30 cab back to IKEA (it was closing in 15 minutes) and bought a $55 mattress pad that I can sleep on tonight... I discovered our vacuum doesn't work, and after several frustrating minutes, found that even the broom couldn't stay on the handle. Shopping is needed.
Rackarberget (the apartment complex) is old. No elevators, ooold heaters, funny old doorknobs, and some chipping paint. It seems to be a thing here that when you move out, you leave behind whatever you don't want or are too lazy to throw out. I found a duvet, pillow, candles, bug spray, a photo-CD, and a pile of maps and textbooks in my room... I guess I'll keep them for a week or so, see if he comes back for them? But I am definitely going to use his bus card.
My room seems to be the biggest of the 5, but the one with the crappiest furniture. I have a window that overlooks the green 'party area' in the centre of the complex. People are singing out there right now. Hmm.
The shower is typically swedish, a tiny tiled room with a showerhead and a towel warmer. The bathroom is smaller than your average public toilet stall, and the kitchen just barely fits a table and chairs. The table is covered in gigantic potted plants, me and Rebecka (room mate) have no idea where they came from... nobody else has moved in (or returned from summer holidays) yet.
It's not as easy as I expected to get along with mostly English. Bus drivers can't understand me, and I can't read any instructions on anything, which is more frustrating than expected.
Important words learned today:
nästa - next (go up to the counter now!! it's your turn!!)
vänta - wait (as in DO NOT pull out your card and accidentally cancel the transaction again, silly person)
tvål - soap (not two... that is två)
mellan - between/medium... my milk is called Mellanmjölk... medium milk?
Rabiez - seems to be a clothing store.
Turn captions ON by mousing over the slideshow and clicking the speech bubble.
If you see a white box below, or don't see pictures, click the link to the Google Web Album. It has a handy full screen option: https://picasaweb.google.com/111478015196222952326/August242011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPa_x8nBs8DBrgE&feat=directlink
Apparently Condor is a totally legitimate airline. The safety videos featured Marilyn Monroe, Lance Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, and the Queen of England, complete with queenly wave, but no English subtitles. In the Frankfurt airport, the first restaurant I come across was... you will never guess. Hooters. There was a grocery store nearby, so I bought some Teekanne (yay) and paid 3 euros to check my email, and get Stina's (my buddy) phone number.
The 2-hour flight to Arlanda also had no English translations, except for something incomprehensible involving ladies and yentelmon, and turbulence.
I step off the plane and what do I smell? IKEA cinnamon rolls. I almost burst out laughing. Also, 4 in 5 young adult women are wearing white converse shoes. And everyone wears leather jackets and/or cardigans.
I found the train station pretty quickly, and I was the only one in it. Then I was the only one in the cabin. Between Knivsta and Uppsala, the train stopped... for 45 minutes. There were a few announcements, but nobody to translate them for me... anyway I got there eventually. Turns out there are no payphones in Uppsala Centralstation, so I had to ask someone (at 11pm) to borrow their cellphone. Stina turned up with my key, and we took the bus to Rackarbergsgatan. I never would have found it without her, the bus stop was 3 blocks away from the bus station. She helped me bring my bags up the 4 flights of stairs and figure out how to open the 3 sets of doors to get into my room. By the time I unrolled my blanket on the mattress it was midnight and I had been awake for 33 hours... so, logically, I barely slept...
This morning I managed to remember there is a tiny ICA grocery store in the same block as my apartment building. Apparently it's one of the most expensive ICA's in Uppsala. The chain doesn't have standard pricing, so you have to go out of town (to the ICA Maxi) to get the cheap food.
I have discovered that Swedes like to hide the regular water where it is impossible to find. After I realized we had no cups, I had to explore for water. If you want pear, grapefruit, passionfruit, vitamin, or sparkling water, no problem. I had to go to a Pressbyran and pay about $4 for a bottle of Evian to get plain bottled water!! Also I managed to pay $5 for a loaf of bread.
Then I went on a hunt (enabled by my GPS) for Nordea bank. It turns out only one branch can set up an account, obviously it's the one on the other side of town. On my walk over there I found The Phone House and got a SIM card, which is supposed to get me free internet but my phone can't seem to figure that out. It also thinks that it's 7:12am... which it isn't. Here it's 10:10pm and in Vancouver it's 1:10pm... I may have to buy a Swedish phone after all. At least it can make phone calls.
I headed out to SLU for my free orientation lunch, and waited in line for half an hour to get my internet password (which is why I finally have internet!!) The campus is AMAZING. It's like a little farm village with lakes and trees and little paths, but then you have a giant brand new glass building, then a red barn, then a 17th century style building. Most of campus seems to be under construction... all universities seem to be.
I managed to get back to centralstation, and realizing I still had no sheets, pillows, or towels, I waited an hour at two wrong stops for the bus to IKEA. I paid 5kr ($0.78) for coffee and a cinnamon bun (NOM) and sat on a couch! They have couches in the restaurant! Swedish coffee is served in a small cup, not as small as an espresso cup, but just the right size, 'lagom'. And the cinnamon roll was toasty and HOT, and it wasn't even under lights. Everything else in the store seemed to be somewhere around the same price as home, maybe a little bit more. Most things that are $1 at home are 9kr here (**). They sell EVERYTHING at IKEA. Fire extinguishers. Bathrobes. Sunscreen. Soap. First aid kits. Backpacks. I got a bed set and some kitchen basics, and lugged it back home on the bus. According to everybody, "Nobody takes the bus in Uppsala." That is not true, I do. How else am I going to get three giant bags home? Not on a crappy old road bike that everybody takes everywhere. Apparently, if you leave your bike unlocked downtown, people will push it into the river. Later they are dragged up, cleaned, and put up for sale in the bike shops...
I get back home and start unpacking, and I move the mattress pad onto the bed only to discover BUGS. I call the Dombron (rental company) "emergency line" but of course nobody answers. After several phone calls to buddies, the mattress pad is out in the hallway and I took a $30 cab back to IKEA (it was closing in 15 minutes) and bought a $55 mattress pad that I can sleep on tonight... I discovered our vacuum doesn't work, and after several frustrating minutes, found that even the broom couldn't stay on the handle. Shopping is needed.
Rackarberget (the apartment complex) is old. No elevators, ooold heaters, funny old doorknobs, and some chipping paint. It seems to be a thing here that when you move out, you leave behind whatever you don't want or are too lazy to throw out. I found a duvet, pillow, candles, bug spray, a photo-CD, and a pile of maps and textbooks in my room... I guess I'll keep them for a week or so, see if he comes back for them? But I am definitely going to use his bus card.
My room seems to be the biggest of the 5, but the one with the crappiest furniture. I have a window that overlooks the green 'party area' in the centre of the complex. People are singing out there right now. Hmm.
The shower is typically swedish, a tiny tiled room with a showerhead and a towel warmer. The bathroom is smaller than your average public toilet stall, and the kitchen just barely fits a table and chairs. The table is covered in gigantic potted plants, me and Rebecka (room mate) have no idea where they came from... nobody else has moved in (or returned from summer holidays) yet.
It's not as easy as I expected to get along with mostly English. Bus drivers can't understand me, and I can't read any instructions on anything, which is more frustrating than expected.
Important words learned today:
nästa - next (go up to the counter now!! it's your turn!!)
vänta - wait (as in DO NOT pull out your card and accidentally cancel the transaction again, silly person)
tvål - soap (not two... that is två)
mellan - between/medium... my milk is called Mellanmjölk... medium milk?
Rabiez - seems to be a clothing store.
Turn captions ON by mousing over the slideshow and clicking the speech bubble.
If you see a white box below, or don't see pictures, click the link to the Google Web Album. It has a handy full screen option: https://picasaweb.google.com/111478015196222952326/August242011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPa_x8nBs8DBrgE&feat=directlink
Monday, August 22, 2011
Här kommer jag...!
Leaving at 5:55pm on Condor flight 1071 to Frankfurt, then SAS flight 638 to Stockholm! Here I go...
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)