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
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