A week in...

A week ago this time I was in a plan heading to Sweden ..actually that's a lie...I was in a plane heading for Dubai so that I could catch a plane to Denmark and then make my way to Sweden..but you get the drift. A week ago today, I left South Africa for the unexpected.

I arrived a week late for orientation which means that I was a bit lost and had quite a bit to figure out on my own. And boy was there a lot to do.

First things first I needed to open a bank account and pay my rent...So I walk the half an hour it takes me to get into town and at the last minute realise that I have forgotten my passport. Dope! I try my luck and see if I can open an account without my passport...I am obviously told no and then make the long trek back home. Eventually with all of my documents in hand I confidently walk into a bank and am swiftly told that I can't open one without my tax number ( which I have to apply for and can take anywhere between one to three weeks). URG!! I had just walked an extra hour to get my passport and I couldn't open an account anyway! Oh, the joys!! So I went off to Forex, cheque in hand and paid for my rent.

Then it was off to the Welcome Reception which was for Lund's international students..and man are there a substantial amount of us! Just to list a few, I have met people from Canada, Serbia, Germany, France, Russia, Spain and South Africa. Yip, I managed to bump into a group of other South Africans. High Five!

The Welcome Reception was actually good fun. I had envisioned impassionate speeches and the usual laadieda but it actually quite different. We had performances from Lund's male choir and Lund's comedic Spex which was good for a laugh even though I didn't understand a word they were saying. even the speeches were full of humour and quite enjoyable.

Other highlights this week include finally opening a bank account ( I found out that there is another branch of bank that doesn't require your tax number), buying a bicycle (that is orange has a basket in front and yes it even has one of those annoying..but semi cool bells), doing a treasure hunt (this was a whole day affair with lots of quizzes and activities...we find out next week who won...fingers crossed!) and best of all I bought a blanket (now my scarves are safely packed away and I can snuggle in my new, not so reasonably priced duvet).

My awesome bank card!

So I am slowly getting settled and I am now trying clean out the cobwebs and random shit from my mind and get ready for class next week! What a nerd! I know right! Anyway...I've been doing some reading and hopefully this will better prepare me for the abyss that is a Masters. On top of that I have been studying some Swedish.

I've learnt the basics like hellos, how are you, I am from, my age is, etc and I can count..which is totally sweet! The only downfall is I am too bloody scared to practice it. Everyone here speaks such fantastic English that I feel like a bit of a klutz speaking their language. The best is when I am paying for my groceries. I approach very confidently saying "Hej Hej", I even understand the amount the cashier asks for and then..the cashier says something else (I have no freaking clue what) and my confidence crumbles, I get a coy smile on my face, and leave...what a chop! Anyway..I'm only a week in, I'm sure it will get better...I hope!

Other than that I have just been noticing random things. For example..even though the tempreatures don't get too high here people aren't as translucent as I thought they would be, in fact they aren't translucent at all. Most of the locals I have seen have fantastically tanned skin. The reason I have also noticied this is because girls..or should I say woman (I don't freaking know) all wear very short shorts. I mean their pockets are longer than their shorts. So that's something I didn't expect. Another random thing I've been noticing are squished slugs. Not only are these slugs huge but they litter the pavement with their guts, obviously they met their fate under the tyre of of bicycle...

The hardest thing about this week is getting used to not being around Oliver. We have lived with each other for a good few years now and being apart takes some getting used to. But with messages like this....

...I think we will be just fine :)

I had taken a whole bunch of photos of campus to show you but I pushed a button and now the most of the photos have disappeared into the oblivion of my computer and I can't find them...so here are one or two (pretty crappy ones) but I promise I'll take more this week!

Other than that..not much else to report!!!

Ciao

Arrival in Sweden

I remember the days when the thought of flying was exciting. Now, unfortunately, it has become somewhat of a painful process (a means to an end). At least I was flying with Emirates where the service is good and the entertainment is the best.

It was a long six hour flight to Dubai on which I managed to watch three movies, then a short three hour wait in Dubai before another six hour flight to Sweden (an older plan which didn't have their awesome movie selection and on which I coudln't  figure out how to use the control..so instead I played crosswords the whole way. I feel smarter for it :). Once I landed in Copenhagen I thought all would be smooth sailing.

Unfortunately the airport was quite busy, appeared to be a little understaffed making it not nearly as efficient as I had thought it would be. This might have something to with it being a Saturday...everything seems quite dead on this side of the world on weekends.

Eventually I managed to buy a train ticket and soon I was lugging myself and my 30kg bag across one of the world's largest bridges to Sweden. The train ride itself was beautiful as we glided over the dark blue ocean which was dotted with yachts and windmills.

Once in Lund I tried to find a taxi and make my way to my home for the next semester  (I have to get another apartment after this semester). My coordinator had told me to ask for the taxi price first and not to pay more than 60Krona for the ride. So I asked him but he insisted that the ride was 199Krona (which is a hell of a lot of money...over R200 for 4Km). I told him that I had been told otherwise but he was having none of it and left me with little choice. So I paid the fee and got a lift to my apartment. Exhausted after travelling for 24hours I had little fight in me and was surprised that this kind of behaviour happens here. The driver was "kind" enough to act surprised in the taxi when he found out I was a student and said that if I had reserved a taxi it would have only cost 65Krona....I don't know what to believe but I guess it doesn't really matter now.

So, I put the keys in the lock and walk into my new humble abode. It is one bedroom place with a kitchenette and bathroom which is a pretty sweet deal. I have a pleasant view and a nice working space...so I'm happy.....

Here are some pics:

My little kitchentte and dining room table

My kitchen leading into my bedroom

One half of the beroom

The other half of my bedroom

View from my kitchen

View from my bedroom

So...now I'm in my place, I've gotten settled but now I'm starving. So I head off to a small grocery store nearby.

Walking down the aisles I am lost once again. Although most Swedes can speak English it doesn't mean that their labelling will be in English. So I do my best to look like I know what I'm doing and I walk slowly trying to pick and choose what I need. I just needed something to help me for lunch and dinner. When I cash my cheques on Monday I will be able to do a more comprehensive shop. So with my basket of random things which includes bread rolls, milk (which turned out to be vegetable milk and was not tasty at all), cereal, salami, some weird spread I go to the cashier and in my most convincing voice I ask him for some airtime. He says "its there" and points up somewhere random. Feeling weird and with people waiting behind me I say its fine and expect him to keep ringing up my randoms. Instead he stares at me in wonder. Eventually I realise that the airtime hangs at the till and you need to pick it up and pay for it. Aaaaaah. I pay and leave in a hurry. Awkward!

 Now that I had food and my tummy was full and I was freshly showered it was time to scope out my apartment. It was plainly obvious when I walked in that I had no linen and no pillow. Sad face. I ended up making a jersey my pillow and used some of my scarves as a blanket. The place it kitted out with a great desk, some nice lamps and furnishings but seems to be missing some of the basics like a kettle or toaster. Another oddity is that it has cutlery, plates and even a full set of baking equipment but no bowls. Strange.

Other than that I have not much else to report. I went on a walk today...it takes about half an hour to walk to the centre of town which has a massive cathedral in the centre and is covered with cobblestones. There are more people on bicycles than there are in cars. Everything is face-brick with awnings and is very pretty with a cool character. Unfortunately everything was closed and quite. It appears Sunday is not a big day here but I am sure it will get busier once the semester actually begins.

I will need to buy a bicycle which will help take away from the burden of walking for half an hour as it is obviously much bigger. Also on the list of things to do is to open a bank account, sign up for student nations and union, get course information and hopefully meet some people.

Will keep you posted!