Dear Readers,
I would like to wish all of you a pleasant party and evening tonight. Have fun at your new year's eve parties.
Where are some of you guys spending new year's?
Right now I'm in Prague partying with friends. During the next week I will blog again more frequently.
As an international student (especially coming from far away places, e.g. the United States or Asia) I totally recommend you to travel throughout Europe while you are studying here. It's relatively affordable to travel between countries by bus or flight here. Also, I strongly recommend visiting the Eastern European countries. After coming from Sweden and seeing the expensive Swedish prices and high costs of living, coming to the the less expensive Eastern Europe is almost therapeutic! :-)
Either way, Sweden or any other place, have a nice time, good luck to all of you during your next year and you'll hear from me soon!
Julian
Friday, December 31, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Great Weekend and New Week
Dear readers,
I hope that all of you had a relaxing and good weekend. I certainly did. Once again I partied at the Student Nations.
Here in Uppsala there are thirteen student nations that offer a variety of events, parties, games and other social activities. These nations (including their bars, clubs and nations houses) are distributed throughout the town of Uppsala. Every weekend and also during the week the nations organise student parties. Most of the time they begin at the nations' bars, then continue at another location where there is dancing and/or other social activities. I visit the student nations relatively frequently, I'd say around once every two to three weeks. I'm sure they're other students that visit the nations more regularly. Most nations have restaurants where they offer student friendly prices for relatively hearty meals, which is a good thing if you eat as much as I do! :-)
In order to be able to participate in the nations' activities, being a member of the nations is a requirement. Also, if you're planning on bringing friends to the nations, please don't forget that you must buy a guest card for your friends. (Personally I don't really agree with the difficulty of getting a guest card. In order to buy a guest card, I have to visit one of the nations' offices (which have extremely limited opening hours) and also have my visiting friends' ID's with me. Honestly, why would I have a copy of my friend's ID card with me?! Instead of the current beaurocracy, it would be so much more convenient (and a much better business tactic) for the nations to sell guest cards at the entrance and during extended hours. That way, getting a guest card would be much easier and less of a hassle).
Overall though the nations are a great place to have a beer or drink, relax, meet people and party. My final thought on the nations: affordable! Here is the link to the student nations. Click on the British flag for an English version.
http://nationsguiden.se/
Have a nice day people! :-)
Julian
I hope that all of you had a relaxing and good weekend. I certainly did. Once again I partied at the Student Nations.
Here in Uppsala there are thirteen student nations that offer a variety of events, parties, games and other social activities. These nations (including their bars, clubs and nations houses) are distributed throughout the town of Uppsala. Every weekend and also during the week the nations organise student parties. Most of the time they begin at the nations' bars, then continue at another location where there is dancing and/or other social activities. I visit the student nations relatively frequently, I'd say around once every two to three weeks. I'm sure they're other students that visit the nations more regularly. Most nations have restaurants where they offer student friendly prices for relatively hearty meals, which is a good thing if you eat as much as I do! :-)
In order to be able to participate in the nations' activities, being a member of the nations is a requirement. Also, if you're planning on bringing friends to the nations, please don't forget that you must buy a guest card for your friends. (Personally I don't really agree with the difficulty of getting a guest card. In order to buy a guest card, I have to visit one of the nations' offices (which have extremely limited opening hours) and also have my visiting friends' ID's with me. Honestly, why would I have a copy of my friend's ID card with me?! Instead of the current beaurocracy, it would be so much more convenient (and a much better business tactic) for the nations to sell guest cards at the entrance and during extended hours. That way, getting a guest card would be much easier and less of a hassle).
Overall though the nations are a great place to have a beer or drink, relax, meet people and party. My final thought on the nations: affordable! Here is the link to the student nations. Click on the British flag for an English version.
http://nationsguiden.se/
Have a nice day people! :-)
Julian
Friday, December 17, 2010
Some Strangest Things Ever About Sweden!!!!
Dear readers,
I had to write a blog about some things that are really strange to me about Sweden. Things that would not be possible in Germany due to our Nazi history.
First of all, Sweden seems to be obsessed with "Riks...". Basically that means "reichs..." in German, which in English would be something similar to "national" or "kingdom (empire)". Examples include:
While the Swedish obviously have no problem with using the suffix "reichs" to name a number of organisations in Sweden, we would never be able to do that in Germany. The suffix "reichs..." (="empire") is directly connected with our Nazi history in Germany, and it is (rightfully so) illegal to use this suffix. I can't believe that in Sweden this suffix is still openly used.
Here comes the second thing that astounded me (and slightly disappointed me) about Sweden. Two weekends ago I was in Stockholm with my buddies from Germany. We were walking along the main touristy street called "Drottninggatan" (yes, also where the Stockholm suicide attack happened), and I couldn't believe my eyes.
There were two CLEARLY AND I SAY CLEARLY identifiable Neo-Nazis talking to two police men. Simply discussing life (I guess) and laughing while they were at it. These two Neo-Nazis were wearing typical Neo-Nazi gear, including black boots with the white shoe laces, large, bulky jackets with Swedish flags and "Sweden" written on them, shaven heads and the typical Neo Nazi military pants. I couldn't believe my eyes. Sure, these guys weren't doing anything, but if there were two Neo-Nazis walking in a populated and touristy area in Berlin, my home city, and police would see them, the police would likely ask them to leave or in some cases arrest the Neo-Nazis.
Why were these two Neo-Nazis allowed to freely wear their outfits on a busy street in public in Stockholm?!?! Sure, I agree with freedom of speech, but I don't agree with openly allowing racists to exhibit themselves in a populated city centre. I think it looks bad for the country and gives right-wing extremists and Neo-Nazis more power that they don't need (if they can simply walk on a main street in Stockholm without getting arrested, and talking to cops while at it)!!!!
What do you, my readers, think about this topic? Please comment! This is one thing that shocked me about Sweden, and that I really didn't like. Maybe I'm overly sensitive since I come from Germany, a country with a Nazi history, and have a multicultural background, but I still don't believe in allowing racists to openly exhibit their beliefs!!!!
Finally, I would like to make everyone aware of that this was one incident. Otherwise, I have not seen any type of open racism in Sweden and I don't want you, my readers, to think that Sweden is a racist or Neo-Nazi rich country. I'm mentioning an experience that I had which shocked me.
//Julian
I had to write a blog about some things that are really strange to me about Sweden. Things that would not be possible in Germany due to our Nazi history.
First of all, Sweden seems to be obsessed with "Riks...". Basically that means "reichs..." in German, which in English would be something similar to "national" or "kingdom (empire)". Examples include:
- Riksbank (the Swedish national bank)
- Riks FM (a national radio station)
- Riksförbundet (Rechsverband in German) and in English national committee or club
While the Swedish obviously have no problem with using the suffix "reichs" to name a number of organisations in Sweden, we would never be able to do that in Germany. The suffix "reichs..." (="empire") is directly connected with our Nazi history in Germany, and it is (rightfully so) illegal to use this suffix. I can't believe that in Sweden this suffix is still openly used.
Here comes the second thing that astounded me (and slightly disappointed me) about Sweden. Two weekends ago I was in Stockholm with my buddies from Germany. We were walking along the main touristy street called "Drottninggatan" (yes, also where the Stockholm suicide attack happened), and I couldn't believe my eyes.
There were two CLEARLY AND I SAY CLEARLY identifiable Neo-Nazis talking to two police men. Simply discussing life (I guess) and laughing while they were at it. These two Neo-Nazis were wearing typical Neo-Nazi gear, including black boots with the white shoe laces, large, bulky jackets with Swedish flags and "Sweden" written on them, shaven heads and the typical Neo Nazi military pants. I couldn't believe my eyes. Sure, these guys weren't doing anything, but if there were two Neo-Nazis walking in a populated and touristy area in Berlin, my home city, and police would see them, the police would likely ask them to leave or in some cases arrest the Neo-Nazis.
Why were these two Neo-Nazis allowed to freely wear their outfits on a busy street in public in Stockholm?!?! Sure, I agree with freedom of speech, but I don't agree with openly allowing racists to exhibit themselves in a populated city centre. I think it looks bad for the country and gives right-wing extremists and Neo-Nazis more power that they don't need (if they can simply walk on a main street in Stockholm without getting arrested, and talking to cops while at it)!!!!
What do you, my readers, think about this topic? Please comment! This is one thing that shocked me about Sweden, and that I really didn't like. Maybe I'm overly sensitive since I come from Germany, a country with a Nazi history, and have a multicultural background, but I still don't believe in allowing racists to openly exhibit their beliefs!!!!
Finally, I would like to make everyone aware of that this was one incident. Otherwise, I have not seen any type of open racism in Sweden and I don't want you, my readers, to think that Sweden is a racist or Neo-Nazi rich country. I'm mentioning an experience that I had which shocked me.
//Julian
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Continued.... My Extracurricular Activity
Dear readers,
This is a continuation of my last post about extracurricular activities at SLU.
One thing I forgot to mention about the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club, it is the only academic rowing club (i.e. directly affiliated with a university) in Sweden. If you've rowed before you might ask yourself how good the club's members are. I would say there is a variety of training levels in the club. Two of our members, and also guys that I row and train with, Anders and Carl, both won the 2010 Swedish Rowing Championships. I've rowed at the "Göta Älv" race in Gothenburg this fall and plan on rowing competitively during the spring season. Some people (like myself) train almost daily, some train several times a week and some people train only once in a while. It's simply important to find a right niche in the club. This is not very difficult though and everyone seems to be nice at the club (Up until now I've never had or heard of anything bad happening).
Back to the Student Unions. Their website is only in Swedish, unfortunately, but with Google Translate you can get the basic gist of the website's content: http://www.ultunastudentkar.se/ . Also, SLU's website mentions the Student Unions: http://www.slu.se/en/education/student-life/students-unions/
If you're interested in or have questions about the Student Unions or the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club, please ask me questions about them and I will try to find answers for you.
My take-home-message: SLU has a lot of activities to offer. With the Student Nations, Student Unions and countless clubs, sports and social activities and unions are an integral part of student life here at SLU. I think they are all a great way to get to know people and I think are also a convenient way to network and find good (possibly even professional) contacts.
Take care and have a great end of the week!!
//Julian
This is a continuation of my last post about extracurricular activities at SLU.
One thing I forgot to mention about the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club, it is the only academic rowing club (i.e. directly affiliated with a university) in Sweden. If you've rowed before you might ask yourself how good the club's members are. I would say there is a variety of training levels in the club. Two of our members, and also guys that I row and train with, Anders and Carl, both won the 2010 Swedish Rowing Championships. I've rowed at the "Göta Älv" race in Gothenburg this fall and plan on rowing competitively during the spring season. Some people (like myself) train almost daily, some train several times a week and some people train only once in a while. It's simply important to find a right niche in the club. This is not very difficult though and everyone seems to be nice at the club (Up until now I've never had or heard of anything bad happening).
Back to the Student Unions. Their website is only in Swedish, unfortunately, but with Google Translate you can get the basic gist of the website's content: http://www.ultunastudentkar.se/ . Also, SLU's website mentions the Student Unions: http://www.slu.se/en/education/student-life/students-unions/
If you're interested in or have questions about the Student Unions or the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club, please ask me questions about them and I will try to find answers for you.
My take-home-message: SLU has a lot of activities to offer. With the Student Nations, Student Unions and countless clubs, sports and social activities and unions are an integral part of student life here at SLU. I think they are all a great way to get to know people and I think are also a convenient way to network and find good (possibly even professional) contacts.
Take care and have a great end of the week!!
//Julian
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
My Extracurricular Activity
Dear readers,
I hope that all of you are having a good and productive week. I really look forward to spring, i.e. warmer days and more sunlight. The winter is really long here and inevitably will get to you if you study here and aren't from a location with a similar climate or at a similar latitude. Despite this, friends, sports and a good sauna and possibly even some beers (in the sauna) will help make the winter doldrums more bearable.
So, what do I do during my time after classes? My one answer is: ROWING!!!! Since end of August, I've been a member at the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club or in Swedish "Uppsala Akademiska Roddarsällskap". At the very end of this blog I've inserted the symbol of our rowing club. Now, you may ask how we train during the 4-5 months of subzero (degrees Celsius) temperatures. We train indoors on rowing machines, weight lifting at the various (and also very affordable) gyms and on Thursday night we offer free circuit training with a sauna afterwards to whoever wants to participate. I think it's great fun, and the presence of the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club (UARS) influenced my decision to come to SLU. Normally rowing and paying the membership fee at a traditonal private club is very expensive (anywhere between €50 - €80 per month). At the UARS, I pay a very small fee of €50 per semester (one semester equals six months!). So you get my point. It's very cheap. We have our own boats (including Empachers) and a club house with rowing ergometers and exercise bikes. I train an average of 5 to 6 times a week and plan on rowing competitively in spring again.
While I was at Ithaca College in New York completing my Bachelor's Degree, I rowed for the Ithaca College Varsity Rowing team, so I am an experienced rower. I enjoy training at the UARS and urge you to take a look at what the club has to offer. Here is our website: http://www.uars.se/english . The website is still under construction and is still lacking in information.
If you're not interested in rowing and are more interested in general student activites, e.g. clubs, other sports, etc., SLU offers a place for this too. After becoming a member with the "Uppsala Student Unions" or in Swedish the "Ultuna Studentkår", you can participate in dinners, concerts, activities and a wide range of sports. The student unions are a large part of student life at SLU and many students participate in some sort of club activity. I think it's great fun.
This is enough for one post. Have a nice day and a great start to your week. To be continued.....
//Julian
I hope that all of you are having a good and productive week. I really look forward to spring, i.e. warmer days and more sunlight. The winter is really long here and inevitably will get to you if you study here and aren't from a location with a similar climate or at a similar latitude. Despite this, friends, sports and a good sauna and possibly even some beers (in the sauna) will help make the winter doldrums more bearable.
So, what do I do during my time after classes? My one answer is: ROWING!!!! Since end of August, I've been a member at the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club or in Swedish "Uppsala Akademiska Roddarsällskap". At the very end of this blog I've inserted the symbol of our rowing club. Now, you may ask how we train during the 4-5 months of subzero (degrees Celsius) temperatures. We train indoors on rowing machines, weight lifting at the various (and also very affordable) gyms and on Thursday night we offer free circuit training with a sauna afterwards to whoever wants to participate. I think it's great fun, and the presence of the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club (UARS) influenced my decision to come to SLU. Normally rowing and paying the membership fee at a traditonal private club is very expensive (anywhere between €50 - €80 per month). At the UARS, I pay a very small fee of €50 per semester (one semester equals six months!). So you get my point. It's very cheap. We have our own boats (including Empachers) and a club house with rowing ergometers and exercise bikes. I train an average of 5 to 6 times a week and plan on rowing competitively in spring again.
While I was at Ithaca College in New York completing my Bachelor's Degree, I rowed for the Ithaca College Varsity Rowing team, so I am an experienced rower. I enjoy training at the UARS and urge you to take a look at what the club has to offer. Here is our website: http://www.uars.se/english . The website is still under construction and is still lacking in information.
If you're not interested in rowing and are more interested in general student activites, e.g. clubs, other sports, etc., SLU offers a place for this too. After becoming a member with the "Uppsala Student Unions" or in Swedish the "Ultuna Studentkår", you can participate in dinners, concerts, activities and a wide range of sports. The student unions are a large part of student life at SLU and many students participate in some sort of club activity. I think it's great fun.
This is enough for one post. Have a nice day and a great start to your week. To be continued.....
//Julian
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| This is our Logo of the Uppsala Academic Rowing Club |
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Forest Research Centre Visit and Weekend Plans
I hope that all of you are as happy the weekend is here as I am. It was a good week, however I procrastinated with school work a little. I will have to make up for that during this coming week.
Well yesterday, Friday, my "Forest Environment and Conservation" class visited "Skogforsk", the Swedish Forest Research Institute. I thought it was really fun and highly informative. The theme of our Skogforsk visit was "natural forest fires and prescribed burning of forests in Sweden". I thought this was really interesting because, as you all know from my biography I fought fires and initiated prescribed burns throughout the Western United States while I worked for the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. It was very fascinating to discuss the similarities and differences between Swedish and U.S. forest fire management measures. In short, the main differences between Swedish and U.S. fire management include much less burning of forests, worse fire weather here in Sweden and of course more uniform ecosystem and forest types in Sweden versus the United States. Additionally, Swedish forest companies have negative views on fires, as opposed to U.S. companies, which use fire as a tool for pre-commercial thinning and elimiating forest litter.
This is a little insight of what we discussed at Skogforsk. Later today I plan to visit the Stockholm Ice Bar.
Have a nice weekend everybody and my next post will be about sports and other activities offered here at SLU.
//Julian
Well yesterday, Friday, my "Forest Environment and Conservation" class visited "Skogforsk", the Swedish Forest Research Institute. I thought it was really fun and highly informative. The theme of our Skogforsk visit was "natural forest fires and prescribed burning of forests in Sweden". I thought this was really interesting because, as you all know from my biography I fought fires and initiated prescribed burns throughout the Western United States while I worked for the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. It was very fascinating to discuss the similarities and differences between Swedish and U.S. forest fire management measures. In short, the main differences between Swedish and U.S. fire management include much less burning of forests, worse fire weather here in Sweden and of course more uniform ecosystem and forest types in Sweden versus the United States. Additionally, Swedish forest companies have negative views on fires, as opposed to U.S. companies, which use fire as a tool for pre-commercial thinning and elimiating forest litter.
This is a little insight of what we discussed at Skogforsk. Later today I plan to visit the Stockholm Ice Bar.
Have a nice weekend everybody and my next post will be about sports and other activities offered here at SLU.
//Julian
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Midweek Update!!!
Hey everyone!!!
Hope that your week has been amazing, just as any other week!!! Positive thinking is always good. :-)
So far this week has been rather non-eventful. I had classes Monday through today, with nothing exceptional happening. We did have some interesting lectures in my "Forest Environment and Conservation" class. We discussed worldwide biodiversity conservation efforts, including the European Red List of Endangered Species, the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and efforts in other countries. Today we covered invasive alien species and their negative effects on the integrity of global ecosystems and how difficult or impossible these introduced and invasive species can be to eradicate.
Finally, I would like to talk about the cold Swedish weather and short winter days again. In short, the combination of cold weather and short, dark days keeps me inside! I do go out during the day for classes, occasionally I go jogging or biking to the supermarket, but in general I tend to stay indoors alot. I think this is not just me. From what I can see, many people stay indoors during the cold Swedish winter months. I already look forward to springtime when it will (hopefully) be warm and the days much longer than now.
This weekend I plan to visit the Ice Bar in Stockholm. I will keep you guys up to date on what happens there. My next post will be on sports and other extra-curricular activities offered at SLU.
Until next time my friends! Keep up the positive (or negative, if necessary) comments. If you want me to write about something specific or have me answer any questions about SLU or Sweden, please feel free to ask!
Take care people!
/Julian
Hope that your week has been amazing, just as any other week!!! Positive thinking is always good. :-)
So far this week has been rather non-eventful. I had classes Monday through today, with nothing exceptional happening. We did have some interesting lectures in my "Forest Environment and Conservation" class. We discussed worldwide biodiversity conservation efforts, including the European Red List of Endangered Species, the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and efforts in other countries. Today we covered invasive alien species and their negative effects on the integrity of global ecosystems and how difficult or impossible these introduced and invasive species can be to eradicate.
Finally, I would like to talk about the cold Swedish weather and short winter days again. In short, the combination of cold weather and short, dark days keeps me inside! I do go out during the day for classes, occasionally I go jogging or biking to the supermarket, but in general I tend to stay indoors alot. I think this is not just me. From what I can see, many people stay indoors during the cold Swedish winter months. I already look forward to springtime when it will (hopefully) be warm and the days much longer than now.
This weekend I plan to visit the Ice Bar in Stockholm. I will keep you guys up to date on what happens there. My next post will be on sports and other extra-curricular activities offered at SLU.
Until next time my friends! Keep up the positive (or negative, if necessary) comments. If you want me to write about something specific or have me answer any questions about SLU or Sweden, please feel free to ask!
Take care people!
/Julian
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
GREAT WEEKEND!!!!
Dear all,
I hope that you all had a really nice and relaxing weekend (and also some partying)! :-)
I certainly had a very fun weekend. Definitely not very productive from an educational standpoint. Once in a while, after all the homework, interaction with professors and classes I feel that I need to relax and engage in some hardcore partying. Do you, my readers, agree?
No, I did not party alone. Four of my good friends came from Berlin, Germany, my home town, to Uppsala to visit me for the weekend. It was great. Of course I asked them to bring some affordable and cheap alcohol from Germany. (Small tip: if you study abroad in Sweden and occasionally consume alcohol, I advise you to bring it from Germany or your home countries. If you're not from Norway or Iceland where alcohol is more expensive, BRING CHEAP ALCOHOL TO SWEDEN!!!! This will save you $$$$$$, and lots of it)! So over the weekend we went sightseeing around Uppsala, ate good food and relaxed in the evening with some drinks. My friends were ecstatic about the powdery snow that currently blankets much of Sweden, and we took full advantage of it in the form of multiple snowball fights.
Sweden, at least around Uppsala, has some really great snow. As opposed to Berlin, the snow here is actually white and remains as snow for a while. In Berlin it tends to snow, the snow then melts, it freezes over and then is either brown, dirty ice or slush. This is not very pleasant.
On Saturday we all took the train to Stockholm. Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home, didn't take any pictures and thus I can't upload any yet. I need to get them from my buddies. We only were in Stockholm for a few hours, but what I saw was very beautiful and historic. We walked around the touristy city center with all the souvenir shops, to the royal palace and finally through the city center to the Christmas market. The market was relatively small, but really fun!
Overall, I had a great time, and it was also good to peace out from school work and the serious life. Now it is Tuesday again and I have plenty of assignments to complete again. As an international student I really think it's important to keep your connections strong with people at home or friends from abroad. Skype is a perfect solution to that, and an occasional visit is always alot of fun! Have your friends visit you sometime or go visit them! You'll enjoy a piece of home and some good company from friends!
Enjoy the day, people!
I hope that you all had a really nice and relaxing weekend (and also some partying)! :-)
I certainly had a very fun weekend. Definitely not very productive from an educational standpoint. Once in a while, after all the homework, interaction with professors and classes I feel that I need to relax and engage in some hardcore partying. Do you, my readers, agree?
No, I did not party alone. Four of my good friends came from Berlin, Germany, my home town, to Uppsala to visit me for the weekend. It was great. Of course I asked them to bring some affordable and cheap alcohol from Germany. (Small tip: if you study abroad in Sweden and occasionally consume alcohol, I advise you to bring it from Germany or your home countries. If you're not from Norway or Iceland where alcohol is more expensive, BRING CHEAP ALCOHOL TO SWEDEN!!!! This will save you $$$$$$, and lots of it)! So over the weekend we went sightseeing around Uppsala, ate good food and relaxed in the evening with some drinks. My friends were ecstatic about the powdery snow that currently blankets much of Sweden, and we took full advantage of it in the form of multiple snowball fights.
Sweden, at least around Uppsala, has some really great snow. As opposed to Berlin, the snow here is actually white and remains as snow for a while. In Berlin it tends to snow, the snow then melts, it freezes over and then is either brown, dirty ice or slush. This is not very pleasant.
On Saturday we all took the train to Stockholm. Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home, didn't take any pictures and thus I can't upload any yet. I need to get them from my buddies. We only were in Stockholm for a few hours, but what I saw was very beautiful and historic. We walked around the touristy city center with all the souvenir shops, to the royal palace and finally through the city center to the Christmas market. The market was relatively small, but really fun!
Overall, I had a great time, and it was also good to peace out from school work and the serious life. Now it is Tuesday again and I have plenty of assignments to complete again. As an international student I really think it's important to keep your connections strong with people at home or friends from abroad. Skype is a perfect solution to that, and an occasional visit is always alot of fun! Have your friends visit you sometime or go visit them! You'll enjoy a piece of home and some good company from friends!
Enjoy the day, people!
Friday, December 03, 2010
More Excursion and Winter Wonderland Fun!!!
Hey people!!!!
I hope that everyone is having a phenominal week. I've certainly had a very interesting and cold one. As you probably know from my previous post, I've had several class excursions this week into the forest. Meanwhile we are expreiencing one of the coldest and early winter peroids in many years in Sweden. I can honestly say that I feel this!!! Damn cold!!! Really nice forest and very picturesque sceneries, but fridgidly cold.
In this post I will add some more pictures and publish some pictures of my classmates (I hope they don't mind). With these pictures, I would like to show you, my readers, some close-ups of every day student life at SLU as a Natural Resource student. The following pictures give an impression of the beauty of winters here in the surrounding SLU areas.
The reason for our excursion was to visit key woodland habitats. Basically key woodland habitats are limited protected areas that harbour rare or threatened plant and/or animal communities. We visited ones that were primarily covered with oak (Quercus spp.). In the hemi-boreal zone of Uppsala (around SLU) deciduous trees play a key role in sustaining rare flora and fauna. Quercus spp. are expecially valuable in ecosystems at this latitude (ca. 60° North).
These are the pictures that I wanted to show you. I think class excursions are not only of educational value where we learn various information, but also a great way to build cohesion between class members. I really had fun on our class trips.
Unfortunately, the camera and pictures only pick up a small part of the feeling and mood of this past morning. Once you are here studying at SLU, you can see the winter wonderland for yourself! Again, I really enjoyed this trip, but it was cold!!!
BRING WARM CLOTHES WITH YOU IF YOU WANT TO STUDY HERE!!!!
/Julian
I hope that everyone is having a phenominal week. I've certainly had a very interesting and cold one. As you probably know from my previous post, I've had several class excursions this week into the forest. Meanwhile we are expreiencing one of the coldest and early winter peroids in many years in Sweden. I can honestly say that I feel this!!! Damn cold!!! Really nice forest and very picturesque sceneries, but fridgidly cold.
In this post I will add some more pictures and publish some pictures of my classmates (I hope they don't mind). With these pictures, I would like to show you, my readers, some close-ups of every day student life at SLU as a Natural Resource student. The following pictures give an impression of the beauty of winters here in the surrounding SLU areas.
The reason for our excursion was to visit key woodland habitats. Basically key woodland habitats are limited protected areas that harbour rare or threatened plant and/or animal communities. We visited ones that were primarily covered with oak (Quercus spp.). In the hemi-boreal zone of Uppsala (around SLU) deciduous trees play a key role in sustaining rare flora and fauna. Quercus spp. are expecially valuable in ecosystems at this latitude (ca. 60° North).
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| Pic. 1: Light shimmering in the frost-covered branches and twigs of an old oak tree. |
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| Pic. 2: A photo of my class. It was cold, but yes, we were all in very good spirits! |
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| Pic. 3: Ice-covered trees and snowy road. |
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| Pic. 4: Snow and ice-covered trees. Absolutely beautiful! |
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| Pic. 5: Here I was attempting to catch the feel and mood of this cold morning weather. |
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| Pic. 6: Snow and ice-covered trees directly adjacent to Lake Mälaren. |
These are the pictures that I wanted to show you. I think class excursions are not only of educational value where we learn various information, but also a great way to build cohesion between class members. I really had fun on our class trips.
Unfortunately, the camera and pictures only pick up a small part of the feeling and mood of this past morning. Once you are here studying at SLU, you can see the winter wonderland for yourself! Again, I really enjoyed this trip, but it was cold!!!
BRING WARM CLOTHES WITH YOU IF YOU WANT TO STUDY HERE!!!!
/Julian
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
New Week and Winter Wonderland Excursion
Hey everyone!
I hope that you all had a pleasant and relaxing weekend. I certainly did. I originally was going to travel to Stockholm over the weekend, but due to some predicted cold temperatures, I did not want to die of the cold and decided to remain in the warmth and nearness of the Gälbo apartments, my student home here. Still, it was a very good weekend. I met some friends and we had some drinks and played some card games. It was lots of fun and very relaxing, after a busy week at uni.
Today we had a class excursion. I'm currently taking the 15 credit class, Forest Environment and Conservation. We visit various forest patches and discuss different silvicultural and conservation methods. Today we had an excursion to forests and historic sites, such as iron smelting, agricultural and other sites. This was a full-day excursion in some very cold and snowy Swedish weather. The temperatures ranged between -10°C and -15°C, so this was very chilly. Despite this, the scenery was absolutely amazing and it was really nice to get out and hike in some Swedish forests during a chilly winter day.
I hope that you enjoy these pictures. I may insert more images of our class excursion into my blog. Before I do that, I would like to ask my classmates for permission to publish their photos.
The take home message of this blog is, COME TO SWEDEN IF YOU LIKE THE COLD AND WINTER CONDITIONS!!!! For other people, MAKE SURE YOU BRING WARM CLOTHES!!!! The expected low temperatures tonight are around -20°C.
The good news, Fika (coffee or tea) is almost always present and houses are cozy and warm! Take care all!
Julian
I hope that you all had a pleasant and relaxing weekend. I certainly did. I originally was going to travel to Stockholm over the weekend, but due to some predicted cold temperatures, I did not want to die of the cold and decided to remain in the warmth and nearness of the Gälbo apartments, my student home here. Still, it was a very good weekend. I met some friends and we had some drinks and played some card games. It was lots of fun and very relaxing, after a busy week at uni.
Today we had a class excursion. I'm currently taking the 15 credit class, Forest Environment and Conservation. We visit various forest patches and discuss different silvicultural and conservation methods. Today we had an excursion to forests and historic sites, such as iron smelting, agricultural and other sites. This was a full-day excursion in some very cold and snowy Swedish weather. The temperatures ranged between -10°C and -15°C, so this was very chilly. Despite this, the scenery was absolutely amazing and it was really nice to get out and hike in some Swedish forests during a chilly winter day.
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| Pic. 1: This was a picture from the road onto a farm and a forest on the opposite side. The temperature was -15°C at the time. |
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| Pic. 2: My Forest Environment and Conservation class hiking through the knee-deep snow to an archaeological site. People were laughing, having snowball fights and of course learning at the same time. |
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| Pic. 3: View of the Swedish winter sky at dusk (around 15:20) and a clearcut forest. Conservation measures can be seen: forest retention patches, retention of Birch Betula spp. patches and high stumps. These are all kept for purposes of biodiversity (flora and fauna) and natural resource management (e.g. water quality protection) and other ecosystem services. |
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| Pic. 4: This was our class hiking to another site. The sky was really beautiful. |
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| Pic. 5: Another view of my class hiking. The camera never really catches the true mood of the surroundings. |
The take home message of this blog is, COME TO SWEDEN IF YOU LIKE THE COLD AND WINTER CONDITIONS!!!! For other people, MAKE SURE YOU BRING WARM CLOTHES!!!! The expected low temperatures tonight are around -20°C.
The good news, Fika (coffee or tea) is almost always present and houses are cozy and warm! Take care all!
Julian
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
COMMENTS, COMMENTS AND STATS
Dear readers,
Today is hump day!!! The middle of the week! Only two more days before the weekend!!! YAAY! Smile everyone!!! Whooo! Just trying to add some pepper to everyone's probably mediocre day! :-)
It has been close to a month now since I've started this Blog for SLU, and slowly my first comments are coming in. Great and keep them coming! Remember to PLEASE ask me questions regarding SLU and coming here to study, whereever you are in the world.
I've also taken a peek at the stats of this Blog:
I can see that there are many people checking out my Blog from the United States, Germany and Russia. I will try to gear some of my upcoming blogs more towards you international students. Please remember, if there is anything you guys are curious about, please let me know and I will write about these topics in my next posts!
Let's keep the stats climbing, remember to comment and have a nice day!!!
/Julian
Today is hump day!!! The middle of the week! Only two more days before the weekend!!! YAAY! Smile everyone!!! Whooo! Just trying to add some pepper to everyone's probably mediocre day! :-)
It has been close to a month now since I've started this Blog for SLU, and slowly my first comments are coming in. Great and keep them coming! Remember to PLEASE ask me questions regarding SLU and coming here to study, whereever you are in the world.
I've also taken a peek at the stats of this Blog:
 | ||
| Blog Statistics from 2010 Oct 24 – 2010 Nov 22 |
Let's keep the stats climbing, remember to comment and have a nice day!!!
/Julian
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
This One Is Dedicated to City People Like Myself
Hey everyone! Hope that you're all having a blast today! All's well here and survived the Monday!
I will write a blog specifically geared towards city people like myself.
I will begin talking about the size of Uppsala and Ultuna. They are both fairly small. Uppsala is of course larger than Ultuna (which basically consists of some residential areas and SLU). Don't expect anything large and fast similar to the environment of major cities. Uppsala is pretty layed back and not a very wild place. There are parties and bars at the student nations, but they close anywhere between 1am and 4am, which in my opinion is excessively early. A good way to get around that is to go to or throw your own parties. It's often cheaper and you can guide or end the party at your will.
Lately, I've been a little fed up with the country life around Ultuna. It's pretty out there. Ask a person that comes from a small city and they will say Ultuna is decent-sized, but for myself coming from Berlin and having spent much time in New York City, Ultuna is really out in the sticks (boonies, country). I miss the impulses of city life and the museums, people and cultural diversity that a city offers.
Final thoughts...
Overall I like Ultuna. It's quaint, layed back, picturesque, but out there! A really good place to study, and after all, what are you here for at SLU? One thing that I will do this weekend (probably on Saturday) is take the train to Stockholm to cure the quiet in my brain with traffic noise, people, lights, trains, ethnic foods and surrounding movement/stress. I also plan on visiting a museum when I go. Even though it may sound ironic, I need these sort of impulses to feel relaxed and fulfilled.
The nice thing, Stockholm is merely 45 minutes away from Uppsala by train and highly affordable to reach, so always a convenient getaway for the noise-seekers!
Cheerio readers and fellow city-dwellers! ;-)
I will write a blog specifically geared towards city people like myself.
I will begin talking about the size of Uppsala and Ultuna. They are both fairly small. Uppsala is of course larger than Ultuna (which basically consists of some residential areas and SLU). Don't expect anything large and fast similar to the environment of major cities. Uppsala is pretty layed back and not a very wild place. There are parties and bars at the student nations, but they close anywhere between 1am and 4am, which in my opinion is excessively early. A good way to get around that is to go to or throw your own parties. It's often cheaper and you can guide or end the party at your will.
Lately, I've been a little fed up with the country life around Ultuna. It's pretty out there. Ask a person that comes from a small city and they will say Ultuna is decent-sized, but for myself coming from Berlin and having spent much time in New York City, Ultuna is really out in the sticks (boonies, country). I miss the impulses of city life and the museums, people and cultural diversity that a city offers.
Final thoughts...
Overall I like Ultuna. It's quaint, layed back, picturesque, but out there! A really good place to study, and after all, what are you here for at SLU? One thing that I will do this weekend (probably on Saturday) is take the train to Stockholm to cure the quiet in my brain with traffic noise, people, lights, trains, ethnic foods and surrounding movement/stress. I also plan on visiting a museum when I go. Even though it may sound ironic, I need these sort of impulses to feel relaxed and fulfilled.
The nice thing, Stockholm is merely 45 minutes away from Uppsala by train and highly affordable to reach, so always a convenient getaway for the noise-seekers!
Cheerio readers and fellow city-dwellers! ;-)
Monday, November 22, 2010
Positives and Negatives about Living on Campus Versus Living in/close to Downtown Uppsala
Dear readers,
I hope that all of you had a pleasant, fun and relaxing weekend. I certainly did. There is one dilemma I go through every weekend:
...to go out to the city to party, to stay home and find a party on campus or to do nothing (and watch a movie or just chill) that is the question...
Well, when contemplating this, I go back and forth in my mind. A part of me wants to go out to the city to hang out with friends and party and go to one of the student nations. The other part wants to stay home with the 5 wonderful female and very cool other male roommate that I live with. Also I am ever reminded of the subarctic conditions that exist outdoors :-p. (Well, it's really not that bad, but it's not the Caribbean either).
With this on my mind, I will list the positives and negatives of living on SLU campus, which is in Ultuna. Ultuna is approximately 5 Km away from the city and takes around 20 minutes to reach the city by bike.
Pros
There may be more pros and cons. These are the most apparent ones I can think of. City apartments (from what I've seen and heard) are cheaper (not always), older, more crowded and generally dirtier than the ones on campus. I'm sure there are really nice city apartments around. It's just a question of finding them.
My final judgement on living on campus or not:
I'm very happy to live on campus in the Gälbo apartments. It's really convenient to get up later and still make it to classes on time. Buying food at Gottsunda is a bit of a chore, but considering the fact that I only go to the store once to maximum twice a week, it's not that bad. I like my roommates and most importantly: I DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH LATE BUSSES OR THE MORNING COMMUTE IN -10°C WEATHER!!!
I advise exchange students to live on campus. It's convenient, good value (some may say "good bang for the buck") and has a very pleasant living and study environment. I think it is a great solution to live on campus for one exchange year or semester. However, if I would stay longer I would get my own apartment, as I prefer my personal space and privacy.
...and I did make it to the city this weekend... :-)
I hope that all of you had a pleasant, fun and relaxing weekend. I certainly did. There is one dilemma I go through every weekend:
...to go out to the city to party, to stay home and find a party on campus or to do nothing (and watch a movie or just chill) that is the question...
Well, when contemplating this, I go back and forth in my mind. A part of me wants to go out to the city to hang out with friends and party and go to one of the student nations. The other part wants to stay home with the 5 wonderful female and very cool other male roommate that I live with. Also I am ever reminded of the subarctic conditions that exist outdoors :-p. (Well, it's really not that bad, but it's not the Caribbean either).
With this on my mind, I will list the positives and negatives of living on SLU campus, which is in Ultuna. Ultuna is approximately 5 Km away from the city and takes around 20 minutes to reach the city by bike.
Pros
- Close to classes! Really nice to wake up just 30 minutes before classes start in the morning and get to the classroom in enough time. Also no morning commute to classes (which saves alot of stress and dealing with other people on the bus that you really don't want to deal with shortly after waking up :-D). Last thought: no commute during the Swedish winter (HUUUUGEEE PLUS!!!)
- Really nice to be close to the library, professors, the fitness center and the Uppsala Akademic Rowing Club (Friskis & Svettis, which I will talk about more in my next post) and the student union (where parties and dinners are sometimes held)
- The student apartments at Gälbo are REALLY REALLY NICE!!!! They are about 22 square meters large, have a spacious bathroom and great communal kitchens
- Often friendly and pleasant people to live with and also a quiet atmosphere with a good study environment
- Clean, modern, well renovated, bright, well ventilated rooms
- Upon arrival the room is reserved and furnished already, so no delays or worries!
- It really sucks to get into the city and to come back home (to Ultuna) from the city. It takes around 20 minutes by bike to get into the city by bike and around 30 by bus!
- There's not very much happening on the weekends. There are some house parties, but you need to know the people that are throwing the party. Basically it can get a little boring at times
- If you're a city person like myself and you enjoy randomly and spontaneously strolling around the city, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!! You can see fields, the river and forests. Pretty at times, but it doesn't always do it for me.
- The store is pretty far away (ca. 15 minutes by bike to stores in Gottsunda, ICA, Lidl or Willys)
There may be more pros and cons. These are the most apparent ones I can think of. City apartments (from what I've seen and heard) are cheaper (not always), older, more crowded and generally dirtier than the ones on campus. I'm sure there are really nice city apartments around. It's just a question of finding them.
My final judgement on living on campus or not:
I'm very happy to live on campus in the Gälbo apartments. It's really convenient to get up later and still make it to classes on time. Buying food at Gottsunda is a bit of a chore, but considering the fact that I only go to the store once to maximum twice a week, it's not that bad. I like my roommates and most importantly: I DON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH LATE BUSSES OR THE MORNING COMMUTE IN -10°C WEATHER!!!
I advise exchange students to live on campus. It's convenient, good value (some may say "good bang for the buck") and has a very pleasant living and study environment. I think it is a great solution to live on campus for one exchange year or semester. However, if I would stay longer I would get my own apartment, as I prefer my personal space and privacy.
...and I did make it to the city this weekend... :-)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Information about Outdoor Recreation
Hey all!
I hope that you're having a pleasant day! All's well here, just more classes!
I would like to inform you, my readers, of recreational activities around Uppsala. The first things that pop into my mind of things to do are biking and hiking!
Here is the link to a map of biking routes in Uppsala:
http://kartor.uppsala.se/SCRIPTS/hsrun.exe/extwebb/int/MapXtreme.htx;start=PrintFrameset?cmd=start&theme=CYKEL
Here is some information about hiking around Uppsala. There are many places to go, and please observe the right of public access to Swedish properties. One may camp, hike through and simply relax and enjoy anyone's property or private forest. Of course that means that you must respect their natural resources and properties. This is really important and for everyone's common benefit. Here is the website with the English version:
http://www.upplandsstiftelsen.se/__448
Also canoeing is a common thing to do:
http://www.upplandsstiftelsen.se/eng/canoetrails__450
For any other events or for ideas of what to do while in Uppsala, there is the city tourism website:
http://www.uppsala.to/en/
So, there are plenty of things to do around Uppsala, especially when it comes to enjoying nature. There are many productive (silvicultural or managed for economic benefit) and old-growth forests or forests that are managed for ecosystem services and/or biodiversity objectives around Uppsala.
Enjoy!
I hope that you're having a pleasant day! All's well here, just more classes!
I would like to inform you, my readers, of recreational activities around Uppsala. The first things that pop into my mind of things to do are biking and hiking!
Here is the link to a map of biking routes in Uppsala:
http://kartor.uppsala.se/SCRIPTS/hsrun.exe/extwebb/int/MapXtreme.htx;start=PrintFrameset?cmd=start&theme=CYKEL
Here is some information about hiking around Uppsala. There are many places to go, and please observe the right of public access to Swedish properties. One may camp, hike through and simply relax and enjoy anyone's property or private forest. Of course that means that you must respect their natural resources and properties. This is really important and for everyone's common benefit. Here is the website with the English version:
http://www.upplandsstiftelsen.se/__448
Also canoeing is a common thing to do:
http://www.upplandsstiftelsen.se/eng/canoetrails__450
For any other events or for ideas of what to do while in Uppsala, there is the city tourism website:
http://www.uppsala.to/en/
So, there are plenty of things to do around Uppsala, especially when it comes to enjoying nature. There are many productive (silvicultural or managed for economic benefit) and old-growth forests or forests that are managed for ecosystem services and/or biodiversity objectives around Uppsala.
Enjoy!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Snowy Day Today
Hey people!!
Just want to say hi to everyone and wish you all a good afternoon. Today we went on an excursion to a forest nature reserve just a few Km south of SLU's campus to look at various conservation measures in boreal and hemi-boreal forests of Sweden. Among the conservation methods we saw, there was a large nature reserve which was managed by the regional Uppsala Kommun, and several areas that had been logged. In these clearcut areas patches of forest were protected as biodiversity hotspots, and single trees and high stumps were left. In order to determine which area should be conserved as biodiversity hotspots, indicator species are used. These include oaks, lichens and other plants which imply a great deal of biodiversity or rare (red-listed) species present in the area. Swedish forest owners are encouraged to leave protected forest patches, single trees and high stumps as habitats for flora and fauna.
Overall, I think today was pretty interesting. What I really like about many courses at SLU is that classroom information is presented, but then we go on excursions to actually see the practical side of the theories we learned in class. Really cool and it makes classes so much less boring and more interesting. Some of you may prefer theories, but I'm a person that likes to learn the theories and also the practical side of things.
Finally, I would like to add that it was a rather snowy day in the forest today. If you're considering studying abroad in Sweden, just remember that you are coming to the far north. This means that the weather is cold and snowy. Bundle up and bring warm clothes with you! Great for snowball fights and sleigh riding. Or just grab a plastic bag and slide down hills!
That's all for today! Take care people!
Julian
Just want to say hi to everyone and wish you all a good afternoon. Today we went on an excursion to a forest nature reserve just a few Km south of SLU's campus to look at various conservation measures in boreal and hemi-boreal forests of Sweden. Among the conservation methods we saw, there was a large nature reserve which was managed by the regional Uppsala Kommun, and several areas that had been logged. In these clearcut areas patches of forest were protected as biodiversity hotspots, and single trees and high stumps were left. In order to determine which area should be conserved as biodiversity hotspots, indicator species are used. These include oaks, lichens and other plants which imply a great deal of biodiversity or rare (red-listed) species present in the area. Swedish forest owners are encouraged to leave protected forest patches, single trees and high stumps as habitats for flora and fauna.
Overall, I think today was pretty interesting. What I really like about many courses at SLU is that classroom information is presented, but then we go on excursions to actually see the practical side of the theories we learned in class. Really cool and it makes classes so much less boring and more interesting. Some of you may prefer theories, but I'm a person that likes to learn the theories and also the practical side of things.
Finally, I would like to add that it was a rather snowy day in the forest today. If you're considering studying abroad in Sweden, just remember that you are coming to the far north. This means that the weather is cold and snowy. Bundle up and bring warm clothes with you! Great for snowball fights and sleigh riding. Or just grab a plastic bag and slide down hills!
That's all for today! Take care people!
Julian
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
New Update and Information about Sweden
Hey Friends,
Hope all is well and things are going just peachy for everyone! :-)
Well, this past week has been busy but fulfilling. I started my new class "Forest Environment and Conservation." So far I'm enjoying the class. We started discussing forestry here in Sweden and conservation measures Swedish foresters, companies and the government take to conserve habitats, sensitive plant and animal species. These include leaving high stumps, protected forest patches and nature reserves. The one thing that I found interesting is that in Sweden clearcutting is permitted. In Germany where I'm from clearcuts are not permitted. We log by the selection system, cutting some trees and leaving the rest. I guess there are pros and cons to both the Swedish and German system. Otherwise things are well.
One thing that I would like to mention in this blog are food prices and costs of living in Sweden. As an international student, affordability and living expenses are something we need to focus on if we want to survive! :-) Some of us receive an ERASMUS or another form of government grant upon arrival here in Sweden. I will now mention some average expenses of common items and commodities you will need while on exchange. I calculate in Euros, and 10 Swedish Crowns = ~1€:
Rent at Gälbo campus housing/ off campus average costs:
350€ including internet and all utilities/ I've heard anywhere from 200€ - 500€. I guess off-campus housing can range in costs. It is really important to find housing early enough or have the housing department find you something. It is hard and unpleasant to arrive here without housing!!!
Healthcare (A really important topic!)
Generally it's best to have your own (private or public) healthcare. For SLU students, the university offers on-campus healthcare. I've never been there, but I've heard good things, and the average cost for a visit I've heard is around €50 per visit. So this is a pretty affordable solution.
Food & Clothing:
Overall, I think the food prices are good here in Sweden. Coming from Denmark where everything is really expensive, I think the prices are more like in Germany. 1.5 Litres of milk cost ca. 1€, bread costs around 2-3€ per loaf, pasta is pretty cheap (1-4€), and meat can get a little pricier (4-6€ per 1 Kg package, sometimes only a 500 g package, depending on where you shop). Overall I spend around 50€ on food every week. I eat alot as I'm a rower here and us athletes eat alot! Clothing can be found at affordable prices and good deals are always around!
For food I go to Willy's or ICA, for clothes I sometimes head out to Gränby Köpcentrum. The nice thing about Sweden is that the food stores stay open really late, until 21-22:00. Some stay open later!
Overall the costs of living are slightly higher than in other Western European countries, but they are generally fair for food, housing and clothing. Alcohol is really expensive here. A bottle of Vodka costs around 30-40€. So if you're planning on partying bring some from Germany or any other country than Sweden or Norway!!! :-D
Here are some basic figures for those of you who are contemplating studying abroad here in Sweden. Services are good here (just waaaayyy tooo much beaurocracy), good public transportation and fair prices. If you have any other questions about costs of specific commodities or services, please feel free to ask me!
Hope all is well and things are going just peachy for everyone! :-)
Well, this past week has been busy but fulfilling. I started my new class "Forest Environment and Conservation." So far I'm enjoying the class. We started discussing forestry here in Sweden and conservation measures Swedish foresters, companies and the government take to conserve habitats, sensitive plant and animal species. These include leaving high stumps, protected forest patches and nature reserves. The one thing that I found interesting is that in Sweden clearcutting is permitted. In Germany where I'm from clearcuts are not permitted. We log by the selection system, cutting some trees and leaving the rest. I guess there are pros and cons to both the Swedish and German system. Otherwise things are well.
One thing that I would like to mention in this blog are food prices and costs of living in Sweden. As an international student, affordability and living expenses are something we need to focus on if we want to survive! :-) Some of us receive an ERASMUS or another form of government grant upon arrival here in Sweden. I will now mention some average expenses of common items and commodities you will need while on exchange. I calculate in Euros, and 10 Swedish Crowns = ~1€:
Rent at Gälbo campus housing/ off campus average costs:
350€ including internet and all utilities/ I've heard anywhere from 200€ - 500€. I guess off-campus housing can range in costs. It is really important to find housing early enough or have the housing department find you something. It is hard and unpleasant to arrive here without housing!!!
Healthcare (A really important topic!)
Generally it's best to have your own (private or public) healthcare. For SLU students, the university offers on-campus healthcare. I've never been there, but I've heard good things, and the average cost for a visit I've heard is around €50 per visit. So this is a pretty affordable solution.
Food & Clothing:
Overall, I think the food prices are good here in Sweden. Coming from Denmark where everything is really expensive, I think the prices are more like in Germany. 1.5 Litres of milk cost ca. 1€, bread costs around 2-3€ per loaf, pasta is pretty cheap (1-4€), and meat can get a little pricier (4-6€ per 1 Kg package, sometimes only a 500 g package, depending on where you shop). Overall I spend around 50€ on food every week. I eat alot as I'm a rower here and us athletes eat alot! Clothing can be found at affordable prices and good deals are always around!
For food I go to Willy's or ICA, for clothes I sometimes head out to Gränby Köpcentrum. The nice thing about Sweden is that the food stores stay open really late, until 21-22:00. Some stay open later!
Overall the costs of living are slightly higher than in other Western European countries, but they are generally fair for food, housing and clothing. Alcohol is really expensive here. A bottle of Vodka costs around 30-40€. So if you're planning on partying bring some from Germany or any other country than Sweden or Norway!!! :-D
Here are some basic figures for those of you who are contemplating studying abroad here in Sweden. Services are good here (just waaaayyy tooo much beaurocracy), good public transportation and fair prices. If you have any other questions about costs of specific commodities or services, please feel free to ask me!
Monday, November 08, 2010
Some Pics...
I hope that everyone is doing well on this beautiful morning. The weather is cool but very sunny here! I want to show you some pictures of the area surrounding SLU's campus.
This first picture is from along the Fyresån River, which runs adjacent to the SLU campus. I took this picture on Saturday while taking a walk.
...and another one (picture quality isn't as good)
Here are some nice pictures that I took during September. I really like them because they capture the mood of a Swedish late summer day:
This first picture shows the dorms on SLU campus. So if you live in a dorm, you're not far away from breathtaking sceneries and Swedish countryside. Note the bike path at the bottom of the picture. Uppsala is a very bike friendly city, with countless bike paths (that are also lit at night - Very biker friendly and good excercise!).
In this picture I wanted to capture the mood at the end of the day:
Finally, here is one picture that I took close to Uppsala Castle. I really like it and it shows some of the nice green Uppsala surroundings:
So, here are some pictures of Uppsala that will hopefully give you an idea of some of the beauty and nature around Uppsala. The city has clean, fresh air, a plethora of forests and other habitats and many relaxing and long walks!
Hope to see you here soon!
This first picture is from along the Fyresån River, which runs adjacent to the SLU campus. I took this picture on Saturday while taking a walk.
...and another one (picture quality isn't as good)
Here are some nice pictures that I took during September. I really like them because they capture the mood of a Swedish late summer day:
This first picture shows the dorms on SLU campus. So if you live in a dorm, you're not far away from breathtaking sceneries and Swedish countryside. Note the bike path at the bottom of the picture. Uppsala is a very bike friendly city, with countless bike paths (that are also lit at night - Very biker friendly and good excercise!).
In this picture I wanted to capture the mood at the end of the day:
Finally, here is one picture that I took close to Uppsala Castle. I really like it and it shows some of the nice green Uppsala surroundings:
So, here are some pictures of Uppsala that will hopefully give you an idea of some of the beauty and nature around Uppsala. The city has clean, fresh air, a plethora of forests and other habitats and many relaxing and long walks!
Hope to see you here soon!
Friday, November 05, 2010
Studies...
Now to the more serious topic of university, classes and Master’s Thesis. This past week was really intense but also rewarding. I finished the final tests and projects in my class that I attended for this block, “Ecology and Management of Pests and Diseases of Forest Trees”. On Monday I will begin my next and last class of my Master’s, “Forest Environment and Conservation”. (I can’t believe how fast time flies!)
Also, this past week I met with my Master’s Thesis supervisor. We discussed our Thesis topic on edge habitats and distribution and frequency of red-listed (endangered) lichens. My supervisor was very friendly and helpful to me. In addition, we visited different forests around Uppsala to look at different habitat conservation methods in a productive forest. We saw forest patches that were preserved, high stumps and areas that were designated as protected. All are intended as habitats for flora and fauna. Lastly, my supervisor gave me materials to read over the weekend. She told me to think about my Thesis and whether I really want to work with her.
Now I have to read and reflect on my Thesis. All seems to point more in the direction of yes: I do want to work with Professors Jörgen Rudolphi and Lena Gustafsson on edge habitats and lichen distributions!
I will keep you up to date! All of you, enjoy your weekend and GET OUTSIDE TO TAKE A WALK AND ENJOY THE FALL WEATHER!!!!!
Update... Friday 5th November
I hope that all of you are doing ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL and are enjoying your weekend! I certainly am! Today was a beautiful day here in Uppsala. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and despite the actual temperature being around +2°C it felt more like +8°C! So a really nice fall day. I went on a really nice long walk in the forest with my roommate and her dog.
Around SLU's campus there are ENDLESS possibilities to take AMAZING walks! One of my Favourite walks is along the picturesque Fyresån River, which flows through Uppsala all the way into Lake Mälaren. One can observe a great variety of birds along this walk and simply be astounded by the nice views. I will try to upload some pictures these coming days!
HOW IS EVERYONE ELSE DOING?
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
NOTES AND NOT TO FORGET...
Just a note to my readers:
-PLEASE feel free to comment on my blogs and ask questions
-Once you ask your questions I will do my best to answer quickly and clearly
-Ask me anything that pertains to university, student life and personal opinions about things here in Sweden!
-NO QUESTION IS A STUPID QUESTION!!!!!
***One thing to remember: ask me anything, but please keep it professional***
-PLEASE feel free to comment on my blogs and ask questions
-Once you ask your questions I will do my best to answer quickly and clearly
-Ask me anything that pertains to university, student life and personal opinions about things here in Sweden!
-NO QUESTION IS A STUPID QUESTION!!!!!
***One thing to remember: ask me anything, but please keep it professional***
WHAT I WILL BEGIN BLOGGING ABOUT
*****WHAT I WILL BEGIN BLOGGING ABOUT*****
***Collaboration with Professors***
I was thinking about something to start blogging about, and decided on the following: The thing I have found most striking about SLU is the very close collaboration between me as a student and the professors. Whenever I have had any issues understanding class material or finding a topic for my Master’s Thesis, my professors have always been very quick, understanding and professional in helping me. I will begin my blog with discussing these experiences with professors in more detail.
INTRODUCTION AND HELLO TO EVERYONE!!!!!
****JULIAN'S FIRST BLOG****
Hey everyone!! Greetings to my new BLOG on SLU and my experiences during my exchange year here in Uppsala, Sweden!
I would like to now tell all of you a little about myself and what I will begin blogging with!
My name is Julian. I was born, raised and attended a German-American High School in Berlin, Germany. From 2004-2008 I attended Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, USA, and studied Environmental Science. During my studies, I worked as a Range Manager with the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. After graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree, I moved to the Western United States to work full time for the Forest Service as a Wildland Firefighter. In 2009 I was accepted into and began studying for the EnvEuro (Soil, Water, Biodiversity) Master’s Degree. I am currently on Erasmus Exchange at SLU and will shortly begin working on my Master’s Thesis.
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