Studying in Sweden as an American Part I

Dear readers,

As usual I hope that all is going very well. This is the first blog in my series comparing my experiences as a student in Sweden to being a college student at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, USA. Of course all my statements are my personal observations and opinions. Please note that my descriptions may not represent the observations that you will make or opinions you will represent while studying here in Sweden. At the same time I will try to stay as objective as possible. I will begin discussing Uppsala, Sweden's weather and transportation and surrounding environment.

Here we go!

1. Weather:

Well, Swedish winters seem to last forever. They begin end of October to end of November and last until April. The US Northeast (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Northern New York State) best represent the weather here in Uppsala. Long, cold winters, some Spring, some Fall and generally nice summers. The summers here are cooler and less humid than in the US Northeast (US NE). Generally temperatures peak around 80°F or 28°C and very seldomly climb above that mark. A difference between Uppsala and the US NE is that Uppsala's Winter days are painfully short. The sun rises around 8:30 am and sets at around 2:30 pm. So not very much light.

2. Transportation and Surrounding Environment

This is Europe. We don't use cars nearly as much as in the US, and I do recommend to (as much as this may undermine your belief in conveniently using a comfortable car for everything) buy a bicycle. A bike is a great, cheap and healthy way to get around campus and Uppsala. Practically everyone owns a bike here. A normal second hand bike will cost you around $100. Remember though, the Winter is long and it really sucks riding your bike in -4°F or -20°C weather. I did it and am still alive, but I don't really recommend it as a comfortable way to get around. Convenient yes, but not really pleasant. For everything else there are busses and taxis. On the weekends (Friday and Saturday night) busses generally run all night long. Not very frequently, but they still run. I very seldomly ride the bus here. I use my bike for everything. Taxis are really expensive here in Sweden and a ride from the city to SLU campus will cost you close to $20! So get ready to work those muscles and walk or use the bike. Great for getting exercise.

In terms of the surrounding environment, Uppsala is a typical 100 000 inhabitant relatively suburban college town. I compare Uppsala to Ithaca, New York. There are many student-related events and student parties in the city and countless students out and about. Uppsala has a large clean lake just south of the city, Lake Mälaren. During the summer and winter months the lake is especially beautiful and I definitely recommend hiking, camping, fishing, swimming, rowing, chilling and ice skating around and on the lake, depending on the seasonal and weather conditions. The city of Uppsala is much more historic than any other city I've been to in the USA, probably also just because it's Europe and cities have been around for a longer time here than in the US. Uppsala has its famous historic castle, cathedral and other houses throuhgout the city.

These are the first couple of things about Sweden. I don't want to make this blog too long, so I will continue to publish posts during the next days, comparing Sweden with the USA. Next time I will write about education and student life here in Uppsala, Sweden.

Take it easy readers and look for my next blog!

Julian