Written by Andaç Baran
09 Oct 2016
Student life matters. Perhaps nothing has mattered more in your life so far than being a student and experiencing being a student. The central thesis of this blog post is simple. As a student, you will experience cold weathers and unhealthy but delicious snacks, you will spend some time in some queues, you will search for an outlet for your battery…
Being an international student in Sweden has its own setbacks. I guarantee, you will find yourself in these hilarious situations even though you are a student in a different country. If you are keen to come to Sweden to study, brace yourself! There will be some moments you will have to “swedify” yourself:)
1.All Day Battery “life”…
If you are studying/living in Sweden, your devices are simply the most important thing ever! You need them while submitting papers, requesting official documents from the government, paying a single coffee in a local shop, loading your travel card… Every simple step you will take requires a mobile device to move forward. Otherwise you can find yourself waiting in queues… Especially if you are studying, not being a mobile person could be the worst decision, even professors contact you via Facebook! You simply can’t live without them!
2. Waiting in a queue
Speaking of queue, Swedish people love queues! Even in a tech store, you have to queue to ask where you can find a specific item you are seeking for… As a student, queuing can be much more worse, because you queue to meet a professor, you queue to get in a student party, you queue to get your food or microwave your food, you queue to get in the class, you queue to get a book from the library!
Don’t get me wrong, Queuing is much more better than cutting in line, yet it may be frustrating if you queue for a tiny little thing like asking a question… And for sure, you are going to get bored…
3. Swedish Snacks and Your Eating Habits
It is the most known fact that we, students, hate healthy foods! I am almost sure(!) if majority of student had a chance, they would eat a burger for lunch and a pizza for dinner. And yes they would skip breakfast…
However things are getting a little bit tricky in Sweden… Even though you have numerous chance to eat healthy(salmon is the best!!!), you can’t escape Swedish snacks… They can be found in any form and, oh my goodness, they are so tasty!!! Candies, marshmallows, chocolates, cinnamon rolls, “toothpaste” caviars etc…
You can find yourself losing around snack shelves in a grocery store and putting some weight on…
4. Cost of Living
No need to lie. Sweden is an expensive country. Even though you can find relatively inexpensive stuffs in second-hand stores, flea markets and discount stores, you need to calculate every spending you make carefully. If you are keen to cook at home, your grocery shopping lists will not cost a lot. However if you are a party person who loves to go out and have a drink, you may find yourself a little bit lost on your receipts.
5.It is Cold outside!
Another topic where no need to lie! Sweden is also a cold country… On average, Stockholm is – 2.3C during winters and 16C during summers. Even though snow makes the city much more lovable during winters, it is still cold and dark. If you are coming to Sweden from southern countries like Italy, Greece, India, Bangladesh etc, your first winter can be a little bit tricky and hard for you. Prepare yourself and bring some hot cloths and thick socks! It will be painful for some:)
After surviving from all of these, you will be one more step closer to be a “real Swedish”. It is time to hit the road! Sweden is waiting for you!