Written by Sania
28 Jul 2017
Summer is halfway gone which means the autumn semester is (almost) around the corner. For those of you who are going to study here next semester, have you done your packing right? Cross check with Gimmy and Justine for tips on packing according to your need. A few days ago, I asked on Snapchat (studyinsweden) ‘what are the things that you will bring if you only have 3 hours before your flight to Sweden and you will stay here for 2 years?’ The answers were hilarious, and here are some of them:
- sweatpants
- laptop
- phone
- teddy bear
- glasses/contacts
- food
- blanket
- shoe
- dictionary
Unless you don’t have any restriction on your luggage weight and size, then you can bring all the thing that you want. Otherwise, be selective and smart! Here are five don’ts based on my experience:
1. Don’t Bring Iron
You might ask, which silly person would bring an iron to Sweden? I did, and I’m going to ask my parents to bring it back home when they come here this July. In Indonesia, you have to iron your clothes otherwise it won’t look proper to wear (read: to be accepted in the society). Then I have this irrational paranoia of not being able to catch up with technology, so I bring an iron with me because I’m afraid that the ironing technology is so high-tech in Sweden that I won’t be able to cope up with such innovation.
2. Don’t Bring More Than One
Winter/hoodie jacket, towels, windproof jacket, and a bed sheet (if your accommodation do not prepare it). These are the things that you will need but you can also buy in Sweden, my suggestion is only to bring one for a start. Secondhand shops are full of well-organized-based-on-color clothing and IKEA is around every corner (not literally). Moreover, there must be some Facebook groups for students to sell/buy stuff in your area. Be sustainable and buy secondhand! What to do with the space that you have then? Read on the next tips.
3. Don’t Forget to Bring Food/Spices from Home
The good stuff, the real deal. It will be the cure to your homesick and lift up your spirit. Trust me, it works!
4. Don’t Overthink
Of course, you have to think, but when it becomes overthinking – you’re doomed. Overthinking leads to the enormous amount of stuff that you might need later on (but not an urgent need) and it creates an explosion of stuff in your luggage. When it takes three adults to help you zip your suitcase, most probably it is overweight. You don’t want to get stressed in front of the check-in desk, so play it safe and bring less.
5. Don’t Pack D-1
You will need more than one day to finish packing, by finish I mean to get through everything you have thrown into and scanned them again. This selective process is essential in case you forgot something important such as your personal medicine, and you bring a dictionary instead.
Enjoy this video on ‘What to Bring (and Not)’ brought to you by Andrés, Bowen, and I. Watch and learn!
P.S. Bowen made a post about this topic as well in our Chinese blog, check it out here!
[Featured image from Pixabay]
