SWEA International

Brev från våra stipendiater

Hello Katrina,

I am writing to let you know how my trip is going so far here in Lund. I am living in a corridor with 12 Swedish students and 1 other student from California and they have all become close friends and I'm sure I will keep in contact with many of them. We have had some parties here at the corridor and I have met some of their friends over drinks. A few of us go out to the nations together on the weekends and already have some good memories together.

I signed up for a mentor group on my original application not knowing what that would involve and it has turned out to be another great resource of new friends and events. It is lead by 4 or 5 Swedish mentors and consists of about 20 international students. We have taken tours of the city and the market which were extremely helpful. We have had a few international dinners where everybody brought a food from their home country which was a lot of fun. We have of course gone out to parties and to the nations as a group and have had great times. Bicycling home after these nights has proved a skill that requires much finesse and a little luck.

I have traveled with some friends to surrounding areas such as Copenhagen, Malmo and Stockholm. Stockholm was my favorite. My friend Lucian and I stayed at a youth hostel on Gamla Stan and toured the city on our own via bicycle and found many interesting places and things to see. We visited the Vasa Museum which was incredible. I have attached two pictures, one of a international dinner night and another of one of me and some friends at a party at my corridor.

Thanks again for the generous gift and It has definitely enriched my trip.

- Douglas B. [2010-12-03]

Hi Katarina,

I am really enjoying my time here in Stockholm. I have had the opportunity to do so much here in just three weeks. I cannot believe how beautiful it is everywhere. There are deer in all the small woods in the suburbs. I cannot believe I could wake up, see a deer in the backyard, and then be in the center of the city in 20 minutes! This is truly a very special city.

I have done tons of sightseeing. I love gamla stan! All of Stockholm is really beautiful, fashionable, and cultured.We traveled to Drottningholm palace to see where the king and queen live. The palace is beautiful and fascinating. I have also had the opportunity to see Uppsala and many museums.

A couple weeks ago I got to attend a crawfish party. My boyfriend and I went to a friends summer house in the archipelago to celebrate. I had never had snaps or crawfish before. It was a lot of fun wearing the hats and attempting to sing the songs. We also went swimming. I cannot believe how clean the water is everywhere. It is so nice to be able to swim and not worry about pollution.

I also went to attend Fredrik Reinfeldt's summer speech. It was in the square in front of the the Stockholm museum. I am really lucky to be here during the election. It is so different from the US. The politicians are more human here and interact with the people. I got to meet Anders Borg! It was so cool to be able to walk up and shake his hand.

I have just started class and moved things into my student room. I have not stayed in my student room yet. It has been the only difficult thing here. The room was really dirty and I was told by neighbors that the building is infested with bed bugs. Hopefully the housing office will take care of this soon. I am confident that the building will be sprayed or something soon. I am really lucky to be able to stay with my boyfriend until my housing is suitable.

I am also really happy to have made friends from all over the world. It is amazing how much I can have in common with people all over the world. This is such a wonder experience. I have attached a few photos. I will write you another email soon.

Best Regards,

Samantha J. [08-28-2010]