So…I am rounding out my first week in Sweden and loving it so far, (despite the onset of a rather persistent head cold.) I have learned two Swedish words so far “hej” (hi) and “tack” (thanks/thank you). I have also learned that there is no direct correlation for the English word “please”. I am working on building my vocabulary, however most Swedes speak English and almost all of the other international students want to speak in English so it may take me a while!
We have spent most of the week in university orientation activities getting to know the school, the city of Ó¦rebro, and each other. Yesterday, we visited city hall and had a tour of the city and beautiful Ó¦rebro castle. There is so much to see and do, and eat! I was afraid before I left home that 6 months might be too long for my fist trip outside the US, but now I think it may not be long enough.
My housemates are all international students as well, hailing from Germany, Finland, Brazil, Luxembourg, Greece and Japan. It is interesting to see how much we all have in common despite the different languages, locations and cultures we represent. I am looking forward to exploring as much as possible, and to the start of classes next week. And to getting over this cold!
