In Sweden there is always room for FIKA

I have always been fascinated by Scandinavian culture and language, that’s also the main reason why I chose Sweden. When I was searching for information about Kalmar on Internet I was really surprised when I saw that this town offer almost the same possibilities than the big cities, so I made my decision.

First impression

The first impression of Sweden as a whole and Kalmar as my new home was freezing cold. Arriving Mid-January, temperatures of -15°C during the first week were new for me. Now, these temperatures are not very common in Kalmar, because it is only the southern part of Sweden, but can occur. The spring is beautiful and the summer is also very warm.

Kalmar is a small, but very beautiful city. With the castle (Kalmar Slott), the Öland-bridge and the Baltic Sea it has many places to see. My first impression was however influenced less by the beauty of the city and more by the people. I experienced that the local ESN organisation is doing a great job. From the moment they picked each and every one of us up at the train station or the airport, I felt very welcome. The ESN will become your family during your semester in Kalmar. In the first week, the introduction week, they will introduce you to the city and your fellow exchange students by throwing parties and organising all kinds of activities. Here, you will meet a lot of new students from all over Europe and beyond, who are in the same situation that you are in.

University

Organisation of the Linnaeus University was great. As mentioned, the ESN took care of all of us, made sure we weren’t alone in our first days and was a great way to make new friends. What I really appreciated was that we were offered an accommodation by the university and

 the local housing company. All we had to do was accept their room suggestion. What I really like about Sweden was also school system. It is totally different that the one we are used to. At one time you only have one course and it usually lasts for a month. Professors are really kind and closer to the students. There is a lot of group work, and the groups were always mixed, so you really get to know how people from the other countries think.

Culture and habits

Before I came to Sweden I already knew that Swedes have reputation of drinking a ton of a coffee. I didn’t think much of it because I know plenty people in Slovenia who drink a lot of coffee. For me the difference is not the fact that Swedes enjoy coffee, but rather the ways they prepare it and the lengths that they go and make sure they get it. FIKA technically means “drinking a coffee along with eating something sweet” in Swedish, and it is one of the first words you will learn when visiting Sweden, right after tack (thank you) and hej (hello). But Fika is more than just having a coffee, it is a social phenomenon, a legitimate reason to set aside a moment for quality time. It is pretty typical to fika at least once in the morning and once in the afternoon, it can happen at home, at work or in a café. Another important thing is to respect the nature. You are allowed to camp anywhere in Sweden, even on private land. Just make sure you don’t destroy anything and leave no trash. This is something Swedes mind very much. Also, if there is a queue (there will be, because Swedes love queues), don’t skip it. If you wait for the bus, make sure to keep some distance to the person standing next to you. And don’t expect Swedes to start a conversation with you, they are friendly but not very talkative with strangers (only exception: drunk Swedes).

Activities and places to see

Make sure to travel if you can afford it. Sweden and Scandinavia offer many beautiful places to see. The ESN usually organises different trips. I personally took part in the trip to Lapland. It was an amazingly incredible trip. Just to give you an impression: During one night we were sitting in our own private wooden Swedish sauna and went out to jump into an ice hole in a frozen Fjord and all this underneath the Northern Lights. But there are more trips the ESN organised for us in which you can take part. Or you organise your own trip. It’s easy to go from Kalmar to Stockholm, Malmö, Gothenburg or anywhere else by train.

Accommodation

Accommodation is provided by the local housing company “Kalmarhem”. They will offer you a room before you start your semester, which you should accept. These rooms are in student houses. There are different types of rooms in about 5 different buildings and locations in the city. Some of them are rooms with individual bathrooms and a shared kitchen on the floor, some are rooms in shared flat. However, you will always live together with other students, both Swedish and international. The rooms are simple, provide you with a single small bed, a desk, a chair and a wardrobe. Make sure you get a Wi-Fi router when you are there to have your own internet connection. Kitchenware is usually shared by your floor-/flat-mates. Your own bedlinen and other stuff can either be bought from students that leave or at IKEA. The ESN will usually organise a trip to IKEA at either the first or the second day to make sure you can buy something to keep you warm at night.

Please be aware that the payment for the accommodation has to be made in advance for the whole semester, so make sure to safe for that beforehand.

Transportation

You can reach Kalmar easily by train, for example from Copenhagen, Malmö or Växjö (by the way, this city which is home to the other Linnaeus campus is pronounced “Väkrö”). Kalmar also has its own airport which is rather small and mostly offers domestic flights.

Make sure to get a bike either from a student who is leaving, you can find them usually in the ESN Facebook group, (make sure to join it in any case) or you can rent a bike for one semester. Kalmar is a small city and a bike will take you anywhere. You could also use the bus, but nobody does that, because everyone has a bike.

Cost of living

1 € is about 9-10 kr. So if something costs 100 kr, just think of it as roughly 10 €. Sweden is a rather expensive country. Groceries are more expensive then what I’m used to at home (cca 20-30%), but eating out and most importantly alcohol is even more expensive. Example: A 700ml bottle of Absolut Vodka will cost you 250 kr and a 0.33 litre beer around 10-20 kr at Systembolaget (the only shop you can buy alcohol from in Sweden). Clubs and bars are super expensive as well. The cheapest 0.5l beer will cost you around 65-70 kr when you go out.

Swedes pay for almost everything by card. It is very common to use your credit card even if you just buy a 15 kr coffee.

Last impression

Leaving Kalmar, rather leaving the Erasmus experience was hard and all of us have been suffering from the post-Erasmus trauma. I got to meet so many new people and made numerous new friends from all over the world, from the US, to Europe, to China. Kalmar became my second home and more importantly, many of the other exchange students became my second family.