Thursday, September 8, 2011

III

A common reaction for most people when I told them I was going to Stockholm was: “Why would you want to go to such a cold place?!” It is definitely going to be freezing during the winter, as temperatures will probably drop to -15°C. Everybody keeps warning us for how cold the weather is going to be in a couple of weeks/months. However, since I’ve been here I’ve had nothing but good weather. The temperature is around 20°C, the sun is shining, and most of the time I’ve spend here I’ve been able to just wear T-shirts. Not exactly what I was expecting, as you can understand!

There are very big differences in English proficiency between the different exchange students, but overall everyone is at least able to understand each other. Trying to understand some Swedish however is a whole different level for most of us. When you’re Dutch or German however, it’s not impossible to read signs or small sentences. The Swedish language does have its similarities with our languages. Next week I will have my first lessons in the Swedish language, so I’m quite excited!



The course I first followed, Real Estate Management, includes several cases that should be completed. They’ve come up with a pretty interesting concept: We will get all kinds of financial information about a random building in Stockholm, and we have to write a report that includes an estimation of the value. This value can be calculated with all kinds of financial formulas. Also, the estimation will be compared with the estimation by a professional company. Finance however isn’t exactly my cup of tea, and the case however turned out to be an extremely difficult task for me. These reasons made me decide that I will drop the course and pick another one for the next part of the semester. This will probably be international marketing. Since I´m a lot more interested in marketing, I´m sure this course will be a lot more appealing!
On 1 september the Faddermittag (`friend dinner`) was held. This was in Café opera, a very luxurious and fancy events club. And when I mean fancy, I mean very very fancy! When we entered we first went up some stairs to a big hall, full of chandeliers and a beautiful view over the waters surrounding Stockholm. There was a very nice buffet here, with among other things salmon, various salads and nice dessert. I was under the impression that the party was going to be held there. However, after a couple of hours we went down to an even bigger hall with some very nice bars, and again the prestigious decoration. We had a few drinks there, and before we knew it it was already time to go again!
During the weekend on Saturday we went to a party at Lappis, one of the places with a lot of student accommodations. I had a great time there, and there was a very relaxing atmosphere. After this we went into the city, to eventually return homewards again. The next day I went to the city center with two of my friends here to walk through the old parts of the city again. I can’t get enough of the fantastic atmosphere in Stockholm! We also went to fotografiska, a photography museum. It is one of the world’s largest exhibition locations for photography. At the time we visited the museum, there were exhibitions from among others Robbert Mapplethorpe, Lui Bolin and Martin Bogren. Mapplethorpe’s work was focused on still life pictures, portraits and photos of flowers. It was a very stylish exhibition. Lui Bolin’s is famous for painting himself in such a way that he will blend in with the background he’s standing before, so you will hardly notice him. Most people will probably recognize some of his work. This was a very funny and amusing exhibition! However, my favorite exhibition was ‘lowlands’ by Martin Bogren. This was a series of black and white pictures that displayed the hometown of mr. Bogren. They were incredibly atmospheric and very beautiful. I didn’t know photography could be like this!
I’ve also had my first encounter with a completely different aspect of culture. Ironically it was not with someone from Sweden. The corridor where I live in provides rooms for 26 people, so I hadn´t met all of them. Also, almost all of them are really living on their own, without too much interaction between the rooms. However, yesterday I met a guy from India, living 3 doors next to me. After we talked for a while, we went to our rooms. However, five minutes later someone rang my doorbell. I opened the door, and he was standing there with a bowl of typical Indian food! He told me this was something traditional for him from where he grew up. The food was fantastic, and very spicy! I found this to be a very kind gesture.
The first weeks have been very enjoyable here. I´ve seen a lot of beautiful sightseeing highlights of Stockholm, and I´ve met tons of people. Also I´m finally beginning to find my way in the city! Stockholm is beginning to feel like a home to me, and that can only be a good thing!

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