Week One - Vecka Ett (Personal Development) 12-01-12 - 20-01-12

The sun rising on Friday the 13th.

Packing and re-packing a suitcase definitely proved to be a difficult start to this experience! Eventually I decided to book another suitcase as it was literally impossible for me to bring enough clothes for four and a half months (and I still don’t think I have enough). This meant I would be carrying three suitcases. Yes, that’s right, three. Trying to prove to my parents that the impossible was possible I practiced manoeuvring all three around my house before setting off for the airport. At the airport I met Maria and Megan who were both having difficulty with the weight restrictions for luggage; Megan began pulling all sorts out of her suitcase as she was 8kg over. We concluded on our flight - if you can’t pack it; wear it! This is definitely a useful phrase for anyone going on Erasmus.

Everything ran very smoothly on our travels but struggling on and off buses and trains with three suitcases certainly was a difficult task. However when we eventually arrived in Trollhättan we were able to relax and soak in some Swedish culture.  This involved going to sleep at 7.30pm and not waking until 9.30am the next morning. Finally feeling rested after our thirteen hour sleep we explored the town a little to see where we would be for the next 4 months.

 

From exploring the town I have realised that EVERYTHING is super expensive here and almost everyone pays by credit or debit card. You get a taxi – you pay by card, you get a bus – you pay by card. It is really strange compared to Northern Ireland as there the bus and taxi drivers request you have small change and they seem to be annoyed in you don’t. I suppose the idea of paying by card is more efficient and fits in with the Swedish culture as everything and everyone is on time. If you are late for lectures or classes it is considered bad behaviour, although this is not a problem for myself it may prove to be difficult for others.

University West, Trollhättan.

So far we have been to two classes for our Power, Gender, Ethnicity and other Inequalities module, there are only nine of us in the class who are all Erasmus or International students therefore it is easy to get to know everyone. We have been sharing our views and opinions about our own culture and this has helped us to bond as a group. I have also been bowling and to play pool with other Erasmus students which was a great opportunity to talk and find out what country they are from and what they are studying. It also confirmed that I am still absolutely rubbish at bowling no matter what country I am in as I had a totalled score of something around 46. =\ Terrible I know! Although what I lacked in bowling I definitely made up for it in pool afterwards. Overall it was a night filled with fun and laughter.

 

So far my first week in Trollhättan has been very interesting and I have already met many new people from all over the world who I never would have met if I hadn’t embarked on this amazing adventure. Although it can get a little stressful sometimes we have managed to laugh it off and enjoy ourselves as much as possible.