Stockholm, Sweden - Week 1 (5/21-5/25)

This week was a short week... but it is already apparent that Stockholm is a great study abroad destination! There is a lot to do, and even at the end of this 3-week study abroad session, there will be more that I have not done. However, I've had a great start, even during this short week with 2 days of class and the weekend.

Wednesday, 5/21, was arrival day for everyone, which was relatively uneventful. Because I had already been in the city for a couple of days, I was not jet lagged and had begun to get my bearings around the city. On the other hand, most everyone else was rolling in throughout the day, ready for some sleep. I got to my apartment around noon and had a tour of the communal kitchen, study area, laundry room, and other facilities. Afterward, my tour group hit the grocery store, which is luckily only a short walk away. With food in the fridge, everyone was ready to get settled in. For dinner, I walked through the city with a couple of guys I met from across the hall. We ate at a good Swedish restaurant, Tennstopet, and I got one of the best meals I've had yet - Wallenbergare. It is a Swedish dish that is traditionally served with mashed potatoes and green peas, just as it was when I ordered it. The meat is the highlight, though, which is ground veal, cream, and egg yolks coated in bread crumbs. It was delicious!

Thursday was the first day of classes, all of which started late due to morning orientation for all students. We got a rundown of the building, our classrooms, and had some opportunities to meet one another. Classes on Thursday and Friday were great, and I was happy to see that there were only 13 students in my class. It is nice to have a smaller group after usually having all my classes in a lecture hall!

The weekend was full of exploring. I have found that the city's Lime scooters are very helpful when out and about. Unfortunately, they are not included with the transportation card that the study abroad program gave us. But I think $30 for 5 hours of ride time is worth it. Conveniently, the scooters are all over the city, and for people who prefer to move about on 2 wheels, there is a robust bike lane system that is used by many of Stockholm's residents. It makes up its own roadway system, with traffic lights and crosswalks of its own. Though an extra cost, there is something to be said for exploring above ground instead of using the subway. You can see so much more while subconsciously crafting a mental map of where things are located around the city.

That said, public transportation in Stockholm is nothing shy of outstanding. With my SL card provided by the study abroad program, I have access to the trains, commuter rails, trams, buses, and ferries, all of which get me anywhere I may want to go – whether it be in the heart of the city or another island in Stockholm's archipelago (which is made up of over 24,000 islands!). If I had bought the SL card myself, it would have cost about $100, which is great value in my opinion.

On Saturday, we got a group dinner at Barrel's Burgers on Gamla Stan, which was delicious. The kitchen makes incredible burgers and is even hosting a burger festival that we plan on checking out soon. Barrels will be there as well as a burger kitchen from Spain and another from the UK. Surely there will be more pictures from dinner the next post!

Sunday was more laid back, with everyone figuring out how to operate the laundry machines and going back to the grocery store. I had enough groceries and my laundry done, so I did not have to move through crowds at the grocery store or wait for my turn for a washer. I did make some dinner, though, which was truffle ravioli with a ricotta pesto and a caramelized onion. It tasted pretty good, and has me energized for the first full week to come!

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