Landing in Sweden

Church in the center of Jonkoping

7:30 a.m., Stockholm (12:30 a.m., Brookings)

After landing in Stockholm, I found myself in a near empty airport with snow falling outside and no sunlight to be found. I stand next to a glass door as a man in a booth asks me where I'm from and what I'll be doing in Sweden for the next six months. After having a very brief chat about Jonkoping and teaching, I'm officially allowed into the country.

I get my bags and make my way to to train station to buy a ticket to Jonkoping. After originally buying a ticket for 858 Swedish Krowns, or Kroners (114 US dollars), I sit down next to a kid from Canada who is also studying abroad, but in a different town. This kid reminds me that students get a discount on transportation. Keeping this in mind, I ask the man selling tickets if it would be possible to give him back my ticket and purchase another at the student price.

"Yes of course, here you are. 329 Krowns"

That's about 45 dollars. This is my first sample of Swedish kindness. After taking a tram from the airport to Stockholm Central Station, I ask (in broken Swedish) if he can give me directions (make that very broken Swedish). In English, which the uber majority of Swedes speak fluently, theman tells me where I need to go, and what to do when I get there. I thank him--maybe too many times--and go on my way.

It's a three (ish)-hour train ride from Stockholm to Jonkoping, and the Swedish landscape is more beautiful than the pictures. I get to Jonkoping at about 3 p.m. Swedish time (I need to find out what the timezone is called) and meet other students who are just arriving as well. I'm basically delirious at this point from lack of sleep, but so were most of the other students, so already we had something in common. There's quite a crew here from Texas A&M, and in the last few days I've been hanging out a lot with some students from Holland and Australia. Classes don't even start until Monday, but already I've learned more than a book could ever teach me.

A view of the lake from campus

Education and Communication Building