“A lot of snow and very welcoming people”

“When the plane flew over Sweden we saw snow everywhere”, Ruben from the Netherlands exclaimed enthusiastically. “Everything was kind of white.”

He was enjoying a Swedish fika in Studenthuset together with a group of other newly arrived students. One of them, Noah from Belgium, shared Ruben's fascination with snow and was hoping to do some skiing and other sports during his semester in Sweden.

“In Belgium and the Netherlands we hardly ever get snow”, Noah explained. "When it comes to studies I’m going to study Geosciences. I read some testimonials from other exchange students so I have a good impression of Stockholm University.”

Introverted and shy people who bond with nature

His compatriote Tristan chose Sweden as his study destination due to a curiosity about this foreign country and its culture.

“Swedish people are known for being a bit introverted and shy and I like those characteristics. They also seem to have a good bond with nature. I’m into walking and hiking so I’m planning to do some of that here.”

Finnish Elina, a Cinema Studies exchange student, was more inclined to discover the vibrant night life of the Swedish capital.

“I’ve been to Sweden before and I’m looking forward to going out to different clubs and other places”, she said with a happy smile.

Anne and Roos, both from the Netherlands, seemed keen to join her.

A different study environment

In another part of Studenthuset's café, Sabrina, Reese and Hill were experiencing their first day in Sweden after a 24-hour-long journey from Hong Kong.

“There’s a lot of snow and the people are nice, very welcoming”, Reese described her first impression of the new country.

Sabrina found the weather less cold than expected and was looking forward to taking part in other welcome activities the coming week; guided tours on campus and in the Old Town of Stockholm. While she and Reese are going to study Art and Culture, Hill’s studies are within Computer Science. The three of them were anticipating a different study environment compared to home.

“I think it will be a bit more chill here”, Hill said. “A bit less demanding and less high tension.”

The Swedish custom where students address their professors by their first name will be entirely new to them.

“In Hong Kong you don’t really talk to your professors, unless you need to ask them for help”, Sabrina explained. “You have to show them respect.”

Happy, nervous and eager to start a new chapter

Business exchange students Perrine and Simon from France didn’t really know what to expect from the Swedish culture and seemed intent on embarking on their exchange student adventure with an open mind.

“I’ve heard that Swedes are quite individualistic but otherwise I have no idea. We will wait and see. We are happy to be here and experience all this”, Perrine said. “Stockholm is a nice city and I’ve never been here before.”

Simon nodded and added that he found the Swedish weather quite cold. Despite having plans to do some skiing neither he nor Perrine seemed too bothered about the snow currently melting away.

International coordinator Hanna Kritz, one of the main organizers of the Arrival Service, was less pleased with the weather gods.

“It’s been so beautiful with all the snow on campus these last couple of weeks and it’s really frustrating that our new students don't get to see it. This weather also makes it difficult to pull large suitcases on the ground. But the students are just as happy, nervous and eager to start this new chapter of their lives, as always. We had a calm start on campus today but now there are lots of students arriving by shuttle bus from Arlanda Airport. I'm so happy to see them all.”