Sweden I

Perhaps the hardest part about travelling abroad is the time travel. I write this at the end of my day in Vaxjo, Sweden from my picturesque apartment. I am absolutely exhausted, so this post may not be very cohesive. I have some fantastic pictures though, so that should make up for it. The point is, time travel is not as easy as the Doctor may make it seem. In short, my flight from RDU took me to Boston, then a 5 hour trip to Reykjavik, Iceland and then to Copenhagen, Denmark until I finally got on a train that took me two hours to the small town of Vaxjo. Some of the highlights of the plane rides were the Boston Harbor, alien views of Greenland, and having my first international beer on the flight from Boston to Reykjavik.

    

Seeing sayings from the Havamal in the Iceland airport was impressive to this sleep deprived traveler.




Shout out to Emma and Raphaelli, a young couple who helped me get from Malmo to Vaxjo. The air is clean and cold, and the land has an ancient feel to it. The architecture of the older buildings contrasts the modernist, European infrastructure of the airport and the stations, as well as new apartments and businesses being built. On my way through the Skane region as well as through Malmo, the train passed by small farms, graffitied bridges and Quixotic wind-farms, with towering turbines over the horizon. On the train ride, one could sense the age of the land passing them by. It was surreal to think I had finally made it to Sweden.



Once I got to the train station, two students from Linnaeus University helped me and another International student get to the campus. There we got our keys and were quickly brought over to Vallgatan, the international housing complex. On the outside it is an old, imposing building, but on the inside it is a comfortable, somewhat modernist home. My room is cozy and has all the amenities I need, including a chair for reading and spacious desk. It honestly blows my old dorms and apartments out of the water. Speaking of water, the view of the lake and city are fantastic. It looks like something out of a Hayao Miyazaki film. Again, I pinch myself. I made it to Sweden.



After settling in, I took a leisurely stroll to scour up some food. So far in Sweden, eating out is a very scant occurrence. At 6pm here the businesses were barely attended and the city very calm. The quiet of the city is the most alien thing to me, coming from Greensboro, NC where noise seems to be paramount. It's safe to assume things will liven up on the weekend and when classes are in session.



All-in-all, it has been a very easy if not tiring transition. There are a few I's to dot and T's to cross, but for the most part things are all set in place. My goal tonight is to get some rest. Tomorrow I will finish unpacking and go figure out the gym and go to a campus event or two. Please stay tuned!

Addendum: There is a giant rainbow outside my apartment window. I couldn't get a great picture, but here it is. It's perfectly framed too. Good sign, everyone?