tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34853199256324174652024-03-05T14:34:16.162+01:00Studying at Uppsala UniversityHere you can read my experiences as a Master student in Uppsala University. From day one when I started my application and going trough my every day life, you can discover what living in Uppsala feels like.Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-25488528232747442472014-11-12T12:08:00.003+01:002014-11-12T12:14:03.430+01:00Getting a bike in Uppsala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You might already know this, but there are tons of bikes all around Uppsala. Basically, that's the main way of transportation here. So, you'll probably want to get your own. There are many places where you could get them, so here are a couple of ideas:<br />
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<li>If you're living in student buildings, check the boards! Tons of students post flyers there to sell their bikes.</li>
<li>There are small stores selling used bikes. There are some in student areas (like in Flogsta), but they might be over prised, so do your research first!</li>
<li>Check http://www.blocket.se/ The magic swedish word is "cyklar" (under Fritid & hobby).</li>
<li>Check out sport stores for new bikes, like http://www.stadium.se/ and http://www.teamsportia.se/ </li>
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Enjoy biking!</div>
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Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-27812113801745683812014-11-06T15:02:00.001+01:002014-11-06T15:08:42.054+01:00Utnarm Fair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today it was the Utnarm career fair in Polacksbacken. This fair is held every year on Thursday, week 45. It is a great opportunity for students to interact with companies and find valuable contacts for the future.<br />
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Personally, career fairs are a great way to learn about the companies in the area and ask future coworkers about the working atmosphere and job positions.<br />
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For more info visit: http://utnarm.utn.se/</div>
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Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-60601411604366555972014-04-08T14:16:00.000+02:002014-11-12T12:17:21.480+01:00Questions about Uppsala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Someone asked me some very good questions about Uppsala and the MSc in Computer Science, so I decided to share them here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. How are the living expenses in Uppsala in general?</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sweden can be a bit expensive. In my opinion, housing is not too expensive (I used to live in Madrid and Barcelona before moving here, so that's my reference point). You'll pay about 3000-3500 SEK/month including Internet. The major problem is that it is hard to find accommodation. Prices for other things are: about 20-25 SEK for a bottle of water or soda, same or cheaper for coffee/tea. You can get a (reasonably big) sandwich on campus for </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">45 SEK, or a caesar salad for 65 SEK. You can buy lunch (salad + main course + coffee + bread or fruit) for</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 70-80 for lunch. Another option could be a frozen meal for 20-30 SEK. Fruits on one of the campus restaurants are 1 piece 7 SEK (and of course cheaper in the supermarket). A pizza is about 70 SEK and frozen pizza 25-40 SEK. Alcohol is EXTREMELY expensive!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. Is it easy to find jobs at the university in research? in general, is it easy to find a job anywhere?</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Getting a job at the university is hard. Normally they hire students as TA or the sort once they know the student, so it probably won't happen during the first year and it is not as common as in other universities. It is also hard to get a part-time job without speaking Swedish (it is a lot easier to find a job once you graduate or an internship even if you don't speak the language). You can work at the student nations but the money is not great. It might be good for making friends, paying some meals and drinks but you won't support yourself with this kind of job. These student nations are great for having cheap food and cheap drinks as well as meeting many students. You can always consider studying Swedish before you come here and continue getting free lessons once you're here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. How good are the professors in Computer Science?</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Professors are GREAT! They really care about preparing their material and explaining things. The atmosphere is very relaxed and informal. You're free to pick the courses you want, you have access to tons of papers and extra reading, and people are really open to comments and suggestions. I really enjoyed my time as a master student here. You can easily approach TAs and professors and they will happily answer your questions (well, maybe not if you ask for the solution to the assignment).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Which areas should I stay in? I don't mind using public transportation.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Like I said before, finding accommodation can be quite hard in Uppsala. You should rent whatever you find and once you're here you can try to move. Most people use bicycles. Buses are quite expensive (between 20-30 SEK depending on how you buy your ticket and about 500 SEK unlimited for a month). You can find used bicycles and everything is really close. If you're studying computer science, then you should live as close as possible to Polacksbacken. But again, 15-20 min by bike from most parts of the city anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy your time in Uppsala!</span></div>
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Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-21715936637577655182014-03-09T16:01:00.002+01:002014-03-09T16:02:27.390+01:00Running in Uppsala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It is that time of the year when the weather starts getting warmer (it was 10 ºC yesterday!) and I like to go running outside, either in the woods or near the river. Uppsala is a great city for outdoor activities and Swedes love running and they do it regardless of the weather! I've seen people run on the rain and the snow, and to me that's probably too much commitment. Still, if you would like to experience a running event while you're in Uppsala, here are a few that I have ran. All of them are 10K but most of them have a 5K option:<br />
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<a href="http://www.blodomloppet.se/vara-lopp/uppsala/">Uppsala Blodomloppet</a> (May)<br />
<a href="http://www.midnattsloppet.com/run/stockholm/">Stockholm Midnattsloppet</a> (August)<br />
<a href="http://www.tjejmilen.se/Start/index.cfm?Lan_ID=3">Tjejmilen</a> (September)<br />
<a href="http://uppsalastudentlopp.se/">Uppsala Studentlopp</a> (October)<br />
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You can find more running events in <a href="http://www.lazyrunner.com/swedens-best-running-events">Lazy Runner</a><br />
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My next goal is a half marathon! But it will have to be next year... no time to properly train right now...<br />
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Oh! And this is me, training in Uppsala! :-)<br />
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Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-2096222529510927542014-03-07T19:24:00.001+01:002014-03-11T11:19:44.976+01:00International Women's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, first of all, I hope you don't think I'm turning the blog into a girls club. Gender inequality is sort of a big issue in IT and I'm happy to see that people at Uppsala University are aware of it. More importantly, people here actually care and want to do something about it! So, in my humble opinion, celebrating international women's day with a networking event might not make a difference for everyone, but hopefully some of the people on the event now feel less alone. At least I hate to hear these stories about women who didn't (or couldn't) study computer science because people made them feel less capable and not adequate.<br />
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Anyway, regardless of the gender inequality angle, it was a great event! I had the opportunity to meet many people, I enjoyed discussing different points of views about Sweden and computer science, as well as planning activities that the UU ACM-W student chapter can (and want to) organise. And we did all these with fruits, bullar, coffee and tea! :-)<br />
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Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-69910695243332479402014-03-04T20:59:00.001+01:002014-03-11T11:19:16.076+01:00International Women's Day (Announcement!) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'll write more about this event after it passes, but for now I just want to advertise it! Come! Network! Propose activities! Want to form a programming club? Get a mentor? This is the time to tell chapter members about your ideas.<br />
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Learn more about the event of Facebook <a href="https://m.facebook.com/events/258232297683826">https://m.facebook.com/events/258232297683826</a><br />
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You can follow the chapter @UUACMW</div>
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Visit the chapter's website <a href="http://uu.acm.org/">uu.acm.org</a></div>
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If you go to the event, please let me know what you thought about it!</div>
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Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-19034533349034078642014-03-04T20:59:00.000+01:002015-08-25T09:43:03.611+02:00Buying books in Uppsala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Studying in Uppsala requires a lot of reading. I was used to the fact that going to the classes and reading a little bit was more than enough, but here in Uppsala doesn’t always work that way. You are going to see yourself many times in the situation were you need to read almost the whole book to actually understand the class and that requires owning the book. </div>
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Buying used books is always cheaper but they are hard to find since not everyone sells their books. Also, not everyone actually gives you a good deal and many people try to sell their books in almost the full price. Anyway, books are as expensive here as in any other place (at least from what I’ve seen). If you are looking for a place to buy your books you can go to Studentbokhandeln. The books there have an acceptable price, sometimes even cheaper than amazon.com and you will get a 10% student discount if you spend more than 1000 SEK.</div>
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If you can actually wait a week or so to get your book, I would recommend buying them in <a href="http://bokus.com/">bokus.com</a>. They have a large selection, books are noticeably cheaper than in Studentbokhandeln, and if you have your student card from <a href="http://mecenat.se/">Mecenat.se</a>, you earn 2.5% of what you pay as a student bonus (5% the first time), which you can use to buy books as well. I have used this page many times and, in my experience, they have a pretty good service.</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=112039638913334663694.0004782d22f8674286f0a&ll=59.8598,17.630965&spn=0,0&output=embed" width="425"></iframe></div>
<small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=112039638913334663694.0004782d22f8674286f0a&ll=59.8598,17.630965&spn=0,0&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Studentbokhandeln AB</a> in a larger map</small><br />
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I know there is actually at least another book store here in Uppsala, but here I’ve always find the books I’m looking for.<br />
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Update: here is a list of bookstores I found on a course website (online and offline)<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Bookstores:</strong><br /><a href="http://www.akademibokhandeln.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Akademibokhandeln</a><br /><a href="http://www.bokpris.net/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;">Bokpris</a><br /><a href="http://www.bokus.com/student" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;">Bokus</a><br /><a href="http://cdon.se/b%C3%B6cker/kurslitteratur/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;">cdon.com</a><br /><a href="http://drottninggatans.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;">Drottninggatans bokhandel</a><br /><a href="http://www.studentbokhandeln.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Studentbokhandeln</a> i Uppsala</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Secondhand bookstores:</b><br /><a href="http://www.uppsalastudentkar.nu/medlemsservice/bokformedling" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Uppsala studentkårs bokförmedling</a><br /><a href="http://begagnadeskolbocker.se/" lang="none" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Begagnadeskolbocker</a><br /><a href="http://www.bokborsen.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bokbörsen</a><br /><a href="http://www.bokus.com/cgi-bin/ad.cgi?cmd=list_ads" lang="none" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bokus Köp & Säljtorg</a><br /><a href="http://www.fixaboken.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Fixaboken.se </a><br /><a href="http://www.kurslitt.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kurslitt.se</a><br /><a href="http://www.kurslitteratur.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kurslitteratur.se </a><br /><a href="http://www.kurslitteratur.org/" lang="none" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Kurslitteratur.org</a><br /><a href="http://www.kurslitteraturuppsala.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">KurslitteraturUppsala </a><br /><a href="http://libris24.com/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Libris24</a><br /><a href="http://www.lycknis.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Lycknis</a><br /><a href="http://www.mystudentstore.se/" lang="none" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Mystudentstore</a><br /><a href="http://www.skuffen.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;">Skuffen.se<br />Studiebok </a><br /><a href="http://www.studentarena.se/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #660000; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Studentarena.se </a></span></div>
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Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-27976163750541455302012-04-16T15:20:00.002+02:002012-04-16T15:23:36.233+02:00Flash Mob in Ångström<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know I've been so busy that I haven't written much around here but I just got this video and I couldn't help but share it with all of you thinking about coming to Uppsala! I didn't see it myself so maybe it's not so frequent but I do have seen other fun stuff around here. Really guys, not everything is about studying!<br />
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Enjoy :-)<br />
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<br /></div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-44721839411702120342011-09-20T14:06:00.003+02:002011-09-20T14:31:42.559+02:00A bit about Swedes<div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Hello everyone!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">I just read this great comment on an older post and I think these answers could help many of you out there... I must say, as usual, that Uppsala is a great city. Yes, it is not so big and it might seem calm from time to time but the student life is great here! There are so many events and things to do here. It is always nice to meet your friends for fika, meeting them at the nations for a couple of drinks, food, concerts, parties... You can find students associations or groups for almost everything here: practicing a language, dancing, acting, reading... The hard part is finding time to actually go to class!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">I must say that, at least for me, the cultural shock was not so big. I believe it is important to know a few things about Sweden and Swedes in order to be prepare and reduce the shock as much as possible:</span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">Swedes are EXTREMELY punctual! Their definition of meeting at 13:00 is meeting at 13:00 and arriving at 13:05 will be consider late. You can actually see teachers looking at their watch (or the room's clock) before the class so they can start exactly on time. Be prepare for any teacher to tell you that if you arrived 5 minutes late you'll have to reschedule the meeting.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">Swedes are very helpful, nice and friendly. Still, it's not common for them to start talking to you on the streets or a line for no reason. Maybe they'll talk to you to practice your language (many of them speak another language besides English and Swedish) but they consider saying "hi" for no reason as an intrusion. Still, if you say "hi" to them it's fine because they think that's part of YOUR culture and they think it's nice. So... you'll be OK being yourself, but don't expect them to act as someone from your country. They'll be themselves...</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">It's OK to call teachers by their given name. Actually everyone uses just given names and that's OK.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">They all have lunch at 12:00 and you won't be able to explain that's also possible to eat at 11:30 or 13:00.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">They are really really friendly and eager to help.</span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">In my opinion if you're planing to come here as an exchange student, a year would be better than only one semester. I think there are many things to do and there are great things whole year round. Drinking champagne and making boats for Valborg in Spring is great. Skating from Uppsala to Stockholm and playing with the snow during the winter is also great. So, it's really hard to pick. There are many international students here and we all enjoy Uppsala the whole year!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">How's the weather here? Well, that's hard to say... 2 years ago was one of the coldest winters in Uppsala, and last winter was the coldest on record! So... From my experience, winter is COOOOOLD!!!!!!!!! Usually around -10 C with lots and lots of snow. Swedes say that usually there was not that much snow and that it hardly was colder than 0 C... I guess I'll have to see this winter to let you know more.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">If any of you finally decides to come to Uppsala, let me know! :-)</span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; "><br /></div></span></div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-22746887097298597942011-09-05T10:23:00.002+02:002011-09-05T10:36:11.124+02:00Getting a cellphone in SwedenHej! :-)<div>
<br /></div><div>This post might be interesting for just a small group of students out there, but I still it is worth writing. Some of you might be thinking about getting a new cellphone once you are in Sweden or maybe you just want to have a post paid plan so you don't have to worry about actually having credit/money on your phone when you really really need to make a call. Maybe you're just one of those who likes using a Black Berry... For all of you I must say that you'll have to wait... and then wait a bit more... It turns out that when you want to sign up for a contract with any phone company you need to have at least 6 months in Sweden (maybe 8... I think the employees really don't know and it's just an automated check). Anyway, it's not like you'll show them your plane ticket, it's more like they will ask for your personnummer and the system will say you can't sign a contract... Then my advice is for you to get your personnummer as soon as you can so you can start thinking about a contract next year. You'll probably get better prices and you can even get your dream phone a lot cheaper!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>And one more things about cellphones! If you try to buy one with a contract, ask about unlocking the phone! Maybe this is super common now (it was not so common to me), but after some time with the company you can actually unlock you phone and use it in your own country after you leave.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Have a great week all of you!</div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-48145919609919365022011-09-04T09:32:00.002+02:002011-09-04T09:48:14.669+02:00A new year just startedHej everyone!<div>
<br /></div><div>I'm happy to see a lot of new students in Uppsala this year! As you might guess, I'm not taking any courses but you can still see me around Polacksbacken working as a teaching assistant for the Artificial Intelligence and the Constraint Programming course. I'm doing more things than just that... I'm also writing things... Figuring out what to do next... and FINALLY I'm taking a Swedish course! and Chinese... Maybe it's a bit late to start formally learning Swedish but I like to think that never is too late. Am I rambling today? Well, let's go back to the original point... I'm glad to see many new students in Uppsala. I think every year new people bring with them culture, experiences, ideas and smiles.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I'm also really happy to see here a couple of Chinese friends that I met in Shanghai. They remind me of all the great times I had there and how much I miss it! Don't worry, when I was there I was missing Uppsala as well. For me that's the hardest part about moving: you get to experience great things but at the same time you always end up missing the good things about that other place were you used to live. I believe I enjoy Chinese food a bit more right now and it brings back a lot of happy memories. So, to all of you who are here now and those who would like to come I'm warning you! After you come here you'll miss Uppsala for the rest of your life! You'll miss the friends, the nations, the outdoor activities, learning and many many other things depending on what you like.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I won't finish the post without saying that the weather is still pretty nice, but it is autumn already. Don't be fool by what you learned in your own country: it is autumn and it will be winter pretty soon! </div><div>
<br /></div><div>As I always say, feel free to ask any questions about the University, the city or whatever I can help with!</div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-15455973955210231932011-04-09T21:34:00.003+02:002011-04-09T22:09:29.764+02:00Sweden through my eyesI've been reading a lot of posts and articles about Sweden lately, specially about the new university fees. I most say that a small comment on any of those posts won't express all my feelings. Well, probably this post won't express all my feelings either but I would like to try. I'm really disappointed to hear so many irrational complains on this subject. I really thought that potential master students were grownups, but now I doubt it. <div><br /></div><div>First of all, it's Swedes right to apply tuition fees, after all, they do pay for maintenance of the university buildings, libraries, teachers, employees, etc etc etc, so, if they decided to put a value to it and charge something for what they offer they are free to do it. After all, I don't think anyone reading this post think that they are going to work for free (or at least work at a university for free). Swedes pay taxes and the government uses those taxes to pay for the universities so I think it's fair to charge those who haven't pay taxes a tuition fee.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second, maybe the tuition is a bit high, maybe the living expenses are high as well. Maybe some people love the snow and some just hate the winter. It doesn't mean the price is not right. We've all heard about supply and demand. From where I come from, the best universities were free and the bad ones were really expensive. Why? Well, the best ones were public universities (and free in consequence) but they are really hard to get in, so... everyone who wants to study and doesn't get into a publish school have to pay. What I mean by this is that the price might not have a direct relation with the quality of the school. I do think that Uppsala University is a great University and I would have thought that people applied here not just because of the free tuition but because of the quality. Studying takes time and effort so I want the best education I can get, not just a cheap one.</div><div><br /></div><div>Third, I don't think the fees has anything to do with excluding international students at all. What I do know, and I know it because I've seen it, is that some students just pretend to have money to survive while their are studying and as soon after they arrive they put all their effort into getting a job even at the expenses of their courses. They don't go to class, they don't do the assignments, they don't take the exams. Their only intention was to get into Sweden (or maybe just Europe) somehow and have a legal status to get a job, but they couldn't care less about their master program. This is just wrong! This is not good for Sweden, it's not good for the image of the immigrants, it's not good for other serious students that were not offered a sit... But they might think twice about it after paying the fees.</div><div><br /></div><div>Forth, Swedes are extremely friendly and have an speak EXCELLENT English! I've been in many many countries. I've been in Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, France, Morocco, China... (I think you get the point) and Sweden is the only non English speaking country I've been were actually everyone speaks English and they do it really well too. I mean, even in the US I've seen people pretending not to understand tourists (in English) just because they are mean and racist. This is the only country were you can really go around with no problems while not speaking the language. And after all these I still have to hear people complaining that you can't get a job if you don't speak Swedish! For God's sake! English is NOT the official language! I would like to see anyone getting a job in Spain without speaking Spanish! It would have to be a super big company and you would have to be a super star and still, since most people don't speak English I don't think how you could work. The fact that a university offers programs taught in English doesn't mean that you can get a job by speaking just English. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sweden is a lovely country, night life is fine, food is fine, everything is fine. Yes, you have to adapt a bit. You'll fine Swedish food! You won't fine Spanish food everywhere like in Spain, you won't find Chinese food on every corner like in China, you'll find Swedish food like the one you can eat in Ikea. You won't find Italian night life or French night life, it will be Swedish stile and if you're open to it you'll have a GREAT time!</div><div><br /></div><div>So please! Stop complaining as if Swedes owe you free education! Apply to the universities you like and enjoy it! If you don't like Swedish universities just don't come. I'm sure there is enough people who disagree so don't worry, they won't close the universities any time soon.</div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-64751504402131083842011-02-18T21:16:00.000+01:002011-03-18T21:32:41.873+01:00Uppsala Ice Festival 2011!!<div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#5A5A5A">From February 12-20 2011, Uppsala celebrated its very first Ice Festival. During this week you could see many ice sculptures around the city, but the biggest collection was located in the City Park.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#5A5A5A">During the festival week, the Svandammen pond was lit up and open to the public for ice skating to music, which apparently is an old tradition from the 1890s.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#5A5A5A">I think the festival really brought light and happiness to the city. It is one of those things that takes the dark winter days and makes them a little happier. There were lots of people taking pictures of the sculptures and you could even see the artists finishing some of them. Every time I decided to enjoy the sculptures the day started with a typical Swedish tradition: fika. Either at the nations or at any of the many coffee shops in the city it is always a good plan to meet for fika and talk for a while.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#5A5A5A">Of course, I wasn’t going to be the only one without taking pictures so I hope you enjoy them!</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin; color:#5A5A5A">For more information you can visit the Ice Festival website: <a href="http://www.isfestivalen.se/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">www.isfestivalen.se/</span></a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;color:#5A5A5A"><br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(90, 90, 90); "><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtjXHuK0p7bW7pBuMyJKY8YR3bb_QtqtuXlqZaYKrHDHhoytJAUAEpYh1KQgRaChsZimMsOG4lP_PQGeIOyLn_1uwQZAJx8ME-P1YE4yzeKbRyol498MdBS5JIonT-SZW6fVdUSf0n-0I/s1600/P1020662.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0czk-IdwGQONFuwB6bLFse5uJhHs_gneUjbQeINu8TRjuQWkajIoI7_mRkQhjmEjG_sTYq5O1MpFgEAOwLfmAkqHBQ1FyPF-d7aLrKzBdKpNjVsS89rlECA8fnPJZr-c3PfrZZkAMNEvX/s400/P1020658.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585518903754333970" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:#5A5A5A;mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><!--[endif]--></span>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-72744954218039363152011-01-20T13:13:00.004+01:002011-02-05T12:28:07.217+01:00Going to the movies in UppsalaWell, as you might now by now I'm back in Uppsala! Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like living in Shanghai (because it is an awesome city), but I did miss the peaceful atmosphere that you can find in Uppsala, and the snow!!!!!! <div><br /></div><div>I want to start saying that Uppsala is covered with snow this time of the year and it is lovely. I find very relaxing the idea of walking on the streets breathing the cold air and looking at the trees and ceilings covered with snow. So, last night my boyfriend and I decided to go and watch Harry Potter 7 (which btw is a lot better that the previous one) and walk around a little bit. The walk was as I remembered it from last year. The cinema was nice, small and cozy as we watched the movie in the smallest room (about 60 seats). The thing that amused me the most was the price: 2 tickets, 2 sodas and a big ball of popcorns = 299 SEK. Yes, it might seem pretty normal to everyone, it was actually pretty normal for me, until I went to China and got used to the idea that it was a lot of money!</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope that all of you get to come to Uppsala (if that is what you want of course) and enjoy walking around the river in the city center as much as I do :-)</div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-35247340356324245362010-12-03T06:09:00.002+01:002010-12-03T06:20:24.347+01:00Uppsala University Nations<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Until last year, being a member of any of the student nations was mandatory so, there was no way you didn't visit them at least once! Now this is optional, which means there are a lot of students who doesn't join and doesn't enjoy this great part of the student life in Sweden. Taking part on the different activities organized by the nations is a great and cheap way of having a lot of fun! You'll make a lot of friends and specially it is a good way to meet more Swedish students that otherwise might be hard to meet in the international masters (I'm saying it's hard, not impossible)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I just want to leave you here a list with the links to the nations' websites. I REALLY encourage you to check them out and join any of them once you're in Uppsala! You can choose one based on your interests, hobbies, scholarships, housing needs... (yes, some of them even offer housing!) and don't worry, it's not a life-time commitment! After you join any of them you can take part in others nations activities and you can even change your membership from one nation to another.</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.gotlandsnation.se/" rel="nofollow">Gotlands nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.ghnation.se/" rel="nofollow">Gästrike-Hälsinge nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.student.uu.se/nation/gbg/" rel="nofollow">Göteborgs nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.kalmarnation.com/" rel="nofollow">Kalmar nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.norrlandsnation.se/" rel="nofollow">Norrlands nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.student.uu.se/nation/smalands/" rel="nofollow">Smålands nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://stockholms.se/" rel="nofollow">Stockholms nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.snerikes.se/" rel="nofollow">Södermanlands-Nerikes nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.uplandsnation.se/" rel="nofollow">Uplands nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.varmlandsnation.se/" rel="nofollow">Värmlands nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.vastgotanation.se/" rel="nofollow">Västgöta nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.v-dala.com/" rel="nofollow">Västmanlands-Dala nation</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://ostgotanation.se/" rel="nofollow">Östgöta nation</a></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;">In case you were wondering... I'm a member of SNerikes nation! :-)</span></div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-84128394049715541202010-11-24T12:06:00.007+01:002010-12-03T04:42:42.163+01:00Writing from Shanghai!<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEjfU1_y1uxe99vLf0gtL68kzbEYM3SeDnwdhhNIfTCw-n6pGaiWRtoPqMPnqnlcHXhfxY0EHbXCJIIxqtk_8LWmpGlksiZjdFgyG38SInzy0v3VieaqrQ3hMEbYU_a3j2OCNEAGTJt80/s1600/Tongji_University_Logo.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEjfU1_y1uxe99vLf0gtL68kzbEYM3SeDnwdhhNIfTCw-n6pGaiWRtoPqMPnqnlcHXhfxY0EHbXCJIIxqtk_8LWmpGlksiZjdFgyG38SInzy0v3VieaqrQ3hMEbYU_a3j2OCNEAGTJt80/s200/Tongji_University_Logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543071406473141778" border="0" /></a>Hello everyone! Even when this blog is about studying and living in Uppsala, I’m going to write from Shanghai today. I’m currently studying in Tongji University and I will be back to Uppsala next semester. I’m part of a double degree program in Computer Science and, as part of the program, I’m taking some courses in Tongji University. I have to say that I love Shanghai! It’s an amazing city! And more importantly I think Tongji University is a great place to study.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />For those of you who might be interested on this program I will say that it is a great opportunity. Uppsala University is, as you probably already know, a renowned University very strong in CS research. On the other hand, Tongji is also an excellent University with tight industry relations. I’m currently taking a Data Warehouse course taught by the DW eBay team. You can see google camp posters everywhere, IBM recruitment posters, contests, etc. You will work with the latest technology.<br /><br />The hardest part about studying in Tongji is the cultural differences. You might have to double check everything, talk many times to your classmates and the teachers, and be sure you know what to do. On the beginning it might seem like everything is the same as in your home country until you start having misunderstandings. Hopefully you’ll solve them very quickly and I’m sure everyone will try to help you because if I’m sure about something is that all Chinese students and teachers that I have met are nice and friendly and they will try to help you as much as they can.<br /><br />I’m sorry for being away for so long! I hope you don’t forget about me and about the blog!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9p9xWdkeWx55ENKWJRx_4YbwqwsZfzHGjBeHQOWRvyuT45-SlodWlO4KbRye8E8PbTRc2v_ezxl70DsRgyTY_fsHQ6yNYpaLxmu8Id6pjz7_AB5j5nN9wQQbi2HhzyJHQPkyxLrYS94K/s1600/P1000965.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9p9xWdkeWx55ENKWJRx_4YbwqwsZfzHGjBeHQOWRvyuT45-SlodWlO4KbRye8E8PbTRc2v_ezxl70DsRgyTY_fsHQ6yNYpaLxmu8Id6pjz7_AB5j5nN9wQQbi2HhzyJHQPkyxLrYS94K/s400/P1000965.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543076357878919458" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-5931786726238081972010-04-26T19:37:00.004+02:002010-12-03T04:45:05.546+01:00Getting your PersonnummerAs you'll soon discover, once you arrive to Sweden you'll need to get your own personnumer. You'll need this number in order to open a bank account and to be able to work here. It's very easy to get and it will take you like an hour of your life and 1-3 weeks of wait after that until you receive it at your home address (here in Uppsala). Remember to take your passport with you when you go there!<div><br /></div><div>You can get it at the Swedish tax offices called <a href="http://www.skatteverket.se/">Skatteverket</a> and you can find one at this address:</div><div><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Kungs%C3%A4ngsgatan+43,+Uppsala&sll=59.858144,17.644586&sspn=2.394558,8.453979&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kungs%C3%A4ngsgatan+43,+Uppsala,+Uppsala+L%C3%A4n,+Sweden&ll=59.854838,17.646983&spn=0.003772,0.00912&z=16&iwloc=A&output=embed" width="425" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Kungs%C3%A4ngsgatan+43,+Uppsala&sll=59.858144,17.644586&sspn=2.394558,8.453979&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kungs%C3%A4ngsgatan+43,+Uppsala,+Uppsala+L%C3%A4n,+Sweden&ll=59.854838,17.646983&spn=0.003772,0.00912&z=16&iwloc=A" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br /></div>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-69589998170293666052010-04-18T15:21:00.003+02:002010-04-18T15:28:18.847+02:00A little bit about this period<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">You might already know that courses in Uppsala University are mostly taught only during one period (half semester). All courses range from 5 to 15 credits and if you plan to finish your degree on time, you should take 60 credits per year. Nevertheless, do not believe that the workload of each course is 100% based on the credits: many students (including myself) complain about this problem. There are courses of 7.5 or 10 credits that are actually OK, but many 5-credit courses seem to require a lot of work, sometimes even more than a 7.5-credit course.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">This period I’m taking User Interface Programming II (5) and Machine Learning (7.5). It’s less than 15 credits but I already took extra credits the previous semester. You might be interested on following on twitter how much I’m actually working on each course. As a spoiler, I’ll probably be working more on the UIP2 course than in ML. Why? Well, it’s a project-based course without final exam, which means that the whole evaluation is made on one single project that has to be developed during the course. Be careful with project-based courses: they are usually very good and very interesting, but in order to make the most of them you have to work A LOT every week. In fact, when I tool UIP1 I have to say that I learned way too many things about developing graphical interfaces and I met very nice people, but I spent most of the period working only on this course. My advice: combine those courses with regular courses so you can get a better balance and some free time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">If you want to know more about the courses just follow these links: <a href="http://www.it.uu.se/edu/course/homepage/devgui2/vt10">User Interface Programming 2</a> and <a href="http://www.it.uu.se/edu/course/homepage/mil/vt10">Machine Learning</a>. </p>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-80151931309126171022010-04-13T12:57:00.000+02:002010-04-13T00:04:12.090+02:00Follow me on twitter!<span style="line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SAfont-family:";font-size:11.0pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">I believe that the hardest information to find on the Internet about Sweden and Uppsala University is about the little things that students do on regular basis. I wanted to invite you all to follow me on twitter and get a better idea not only about what I think of my days but about what I do. You’ll see if I have lectures, if I’m working on my assignments or just enjoying some free time! </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">I hope you like it!</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"> I also want to thank all my readers! I’m incredibly happy that you all have found this blog useful and I’ll keep writing based on your suggestions.</span></span>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-33916644264321637202010-04-12T21:18:00.001+02:002010-04-12T21:18:32.197+02:00The cost of living in Sweden<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">When thinking about studying in Sweden, a very common question is: how much money do I need? Well, I have to say that, at least from my experience, living here it’s quite expensive. Still, since I think this is a very personal opinion, I believe it would be better to share some numbers with you. I took some numbers from the website <a href="http://www.studyinsweden.se">http://www.studyinsweden.se</a> but mostly I’m putting my comments.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Food: SEK 2000. I believe this is possible, but in my opinion it will actually be more expensive. Having lunch at Rullan, an on-campus restaurant in MIC, costs around SEK 80 and a regular meal at Burger King costs SEK 60. Of course cooking your own food is cheaper, but still you’ll find that 1 litter of milk costs SEK 10.90, 1 box of All Bran cereal costs 31.90 and 1 litter of juice costs around SEK 10. In my opinion the cost of food is at least SEK 3000.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Accomodation: SEK 3200. One thing that’s really nice about Sweden is that you’ll find a nice place to live for very little money. You can pay in less than SEK 3000 for a 19m2 room in Flogsta, with your own bathroom and shared kitchen. All services are included (Internet, water and electricity) and you don’t have to pay for July and August. If you’re renting an unfurnished room, don’t forget to check IKEA.se to get a pretty good idea about furniture prices. Still, you can find used furniture for half the price!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Local travel: SEK 500. This number is actually the maximum amount you’ll have to pay. If you buy a bike, like most of the students and Uppsala inhabitants, you will only have to pay for it and forget about public transportation. If you want to use the buses you’ll have to pay SEK 30 to the driver for a ticket that lasts 90 minutes. If you buy the ticket using your mobile phone (text message) you’ll only have to pay SEK 20. You can also buy a rechargeable card. You’ll have to pay a SEK 90 deposit (that you get back when you return the card) and you’ll pay only SEK 16 for each trip. All those tickets include all the busses you take on a 90 minutes period. Finally, you can buy a monthly card that will cost you SEK 500 each month and you can use the buses as much as you want!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Student Union Fee: SEK 400 – 600 each semester. There is no way around it. You can pick the cheapest one if you want and you’ll still be able to visit all nations.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Cinema: SEK 110 – 130. You can find cheaper tickets during the weekdays using the student discount.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Books: SEK 500 – 1000. Buying used books it’s always cheaper and not all courses require you to buy a book.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Train trip from Arlanda Airport: SEK 130. The bus costs SEK 100 but the trip is a little bit longer. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Everything else depends on you. I would like to add that here alcoholic drinks are pretty expensive too. If you’re interested in some other expenses in particular just let me know about it!</p>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-5667423995283983042010-02-21T00:06:00.003+01:002010-12-03T04:46:19.899+01:00A little bit of everythingThis post doesn't really have a specific topic: it's more like a summary of the latest weeks. First I have to say that I haven't have the time to write much since this period has been kind of crazy: a lot of programming and a lot of reading!<br /><br />In case you were wondering, there are many courses that are project based. In my particular case I'm taking User-Interface Programing, but there are many other courses like this one, where you need to develop a group project during the whole period (or even 2 periods). The idea behind those courses is really good and you can learn a lot. At the same time they require hard work every week, group communication, researching and again: more work. This courses will also give you the opportunity to work with people with different backgrounds and make excellent friends.<br /><br />For all those non EU/EEA citizens how are planning on coming to Uppsala, read this article about future University's fees.<br /><br />http://www.thelocal.se/25092/20100219/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=136Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-24811977823246522432010-01-18T21:21:00.006+01:002010-01-18T21:44:45.082+01:00Visiting Stockholm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-Q4lbWyqxFTNXoEk8lhx-bc3ihqZtMv_Sqbe1EaUx0pNQ04CT_4S1xZ7RVNU_43Cvek58zNbmIHjk3wioj7ePBJ7bEpF9L7DJSOrP-1Akxgf-fhJcwx-kxu_R_xrRhTMIXFNY6W_DwEK/s1600-h/DSC06769.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-Q4lbWyqxFTNXoEk8lhx-bc3ihqZtMv_Sqbe1EaUx0pNQ04CT_4S1xZ7RVNU_43Cvek58zNbmIHjk3wioj7ePBJ7bEpF9L7DJSOrP-1Akxgf-fhJcwx-kxu_R_xrRhTMIXFNY6W_DwEK/s200/DSC06769.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428179735688699106" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Less than an hour from Uppsala is the amazing city of Stockholm! I’ve been studying so much that I waited and waited until the winter break came and I finally went there! I honestly have to say I didn’t know what I was missing. Stockholm is actually a very beautiful city and it looked really amazing all covered with snow.</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31C4u9bI7zFxq49UZ4tDs5CYA9mWUUuZL1AmhMaW25L3ePbRHu8iX6foEJq_Z_zZXj7W8CAwlm5NUuLILzMYJCfJnahWT8NsW_Y2Xl59-rFHycEyoqf8mEyrqRaVP9eqPN5No6ZKoqOmb/s1600-h/DSC06748.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31C4u9bI7zFxq49UZ4tDs5CYA9mWUUuZL1AmhMaW25L3ePbRHu8iX6foEJq_Z_zZXj7W8CAwlm5NUuLILzMYJCfJnahWT8NsW_Y2Xl59-rFHycEyoqf8mEyrqRaVP9eqPN5No6ZKoqOmb/s200/DSC06748.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428178963446003602" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">The train tickets are very cheap and you can come back to Uppsala the same day. You can walk around the city, visit some of its many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Stockholm">museums</a> and you can even take a boat trip. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">If you are interested in taking a tour, I recommend you to look for the Hop On Hop Off tours. Just like in most cities around Europe they have many tours and even they have a boat route around the islands. The bus tour is a very good option during the cold days since you get to see the city, go off the bus in the places you like and then get in the bus again and hide from the cold weather.</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVGmw-1tZnA8MQu_nTCF1fFw4bUEoBYz3TcsQc-jnKzBisqTmJOgQKIMnXnpNjEoYYT5j3gN-yc_Lp39cKIEvShwI5LfDOMrkcU7vSf3Oumvl84_m8aju9jeKT_m7m12-AfDoSwiQ8Bo7/s1600-h/DSC06824.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVGmw-1tZnA8MQu_nTCF1fFw4bUEoBYz3TcsQc-jnKzBisqTmJOgQKIMnXnpNjEoYYT5j3gN-yc_Lp39cKIEvShwI5LfDOMrkcU7vSf3Oumvl84_m8aju9jeKT_m7m12-AfDoSwiQ8Bo7/s200/DSC06824.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428180203507902722" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Stockholm also has many outdoor theaters which I’m dying to enjoy during the spring!</p>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-9140117209446954472009-10-31T13:26:00.001+01:002009-10-31T13:28:43.350+01:00Constraint Technology<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">This course is about presenting a <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; color:black">set of techniques and tools for solving combinatorial problems. For example, a Sudoku puzzle is a combinatorial problem where you need to place distinct digits from 1 to 9 in each row, column and 3x3 squares. Other examples include scheduling, planning, molecular biology, finance, linguistics, and so on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:black">This course combines theoretical foundations with hands-on experience in modeling and solving combinatorial problems.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:black">You can find this course interesting if you like apply logic, reasoning and optimization. It’s not like any of those backgrounds are necessary for taking the course but it is that kind of course. If you are also interested in research you’ll really enjoy it. On the other hand, if you are more industry-oriented you can also find it useful but you need to give it a try. There are many examples during the course about how this is being used in industry and there is a guest lecture from a company working with CT that will try to attract you to work there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:black">In order to pass the course you will need to do 2 assignments with a partner and one final project by yourself. There is also a final exam. The assignments can take time if you are playing with them and testing different concepts. I think that really helps to understand better the theory. For the final exam is important that you manage all the concepts in the class. There are not so many concepts and everything is related, but you need to be sure you know how things work. If you go to class, do the assignments and solve some old exams you’ll be fine. But you really need to understand the class! If you feel like nothing makes sense and you don’t start understanding by the time you are working on the second assignment then the exam is going to be really hard!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:black">Notice that it is just my personal opinion mixed with some comments I heard in order to give you an idea. If you like it, don’t let anyone tell you it’s too hard! </span></span></p>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-45077470367058996642009-09-13T10:56:00.002+02:002009-09-13T11:24:20.454+02:00Walking around Uppsala<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;color:black;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfS8N3lh1Mbw3m-sVso6fZLVERisjaxKkj2YblBrOtBMi7h3g1Rs-ROGQMBZIN3wJ9xk3DKft1PcUYGn38jWo7HZ_R0KampBAC0B1PVeN4bm-p43aYQ0pQ__0YHRgmk8rJYCFz9jkTDOZ/s912/DSC06369.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfS8N3lh1Mbw3m-sVso6fZLVERisjaxKkj2YblBrOtBMi7h3g1Rs-ROGQMBZIN3wJ9xk3DKft1PcUYGn38jWo7HZ_R0KampBAC0B1PVeN4bm-p43aYQ0pQ__0YHRgmk8rJYCFz9jkTDOZ/s912/DSC06369.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a>When I decided to come and study in Uppsala University I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into. I have a friend how came few years ago as an exchange student and he’s truly fascinated about this place, so I said to myself: “It has to be a wonderful place”. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to walk a little bit around Uppsala I can understand why. It’s a beautiful city, full of flowers and people walking on the streets. The atmosphere is very refreshing and everywhere you look at you can see young people from around the world. If you pay attention you can hear people talking in a lot of different languages.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SLI0vstL4MWE_McehbQ-aZrKogmN69D7oZ_wAdsR40-Kd9SugE7jYD_0fR_uwsC6UfGnWiKZ8B9KIY23FrA8rTsXsY41y1QsymKD6meEFL4MRXTCqzOjoVwqwFpbITDr2qxT_Vv0J0JJ/s912/DSC06339.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SLI0vstL4MWE_McehbQ-aZrKogmN69D7oZ_wAdsR40-Kd9SugE7jYD_0fR_uwsC6UfGnWiKZ8B9KIY23FrA8rTsXsY41y1QsymKD6meEFL4MRXTCqzOjoVwqwFpbITDr2qxT_Vv0J0JJ/s912/DSC06339.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;color:black;">There are a lot of pretty places to visit. Sadly I haven’t had the chance to visit them all, but I recommend you to walk close the river, visit the cathedral, and the castle. Anyway, here are some pretty pictures about Uppsala and I hope I can share more with you very soon </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;font-size:12.0pt;color:black;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:Wingdings;">J</span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height:115%; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;color:black;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ3OQ9F_BRvWN3Fx5qeJ_Gklg2UqCEMvxccmtEsbKT8fXjgVYispsh-j9F66C8W0nxXuGU3tD3UxhYLqx3CIJ3G7gqoc_Ki9Q5KaDz-3NDo9u5kWGakprCTx8mnSQKN4NeHgQFD6AYyzD/s912/DSC06402.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ3OQ9F_BRvWN3Fx5qeJ_Gklg2UqCEMvxccmtEsbKT8fXjgVYispsh-j9F66C8W0nxXuGU3tD3UxhYLqx3CIJ3G7gqoc_Ki9Q5KaDz-3NDo9u5kWGakprCTx8mnSQKN4NeHgQFD6AYyzD/s912/DSC06402.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a>Something worth highlighting is that Swedes are very friendly: almost everyone speaks perfect English and in any case they will ALWAYS try to help you. They might seem timid and reserved, but you just need to give it a try and talk to them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3485319925632417465.post-89404545718062735642009-09-11T21:08:00.001+02:002009-09-11T21:10:23.089+02:00Flogsta Scream!<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height:115%;font-size:12.0pt;">I really don’t know why but every day at 10 pm you can hear a lot of people scream from their windows! Most people get scared the first time they hear it, but for me it was quite different: I immediately remember a Gilmore Girls episode when Rory is spending her first night in Yale and the boys are making wolfs sounds. It’s a really funny joining and screaming as much as you can!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Andryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14430548119954196173noreply@blogger.com5