Getting ready! T-14 days!!!

It’s only 2 weeks before the classes start and I’m still in Barcelona, Spain. I’m arriving to Uppsala on the 18^th and I started packing today! I checked the weather and it seems to be getting colder and colder already. So I decided to pack the autumn – winter cloth leaving behind all the shorts and swim suits.

I talked to a very dear friend of mine who was an exchange student in Uppsala University few years ago and he gave me some tips:

· DO NOT forget exchanging money before you arrive to Uppsala.

· There are 2 main ways to go from the Arlanda Airport to Uppsala. The first one is by train. It costs around SEK 90 - 140 and it takes 20 min to arrive. The second one is by bus. It’s a little bit cheaper (SEK 120) but it takes 50 min to get to Uppsala. It’s worth noticing that both train and bus arrive to the same place in Uppsala. Going by taxi to Uppsala would cost you approximately SEK 445 (ask for the fixed price). The taxi can normally be paid with a credit card.

· To activate your student Internet connection you’ll need to go to the Student Office. It’s located in the city center and you can get there in the bus 2 stop Universitetet.

· If you buy a bicycle you should also have the Cykel Karta (bicycle’s route map). Also check the legal requirements for driving a bike: if you don’t the lights and security requirements you could get a ticket (penalty). ALWAYS lock your bicycle or you’ll have to buy more than one…

· Buy an Uppsala Kortet (Uppsala bus card). It works for all the green busses in Uppsala and this way travelling in bus will be cheaper. You’ll find them in a store called Pressbyran. Those stores are located in the bus station and in the town center.

Waiting... T-35 days and counting!

Everything seems to be falling into place: now that I’ve been accepted into the Master Program in Computer Science and I finally found a place to live it’s just a matter of time before I arrive to Uppsala. Personally, It feels like I’ve been waiting forever and I can’t see the day the classes are starting! Of course I’ve been thinking about all the things I have to do before moving to Uppsala and all the things I’m going to have to do once I’m there.

First of all, paying the student apartment is not everything: I need to go and pick up the keys… That means the day I arrive I’ll have tons of luggage with me and no place to go. Well, I’m adding “finding a hotel in Uppsala” to me to-do list. Also, once I get the keys I’ll have to buy some furniture. I’ll better look for an IKEA store and check a little bit what are they selling. It’s not rocket science thinking about going to IKEA since they are a low cost home products retailer founded in 1943 in Sweden. I’m not saying this is the best option, but right now is the only one I know.

What about bicycles? Every time I talk to someone who has been in Sweden the bicycles subject arise! Are all the students using bicycles for real? Even when it’s raining? Where can I buy a bicycle? I guess I’ll have to see all that for myself… In the meanwhile I’ll use the bus.