![\"11219514_10204084764748778_383373936954858142_n\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/files\/2015\/08\/11219514_10204084764748778_383373936954858142_n.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n1. Kayaking in the Baltic Sea with Sweden\u2019s former Minister of the Environment (who is also your professor for three of your classes) is a pretty stellar experience.<\/p>\n
2. Cars WILL stop for pedestrians no matter where or when. This is a huge culture shock coming from Chicago\u2026<\/p>\n
3. It\u2019s always a great time for FIKA! (Fika is not the actual coffee or biscuit you eat on a fika break, but rather refers the concept of taking a break, relaxing, and socializing with those around you. Swedes typically take 1-3 per day.)<\/p>\n
4. That being said, the Swedish lifestyle is SO much more relaxed than what Americans experience.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5. The majority of shops close around 8pm (or earlier) Every. Single. Night. No late night Target runs here\u2026<\/p>\n 6. Not having classes on Fridays (to ensure the possibility of traveling to other European countries while here) is pretty sweet.<\/p>\n 7. You can make 15 jars of jam, a strawberry shortcake, strawberry vodka, two trays of chocolate covered strawberries, a meal of strawberry pancakes, strawberry syrup, and still have plenty leftover to eat after picking 51 lbs of strawberries from a local berry patch! (\u00a0and I\u2019m still not sick of them)<\/p>\n 8. Don\u2019t be surprised if you\u2019re enjoying lunch on a canoe in a public park\u2019s lake and happen to come across a group of grandparents sunbathing and swimming nude.<\/p>\n 9. Everyone spends their free time outside from lounging on blankets in the park, to eating picnics in the shade of trees or running along the river\u2014You can tell that everyone is trying to soak up as much sunshine as possible before there\u2019s only a couple hours of sunlight each day. (In the fall and winter, the sun will only be up for 6-8 hours each day! In northern Sweden, there can be as little as 2 hours of sunlight during the middle of winter.)<\/p>\n 10. Grocery shopping can be quite difficult when the only Swedish you know is how to count from one through ten and the days of the week.<\/p>\n 11. Thank goodness Swedes are very friendly and can speak English extremely well! I haven\u2019t had any trouble with asking for directions and I now can tell the difference between the cartons of milk and cartons of yogurt when I\u2019m at the grocery store all by myself.<\/p>\n 12. Uppsala has a ton of university students, but you don\u2019t have a social life unless you get a \u201cnations\u201d card and join one of the nations. (Nations are somewhat comprable to Greek life in the US, as you have to be a member to participate. But once you\u2019re a part of one nation, you can go to events at whatever nation you\u2019d like. They\u2019re somewhat like student run nightclubs and restaurants that are open for meals as well as partying late into the night. Nations are known to host fancy formals and other dinner events throughout the semester as well!)<\/p>\n 13. Everything is gosh-darn expensive here. Eating out costs an arm and a leg- a meal of fish and chips from a local pub cost me about $25\u2026 It was delicious, mind you, but I\u2019ve begun to discover the joys (and horrors) of cooking for oneself.<\/p>\n 14. Studying environmental policy in one of the most environmentally conscious and progressive countries in the world is already proving to be a phenomenal opportunity. Learning about environmental practices and actually experiencing them rather than simply reading about them in the textbook is absolutely incredible.<\/p>\n 15. I could spend an entire week exploring and enjoying the beautiful Swedish archipelagos. They are so unique and truly highlight the special (and threatened) ecological systems of the Baltic Sea.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n