Today marks exactly two months and a half since I’ve moved to Stockholm. So, I thought of sharing my first week in the Venice of the North with you – let’s see if reality met expectations!
My first week in Stockholm was jam-packed, stressful and hectic – but it was also fun, surprising and unbelievably mind-opening! Honestly, I think it was this mixture of positive and scary (?) feelings that mainly characterised my first week in Sweden.
I admit that at the beginning I was feeling quite lost. Indeed, I had never lived alone before, and I had never lived in a foreign country either – so I guess my anxiety was justified. But here comes the first game changer: the International Reception.
The International Reception is a series of activities organised by THS, the Student Union of KTH. It lasts about one month and its primary goal is to make international students feel welcome and help new students to get to know each other better through a series of games, trips, activities and parties. I highly recommend you to participate in the International Reception, not only because of the activities themselves (which are still super fun and pretty varied), but also to get to know your first friends. It also really helps in getting to know the Swedish culture and Stockholm better, and they keep you busy – if you’re feeling alone, they will certainly help you enjoy your first days more.
My first week was also characterised by a ton of bureaucratic activities. I started looking for a Swedish phone number (without much success) and opening a bank account (with even less success) without realising that I first needed to get my personal identity number – which I soon did. But hey, even though running errands is always boring, it can also turn into a chance to explore the city! I walked a lot and started getting accustomed to my new home. Oh, and I also bought a bicycle, had a bath in the Swedish archipelago, and attended the Welcome Ceremony for the start of the academic year at KTH… sooo many things. Trust me, the first one or two weeks can be incredibly full!
And finally, being Italian, I must admit that I spent A TON (probably too much) time looking for the best shops and places to buy food. And… well, there is a lot of room for improvement, but overall I would say that Stockholm can offer you quite a variety of food and culinary contamination; so, if you’re into food, you may end up not that disappointed after all.
That’s a wrap for today! Thank you very much for reading this blog post. As always, if you have any questions feel free to write them below. Lastly, if you’re also feeling scared by the Swedish Winter, check out Raygo’s last post on the topic!
Bravo!!!!!!
Thanks!