day 5. kth - first day of class.
Hejsan! Today I had my first day of Swedish B1. I've yet to finish the homeworks, so I won't let this post run on for too long. I'll catch up on days 2, 3, 4 on the weekend, most likely, with more photos.
I was going to wear shorts today, but it seemed cool enough outside for jeans (HAH, not a chance-), and so I switched into jeans before leaving. I stood at the bus stop at the back of the complex until I realised the bus doesn't come so frequently there. So I went to the front, and the other bus left as I approached, so I walked the rest of the way to the tunnelbana station. It only took around 10 minutes, so I still had plenty of time. And then I realised that I had left my transportation pass in my shorts pocket, and had to buy a 24-h pass for the day and run to catch the tunnelbana. Luckily, the campus is two stops away and only takes 10-15 minutes at most to reach.
Class runs from 9-13 on Mondays and Wednesdays, but today we were dismissed half an hour early. We took break from 10.30-11, so there was enough time to stand outside and chat, as well as grab a coffee or snack for those who wanted something. I think I'm managing all right in class, actually- I was afraid the level would be over my head, seeing as I've never taken a Swedish course before this, nor have I had to speak it regularly before arriving here. But it's a good level for me, with vocabulary I still don't understand and grammar I need to improve (considering I don't know all the vocabulary from A-level Swedish, either, I really need to work on it).
During the break, I chatted (in English) with some of the other students. Some are on exchange, some are international students seeking a degree at KTH... They've all been really nice, and also good to work with in class. All students except for one from China, one from Brasil, and me, are from Europe somewhere. Mostly from Germany.
Several of us went to the bookstore after class to buy either the textbook/workbook or supplies (I had no paper today, so that's what I got), and then we went out for lunch. Apparently, all the campus dining centers are still closed for holiday, so we ended up picking up toasted sandwiches from the 7-Eleven (and I left mine behind the counter, and had to run back to fetch it). We sat outside in a shaded area on campus to eat, and I basically had a wasp hovering over my sandwich for half an hour until I got up and walked in circles to lose it.
Above: School of Electrical Engineering.
I spent the afternoon at the Electrical Engineering School orientation/opening, and after we received our KTH-accounts and such, we had fika with the EE chapter of the student union, THS. (N.B. For those of you who don't know what fika is, it's a coffee and cinnamon roll break for the most part. Can be with other things, but more often than not, it's coffee with something light to eat.)
After that, I met my dad at the tunnelbana stop outside KTH and then we returned to my dorm. He had bought me an electric fan (finally!), so I'm no longer entirely melting into a puddle in my room when I leave the windows shut overnight!
The subway this time on the way back was different from the others, both in the interior and exterior. It seemed painted newer, although the vintage colour scheme made my dad think it was older. There was an accordion player again (there's usually a gypsy or someone else who plays fiddle or accordion in the tunnelbana and hops subways from stop to stop). He was much better than the fiddle player we heard on the way to and from IKEA on Saturday. I filmed one of the fiddlers I've heard, but I didn't film the accordionist.
I spent about two or so hours in the housing office here, trying to figure out why I couldn't log on and see my accommodations and book a laundry room time. It's organised here, where we have to share a laundry room with our courtyard and two others (buildings 21-26, 31-36, 41-48 or something like that; don't recall exactly how many there are). But the laundry rooms can't be booked unless we have an account with SSSB (the Stockholm Student Housing Association, or some translation roughly the equivalent), and although I have an account with them, there is no record of my having accommodations since it was booked through the university instead of through the queue.
So I spent those two hours speaking mainly (bad) Swedish in there, since it seemed clearer for them if I spoke Swedish (and I understood theirs perfectly well). Most of the problem has been settled, and the house caretaker on duty there was nice enough to override the bookings with his admin account and book a time for me to wash my clothes tomorrow. So, that's how I'll be spending the afternoon/early evening, and it's just as well, since it will be the only booking I get for this week.
By dinnertime, I was hungry, so my dad and I went to a Thai restaurant near to my housing. The food is actually really good there! I tried to order in Swedish, and I thought I was doing a decent job, but they wanted to speak English with me anyway. It's probably my accent. Their Thai is native, their English is very good, and their Swedish is also very good, so I suppose they manage quite well with customers!
And there is the update for today :) Also, I want to say that cactus pear flavoured PLOPP bars are surprisingly good. I was not expecting that at all. In fact, I was not expecting cactus pear flavour :P
Also, I drew on my window last night with window crayons :P
Hejsan! Today I had my first day of Swedish B1. I've yet to finish the homeworks, so I won't let this post run on for too long. I'll catch up on days 2, 3, 4 on the weekend, most likely, with more photos.
I was going to wear shorts today, but it seemed cool enough outside for jeans (HAH, not a chance-), and so I switched into jeans before leaving. I stood at the bus stop at the back of the complex until I realised the bus doesn't come so frequently there. So I went to the front, and the other bus left as I approached, so I walked the rest of the way to the tunnelbana station. It only took around 10 minutes, so I still had plenty of time. And then I realised that I had left my transportation pass in my shorts pocket, and had to buy a 24-h pass for the day and run to catch the tunnelbana. Luckily, the campus is two stops away and only takes 10-15 minutes at most to reach.
Class runs from 9-13 on Mondays and Wednesdays, but today we were dismissed half an hour early. We took break from 10.30-11, so there was enough time to stand outside and chat, as well as grab a coffee or snack for those who wanted something. I think I'm managing all right in class, actually- I was afraid the level would be over my head, seeing as I've never taken a Swedish course before this, nor have I had to speak it regularly before arriving here. But it's a good level for me, with vocabulary I still don't understand and grammar I need to improve (considering I don't know all the vocabulary from A-level Swedish, either, I really need to work on it).
During the break, I chatted (in English) with some of the other students. Some are on exchange, some are international students seeking a degree at KTH... They've all been really nice, and also good to work with in class. All students except for one from China, one from Brasil, and me, are from Europe somewhere. Mostly from Germany.
Several of us went to the bookstore after class to buy either the textbook/workbook or supplies (I had no paper today, so that's what I got), and then we went out for lunch. Apparently, all the campus dining centers are still closed for holiday, so we ended up picking up toasted sandwiches from the 7-Eleven (and I left mine behind the counter, and had to run back to fetch it). We sat outside in a shaded area on campus to eat, and I basically had a wasp hovering over my sandwich for half an hour until I got up and walked in circles to lose it.
Above: School of Electrical Engineering.
I spent the afternoon at the Electrical Engineering School orientation/opening, and after we received our KTH-accounts and such, we had fika with the EE chapter of the student union, THS. (N.B. For those of you who don't know what fika is, it's a coffee and cinnamon roll break for the most part. Can be with other things, but more often than not, it's coffee with something light to eat.)
After that, I met my dad at the tunnelbana stop outside KTH and then we returned to my dorm. He had bought me an electric fan (finally!), so I'm no longer entirely melting into a puddle in my room when I leave the windows shut overnight!
The subway this time on the way back was different from the others, both in the interior and exterior. It seemed painted newer, although the vintage colour scheme made my dad think it was older. There was an accordion player again (there's usually a gypsy or someone else who plays fiddle or accordion in the tunnelbana and hops subways from stop to stop). He was much better than the fiddle player we heard on the way to and from IKEA on Saturday. I filmed one of the fiddlers I've heard, but I didn't film the accordionist.
I spent about two or so hours in the housing office here, trying to figure out why I couldn't log on and see my accommodations and book a laundry room time. It's organised here, where we have to share a laundry room with our courtyard and two others (buildings 21-26, 31-36, 41-48 or something like that; don't recall exactly how many there are). But the laundry rooms can't be booked unless we have an account with SSSB (the Stockholm Student Housing Association, or some translation roughly the equivalent), and although I have an account with them, there is no record of my having accommodations since it was booked through the university instead of through the queue.
So I spent those two hours speaking mainly (bad) Swedish in there, since it seemed clearer for them if I spoke Swedish (and I understood theirs perfectly well). Most of the problem has been settled, and the house caretaker on duty there was nice enough to override the bookings with his admin account and book a time for me to wash my clothes tomorrow. So, that's how I'll be spending the afternoon/early evening, and it's just as well, since it will be the only booking I get for this week.
By dinnertime, I was hungry, so my dad and I went to a Thai restaurant near to my housing. The food is actually really good there! I tried to order in Swedish, and I thought I was doing a decent job, but they wanted to speak English with me anyway. It's probably my accent. Their Thai is native, their English is very good, and their Swedish is also very good, so I suppose they manage quite well with customers!
And there is the update for today :) Also, I want to say that cactus pear flavoured PLOPP bars are surprisingly good. I was not expecting that at all. In fact, I was not expecting cactus pear flavour :P
Also, I drew on my window last night with window crayons :P
Godnatt från Stockholm! /The Swedish Fish
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