exchange- the end

I have not been keeping up to date with these posts at all. It's unbelievable how fast the last 5 months have gone by. 

Last 4 days in Lund. It's been incredibly surreal, I feel a little bit like this has been a really long dream or something... so strange! 

Anyway just a re-cap...

My housing area is Ostra Torn and I love it! At the beginning I didn't, because it was not within walking distance of the central station. It also gets quite dark around this area in winter when the sun sets at 4pm. As soon as I got a bike (which you should definitely do if you're living in Lund), I had no problem with transport. Speaking of bikes, the facebook group 'Buy/Sell Lund' is a great place to find one. I wouldn't recommend bike shops because they generally have a lot of bad quality bikes and the good ones they sell for a lot. 

Groceries are the cheapest at Lidl, Willys or Netto. I prefer Willys because they have a greater variety of stuff and it's one of the cheapest places to get things in Lund. I avoid getting things from the ICA in the town centre because it's a tad more expensive. It's not all bad though, keep an eye out for sale items because some of them are pretty good! 

Student nation... I joined a student nation, I think it's something you should do if you're on exchange/erasmus here. It's around 200kr for the semester and you get all sorts of discounts around town. The nations also run events every so often. Every week they have a dinner at some of the nations and you can get pretty cheap food from there (45kr). 

Lund is a quaint little town and it's generally pretty safe here. Excellent bike/pedestrian lanes and pathways and the whole town is so beautiful in springtime! Sad to be leaving but also super glad I chose Lund University. 

exchange #6 Norway

Sometimes I still can't process the fact that I'm in Europe, living in Sweden. How on earth?! A year ago I was only beginning to think about going on exchange, thankfully I toughed out the long application process otherwise I'd be missing out on all of this wonderful Swedishness.

It's March 7th, and the days are already getting much longer and warmer. When I first arrived in January the sun didn't rise till 830am and sunset was at 4pm, now it gets bright nice at early at 7 and doesn't get dark till 6pm.

The last few weeks my class went on a little study trip to Norway, to visit the town of Moss in the Ostfold region. It was such a lovely trip, the buildings are so sweet and quaint. Too bad it was super quiet during the winter, we saw very little people around.

exchange #5

I had some trouble last month staying under budget, but I think that's excusable because the first month did have some start up expenses. Bedsheets, pillows, detergent, bike... etc

So I've discovered a new place to do my grocery shopping! It's a store called Lidl. It's almost exactly the same as Aldi back home. And the best part is that it's cheap. Unfortunately it doesn't have a wide variety of things, but another store called Willy's is good for the rest. It's also quite cheap.

What I'm trying to figure out now is how to cook for one... It's kind of awkward because if I cook too much I have a billion meals but if i cook to little it seems inefficient. Any tips? Lately I've been cooking enough to last me 2 meals, which doesn't feel like enough.

I bought a whole chicken the other day from Lidl, portioned it and froze the pieces for meals later on, thought that was pretty clever of me.

In the meantime, check out some pics from the last week. Oh boy, Scandinavian landscapes- breathtaking.

Copenhagen- Osterport Station

Town protected by a moat! (I think thats what they're called)

Ferry wharf at Oslo

Leaving the Oslo Fjord! 

Just another Oslo Fjord picture because it's so pretty

exchange #4 settling in

Here are a few things you need to know if you're moving to Lund soon.

1. Jojo Card
It's a travel card where you can load money on and use it to catch the buses and trains. Make sure you get a student one if you're a student.

2. Sim card
I'm using Telia. It's okay. I've heard there's a better one with more data, which is really what I need...

3. Bike
Get a bike and save on travel money, cause it ain't cheap on a student budget.

4. Food
Meat is expensive! Shoot. I'll have to cut down on that. There are a few grocery stores in the neighbourhood. I've only been to ICA & COOP Konsum... Not sure which one is cheaper yet. The ICA near Lund C station is expensive so avoid that one if you can.

So I'm still figuring out how to cook for one and make the most of my meals. At the moment I've been buying frozen veggies and frozen fish, and only a tiny bit of meat. Rice and Pasta have been my meals for the last few days. When you're hungry, everything tastes good!!

Have a look at the lovely town below :)

Town Cathedral

Lund Central station

lovely cobble-stone streets

exchange #3 lund, the beginning

Everyone says exchange is incredibly fun- which I have no doubt it will be. Nobody really said anything about how staying alive on your own in a completely new country is also incredibly terrifying!

It has been a hectic 3 days. Arrived in Copenhagen airport on the morning of the 11th and caught the train to Lund. The good thing about arriving on the set arrival day was the many student mentors from Lund University who were extremely helpful and helped the new students to their varying accommodations. Arrive on arrival day!

My home for now, Ostra Torn (pronounced Oooostra toorn) is so damn eerie because of the large space of the student housing block in a country setting and the few students that currently occupy it. I think many students have yet to move in (I sure hope so because at the moment it's kinda scary. It's almost always dark here so that makes it worse). The apartment itself is very nice, complete with a kitchen and bathroom. If you're reading this and deciding whether or not to apply for Ostra Torn through LU Accommodation, I would recommend you think about whether you prefer a nice living space or location. I didn't apply for Ostra Torn but was put here anyway- still can't decide whether I like it or not... will let you know at the end of it all.

Behold, there is is! My very own studio flat with a bathroom and kitchen. Super spacy and comfy.

exchange #2 I feel like frodo

I feel like Frodo Baggins on the fiery steps of Mount doom, crawling on for dear life. Okay maybe that's a bit dramatic. But I am exhausted. It's been exactly 12 hours since I left Sydney and embarked on this quest they call exchange.

Currently at Guangzhou airport waiting for my connecting flight to Amsterdam. Let me tell you now it's not a pleasant stopover airport at all! There's no free wifi (unless you have a Chinese phone) which is the silliest thing ever since most of the people are international peoples! Also, not many restaurants in the international transfer area, unpleasant toilets and is a verrrry boring place to wait for 6 hours. 

I'm being a bit of a baby about this whole going away thing. I guess that's why I'm doing it though, travelling alone sure does test your independence. 

P.s I miss ember, my silly toothbrush eater

exchange #1 oh the places you'll go...

I am going on an adventure!

Tomorrow I will begin my 6 month exchange studies at Lund University, Sweden with a 34 hour flight. I don't know if you've ever been away from home before, I can tell you that I haven't and I'm experiencing a gazillion different emotions at the same time. I've been told this is normal. 

One last look at the beautiful home I call Sydney... 

Goodbye warm and sparkly Aussie summer, and hello Swedish winter!