STUDY abroad

Another week has gone past and I am amazed that I have been in Sweden for over 2 and a half weeks.  In some regards it seems like I have been here for years and in others like I have been here for a few short day.  I am becoming more familiar with the city and navigating it everyday.  Gothenburg is intimate, but is still a city with something always going on.

This week was the first week of classes.  This cycle, which lasts until the first week of November, I am taking only two classes.  I only have class twice a week.  Once on Monday afternoons and once on Wednesday afternoons.  On Mondays, I am taking School Systems in a Comparative Perspective.  The class focuses on the school system in Sweden and then comparing it with the education systems we all come from.  The most exciting part for me is one week in October we get to attend school visits.  We will go to Swedish schools ranging from preschools to upper secondary schools (the equivalent of high school).  My second class is Gender and Education.  The title pretty much explains the course.  We will be discussing gender roles, biases, and how gender affects education and how education affects gender.  In this class we only have a few lectures, but we have seminaries.  Seminaries are quite popular in Swedish universities.  It is when you read the course literature and then have discussions with your peers and professors.

Both of my classes are taught in English and are only attended by international students with Swedish professors.  I am the only student who natively speaks English.  It is amazing to me how great other students from around the world are in English.  I am horrible with foreign languages and can't imagine taking courses in another language.  This is one of the reasons that I picked Sweden (classes in English).  The exchange students and Swedes, in general, impress me everyday with their extensive knowledge of English.

This week I also signed up for the gym.  The only reason this is of note is because I have since done three exercise classes.  The classes are great and the best part... they are in Swedish!  I know absolutely under 10 words in Swedish.

Hej (hello), Ja(yes), Nej(no), Tack(thank you), Kyckling(chicken), Jordgubbar(strawberries), Skinka(ham), and Ost(cheese).  I can pronounce four of these words properly:hej,ja,nej and tack.

Needless to say I make a ton of mistakes in every exercise class because I am constantly watching the teacher.  It is probably really funny to watch me and as I intently watch the teacher and try to listen.  Sometimes I think if I listen hard enough then I will start speaking Swedish.  Well maybe by January I will know gym/exercise vocab :)

Weather this week was pretty nice except for the past two days.  It was jeans, long shirt, maybe light jacket weather.  It was definitely the weird in between weather where it is too hot with a coat, but too cold without one.  However, Friday and yesterday was miserable on and off rain all day.  The weird thing is it really hasn't truly rained.  It just mists.  You don't really need an umbrella, but your hair is still getting wet.  It is a really awkward in between stage.

My first trip of the semester was booked this week.  In two weeks I will be going to visit one of my best friends from AU in Nice, France.  I will be flying out to Paris and staying there for one day.  After I will take the train to Nice and spend a few days there.  As I was talking with Khine the one thing that she said to me was "make sure you bring a swim suit!"  By far one of the greatest things I have ever heard! It will be amazing to go and visit the warm beachy south of France after my very, very autumn weather here in Gothenburg.

Until next time,

~Tori