5 months of exchange passed with a blink of an eye. As the new year comes, I would like to take this opportunity to give you guys some hints to better your experience, if you would come to KTH for an exchange in fall.
- Treasure the summer times.
Summer is really short. I was kind of curious when I just touch down in August about why so many locals love to lay down on any grass patch enjoying the sunlight. Come to think about it now, I am desperate to have the warm sun shining on me.
2. There’s still light even though there’s no sun in Lapland.
We went on a trip to Abisko to experience the full-blown winter of Sweden (they say due to global warming, it isn’t cold in Stockholm anymore, but I’m still freezing).
It was around winter solstice when we were there. Absolutely 0 min of sunshine, but we have about 4 hours of civil twilight to work with. Still breath-taking.
But the northern lights was kind of disappointment. Do remember to check cloud coverage beforehand. T.T
3. Make full use of Sweden’s prime location
Sweden isn’t as central in Europe as Austra per se. But it too often easy access to the Baltic nations (Estonia, Latvia, Finland) via cheap cruise, and you can also reach St. Petersburg by bus from these countries. We went to Helsinki, Finland, 3 times this Fall, so much so that I felt I might just exchange at Aalto (all praise 20 € round cruise).
Also, you can visit many other tourist destinations within a 2hr flight (some times it can be as cheap as 25€ to Budapest via RyanAir). So your weekend getaway could be strolling down the Thames in London; tasting chocolates in Brussels; listening to a concert in Vienna; grab a pint in Munich; pay for an expensive smorrebrod in Copenhagen; pay for some even more expensive meal in Oslo or just walk down Amsterdam and realise windmills are in Holland.
4. Enjoy the Festivals
From Halloween to St.Lucia, then to Christmas and New Year, enjoy the celebration vibes in the air. And also, dun forget to grab a glass of champagne and wish other a Happy New Year!
Zhou Zhi
