Erasmus in Stockhome 2010

Stockholm is a wonderful city and if you have the opportunity to live there for a while, you'll love it and it will turn to be Stockhuis! It's even more beautiful during winter time, despite the cold weather. The multicultural life Stockholm offers you is unforgettable.

Stockholm University is the largest one of Sweden: the range of courses satisfies everyone's environment, huge library, efficient staff. I really appreciated the lectures, because you can actively participate and contribute to them. Most of the teachers are PhD students, so you have an informal relation with them.

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International students can take a Swedish language course, but it is very crowded (around 300 people! ). Higher levels are better, though. Roger the teacher is lovely and funny! The courses for exchange students are only in English (not Swedish). The level of English was very good and I improved my own. I took also a course in Spanish, because I study Spanish at my home university. It was good, but not really related to my field of studies. The Swedish language course for beginners was good, but you need one year course for learning it enough. It's not a simple language.

Stockholm is very expensive. Having lunch out means at least 10 euros per person for a cold dish in a mall, for dinner the price is at least 20 euros in any restaurant.

Fast food are cheaper, but Max, the Swedish fast food company, is better than Mc Donald's. You can have lunch at Ikea's restaurant and it's cheaper during the week. H&M and Gina Tricot are Swedish clothes shops for women, but the quality is not the best one. Ikea is the paradise of every exchange student who need almost every item at the beginning of his/her stay. Amigos is the best phone operator for your cell, as you can call and text your friends for free.

I looked for a room for more than a month. There is a shortage of accomodation in Stockholm and it was not so easy find it. You can search in The Tocal where there are many letting/taking ads. I lived close to the city centre in a very quiet area, Sankt Eriksplan. It's nice to live almost everywhere, as the public transport is efficient, never late, clean and it runs all night long, 7 days a week (night busses).

Stockholm is the best place to have fun all week long. The night life is amazing! At the beginning, I went to a different club every week for three nights/week at least. Then I discovered the corridor parties organized by other international students and they were the best, definitely. You bring your own drinks and have a lot of fun! Pubs and bars around the city are good, especially if you like dancing. You can enter for free if you are in the guest list, but pay attention at your money, because drinks are very expensive.

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I joined some parties organized by the student association, Intstud, and I had fun. It usually organizes several informal events for international students, such as trip, guided visits, parties...

Really an unforgettable experience, the best one!