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Luleå Travel Blogs

Background: A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe delayed Sweden's entry into the EU until 1995, and waived the introduction of the euro in 1999.

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By Chelfie14
April 8th 2006

Cleo Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten » Luleå

Allright, last night there was a party across the street in Vaderleden. It was dubbed the pink and black party, since two friends of mine were having birthdays and one loves black, while the other loves pink. Emilee is the French girl that loves black, while Yan, the Korean girl, loves pink. Anyway, so I convinced Johan to go with me to the party. Lukas, Stewart, Hector, and a bunch of others were already there. So, we went and I saw Martin (the Scottish guy) and Emily (the American girl) and Dan (American guy from NY) and a whole bunch of [View Full Entry]

By Chelfie14
April 7th 2006

Hockey Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten » Luleå

Johan

Okay-so before coming here I had never experienced hockey. Funny huh? They have the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are Stanley Cup winners, and the Knoxville Ice Bears, and I had never done hockey. The closest I had ever come was probably watching The Mighty Ducks. Well, I come here and let the fact slip and Johan decides he's going to rectify it. So here we go. First, he took me to his game. The school gym is called Stil and they sponsor intramural teams, exercise classes, and all this other stuff like Ski Alpina, which takes ski trips. So, he plays [View Full Entry]

By Chelfie14
April 5th 2006

Ramblings & Recent Events Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten » Luleå

Togas

Okay okay, so I am bad at updating sometimes. So here's a post to let you know what I was doing when I wasn't updating. I went sledding. They have a hill here, called malmberget. It's a lot of fun. I did get myself covered in snow, though, but no worries. Lukas and I had a snowball fight too. I ended up covered in snow that time too. Another thing, it seems like almost every weekend there is some sort of party here. Well, since last Saturday was April Fool's Day, they had a party to celebrate. They had people dress [View Full Entry]

By Chelfie14
March 2nd 2006

Hagelvagen Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten » Luleå

Robin & Korean

Time to talk about my living situation in depth. I live in a 5 floor building. On the bottom floor, there is a laundry room, a sauna, mailboxes, and locker space that everyone shares. There's also an elevator and a staircase. On each floor, there is a kitchen, a dining room, and a TV lounge. On my floor, I am the only girl. I live with 8 boys, with one more due in a month. Now, to tell you about the boys: Ingvar-He's Swedish. He's a Civil Rights Law student, currently single, loves to run, and is very interesting. I've met [View Full Entry]

By Chelfie14
March 1st 2006

And so it began Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten » Luleå

Mom & I

I left Tampa, FL on January 15, 2006. I said goodbye to my mother and flew to O'hare airport in Chicago. There, I met another exchange student headed to another city in Sweden through ISEP. She was going to Karlstad-a school I had considered. After boarding the plane and saying goodbye to my Minnesota friend, I found myself sitting next to the window, sharing space with a Russian woman. The plane was run by SAS-Scandinavian Airlines. Lovely plane, really. I watched movies, listened to music, and was served at least two meals. We were given hot cloths, blankets, and pillows, and [View Full Entry]

By Chelfie14
March 1st 2006

Food Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten » Luleå

Pankake

Allright so food warrants a separate entry. Swedish food is very different from home, though you can always find some standards. A note for those like me: Swedes cook. This means students too. Even guys! So yes, it is the general joke on my floor that I am the only girl and the only one who cannot cook. Imagine the hilarity that goes on. Anyway, so the grocery stores are smaller. They do have some of my favorites like: yogurt, jelly, peanut butter, bread, sandwich stuff, Coke, milk, orange juice, apple juice, frozen lasagna, frozen french fries, frozen pizza, and spaghetti [View Full Entry]

By Chelfie14
March 1st 2006

The City & Thoughts Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten » Luleå

Sunrise

Well, differences between Lulea and Maryville abound, but I am going to go in depth here about them so hopefully when I am through, you will understand what I mean. First off, Lulea is a coastal city. Much of the year, they have ice breakers to break open the ice and let ships through. Lulea is also spread out over the archipelago. This means there are different islands that are connected by bridges and roads. The school is on Porson. My home is in Bjorkskatan. The city center with the airport and such is called Centrum. There's also Gammalstad, the old [View Full Entry]

By Chelfie14
March 1st 2006

Swedes Europe » Sweden » Norrbotten » Luleå

This deserves an entry on its own. It's a running joke, but also has been an experience to discover, but it is the truth. Swedish people are, by nature, more reserved. To explain what I mean, I'll use an example. I know a teacher that walks to work everyday. She sees the same people everyday. Yet, she never says hello to them. Usually, Swedish people do not meet your eye or smile if you're a stranger to them. They definitely won't say hello. They go on about their business. Now, if you introduce yourself and keep talking to them in little [View Full Entry]

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