Arrival in Karlstad

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Okay, so it’s my first full day in Sweden, and at 4:20, the sun has set in Karlstad. The trip was long, to say the least. I was excited to fly but the waiting time in between flights and train connections made it a very long 24 hours with very little sleep. That and the fact that once I got into Sweden, no one really talks to each other on trains, and my seating to Karlstad from Stockholm was at a 4 person table by myself. On the flight to Stockholm from Paris I sat beside two Swedish men who did not talk the entire time, except when I pointed out the snow while we were landing, and the man beside me, half laughing remarked, "huh...that’s nothing." The plane food was not awful, but it was well, airplane food. On the first flight, I had cheese tortellini and a cold barley salad. The next flight I had what I am told was cold duck with some sort of orange stuffing and a cold barley and seafood salad...the seafood being crab, baby shrimp and some other fishy things I didn’t recognize.
Upon my arrival at the Karlstad train station, my host students and an exchange student from France picked me up. They asked if I was hungry and of course I was, so we went to my first Swedish McDonalds. I am disappointed to say that a Big Mac tastes exactly the same here as it does at home. So do the fries. We went to the grocery store after where I bought a few things that I would need, and I chose them according to the names or the pictures on the boxes. So here I sit with a "Plopp" chocolate bar and "Lambi" the "soft and caring" toilet paper with lambs on it, among other things.
My host students told me that our first orientation day would start the next day at 9 am, which seemed awfully early. No problem though, I would set up my alarm clock and wake up early and make breakfast. I then realized that the one adapter I bought would not work with my laptop as it didn’t work with a three prong plug. So I use the one for my laptop and the other for my alarm clock. Plugged it in, worked fine, walked back and the display was out on the clock. Apparently I used the wrong converter without the voltage converter and have permanently blown up my alarm clock. Add that to my shopping list which is looking sort of long.
Met two girls from Laurier today which is nice, Ashley and Lindsay. Ashley, who’s from Kitchener actually lives down the street from me here in Campus Futurum. Speaking of Campus, it is not, as you would think, on campus but about a 10 minute walk. So, on my list of things to do, buy a cell phone and get internet access, so I can post this and talk to everyone finally. Miss you all.

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Photos

Air France 1
The plane I took from Toronto to Paris

Air France 2
The plane I took from Paris to Stockholm

Stockholm Train Station
The train to Karlstad

Train Platform
Platform in Stockholm

Comments

[Heather]

COOOL trains in Sweden!!!!