Sweden, in present tense

Here we are.

2009-01-26T23:47:00.002+01:00

Some time has passed since I began to look for a place to study abroad.
Then you don't know how and stucks in your face. You have arrived. You are scared from the foreigners... but the foreigner are you.

Today I've landed in Sweden. About 1 p.m. the plane landed in Skavsta Airport after a tought journey of hot cabins (I mean... much people, less fresh air) and all-in-english-plane-survival-tips. The day was rainy and my suitcase was broken by the airport-chimpanzee-staff. Luckily, the very efficient department of claims give me an extra suitcase as a gift. The bus that take me to the T-Centralen showed me the blurry swedish countryside because of the light fog present until Stockholm.
Once there, the cold began to surround myself. Guys, I've suffered cold before, but I have never ever felt it so inside my bones. I swear you.
Stockholm is good. It's less than 24 hours that I am here but I think this city is beautiful. It has a characteristic architecture, and everything is surrounded by the humidity of the environment.
This is a quick-post I write you to tell that I have arrived well and that I am ready to begin this.
Doesn't matter the ice, the cold or this hard-to-understand people that swedish are, I'm gonna hold on.
I trust in me, and I trust in Stockholm because it told me:
Be wellcome here, have a nice stay.

God natt

Go to [Album 2: Stockholm Day 1]

Status: Accepted

2008-11-21T00:14:00.003+01:00

Some days has passed since last post.
You may think it's because of my stressing present days, but the truth is that I hadn't have too much news neither from Sweden nor Spain refering to my application during last weeks.
...Until now.
Last Monday I finally recieved a letter coming from the International Relations Office's Co-ordinator:

"You are much welcome as Exchange Student to KTH the coming semester. I will be co-ordinating your studies here."

Now it's official. It's time to work on it.
From now on I'll make an effort for to be prepared at all effects for this time I will be out.
Yesterday I bought the flight tickets that are scheduled for January 26. Next will be to buy some needed clothes: Barcelona is far, far away from Stockholm in such that temperatures...
I have thought a bunch of things that I must prepare before to take off and Accomodation is one of them. Mr. I.R. co-ordinator said:

"All who have applied for accommodation will get that. KTH Accommodation Service will email you the address you will have as soon as they have processed your application"

And now I'm waiting.
This post hasn't been so long but I only have wanted to make a little brief of the point I'm now and that, Finally I recieved a letter from Sweden! Or as they say:

"äntligen jag fick ett brev från Svergie!"

Godnatt

Application... what? Erasmus... what?

2008-09-16T20:55:00.005+02:00

As I mentioned in the presentation post, I've been trying to assure a place in KTH for the next spring term courses. Since late spring I've been in touch with some people to obtain all the information needed to make the application. Sadly I've found more misunderstandings than clear instructions and I would like to help other people in my situation. I will explain all the process I'm taking, even the mistakes, but in real time. I hope it will be useful for some of you.

First of all, I'm in the framework on Nuclear Engineering and the reason why I want to make exchange's courses is because they can be validated as an EUROPEAN MASTER SCIENCE IN NUCLEAR ENGINEERING by the ENEN Network. For those who are in my spot, here are some tips to clarify the situation.

As you should know, this mode is not an exchange/erasmus nor master strictly. Nevertheless you should think it all as an Erasmus student at all the effects, at last until you will get accepted. First, you should introduce yourself to the person contact designed by KTH to organize the nuclear master. Obviously I will not provide you any tip like:

"Come on and send an e-mail to Someone Somethingsson (someone.somethingsson@kth.se)"

The reason is because the person who organizes this master is not always the same. You have better visit this link, directly to the nuclear master's bases and find it by yourselves. Once you have contacted with him you must know this is all informal, you are not accepted yet but this person can give you some good advices. Don't get stressed if your international relations' office doesn't help very much: this master seems to go further than other exchange studies and for that reason this office doesn't care very much, at least at the begining of the apply. You can think it as a Departments Pact, you know...

At this point you are able to fill the application form and the learning agreement:

Last week the web-based application form had been put online so the application period is now open until the deadline (15 october). If you are going to take courses on Autumn term you should apply on April period. As I said, I will go to Sweden on spring term so recently I filled all the documents that must been sent to KTH's International Relations' Office. I've uploaded at my photolog (where you can be linked to by clicking here or in the button on the top-right side of the blog) some pics of the documents.

I would like to clarify that this documents only can be sent to KTH on application period, before the deadline. Otherway you will spend time for nothing and you will not get accepted. Before to do this I strictly recommend visit and read carefully all this site and the study handbook. Think that at this time you are next to register which courses you will study so it's recommended that you choose it consequently from the courselist of your department (i.e.: Physics department courselist). As you can see in the application form, you are able to submit a place for accomodation. I've heard that although the accomodation place can be a little far from the faculty communication between both is always good. Moreover, it seems to be individual rooms with moder furnitures so I've decided to submit one. For those who are interested on learning Swedish, free-of-charge swedish language courses can be done by accepting it on the form. This courses are taken in July and August so it is a good way to get mixed quickly with the "vicking" crew. Sadly, it is a matter of dates and I couldn't attend to this course, that's why I have to make it by my own.

Once you have sent all the documents and you best-photo-ever-taken (obviously, I'm being kind of sarcastic about the photo I have sent...) you only have to wait. In fact, it's supposed that the acceptance letter should arrive to our mail post few weeks later than the deadline is over. No, mine's hasn't arrived yet. It will take some more weeks but it will be part of another blog entry.

I hope it had been helpful for someone.

Nothing more until now, thanks. Or as they say:

Inget mer, tack!

"Mom, today I've learn the swedish aeiouäöåy "

2008-09-01T12:55:00.009+02:00

Few weeks ago I persuaded myself to study some practical swedish notes, not for strictly study the language but just for take some basics. I think it could be interesting to make more confortable the coexistence with my future swedish neighbors.

Well. Swedish is frustrating.

On one side, I love this SingStar-like melodic paused stunning language. I like its intonations.
On other side, nowadays I am unable to assimile such tons of completely new vocabulary. Then I said to myself:

'Think as you were in the pre-school. How did you do to learn all the earlier points in Spanish language?'

As I use to think like a pre-school's kid I quickly realised what is the first point I should undertake.
My very first lesson would be The Vowels.

"a is like my spanish a. Good. e is like spanish's too. Fantastic. i, o, u are too!
I've learnt all. I have a superb mind."

"Oh, wait. Swedish has more vowels? å, what the hell is å?!
ä, ö, y, Short vowels, Long vowels... I have such a mess mind."

When I spend more than 5 minutes to try to understand its sounds I notice that this bunch of new characters are not as difficult as it seems. I can say now I can read them without problems. Wow! Yeah, I'm awsome.

At the same time I has been searching resources about swedish too. Surfing the web I have found a great source of material about learning languages. Here comes the site, Unilang.org. More specifically, there are good swedish phrasebooks and other material I would like to recommend you. Unfortunately I'm not a good teacher that is why I prefer to underline some joking/funny things instead the correct ones. There is a funny phrasebook that seems to be made for nothing else than be a source of fun Messenger nicknames... here is the link.
Well. As you see, sentences like

"The international soldier shoots an innocent passenger"
"He frequently shows his nak€d body"
"My wife has s€x with me every night"
"My mother always thought I required extra attention"

(translated to the appropriate language, i.e.: Swedish) will do more confortable our stay abroad wherever you go. (At least, some of them could be used in some kind of 'SvenskaPhrase of the Day' section...in a blog...or something. Have you got me?)

After this nonsenses, I have made up my mind to continue the swedish study (at least bit a bit). For those like me who has felt betrayed for the å vowel, I will give you an advice: JOIN THEM!

See you in the next post. Good night, or as they say:

God natt!

Presentations and so on

2008-08-31T16:58:00.004+02:00

A lot of time had passed since I began my universitary studies in Barcelona. The time to end this chapter is so close and I have been prompted to decide what to do. After a few evaluations I have decided to make an apply for a place in the Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (meaning Royal Institute of Technology), in Stockholm. Because of my Engineering studies I will be able to go to there as an Erasmus student in february '09, which is a very interesting way to make student's exchange. From now on, I will be making an effort to preparate myself as physically as intelectually. I have begun to refresh and improve my English skills in order to pass satisfactorily all the courses and comunicate so fluently with the natives. Maybe a lot of you are familiarized with the feeling that oneself experiences when revising an old lesson.

"Uhm. Lesson 1. Oh yes, I remember, the 'Bla bla bla bla' rule..."
"Well. Lesson 2. Eeeeeeasy"
"Well. Lesson 3. That one is easy too"
"Come on. Lesson 3. Wwwwwhy I'm doing this silly child's game?!"

The truth is that my 'Lesson 1' is 'The Present Tense' and that's the reason of Blog's name.

As I said, I'm from Spain and things are too different from the 'lapland' and I suppose the blog will reflect it in some way. For those who follow me from Spain and those who follow me abroad, enjoy this experiences I want to share with you.

Be welcome to this Blog, or as they say:

Välkommen till Blog!