First Impressions of Sweden

Before I came to Sweden, I read on the Internet that the cost of living in Sweden was very high, and that it was one of the most expensive countries to stay in in the world. However, this fact still did not stop me from being totally bewildered when I had to pay 18Kr (S$3.60) for a small bottle of sparkling mineral water. And it is only S$3.60 because the exchange rate has dropped considerably. Which means that half a year ago, you will probably be paying like close to S$4.50 for that same bottle of water! And having been here for more than 1 week, I have realised that there are certain things which I have grown to appreciate in Singapore which I did not appreciate before. But more on that later.

My first impression of Sweden (from the train journey) was that it was a very scenic country, with much vegetation preserved. I guess this is partly that despite it being the largest Nordic country, it has just twice the population of Singpore at 9 million +, hence there is plenty of space for everyone without having to develop built-up areas at the expense of Mother Nature

The school is pretty nice, mainly made up of 2-storey buildings, where each building houses a certain combination of faculties. The houses in Linköping (pronounced Lin-sho-pin) are designed mainly cottage style, which is very different from the numerous skyscrapers u see in Singapore, although this should not be accepted as a representation of Sweden, as Linköping is more of a little town off the main city centre (It is 3 hours away from Stockholm).




















The Swedes I have met so far are very warm people, and not inherently racist which is sometimes prevalent in certain places in Europe.They speak excellent English as well (at least for the post-war generation), which is really good. At least I know I can always count a little help effortlessly when needed.