2. A Shared History & Culture Union of Sweden-Norway (1814 –1905) Kalmar Union (1357-1523) Nordic Passport Union The Viking Age (8 th - 13 th Century) Lutheran Christianity North Germanic Languages Egalitarianism
4. Some Key Facts Sweden Norway Population 9.3 Million 4.8 Million Capital Stockholm Oslo Language Swedish Norwegian Currency Krona (SEK) Krone (NOK) 'Big Mac' Price £3.02 £3.81 Dialling Code +46 +47
20. Accommodation - Uppsala Uppsala University doesn’t provide accommodation for the majority of its students however it will seek housing for its exchange and study abroad students. This housing will usually be single rooms in apartments with shared amenities such as kitchens and laundrettes. Study abroad students will have the choice to select from a variety of housing options, including housing with Swedish students or just international students.
21. Local Transport Bicycle- FREE! Bus 20 SEK=£1.80 Taxi 120 SEK-£11
22. Student Life - Uppsala Uppsala offers a ‘student nations’ program for every student, including those studying from abroad. Each student will have to choose to join one of the 13 student nations. Joining these student nations will provide you with an informal chance to interact with some of the other students studying at Uppsala. Every student will have to pay a compulsory joining fee of around 150 – 200 SEK (12 – 20 pounds approximately).
23. Visiting Other Countries You can board a ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. The ferry also goes to Turku in Finland and Estonia. It takes around 16 hours from Stockholm to Helsinki in the overnight ferry costing around £30.
24. Getting There Flights- http://www.edreams.co.uk London Stansted Stockholm Arlanda £55 return (excl. admin fee) Train- Arlanda express Stockholm- Arlanda Uppsala £9 single
25. 'Dugnad' Norway Rich in Natural resources: petroleum, minerals, fish Winter Sports Champions Viking History
26. “ One evening, I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below...I stopped and looked out over the fjord as the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature...I painted this picture, the clouds as actual blood...This became The Scream.” - Edvard Munch Fjords 'The Scream' Geirangerfjord Romsdalsfjord
32. Arriving in Bergen you may start to think about how much you actually know about your host country.
33. Remember to read up properly on your host Country and don’t take anything as given! As well as giving you need-to-know Information you can also pick up tips To save money and to have a more fufilling Experience. You may have some idea of what Norway might be like….
34. Then you can land with a more realistic idea Of how you’ll be living abroad.
39. Hvor er ost? Where is the cheese? ølet er dyr!! The beer is expensive!! der er nei fortreffelig noodles! There are no super noodles! Some things in the supermarket will be different so it helps to know how to ask for help. Remember to keep receipts to reclaim tax!
Politics in Sweden is much more left wing than in the UK which is shown by its full welfare state which most Swedish people are very proud of despite any slight issues over the cost. at the moment there is a coalition government called the alliance for sweden between the 4 relatively right wing parties. There will also be a general election in September. Sweden has been a member of the EU since 1995 and hosted the EU presidency in 2009. There is a tradition of neutrality in Sweden since the first world war and this has turned into Sweden being part of many peace keeping and negotiators across the world as well as giving large amounts of international aid.
Sweden has a reputation for being very environmentally friendly and is one of the few countries that has met its Kyoto agreements. There is lots of recycling in Sweden and a glass deposit system where glass bottles can be returned to get a small deposit back again. Cycling is also much more common in sweden than in the UK especailly in uppsala. Allemanstratten means everyman's right – where you can walk and camp freely in the open countryside as long as you do no damage. It also shows the love of nature and outside sports in Sweden, with hiking and camping being very popular activities. The large national park system whi9ch contains over 3.5% of sweden combines the environmental concerns with the outdoor sports.