18.08.21
The alarm rings. It’s 2 am. OH NO. It’s time to go to the airport. Please gods of sleep take me back into the bliss of unconsciousness.
Mom comes into the room and tells me that it’s time to get up. My heart feels extremely heavy. Today is the day when I go to a new country to pursue a bachelor’s degree that I might not even like. I’m still very excited. But I hate goodbyes.
We are standing at the door, my mom crying and extremely anxious. Her 18 year old is leaving home. I’m crying, too.
It’s around 5 am and I’m already at the airport. Passport check. Heavy-ass luggage check. I go to Stockholm and take another plane to Jönköping, a small city in Sweden no one knows about.
I say goodbye to my grandma and her man-friend.
I HATE GOODBYES
Things are starting to look better when I reach the gates and see the girl that I met on Facebook–she’s going to the same destination. We find our seats on the plane. Everything will be fine. Little did I know we’ll have to run through Stockholm’s airport in fear of missing our plane that is supposed to leave in 30 minutes. Thank God we make it. Now everything is really gonna be fine.
My luggage is lost. I have my laptop, wallet and 2 pairs of shoes in my hand luggage. Great.
A student from the university picks us up from the airport and is trying to make small talk the whole way about where we come from and what we are going to study. Meanwhile, my mind is elsewhere.
After few hours I finally reach my dorm. First of all, I was hoping I’ll have a roommate. Even as an introvert I knew first days are going to be tough as hell without any company. Unfortunately I got a single room (which later turned out to be a blessing. Again, I’m an introvert after all).
The room looks NOTHING like the pictures on the internet. There is a bed, table, a chair, a creepy lamp that reminds me of a dentist office, a shelf and a wardrobe. All the necessities, of course. But it looks so horrifying. So empty.
Okay. Let’s not panic, I try to convince myself. Just need to call mom.
Oh, there is no internet. Apparently you are supposed to go the internet company, get it connected for 100 kroner and also get your own router – explain older students in the floor who also are nice enough to give their wi-fi passwords so I can call home.
So I’m sitting there with 2 pairs of shoes and a laptop, crying to my mom on skype and regretting with every cell in my body that I decided to come here. I miss my mom. I’m so alone.
For the rest of the evening, I’m marinating my face in tears, talking to my family and friends back home and watching Greys Anatomy until I fall asleep.
The next morning I get a call from the girl I took a flight with my luggage has been found and is resting at the university.
I take a sip of vanilla yogurt I bought the night before and take a journey to claim my precious luggage, containing Lithuanian cheese and bread, bed sheets, underwear and toiletries, back.
I also meet another Lithuanian girl from my class, who together with the flight-girl, later become my good friends and help me survive the three years of university.
After dragging my luggage all the way back from university and later 4 flights up the stairs I feel victorious. I’m ready to settle in. The sadness have not left the chat yet and I’m extremely stressed about the fact that I need to pay my dorm rent a whole semester in advance, but I feel a lot better.
24.10.2020
4 years have passed since the day I first came to Sweden. And honestly, I still remember that day as one of the most stressful days of my life.
I was feeling down for a while. I couldn’t fall asleep without watching Grey’s Anatomy or listening to Lithuanian band Foje (they’re pretty fire even if you don’t understand the lyrics)
But I survived.
University studies started and I found out that my English is not as good as I thought it is. Well, all the practice I had before coming to Sweden was English lessons at school and endless hours of watching Pewdiepie, Connor Franta and Troy Sivan on YouTube (Dang it, I miss the old YouTube).
I made friends, I dated, I partied and had the the bachelor experience that a lot of people do even though all three years weren’t all rainbows and butterflies. But that’s a story for another day.
After the bachelor’s I moved to another city for a Master’s degree. Apart from the fact that graduation is getting close and I still have no idea what I want to do after my studies, I am very happy. I’m renting a small, cozy apartment with my partner and our pet hamster.
Now going back to Sweden after visiting home is nothing like the first day. I’m excited to go back to my normal routines and every morning wake up next to my soulmate.
If somebody told me to do it again, it’d say HELL NO.
However, it was totally worth it. I wouldn’t be the person I am if I didn’t move so far away from home so early on in my adult life.
If you just left your parents home and find it hard to get used to your new life — it will get better. It definitely will. I thought the world was ending and now I’m doing just fine.
Now a few fun facts about Sweden
- Students call their professors by names. When I heard it for the first time, I didn’t believe it was true. However, after some time it became normal. Now I’m completely comfortable with calling my teachers by their first name.
- Go fika or go die. I honestly don’t consider going to the cafe and having coffee with dessert as a Swedish thing, as a lot of people in the world do that, but they have a name for it. I find it cute.
- Swedes speak English very well. When I stopped someone in the street to ask for directions, I’d be surprised that even older people can speak perfect English.
- Education here is free for Swedish students as well as students coming from European countries (as myself). Swedes also get quite some help from the government if they need money to support themselves during their studies.
- Swedes are considered shy and reserved. Honestly, as a president of the company of reserved and shy, I do not see that. I think they are pretty close to people in Lithuania. We, too, do not necessarily engage into conversations with strangers or like to sit next to each other on busses or trains.
Don’t forget to share your experience of first days of living alone/away from your loved ones!
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Awww. This is such a great and relatable post. I remember the first time I moved cities to start working in a new city – despite being older than a university student, I was still apprehensive and extremely sa to say goodbye to my family and friends. Being an introvert it took me a few months to settle into my new apartment and become friends with my flatmates but eventually it turned out to be the best few years of my life.
Loved your post – your words almost made me feel like I was with you through your journey. 😊
Thank you so much for your kind words. 🥰🥰
I’m very happy for you! Thank you for sharing. ❤️
Moving to a new place is always hard. But it’s soooo exciting! Low-key looking forward to my next moving adventure. 🤔
Hey Toma, it’s so awesome that you got a chance to study in Sweden for four years as you pursued your Bachelor’s degree! I’m currently in university too, but my parents couldn’t afford to send me overseas to study. I guess it helps that Sweden makes education free as long as you’re from the EU.
There’s something about living and studying in a foreign city that intrigues me. Fingers crossed that things get better and that my application to participate in a semester-long exchange program gets approved!
Thanks for sharing, have a lovely week ahead! 🙂
Thank you a lot for reading, Ming! ❤️
Free education definitely helps! However I still faced some financial difficulties that stressed me out a lot! For example the fact that I had to pay whole semester’s rent in one installment. It’s so important to save up and plan budget before leaving to study abroad! That’s something I would consider if I was about to go to another country.
It is intriguing!! Imagine pretending to be a mysterious local. 😎 I hope you go on exchange and have an amazing time! ✨
Have a lovely week you too!
Moving to a new country and luggage going missing must be so stressful! It’s definitely scary to move away but you always learn a lot. I’m very jealous that it’s free over there. We also call our lecturers by their first names here in England, or at least we did at my uni (not sure if everywhere does) x
Sophie
Hi Sophie! Thanks a lot for reading. ❤️ Very true! Experiences teach a lot.
Didn’t know that you also call teachers by their names! It was so weird for me at first. 😂
I spent a term in France and a term in Germany when I was 16/17 and although it was scary being away from home, I loved every minute of it (well, almost!). Great to hear you’ve got such fabulous memories of your time studying abroad and thank you for sharing 🙂
How amazing is that! ✨ I’m glad you had a good time!
This was so interesting to read! I remember being terrified when I first moved to University even though it was not abroad and only just over an hour away from home. I’m glad you settled in and had a good time! I have a friend who studied in Sweden and now she has stayed living there. I went to visit her a couple of years ago and I liked it there x
Starting university is always scary! It’s a completely new chapter with new people and new challenges. Thanks for sharing! 😊✨
It sounds like you had the ultimate experience with the good and the bad. Don’t put too much pressure on what you are gonna do after Uni. Just do what makes you happy! Sweden sounds awesome. I have only visited, and I loved it. My next places to live would be either Copenhagen or Stockholm.
This felt like the intro to a book! I’m a little jealous that you got to experience the full university experience, dorms and all. I lived with my dad for 2 years then he moved and I rented my own apartment. So basically all of the partying and everything was squished into one semester before I had to get internships and part time jobs 🙈
Oh stop it you!! 🥰🥰
I’m really happy I had that experience! It’s another kind of freedom to move from parents’ house and do whatever you want. I remember the friday nights when I used to tell my mom that I’m just staying in, relaxing… While actually almost walking through the door to a party. 😂😂 I hope my mom never reads this.
So good to remember, but I used to hate that dorm with passion and couldn’t wait to move out. 😂 I bet I’d have been jealous of you at that time.
Good that you still had some college fun! Honestly, talking about this I feel like I’m retired already. 😂😂😂 I’m 23 but (as I’m getting ready to sleep at 9pm) I’m talking about this like it happened 50 years ago. 😂😂😂
I live in a small town in Canada in my hometown where my high school teachers have retired. They tell me to call them by their first name and it feels so very weird haha. I can only imagine how that was to get used to for you, I’m 35 and still haven’t gotten it lol. I’m glad that you have found empowerment from this journey and I can imagine it has strengthened your independence and made a whole new strength in you, I feel it in your writing.
Haha I know right! Thank you a lot. ♥
I can understand your feelings! Moving to a new country especially for your studies must be hard and stressful. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading! ❤️
I can feel you! I left my home 4 years ago to study in Spain(Erasmus program) and it was a lifechanging experience! Since I am an introvert as well , my Erasmus wasn’t all about these crazy parties you can always see but instead, I had some difficult time.I’m glad however, I found my Spanish family 😍
That’s really cool! Being away from home is always challenging. For some more than others (like us introverts haha). I’m glad you met people you love there even though you had difficult times! ♥️♥️♥️