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This experience report can also be found on the ISO website.

I spent the winter semester 06/07 at Uppsala University in Sweden as part of the Erasmus exchange programme. My name is Almuth Schwäblein and I am studying chemistry (Diplom). I decided to do my internship in organic chemistry in Uppsala. Although there was a partnership between the University of Oldenburg and the University of Uppsala in the Department of Chemistry, I was the first to want to study organic chemistry there. This caused some problems, as I first had to find out who my contact person was. After a lot of back and forth (you can also ask Mrs Weers about this ;-)), this problem was solved and I was finally able to send off my application for a place of residence. It was already the end of July and I wanted to move in by mid-August. I stated in my application that I would like to live in Kantorsgatan. This was the result of a personal recommendation from a student who had also studied chemistry in Uppsala. A week before my departure, I received my address by email. Now I was ready to go!

I was very lucky that my parents are also big fans of Sweden. They agreed to take me to Uppsala by car. They combined the whole thing with a little holiday. We set off on 20 August. First we travelled to Jönköping, where we spent a night in a youth hostel. The next day we travelled on to Uppsala. First we collected the key for my flat from the Studentstaden office. This is located in the city centre near the train station. Then, full of curiosity, we went to the Kantorsgatan hall of residence, one of the largest in Uppsala. Unfortunately, none of my 4 flatmates (2 Swedish women, a Swede and a Chinese man) were there when I entered the flat. I really liked my room. It was furnished, had a large window and an internet connection. I had a small anteroom with a wardrobe and cupboard and my own small bathroom with a washbasin and toilet. After looking around, I discovered the shared shower directly opposite my room. I also shared a large kitchen and dining room with the other flatmates, which was equipped with a TV and a balcony. Duvets and pillows are not included in the rooms. However, I knew this from the testimonials of former students and information brochures. As we travelled by car, I was able to bring my bedding from home. I had to pay a monthly rent of 2935 Sek, which is about 300 euros. However, this is normal by Swedish standards. I brought some crockery from home, but that wasn't really necessary as the kitchen was very well equipped.
Kantorsgatan is a very well-kept hall of residence. Compared to Flogsta, it is rather quiet (no regular corridor parties). There are green areas and volleyball courts between the houses. You can get into the city by bus (5-7 min) or by bike (10 min). There are also plenty of shopping facilities. An ICA market and a NETTO market are within walking distance. A WILLIS can be reached in 5 minutes by bike.
The most important utensil is a roadworthy bicycle. The police often check in unexpected places and the fines are huge, even if only a reflector is missing. You can get a good bike for between 500-700 sec. You can go to markets or look at the notices on the notice boards in the halls of residence.
Travelling by bus is a luxury in Uppsala. There is no semester public transport pass. You can buy a rechargeable bus card, but you still pay 11-13 seconds per journey.

Uppsala University is the oldest university in the north. The buildings are spread all over the city. All my courses and internships took place at the BMC (Biomedical centre). It took me 20 minutes to cycle to the university every day. The BMC is a relatively new building, which seems very confusing at first. There is no canteen but only a small cafeteria which is very expensive. The university is equipped with numerous common rooms in which there are around 30 microwaves. It is common to cook your own food at home and then heat it up at the university.
All the courses and internships I attended were in English. You received a handout at the beginning of a lecture. You also had access to a computer room and printing room. The support was very good and informative. A lot of emphasis is placed on group work and giving lectures. It was very exciting and instructive to work together with many people from other countries and cultures.
One big difference to the German system was that you only have one course at a time, finish it and then start the next one. The semester is divided into four periods. There are courses that last for several periods and some that only last for one period (approx. 4 weeks).

Alongside my chemistry courses, I took part in a Swedish beginners' course twice a week in the evening. I hadn't taken a course in Germany before. Thanks to my numerous visits to Sweden, I knew a few words and phrases, but apart from that everything was new to me. The course was great fun and I learnt a lot. I also asked my Swedish flatmates and fellow students to speak Swedish with me. The course ended with an oral and written exam.

Most of the free time is spent in the student centres. These are located in old villas in the centre of the city. This is where people meet to have a "FIKA" (coffee-drinking), celebrate parties or even have a gasque. Which nation you join is up to you. You pay a fee of around 300-400 sec per semester.
As I also do sport regularly in Germany, I didn't want to miss out on it in Uppsala either. So I joined the university's fitness/sports centre. I had to pay the equivalent of 70 euros per semester. This meant I could use the fitness classes, fitness room, sauna and swimming pool. I can only recommend it, as you can also make better contact with Swedes and definitely learn to count in Swedish quickly .

I went on several trips during my stay in Uppsala. Firstly, we travelled to nearby Öregrund with a group of 10 people. It was easy to reach by bus within 90 minutes. We spent a weekend there in a youth hostel. We had a house to ourselves with two bathrooms and a large kitchen. The place itself was very small and quiet, but the scenery was an experience.
On another weekend, I visited my Swedish friend in Gothenburg. I decided to travel by train. I paid around 100 euros for the return journey. It is advisable to travel on weekdays, which is much cheaper. You should also look out for early bookings and last-minute offers. The trains are very well equipped and comfortable. Gothenburg is a beautiful city and it's definitely worth travelling there. I was very lucky that I was able to stay with my girlfriend. She also showed me around the city and of course knew where the best places were  .
I spent my birthday with a friend in Kiruna in Lapland. We flew there to save time. We made the 15-hour journey back by train. Unfortunately, we travelled overnight, so we didn't get to see too much of the landscape. The landscape in Kiruna is really impressive. We also had a lot of snow there and could even see the northern lights. We spent the night there in the "Yellow House" youth hostel. My friends also went on a sled dog tour there, but we didn't have the time or the money.
We travelled to Stockholm several times. On the one hand, to see the beautiful buildings and to take advantage of the extensive shopping opportunities. I also went on a boat trip through the Scheren. I can also highly recommend it.
I went to the European Handball Championships in Stockholm with two friends. We watched the match for 3rd and 4th place (Germany-France) and the final (Norway-Russia). As I play handball myself, I was naturally thrilled.
Finally, we visited the Christmas market in Stockholm. Unfortunately, we didn't have any snow, but the atmosphere at the market did get us into the Christmas spirit.

When I arrived in August, we initially had a rainy week. Then it got really warm again, so I was glad to have packed some summer clothes. My Schedisch teacher said it was the warmest September in decades. We still had some really nice days and some of us even went swimming. October was pretty rainy. It started snowing right on time on 1 November. It was really cold for a week and the whole ground was completely icy. It was very difficult to get to university by bike and I had several falls. In the end, I took the bus in the morning and walked back through the beautiful snowy landscape. After a week, the snow was already gone. Unfortunately, we didn't even have any snow at Christmas, which was a bit disappointing. In Kiruna it was up to -20 degrees. In Uppsala it was only down to -7 degrees, which was bearable. After all, we had taken precautions and packed plenty of warm clothes.