My first impression of Sweden was that it was cold, so cold that I could not even stand outside without shivering. I felt it was a bit ironic because I came from a very high and cold place myself. I spent an embarrassingly long time with my friend Yoezer arguing about why it was so cold in Sweden. At first, all I could think about was remaining in my warm room, I am a home body and I love summer. So cold weather never agreed with me. However, my dream of always being in bed would never come to be because I fell in love with the snow and the cold in Sweden.
The first day we landed there, I along with Yoezer and our dorm mates went and saw the beautiful northern lights, I always talked about seeing them with my friends back home so it was an incredibly emotional experience though I acted cool in front of my friends. There were days when the snow was above my ankle thanks to me being not that gifted in terms of height, but even those days I was outside playing in the snow and wearing slippers with socks because I was too lazy to wear shoes. I soon realized the reason why I always saw people wearing shoes even when they were only throwing garbage.
Then spring started and suddenly it became warmer although it was still not as warm as I liked. I always pictured spring in a cold place to be dreary, but suddenly everywhere there were flowers, flowers on bridges, bicycles and near every house. Everything became a lot brighter even the sun didn’t set till late night. I began to appreciate the beauty in day and night, enjoyed seasons changing slowly right in front of my eyes and fell in love with the view in Sweden.
Did I miss Bhutan? I would be lying if I said I didn’t because I really was home sick for some time. You always love and miss your motherland, but I did enjoy my time in Sweden and there are things I will never forget and treasure. Like the locks I could never figure out how to open and the good people I met. I am eternally grateful to everyone I met who showed me the beauty of Sweden and people’s hearts.
Palden Ongmo Lhendup
Erasmus+ Exchange – College of Science and Technology and University of Uppsala
Palden Ongmo Lhendup in Uppsala