Housing in Uppsala

I finally found out where I’m going to be living in Uppsala!

I hadn’t heard from anyone at all, and I thought I was supposed to hear something at least before July ended, so I decided to email the international student coordinator and ask when we will receive our housing assignments. He emailed me back promptly, saying I should’ve gotten a notice two weeks ago, and he said that I am going to be living in Flogsta.

There are a couple thousands students in Flogsta, but mostly Swedish students, so I’ve heard. I’ve also heard that it’s just a fun place to live in general, plus I am intent on making my Swedish immersion part of all aspects of my stay; it would be harder if I lived with a lot of people who would be prone to speaking English before Swedish, and I definitely want to be speaking as much Swedish as possible.

What I’ve heard from those who have been exchange students in Uppsala is that they either enjoyed living in Flogsta or they wish they’d lived in Flogsta as they had not been assigned there. It sounds like a pretty good place.

One thing about Flogsta that is pretty interesting is the Flogstaskrik (Flogsta scream). Apparently, when Uppsala was Christianized in the 12th century, there were a few misunderstandings as to how a prayer is offered and from that arose a tradition of screaming at the top of one’s lungs at 10pm every night. Now it’s seen as a way to relieve stress or agony before an exam. I’ve got quite the lungs, so I’m sure I’ll be participating plenty.

Something else I’m looking forward to is the everyday walk to school. I’ve missed walking to class since I’ve lived far off campus the last two years of my education at CU. According to the map, I’ll be walking through a park on the way to class every day.