Stockholm and Umea arrival.

The hotel in Stockholm, a most beautiful but very expensive city, cost us over $300 and was very basic-in fact two single beds (where was the pig to sleep?) and a chair. Mind you, the included breakfast was something to write home about if you get used to the idea of cold meat, cheese, tomato, pepper and cucumber salad and yummy biscuits and tarts for breakfast. We had a morning to explore (again the old city for its history and architecture).

Then in some trepidation seeing that this was the beginning of the real business end of this experience, on to Umea, where we were met at the airport by Charlotte and Gunnevi, who I have to say, have made us feel most welcome and at home. We spent yesterday getting to grips with different culture and customs and can now proudly say that we know where to buy alcohol (at the System Bolaget-the governmental retail outlet for anything more than 2.5% alcohol), shop for muesli, bread, veges and absolutely anything else you can think of as long as you can guess from the label what is in the package! We have also mastered the washing machine (guess what centrifugering means) and know where to sort the household rubbish (Kerry you would be proud of the recycling that goes on here), use the bus, join the library and walk on the correct side of the footpath. To get to the university takes about 35 mins walk, so we (H and myself, G being already fit) should get fit if we do that twice a day.

Not quite sure why we packed summer clothes as we had to dress up yesterday in polar fleece and rain jacket; although we are now sitting inside in shorts and t-shirt, but that’s more on account of most other clothes being washed than a reflection on the temperature. It’s raining again outside.

Both G and H have made contact and spent today at ‘work’ although not much ‘work’ was achieved, it being the first day and mostly spent meeting and greeting around the respective depts. H has a room-mate called Jonas who teaches physiology-may some of that rub off in the right direction.

Please keep in touch with us through email or any other preferred means, just so’s we don’t completely forget how to converse in English while over here.