It’s just a couple of days before I start my second semester here in Uppsala and I couldn’t be more excited for the new experiences. I am from India and belong to the eastern part of the country which has a warm tropical climate when I was preparing to come here I was very nervous about confronting the Scandinavian winter. But this is already close to the end of January and guess what I managed to survive well.
It’s quite bearable until the end of November, but after that, the real struggle comes in. Days become shorter and darker, which is something I am not familiar with. But when I saw the first snow of my life, all the darkness melted away. The white snowy winter has its own version of beauty.
But walking in the winter is challenging, you need good warm walking shoes. Sometimes when the roads are too slippery to walk, you need walking trex with your shoes to balance yourself. I learned to use that after falling down many times. Other than that good warm layers of clothes are sufficient to beat the cold. I somedays skipped Vitamin D and felt weak and sleepy, so vitamin supplements are a must.
And what’s a winter without Christmas? When the city dresses up for Christmas all the darkness fades away. Every little corner of Uppsala looks majestic. I experienced the vintage Christmas market adjacent to the royal mounds at Gamla Uppsala and it was so wonderful that made me feel like I am in the Viking world. On Christmas Eve I went to Uplands Nation for dinner with friends. They kindly arrange that for students who don’t go home for Christmas, they have had this tradition for so long. After that, we visited the famous Uppsala Cathedral for midnight mass. The vibe was so beautiful that I will remember that day forever, after all, it was my first Christmas in Sweden.
