by experiencing (some of) the Swedish culture.
One of the best things about the IMFSE program is the opportunity to observe and experience the diverse culture of (at least two) different countries. The second semester in the IMFSE is spent in Sweden, and I was genuinely looking forward to this semester. I have heard about some of the famous Swedish philosophy and culture such as “Lagom” (which has no direct English translation but can mean as “not too much, not too little. Just enough”), or the Swedes’ “Fika” breaks (which means to meet up, have a coffee and chit chat) between works.
When you are in Sweden, you will absolutely notice how the Fika culture has shaped Sweden into a home of many cozy coffee shops, and Lund is not an exception. At the beginning of the spring semester, the display of these cafes and bakeries in Sweden is full of a cake called Semlor/Semla. Semla, a sweet cardamom bun filled with an almond pasted and whipped cream, is famous for being eaten in the Fettisdagen or the Fat Tuesday or the Semla Day on February 16th. Since Semla is irresistible, I have tried different Semlor in Lund, and one of the best is in Broder Jakobs Bakery in the city center. Interestingly, Semla is not eaten all year as it will be gone after around mid-March.
Other than the usual Fika breaks, I have also experienced the winter dip and sauna that some Nordic Countries are famous for. In Sweden, they call the place to do this Kallbadhus or Cold Bath House, where you dip into an outdoor pool, with a sauna facility. One of the nearest Kallbadhus from Lund is in Malmo, called Ribesborgs Kallbadhus. Ribersborgs is very famous since its opening in the year 1898. I also noticed that the locals seem to know each other while waiting in line. Most of the time, visitors need to line up since in this Covid-19 pandemic the bathhouse opens with a limited number of visitors. The bathhouse usually has separate sections for the men and women, but the Ribersborg Kallbadhus also hosts a “Queer Kallis” on the first Monday of every month with no restriction between the women and men section. The sauna in this cold bathhouse has a view of the Öresund strait that separates south of Sweden (Scania) from Denmark, which means you can also see the Öresund bridge from here. The dip or swim, whichever you prefer, will be in this strait which connects to the Baltic sea. My experience was amazing as I have done it two times so far. After a sauna for several minutes, you would dip (or swim) and then go back into the sauna to repeat it several times. For me, the aftertaste of the cold dip was energizing, although you would feel your body was electrified or pierced by needles. I have read that the cold bath has health benefits such as improving blood circulation, relieving body aches, and lifting mood. If you are looking for a different break during the study, this might be one of your options to do.
If you are looking to do different sports during your study break, Lund has a place called Fritidsbanken. Sweden, in my opinion, is very progressive when it comes to sustainability. It has many policies that care for the environment and sustainability as the goals, and I feel that the community is very supportive to realize it. Take Fritidsbanken as an example. It was established in several places in Sweden, including Lund, where you can borrow equipment for sports (tennis, ski, ice skating, etc.) and other activities such as camping for free for two weeks. It promotes conscious consumption, where still allowing us to try different kinds of sports and interests. This really helps us as an Erasmus student since we need to keep our belongings not too much and just right unless it will be stressful when moving in and out.
IMFSE 