Marta, an exchange student in Stockholm

Here is Marta, a Polish student.

Marta is about to finish her master program in Warsaw; she also studied at Stockholm University some time ago.

Marta has been studying philology, theatre and dancing.

Lets’ hear what she thinks of Stockholm

Stockholm Universitet, where the dreams come true

A place I do recommend university students apply for is Stockholm Universitet.

I studied there one year and the feeling I had was just fantastic, I felt in the future with a look in the past.

In the future because I had all the technology and means I needed to study properly

In the past because I could interact with many people from many countries: life, despite any technological evolution, will always be about friendships, love, sex and human contacts otherwise it wouldn’t be life, it would be something else, something unworthy.

Many faculties are in the Frescati area together with several places to have a decent lunch, plus three coffee shops and a big computer room

Follow my advice, if you have a chance just study there!

Stureplan, the status symbol

The main status symbol in Sweden is the neighbour you live in.

You are not a lawyer, an employee nor a doctor; you are a Stureplan or a Södermalm or a Vasastan person.

The most prestigious area in Stockholm is Stureplan: the most expensive for accommodation, the fanciest part of the city where people go to show off and try to prove that they are somebody while clubbing in the night.

I never go to Stureplan because I judge it a chicken trap. However it is a good looking neighbour and sometimes I like to walk there, but never in the night!

Lappis, where the world ends

When people live abroad they need to share something with someone else to feel integrated.

This need to belong to something is fulfilled in Stockholm by Lappis. Lappis is a student campus where people have their own room with their own bathroom and a shared kitchen. Lappis is where students, especially foreign students feel at home, where they return from downtown or from long distance trips.

There’s a curious syndrome which is contagious, “The Lappis Syndrome”, being this campus a place you don’t want to leave because there’s everything in there: food (Ika), friends, parties, gym, laundry, even a beach to suntan during summer time.

It’s a trauma to leave Lappis and everyone who is still alive inside tries to stay there as long as possible. Those who don’t like it, those who escapes it are people who are already old, old in the inside.

Lappis, where the world ends

CRITICISM IS TO BE ACCEPTED

Criticism is not condemning someone, it is just underlining what is not perfect about something and if it leads to reflections and new solutions is extremely useful.

People should understand the difference between destructive and constructive criticism.

There’s really no need to feel annoyed or irritated or offended by constructive criticism even about your own country, it could lead to new perspectives and ideas which could generate new solutions and improvements.

Provided that people are open minded enough

IL DIAVOLO

Television and coffee

When I was a half grown up (around 16 and 17 years old) I was rather sceptical when I heard some of my class mates point out "I never watch TV". The same thing happened when some friend of my sister, just a bit older than me claimed without any doubt "sugaless coffee is much better".

My typical reaction was "this guy is boasting around, he is just showing off. Television is very useful and bitter coffee is disgusting. They are liars and they prefer to suffer a little bit to prove that they are cool, macho and bla bla bla".

For a long time I was convinced of that.

Then suddenly something happened: I was alone and I was making a coffee, when it was ready I was about to add loads of sugar as usual but there was no sugar anywhere.
My instinctive reaction was to throw the coffe in the sink but just before doing that I thought "why not trying? I mean, let's see if those guys are just full of shit or they have a point".

At first it tasted very bad but then a little bit better.

So the days after I tried again and then again and what tasted bad started to taste good and it became possible to recognize the taste of different brands which was impossible when I used a lot of sugar

These days I get disgusted when somebody gives me coffee with sugar inside, it tastes fake.

I have never been dependent on TV but I used to watch it at least 2 hours a day.
Nowadays I don't even own a TV and when someone gives me one of them as a present I don't say anything, I thank that person but then I hide it in a storage!

How did that happen?

Three years ago I was sharing a flat with a retired man who was TV dependent. Unfortunately the internet connection worked only in the living room where he used to watch TV 12 hours a day which means I had to listen to TV programs every time I used the internet

I started to hate TV because watching or even hearing it felt like a violence perpetrated against me

I found out I didn't miss it at all! Besides I noticed that real life is very different from what they show on TV, extremely different.

If people start observing what happens in the real life they will notice as certain mechanisms are completely different from what TV wants us to believe

Everything shown on TV has the objective to convince us of something which does not exist and that is in the interest of those who show those things, not in ours.

If we paid more attention on what happens in the real life (streets, offices, courses) we could understand why what we would expect to happen (according to TV shows) don't happen and why other things happen

As simple as that!

Social Networks and Losers

Over the last few years many social networks have been created , no need to mention them since everybody knows Facebok, Myspace and Twitter.

What people ignore is who uses the most these tools: Losers

People who are on these networks most of the time (and have loads of "friends" there) are usually people that don't exist in real life, when they walk on the streets they are called NOBODY

But then they have their Social Networks where they have their "virtual friends", their pictures, their "life"

Many people will never understand that what masses usually do is pointless and very sad. That's why I never used Myspace, Twitter and I stopped using Fake Book (Face Book) a long time ago even though I admit FB to be very useful to get quickly in touch with those you need to contact

But real life is based on phisical presence on a territory, who you really are in that environment

There will never be a virtual life that can take over this matter of fact

Vey few people exist for real