One city, a lot of countries

I think it’s fair to say that when you ask an international student, what is it that makes Umeå special, the answer is undeniably the people here.  Yes, it is a great city... yes, there are amazing things to see (The Northern Lights, The Midnight Sun and many more) but ultimately Umeå has such a great mix of international people that integrate on a level I never really would have imagined.

I suppose at this stage I take it for granted and it was only really one day when I thought about my interactions that I realised how diverse my encounters here in Umeå are.  This day in question started off with meeting my Chinese and Nigerian classmates who I was working on a business project with.  This was followed by a meeting with the Swedish girl who I was writing my thesis with.  Lunch was eaten with my Irish and American friends.  Then that evening I lost count of the different nationalities that I partied with from the Spanish who will always be at every party (but will probably be late) to the Swedes that showed up 15 minutes early and realised that nobody was even there yet!  The French will also be there, drinking their wine while complaining that it tastes like crap but they can’t afford “proper French wine” because Sweden is so “damn expensive”.

A great thing to do in Umeå before the snow comes is to BBQ or as the Swedes say “grill”.  This is another opportunity to see the different cultural approaches to cooking food over hot coals.  The Irish method is usually to eat as much meat as we can that will cook in the shortest time.  I don’t know how many times my Irish friends and I found ourselves in ICA (the local supermarket) asking should we buy ketchup only to collectively answer “no... the Germans will bring that”.  And the Germans will always bring a salad as well.  As a general rule, if you are going to BBQ... invite the Germans!

I particularly liked my Belgian friends approach to BBQ-ing, which involved trying to cook a full chicken breast on a disposable BBQ.  After 40 minutes and acknowledging that the centre of the meat was still an e-coli pink then finally retreated to their kitchen and cooked in the oven.  But you have to admire their effort!

I guess you could argue that every University has an international dimension to it but for me Umeå just does such a great job and making this huge international community, and not only that but allowing you to integrate with the Swedish students through the “Buddy Program”, something that I will talk about in my next post!

Till then, keep reading!

Brian

Umeå and me

Sunday 20th August 2006 was the first time I set foot in Umeå.  It had not been my first choice for an Erasmus exchange, I had actually been due to study in America for the year but politics within my home university meant that it would not be possible.  So with not a lot of time to choose, I told my study advisor that I liked the idea of studying in Sweden.  This wasn't really grounded in anything other than that I liked the "idea" of Sweden.  His reply to me was that if I wanted to do my Erasmus exchange in Sweden, than the best place to choose would be Umeå... and with only that conversation I decided I would leave Ireland for a year and study in the North of Sweden.

In the months before arriving I read as much information about Umeå as I could and by the time I got on the plane in Dublin, I couldn't wait to arrive.  I arrived in Umeå on a Sunday afternoon and went for a walk downtown.  After walking for about 20 minutes around downtown Umeå I had only encountered two people.  Every shop was also closed.  I felt like I was in a ghost town and I immediately thought "Brian... what have you done, you have to stay here for an entire year!!"

Thankfully the next morning at the orientation course it was explained to me that the Swedish students had not arrived, and the only people in Umeå were the locals living here and the international students taking the orientation course.  As the weeks went on, I continued to meet more and more people from every country over the world and my initial fear went away as over 30,000 students descended on the city.  

I initially came to Umeå to do an Erasmus exchange, but as anybody who has come here will tell you, it is so much more than just studying.  I had lived, loved and partied in Umeå amongst some amazing people from around the world and when I left at the end of my Erasmus exchange I thought that would be the last time I was in Umeå.

I went back to Dublin where I completed by bachelor degree in Business and Management.  After this I worked for a year in two different sales companies, however I wasn't satisfied with the direction my life was going.  I have always had a keen interest in entrepreneurship and I began to look at Masters programs that would increase my knowledge in this area.  No matter what program I looked at, I always came back to the Umeå University webpage.  There is no doubt that the Erasmus exchange had made a huge impact on me and ultimately I applied for the masters program in Business Development and Internationalisation and was accepted!

So after never thinking I would be back... I arrived again in Umeå on the 24th August 2009.  Hopefully over the two months that I will write this blog, I will be able to give you an insight into my experiences and my perspective on life here in Umeå!

Keep reading :)

IKSU!

(oops managed to delete this post so it ended up here!) 

IKSU

What is this?  i’l tell you. It’s brilliant. Can you imagine a state of the art sports centre that has recently been voted second best in the world for group training and is also the largest sports centre in Europe? Can you imagine it runs roughly 50 different classes per day...everything from aqua power, yoga, martial arts, zumba, swimming, boxing not to mention having the facilities for virtual golf, indoor hockey and indoor beach volleyball? It sounds like something I dreamt about...like a fantasy land for fit people!  Well don’t worry.. it exists, it’s called IKSU and it’s right here in Umeå.

Let me give you the run down. 

Aqua power: Best done at around 8am on a day when you have no school. Not only will you feel super productive getting up so early to do aerobics in water.. it’s also a perfect simulation of what life would be like in a retirement home in Florida.

Zumba: This is a kind of latin style dance class. I don’t go for the fitness...it’s more just a fun way to spend an hour. Although...it can be disheartening when you realize how hard it actually is!

Punch out:  This is probably my favourite class. You work in pairs boxing and kickboxing against pads your partner is holding.  It can be a great way to meet people if you go alone. Beware though...sometimes you can get paired with someone much weaker or stronger...which inevitably leads to someone being thrown across the room!

Spinning:  Spinning is a great workout. IKSU host 40,55 & 70 minute classes that are really fun. Try out a few as each instructor has their own favourite genre of music to cycle to. You’ll find the perfect class eventually.

Body Pump:  This is a fantastic class. You choose your own weight level and lift to music. In the beginning your muscles will be crying. It gets better though!

Yoga: I had never properly tried yoga before and I was really impressed at the balance and peace of mind it gave me after every class. Do it regularly and you will definitely notice a difference in your flexibility.They even cover you with a blanket at the end of every class which is really cool.

Body Balance: This class is really great when done early in the morning. It really wakes your body up. It is not as challenging as yoga but does contribute to flexibility.

Aerobic Dance: this class is based on learning a choreographed dance and repeating it at high speed for one hour in sync with 100 other people. It’s cool when you get it right, but really annoying when you can’t keep up!


(This is not a fully comprehensive list.. there are many more classes, I just haven't been to them yet!)

Beach Volleyball: I was amazed when I saw that IKSUhas an indoor beach volleyball court! It’s really fun to come in from -20 snow and ice and then play beach volleyball in the sand! Of course..not everyone comes to play volleyball...

Swimming: There are 2 pools in IKSU. There is a 20m  divided into lanes for all purpose swimming and there is a smaller one called ‘Bottenviken’ which is 5 degrees warmer and is used for aqua classes. It’s quite funny.. Most of the time you are in the pool they either play Andrea Bocelli or pop music. It’s really relaxing and a great place to clear your head. There is even a hammock if you feel like being lazy!

Gym Area: The Gym area is really impressive. There are 3 floors filled with state of the art equipment. I love that most machines have their own personal television and air-conditioning. Some even have recorded motivational videos for when you are working out which definitely help you push further. Don’t be intimidated by the machines. There are instructions on most machines which explain how to use them. With every gym membership you get one free consultation with a personal trainer, so I would recommend asking him/her how to use something to be fully confidant. 

IKSU also organize many outdoor trips throughout the year, some well worth going on. They are quickly signed up for so go for it to avoid being disappointed!There is shop called ‘Sarek’ inIKSU where you can rent any equipment you might need. It’s quite cheap, to rent everything you need for cross country skiing is only 75sek per day which is great value.

Students can avail of discounts on various types of memberships. For more information:   http://www.iksu.se/bli-medlem/priser/olika-medlemskap/?lang=en      Most people I know chose the gold card.

Overall this is a fantastic facility and you are privileged to be able to use it.  Have fun!

Louise J:)