ORU International Student Blog
Welcome to Örebro University's international student blog! Throughout the academic year, you can follow the everyday adventures of our student ambassadors - and get a glimpse of the student life here in Sweden!
- Sheikh Mahmud Alve from Bangladesh. Master's Programme in Information Systems - Information Security Management
- Jie Wu from China. Master's Programme in Social Analysis
- Ayodele Adeleye from Nigeria. Master's Programme in Strategic Communication
- Noore Tamanna Torsha from Bangladesh. Master's Programme in Public Planning for Sustainable Development
- Ivona Leovac from Croatia. Master's Programme in Sport Physiology and Medicine
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Alve: One Year in Sweden: From Feeling Like a Stranger to Finding Home
So, I guess this is the end of the beginning. It is hard to believe that I have already completed my first year in Örebro, Sweden. When I look back at everything that has happened since I arrived, it honestly feels like the year has passed in the blink...
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Alve: My first Swedish summer deserved a proper ending - Kräftskiva
It’s August again, and summer is slowly giving us its last bit of warmth before the cold comes knocking once more. After my amazing cruise journey, I didn’t simply come back home and stop thinking about exploring. Of course not! I immediately started...
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Alve: Sailing into a new adventure, definitely not the last
I never skipped a trip during my bachelor’s semester breaks, so why would my master’s semester break be any different? After deciding to stay in Sweden and enjoy the summer during my semester break, I thought to myself: why not travel a little and...
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Alve: POV - I finally made it to Swedish summer
“Can’t wait for summer!” “Wait a few months—you have to experience the Swedish summer!” “Have you seen the Swedish summer yet?” These were some of the most common questions I got from my Swedish friends. Coming from South Asia, I honestly didn’t...
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Henrique: The ending of my chapter; The beginning of yours
Throw away your expectations, embrace the unknown and take my hand on the last step of my journey. 🫴🏽
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Kyra: Would I do it all over again? Thoughts after two years abroad
Two years ago, my partner and I got onto a Flixbus with each a big backpack and an air mattress, to move to a city we’d only visited once, to pick up the keys for an apartment we’d never seen in real life and to leave behind everything that was familiar....
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Lukas: Looking back on two years in Örebro
I can hardly believe it, but the second and final year of my Sports Physiology and Medicine master’s at Örebro University is already coming to its end. For this final blog post, I would like to go through some of the first impressions and experiences I...
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Alve: International Student Working in Sweden | Örebro University
Time is one thing we, as people, have no control over. It keeps passing, and in return, we gain experiences, memories, and lessons from it. It has almost been a year since I moved to Sweden, and honestly, it has been an incredible journey so far. In this...
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Henrique: Solitude - Learning to find your peace
What are the things that help you connect with yourself? 🤔
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Lukas: Sweden’s Raggare subculture
During the 20 months I’ve been living in Örebro I dare say that I’ve gotten used to most of the cultural differences compared to back home in the Netherlands. As Dutch and Swedish culture don’t differ all that much, integrating here has mostly been a...
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Alve: Things You Should Know Before Studying at Örebro University 🇸🇪
Örebro University is also known as “Örebro Universitet.” When you first arrive, don’t get confused by the spelling—“university” in Swedish is written as “universitet.” I remember being a bit confused myself when I first came here!
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Kyra: The last big challenge – writing a thesis
Whether you do a one or two year masters programme, in the end we all have to face the inevitable: writing a thesis. With only a few weeks left until the deadline of my own thesis, let me give you a little insight into what it is actually like and what...
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Alve: Celebrating Eid in Sweden as an International Student
The weather has been getting better over the past few days, and I just celebrated my first Eid after a whole month of fasting. Some of you might be wondering—why do we fast for a month? Let me explain.
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Lukas: Swedish national pastry days
You may have heard about fika or even read Kyra’s blog post about it. But did you know that Swedes are so absorbed by fika culture that they have devoted special days to different pastries? Weird, I know, but kinda fun at the same time. Here are the...
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Kyra: Idrott – Typical Swedish Sports
As a sports physiology student everything sports sparks my interest and as someone from the Netherlands, I have definitely come across some sports that I did not know were so popular here. Therefore in this post, we are going to explore Sweden’s most...
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Henrique: The colors are everywhere!
Pay attention to the leaves starting to fall, because it may start to get windy. 🍂
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Henrique: Friendships in time and place
Making friends is super important, so open your arms because I’m coming for you! 🤗 I already wrote about the typical differences between Brazil and Sweden, and I wrote about activities to make with your friends, but now let me try to describe the...
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Kyra: Swedish culture at it’s finest - Fika!
Fika, arguably the most important Swedish word you can learn when moving to Sweden. It is that time of the day where you take a break with a nice cup of coffee and something sweet. A major part of every day life in Sweden.
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Alve: Six Months in Sweden – And It Feels Like Yesterday
Six months already. It feels like yesterday that I left home — a new journey, a new environment, excitement in every step. Leaving everything behind at the age of 24 and thinking about all the challenges that might come in a new city was exactly the kind...
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Lukas: How to get a Swedish personal number and BankID
If you’re moving to Sweden and want to essentially be a part of Swedish society, there is a specific bureaucratic process you’ll have to go through, namely acquiring a Swedish personal number and BankID. Your personal number is your unique identifier,...
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Henrique: Boardgames, Potlucks or Movie session - all the excuses you need to meet your new friends
It may be lonely to be by yourself stuck in your little academic world, so let's make something about it!
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Alve: What Makes Studying in Sweden Different? An International Student’s Experience
The Swedish education system is often recognised for its focus on independent learning, trust, and balance. Rather than placing constant pressure on students, it encourages critical thinking, responsibility, and personal growth. This approach creates an...
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Kyra: Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Master’s in Sweden
I am from the Netherlands, so I thought, how different could it really be? Finding an apartment was relatively easy, I took a Swedish course before moving, so what could go wrong? Well, nothing went wrong but there were definitely some challenges I was...
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Lukas: Nature spots around Örebro
Around the world, Sweden is known for many things: IKEA, Spotify, Avicii, Pippi Longstocking, and of course… nature! Örebro is not the largest city in Sweden, but this does come with the benefit of having easy access to a lot of this nature around the...
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Alve: The Unseen Side of Studying Abroad — and How We Learn to Cope
Mental health can be a significant aspect of the international student experience, particularly for those who travel thousands of kilometres from their home countries to pursue higher education. Studying abroad involves more than adapting to a new...
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Henrique: Winter in Sweden - there is no bad weather
The autumn and winter here in Sweden have mostly two moods: “Oh no, it is raining” and “Oh no, my bicycle lock is frozen”. 🌧️❄️
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Kyra: Weekend Escapes and Travels from Örebro
Studying abroad gives you the perfect opportunity to explore not only the city you are studying in, but also the rest of the country.
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Lukas: The Northern Lights
It’s 10.30 PM and you get a notification on your phone: “If the sky is clear, there is a chance of seeing the aurora in your area”. You’re skeptical and were about to go to bed, but decide to go outside and have a look anyway. You walk to a nearby little...
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Henrique: Learning Swedish. Hallå!
How is it to learn such a different language? Is it the same as learning English? How to say “sju”?! Please help me with this one...
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Alve: A Country Away, But Not Alone - The Friends I Never Knew I Needed
After finally settling into my new home, the next challenge was finding my place among new people — the ones I could someday call friends, because human beings are social creatures, and we cannot live without each other.
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Kyra: Light during darker days - Santa Lucia
On the 13th of December Lucia is celebrated in Sweden. It is an old Christian holiday commemorating the martyr Lucia who symbolises light and hope during the darkest time of the year.
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Lukas: Buying your first bike in Örebro
Örebro is a city with great bike infrastructure, and cycling can be both a cost and time friendly mode of transport. But you may be unsure where the best place is to look for a bike, and what to pay attention to when getting one. Lucky for you (sadly for...
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Alve: Finding Home Away from Home
Moving to Sweden to start my studies at Örebro University has been one of the biggest adventures of my life. Everything felt new — the people, the culture, even the weather.
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Kyra: Örebro in Four Seasons
Whether you are in Örebro for only 6 months, a year, or 2, you will encounter different seasons. Different seasons mean different activities and holidays. In this post I will tell you all about what to do in Örebro during the four seasons.
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Lukas: Ice skating in Örebro (with the help of Fritidsbanken)
All students need a break from studying every now and then. Especially during the Swedish winter months, when sunlight is scarce and the days are spent mostly inside, it’s important to incorporate some leisurely play into your life. One possibility of...
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Henrique: Is Sweden that different?
I think many consider swedes (and other scandinavian countries) colder due to their famous personal distance and the non-greeting of people in the streets. After a year living in Örebro (Sweden), I realized that this concept is related to a culture that...
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