Alve: POV - I finally made it to Swedish summer

Hej! I’m Alve, a 25-year-old international student from Bangladesh, currently studying in Sweden.

Last year, I arrived in Sweden just two days before my classes started on September 1st. Because of that, I completely missed the Swedish summer during my first year here. From September onwards, the weather started getting colder and rainier, and as time passed, I honestly started getting a little tired of it. I wasn’t used to this kind of weather at all.

Then, after a couple of months, the days started getting shorter and it became dark surprisingly early. That’s when I started complaining about the Swedish weather like a true Swede!

And every time I complained, the answer was always the same:

“Just wait until summer. It’s beautiful!”

At first, I was confused. What could possibly be so special about summer? Back home in Bangladesh, we are used to warm weather for most of the year, so summer was never something we particularly looked forward to.

But Sweden was different.

From early June, everything started changing. The weather became warmer, the trees turned bright green, flowers started blooming everywhere, and the days became incredibly long. I could still see sunlight at around 10 in the evening, and on some nights, it felt like it barely got dark at all. Then, before I knew it, the sun was back again in the morning.

Personally, I was just happy to finally wear T-shirts and shorts and go outside without a jacket!  For a moment, it almost felt like I was back in Bangladesh.

But one of my favourite things about Swedish summer is actually the greenery. I’ve always loved plants, so summer was the perfect time for me to get into gardening.

When I visited my cousin in Jönköping, I planted strawberries, and after waiting for almost two months, I finally got to harvest them with my own hands.

And believe me—eating something you have grown yourself hits completely different.

Another thing I absolutely loved was seeing the Örebro University campus during summer. The campus becomes so green and lively, with trees full of fruit everywhere.

And then came one of my personal bucket-list moments: cherries!

Back home, we don’t really have cherry trees like this, and I’ve always loved cherries. So being able to simply walk around campus, pick fresh cherries straight from the trees, and eat them was honestly such a special experience for me.

It might sound like a small thing, but when you come from another part of the world, these little experiences can become some of your favourite memories.

And honestly, this is only the beginning of my Swedish summer story.

I have plenty more adventures planned for this summer, including some exciting trips, new places, and hopefully many more unforgettable memories.

So, if you want to see what the rest of my Swedish summer looks like, stay tuned!

Until then—hej då!