Ayodele: So, I Moved to Örebro…

One thing you should know about me before we go any further: my phone is almost always low. I carry a charger EVERYWHERE. (Remember this, it matters later)

I left Lagos, Nigeria on 2 September and landed at Arlanda on the 3rd at 10:48. The day before my flight I had gone to Abuja to collect my residence permit card and only got back to Lagos at midnight. My power bank was charged, but my phone and I weren’t. By the time I said my goodbyes (and cried a little) at the airport, my phone was on 20%.

My bags came out fast, which felt like a small victory, then I went to the train ticket counter. The man at the counter pointed me to the SJ app, I booked a 12PM ticket to Örebro and stood proudly beside him, waiting for him to open the gate. A few minutes before twelve he looked at my ticket and said, "No, no, this is not here. You have to go there." He pointed.

What he didn't say was that I had booked a bus, not a train. I pushed three boxes on one trolley across the airport asking everyone which way "there" was. I definitely grew muscles that day.

I also missed the bus, and the money was gone.

Then a lovely Swedish lady who had watched me go round in circles stopped me. "Do you need help?"

Her advice, which I now pass on to you: if it is your first time, don't book on the app. Go to Pressbyrån, tell them where you're going, and let them sort it. Twenty minutes later I had a 13:28 train ticket.

Örebro itself was easy, a kind taxi driver told me about life here on the way, my landlord's representative showed me my room, and I immediately fell in love with it. It was unfurnished, but very me.

And then came the problem with my phone.

I had researched Swedish sockets before leaving Lagos and bought an adapter, it was the wrong one. My phone was nearly dead, my parents hadn't heard from me in hours, and I had no charger, so I went looking for one.

I searched for the closest supermarket, bought two chargers, and walked back to my new home. Except I got lost, I had never seen my building from the outside. My phone was now dead so I sat at a bus stop trying not to cry.

Eventually, I walked into a small shop and did cry, apologizing in English to a woman who barely spoke it, but she understood enough. She let me charge my phone and use hers to find my address on Google Maps, and I discovered I was a few minutes from my house.

That first day taught me something I think every international student eventually learns: you can prepare for almost everything and still be surprised. Sometimes, you just have to ask for help.

And yes, I now keep my phone charged.

Usually.