Some tips for living in Skövde and in Sweden in general

In this post I’m going to share some useful tips I would like that someone has given to me before coming to Skövde.

Get a person number (personnummer)

If you are going to stay for a year at least and you’re a student is going to be very easy for you to get a personnummer, which is asked for almost everything. For booking tickets, getting a bank account, registering for some webpages… You’ll see how easier your life gets after you get it! Because I was extremely lazy I got it in January, but, seriously, there is not many burocratic stuff to do, so go to Skatteverket (http://www.skatteverket.se/privat.4.76a43be412206334b89800052864.html ), the office in Skövde is located in Skolgatan 1. There they will ask you for filling a formulary and to provide your NIF or passport and also a certificate of the courses you’re registered in and the european health insurance card. If anything else is needed, you’ll get a letter in your mailbox. 

Get used to check your mailbox regularly and to make appointments for everything!

Get a bike!

Skövde is a small city, town, whatever… However, things are relatively far away from each others and also, may be the grey days, the cold and so on will affect you and you’ll be feeling more and more lazy, moreover if you are a master student and you don’t have many lectures during the week… By having your own bike you’ll be able to take more things with you when shopping and also you’ll do some sport and hopefully feel more alive. Where to get one? You can find a bike and a lot of more things in this facebook group “SÄLJES / KÖPES / BORTSKÄNKES / BYTES SKÖVDE” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/220770681319843/ ). Also, I’ve heard of a shop of second hand bikes, but I don’t know the name. And well, lots of people leave their bikes abandoned, so if you have the tools and the skills…

 My bike! ^^

Have friends that know Swedish!

This may sound extremely Slytherin-ish, but… You’ll see how useful it can be to have people in your environment that know Swedish. Because, each time you need to go to the doctor, call for any kind of service, the options will be in swedish, the letters you’ll receive will be in swedish too and… To be honest, sometimes google translator doesn’t work as good as it should. 

In Slytherin you will make good friends...

Also, this will help you to find mineral water in the supermarket after been living for more than 6 months in this country and when you had given up trying to find any by shaking bottles and been observed like a troglodite (this doesn’t mean that Swedish people stare at you in this way, everyone in the world would be doing that if they see someone shaking bottles of water in order to find not sparkling ones)

This is not sparkling water!

Learn Swedish!

In the University of Skövde there are some Swedish courses, but by the experience of other students they seem to be pretty basic stuff. If you’ll like to get a better knowledge of the language, check the SFI courses (http://www.skovde.se/Barn--utbildning/Vuxenutbildning/Svenska-for-invandrare-/ ).

Are you thinking of getting a partial job?

It’s difficult to get a job when you are a student and also when you don’t know swedish at all. There are two companies that need people for the delivery of newspapers and publicity. I’ve been told that the working schedules are very hard, sometimes starting from 2 a.m till 6 a.m. But when it’s needed… Here I share with you the company names! Svenskdirektreklam (propaganda, located next to Hasslum) and Tidningstjänst (newspapers, located on the way to ICA Maxi).

Be insistent!

Hope it doesn’t happen that much to you, but  sometimes in the service sector, when you need something and you don’t follow the scheme because you don’t know it but you’re certain that the service can be provided, you just need to insist. A friend of mine had to go to the bank, call, go back again, call again and go a third time in order to be able to make a bank transference. So… Insist!

Change “having some beers at the bar” to “having fika at someone’s place”

Alcohol is super expensive in Sweden, if you are not getting a proper income or if your aren’t rich, the afternoons having beers that a bar could be over. However, in Sweden they have this beautiful tradition that is called “fika” that means having something (usually coffee and biscuits) and some conversation. It’s a very nice thing, you’ll understand how it makes sense to gather at someone’s place to have something instead of going out because of the weather, and also, because I guess that Skövde doesn’t offer many things to do. But… Hey! You can have alcohol too, it’s expensive but in the supermarkets the beers are not that expensive, you can find nice offers, but they are low alcohol percentage and if not, you know… smuggling it’s always an option (ask for package to your parents!).

Get to know Swedish people

After seven months living here, I’ve realized that it’s very nice to know Swedish people in order to get closer to the Swedish traditions and way of life, which I find very important if you want to feel part of the place yu’re living in. I would highly recommend you to read something about Swedish folklore, it’s actually pretty funny, and to get some swedish habits, like having fika! Which is extremely lovely and, personally, it’s something that I’ll take with me everywhere I go. Also... Swedish know how to paty xD

See you in the next post!

Vi ses!!

First semester in Msc. Molecular Biotechnology (Part II)

The next part of my post regarding the courses of the first semester in the master of molecular biotechnology. 

HERE I SHARE MY OWN OPINION IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS. Which may differ with yours.

Experimental methods and design in Molecular Biology

Get ready for a course in which you’ll need to work a lot by yourself and a lot more in groups (which sometimes it can be tiring xD).  First of all, don’t be afraid if you check your schedule and just find: seminars, labs and tests. It works this way:  

• Seminars: You’ll be divided in groups and you’ll need to answer several questions that will be posted a week before the seminar class is scheduled. Then in class, you’ll discuss them with your teammates and that’s all. You will not comment the answers with all class or with the teacher, and everytime you ask about doubts to the teacher, she will usually tell you to discuss them in your group and send her an e-mail if you still have doubts. We tried to change the dynamics of the class, because sometimes it was a waste of time because not everyone had prepared their answers and some of us were feeling like teachers without working for free. If you still have the same problem, try to make it change. IMPORTANT: The theoretical part of the course is graded by 2 tests you’ll have during the semester. The first one will be based in the contents of seminars 1 and 2 and the  second one in the contents of seminars 3 and 4.

Contents of each seminar:

Seminar 1: Extraction and purification of DNA/RNA, Southern blot/Northern blot, Restriction enzymes.

Seminar 2: PCR, cloning and transformation.

Seminar 3: Sequencing.

Seminar 4: qPCR and Mutagenesis. 

Here are the links of the course books that are followed:

http://www.ebook3000.com/Practical-Skills-in-Biomolecular-Sciences_213590.html

http://www.ebook3000.com/Practical-Skills-in-Biomolecular-Sciences_213590.html

• Labs & tests. Before each lab you’ll need to be prepared and you’ll do a test in order to show that. You’ll have two chances in order to pass it. The lab tests that you’ll have to pass are called “dugga”, as the word “assignment” it’s something that will be in the front page of your personal dictionary once you start with the master. These duggas can be tests in the computer (the 2 first lab duggas would be that), presentations, the explanation of a protocol you’ll design, etc. AND there are duggas after lab too, in order to show what you’ve learnt from the lab and if you are able to analyze your results. Here is a small chart that summarizes the lab workflow you’ll be following.

Molecular Biotechnology

THE STUDY GUIDE HAS TO BE YOUR SACRED BOOK! Everything will be detailed for each week in this course guide. In this course you’ll receive theoretical lectures, you’ll need to prepare seminars and also you’ll have to do a theoretical project based in the production of a recombinant protein that will be assigned to each of you.  

• Lectures: 7 lectures conform the program. Each of them is focused in stablishing some theoretical basis in biotechnology, but also, some of the lecturers will expose their own work and it’s a good point for understanding what is being done –in terms of research- in the University of Skövde. The lectures are: (1) Introduction to molecular biotechnology, (2) Plant Biotechnology, (3) Molecular diagnosis and sepsis, (4) Recombinant antibodies, (5) RNA of interference, (6) Functional food [EVEN you – and everyone – think that this is the dumbest lecture ever, a lot of questions regarding this were in the first exam], (7) Drug development. There is a textbook to follow called “An Introduction to Molecular Biotechnology: Fundamentals, Methods and Applications” from Wink. I can’t share a link to it, as I don’t have it, but if you are interested to have it I can send it to you, leave me a comment in the blog ^^.

•  Seminars: You’ll need to answer to the questions of 3 seminars. First, you’ll have en introduction of each topic and then you’ll need to answer to the different questions with your groupmates. Seminar topics: (1) Patents – legal & ethic issues, (2) Ethics – Genetic testing and (3) GMOs. 

• Theoretical project: Each week you’ll need to submit some tasks that would be specified in the study guide in order to win bonus points. Then, you’ll gather all the answers of your tasks and write a report about the obtention of your recombinant protein. You’ll send a preliminar version of your project before christmas and also you’ll need to present it by then and you’ll be the opponent of any other classmate. Then, you’ll have Christmas in order to prepare a final version.
•   The exam will be after Christmas and questions regarding the lectures but also the seminars. 

This will be your first semester. If you are taking the 1 year Master, on yhe 2^nd semester you’ll be doing your Master thesis, if you are taking the 2 years Master, it will start the following autumn. However, you should know that the University of Skövde realizes it’s small size and encourages the students to do their master thesis in other universities such as the University of Göterborg, Cancer center of Göterborg, the Karolinska Institutet… Ask for references and contact with other research groups to your teachers as soon as you can.
 

Vi ses!

First semester in Msc. Molecular Biotechnology (Part I)

Today I’ll give you some information about the first semester of the Master in Molecular Biotechnology and its courses. 

HERE I SHARE MY OWN OPINION IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS. Which may differ with yours. 

First of all, the semesters are divided in 2 halves. The courses Experimental Methods and Biostatistics are developed during the whole semester, on the contrary Bioinformatics and Biotechnology only last one half of the semester. Each half of semester is called “period”.

Also, it is important that you know that you would not have your schedule for the whole semester, the next periods’ are uploaded once the previous one is getting to its end. So if you are planing to travel or going back to your countries for the Christmas holidays or something like that, try to talk with your teachers [#AlbaAdvice]

1^st period:

Bioinformatics

In this course you’ll learn how to use different bioinformatic tools regarding sequences analysis, homology analysis, expression analysis and so on.  You won’t have any exam of the subject, but you’ll have 3 assignments to do. For the first one you’ll have more time and it’s the longest, the other ones will come one after the other so, don’t fall sleep! 

As an advice, you don’t really have to take notes of the subject; everything is written in the pdfs that would be uploaded after the lecture has taken place.  One last thing, have patience and use the supervision classes for doing the class exercises, but also do not doubt to start with your assignments in the computer labs too.

Biostatistics

Are you afraid of statistics? Don’t you have any good experience related to them? 

 Forget about all of that because you’ll learn a lot in this course and you would even enjoy them. Andreas is a wonderful teacher (<3) , his lectures and slides are very illustrative and you’ll get out of the class with the sensation that you’ve learnt something. If you are taking the 2 years master, you’ll be using R, which has its own programming language. If you are taking the 1 year master, you’ll be using SPSS. In this course you’ll need to submit 3 assignments based on the application of what you’ve learnt from the lectures to different exercises, 1 assignment based on the analysis of data you’ll collect after a laboration work from the course Experimental methods and design in molecular biology and another assignment that will be a jornal club focused on the statistics of a paper of your own choice. #AlbaAdvice: Read carefully the course memo and it’s nice if you study the slides before you start with the assignments, even if you don’t really need it to do them, but you’ll get a wider knowledge of what you are doing. This was for me the most enjoyable course of last semester. 

 Part II ... Tomorrow!!!

Vi ses!!

University of Skövde – Some useful tips

First of all, this is the map of your new university!

Bigger image: http://his.se/Pictures/Campus/Campus_ENG_2014.pdf

Some things related to it… The exams are done in the A building and also there you find the shop and repro service of the university, the cantina is very expensive, the computer rooms are located in the D building, the student helpdesk and the IT-helpdesk are located in the E building and the labs in the G-building. Well, this is a general explanation. Let’s go deeper!


Studentportalen and Scio

These are the platforms in which you’ll have all the information a student will need.

Studentportalen (https://studentportalen.his.se/uPortal/render.userLayoutRootNode.uP). Here you’ll have access to your schedule, you’ll be able to register in the courses of your program (however, to different courses or if you want to drop off of some you’ll have to go to the student service in the E building or your teachers will provide you of registration forms), your grades, webmail (mail.his.se) and Scio.

Scio (https://scio.his.se/portal). Here you’ll find all the information, slides, course materials of the different subjects you are registered in. Also, you’ll be able to submit assignments, do tests and other activities through it.

Cards!

Get your access card as soon as you can, so you’ll be able to get to the university even on weekends and at late hours. The request for such a card is done on a special form via Studentportalen. The form is found under “My profile”.

Get you PayEx account and card for printing in the university. You can also do this in repro, but if you have this account you’ll be able to print and photocopy out of the opening hours of the repro service. (https://wallit.payex.com/konto/registrera)

Get your library card. You just need to fulfill one formulary in the information desk. You’ll be able to borrow books, book study rooms and more things. More information here: http://his.se/en/Library/Borrow-and-request/Library-Card-and-Lending-Rules/

Exams & Assignments

For attending the exams you’ll need to subscribe to them through studentportalen. There are fixed dates in which you can do it. It’s important that you know that in most cases another teacher that is hasn’t give you any lecture will be in charge of preparing the exam.

Also, all the exams last for 3-4 hours or even more. You can go to the restroom after the 1^st and before the last half an hour of the exam. If you want to leave the exam in blank you’ll need to wait till 45 min has passed. The same if you arrive to the exam late, but you’ll only have this second chance once. You can also bring food to the examination.

Exams are corrected in a maximum of 18 working days after the test was done. You’ll be able to collect them or make a copy of them in the A building and if you want to discuss an answer with the examinator, you’ll need to fulfill a formulary.  You’ll get a notification about your marks by e-mail by your teachers or directly through studentportalen. 

In the case you fail the exam, you’ll have a second chance a month after the first one has taken place.

About the assignments, you’ll upload them in Scio and may be in Urkund, a platform that detects cheating. Plagiarism is considered as the worst thing in this university, you’ll get information about it even in the first arrival talk. Also, you’ll have the chance of resubmision if you haven’t passed the assignment and sometimes,  in order to improve your grade. 

After a re-take or a resubmision, only the second grade will appear in your course certificate, and not even the information that you’ve taken an exam twice.

The IC –International Committee

It’s an organization made up by students that organize different events that involve the participation of the international students and also of the local ones. In the first weeks of each semester some activities are planned and during the year there are more. I’m proud to say I’m part of this group and that is a very nice experience to help the students to meet each other and to make the university their new home. I’ll write another post about being a member of the IC group, may be by the end of semester.

Ah! You’ll see is very useful as a new international student to “like”  o “join” the following facebook pages or groups:

-Skovde International students (+ year of application)

-IC  fb page: https://www.facebook.com/SkovdeIC

Of course there are more things that can be explained about the university, but I think these are some of the most important ones that you don’t usually think about till you reach the university and that are good to know. If you have any other doubts or any comments, please write them in the comments’ section.

Vi ses! PS: The next post will be about the Master in Molecular Biotechnology or... What I'm studying in Skövde ^--^

My Family at Norra

I know it's been a while since I haven't written anything in here, but that's because I've being settling down and also due to all the things that have happened in this time ... It's very difficult to choose what to write about! I promise to post more regularly :) So, I'm going to try to group things I was willing to tell you in some main topics: My Family at Norra, The Master and my new class, International Dinner and Our trip to Norway.

My Family at Norra
In these months something very great has happened... A family has been formed! Actually, I think I've written about some of them in the previous posts, but as time goes by you get to know better the people that surrounds you and I couldn't be luckier!

Everything starts with a Fika!I truly understand now why Fika is so important for Swedes, it's the ideal thing to do in order to meet more people and also, to relax with your friends, talk about how has been your day, laugh a little and forget about all the assignments you have to do.

My group of friends started to organize a lot of fikas! And when I say a lot, I mean that sometimes there were more than one per day! All of them have being great, of course, and thanks to that we have come closer :). Deciding in which corridor gather, making coffee, tasting sweets from other countries, also really nice bakery done by Little Poland (Agnieszka, Dorota & Dominika -I (L) you girls! ^^) or by Aljona or Carl, laughing at Christian's commentaries, most of them related about X stuff and homeless people (seriously, it's impossible not to laugh when Christian is talking), watching Youtube trends in Iman's phone and talking about really great and curious things and situations in which usually Rob has being involved!

Concurrently, the group "Cool People Who Watch Good Movies and Want to Be With Other Cool People Too" was born (thanks to Rob). We were gathering (and we still do it) to watch some nice films and comment them, share our knowledge about cinema and have a great time!

Gran Hotel Budapest was one of the first films we were watching together

Also, we have celebrated festivities like the Kanelbullens dag (Cinnamon bun day), birthdays, we have played games (PSYCHIATRIC!!)...

Kanelbullens dag

Aljona's birthday

And one of the moments in which you realize that your friends are SUPER COOL PEOPLE is when you all together celebrate the Suit Up day! Guys, that day was super awesome, I am very thanked that you joined the movement ^--^

SUIT UP DAY! Yeah, we are fancy bitches!

We have being having fika, watching films, meeting in order to discuss our assignments, having girls' night, partying together and, definitively, sharing a lot of good memories! Like for example, writing in our FB page "Good morning" to everyone, like the Brady's xD

In addition, we have been the cast of our friend Pema Dorje, for a video she wanted to record, showing what style means for different people. It was a very nice experience and I recommend you to follow her blog, it's full of interesting material :) http://dearvelvet.com/

And of course, more celebrations... HALLOWEEN!!! There was a big party at our place, we were dressed up and wearing terrifying make up! And I guess that painting the face of another person establishes a kind of link because I was super happy seeing how cheerful Christian was looking like a Goth and sending pictures to his mum! (PS: For Christian's mum. You should thank Aga, Dorota and Dominika the new attitude of your beloved boy in helping at home xDD). Well, here there are some amazing pictures of that night and you can find more at http://dearvelvet.com/ .

Halloween Party!

I'm very happy of knowing you, because you are great, all of you! I'm proud of the formation of the Spanish-Polish Union and also of the invasion of the Good Germans, producers of absolutely great Breakfasts (Phlows waffles are something out of this world), also of the Cool People Watching Cool Films, and actually of everything related to our little family ^--^

Nowadays we are watching the whole Harry Potter saga, we are calling it "The Magical Week" and the experience is being something beyond awesome... I would say it's MAGICAL! We are remembering out childhood and also re-living the experience of the spells, the competition between the Hogwarts' houses and discovering new things from the magical universe of J.K. Rowling!

Next post will arrive soon, probably this weekend :) Vi ses!!

Something personal

Tonight I'm not writing about what I've done during the week or anything like that. It would be easy to write one "YAY! I've been here for a month"  because I feel really happy of being here, or about the first weeks of class, or may be about the parties here... That would be nice, but this time I'm going to forget a little bit about my spot around the world.

My friends from my city are about to start (some of them has already started) their masters or new adventures in our city or in others. They are going to meet new people, to find new friends, to see how everything works in other environments and I want to wish them the best because they deserve it. I've met very nice and interesting people here, but I miss going to class and see you all, have our breaks, joke about almost everything... Also, I miss the ones that I'm not able to see every day, but with I use to talk a lot and that have always been with me, and you perfectly know who you are.

I miss you people! We are always in touch by facebook and other social nets, but it's not the same.

I miss being bother by Laura, being told by Rubén Pavia while browsing 9gag "you've missed a gif of cats", laugh at class with Apa, saying to Felix "This sweater is new, isn't it", go to gossip with Paula and Rubén and compete playing to something like "Triviados", saying to Miguel that he's a nigga or dancing "perreo" with him, doing crazy things in vivo with Alicia, messing up with Álvaro, competing for being the best nigga with Jorge, talking about yeast with Toni, telling jokes about dead babies with Samuel, asking Carlos for hands lotion, being super sarcastic with Elvira and more and more things...

My next post would be about Sweden! I promise! xD

Presentation of myself

Hej!

I know I haven't written anything for a while, but I haven't been in the mood and also classes have started. Also, my application to digital ambassador was rejected, so I guess that's another reason for have been absent. By the way, for the application I had to make a presentation of myself and I thought it would be better that some of my new friends said something about me instead! Here there is the video, it was a lovely morning and thanks again for your help and kind words!

^--^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Was6QNxvzKw

PD: Excuse me for my shitty English xD