I flew to Copenhagen Airport and rode the train into Malmö. I came on Arrival Day, so there were volunteers waiting to greet me at Malmö Central Station. I recommend trying to come on this day as it definitely relieved the stress of landing in a foreign country. The volunteers walked me to the university, gave me a welcome package, and then I received a ride to the student housing. Orientation ran for the first two weeks. There were helpful events such as a campus tour, a grocery shopping tour where they show you the cheapest places to buy groceries, an IKEA trip to grab things to decorate your room, and a beach barbecue to meet new people. 

I lived in the student housing and I highly recommend it! Summer rent is free from mid-June to mid-August. If you have space in your degree, I suggest going on exchange in the spring semester (January to June) and then staying in student housing for the rest of the summer during the rent-free period. This way, you'll be done studying and have more free time to travel Europe. 

There are two buildings in the student housing: Celsiusgården and Rönngården. Celsiusgården is more quiet while Rönngården is more social. I lived in Rönngården and found it easier to make friends as we would usually host events like movie nights, international dinners, and dance parties. 

In Rönngården, I recommend the rooms on Floors 7-9 because they have better facilities with the best window views, especially the west-facing side where you can view amazing sunsets and Turning Torso. There are single rooms with private bathrooms and a shared kitchen, laundry, and common area. The kitchen would sometimes be dirty and there would be disputes about washing dishes and sharing fridge space, but there is a weekly cleaning schedule where everyone has responsibility for shared spaces. 

Rooms have different sizes and are priced accordingly: smaller rooms are cheaper, larger rooms are more expensive. My room was big at ~25 square metres and the monthly rent was 5083 SEK (~$650 CAD). If you’re hoping for lower rent, it might be possible to reach out to the housing office to request a smaller room.

The closest grocery store to the dorms is Willy’s. Check out the discount produce section. Sometimes they have fruit and vegetable boxes for as cheap as 20 SEK ($2.50 CAD)!  Another place to find cheap food is TooGoodToGo, an app where you can buy discounted food from restaurants who don’t want to throw it away. There are also Asian grocery stores that I would visit whenever I was missing the T&T’s and H-Marts in Metro Vancouver. These stores are the best places to find foods such as frozen dumplings and lap cheong (Chinese sausage). 

Sometimes grocery shopping was a little disorientating because mostly everything is written in Swedish, however, I recommend using the Google Translate app. The camera feature is especially helpful for taking pictures to easily translate signs and package labels. Another thing that confused me is that prices in Sweden are written with commas instead of decimals, so “24,50 SEK” is twenty four kronor and fifty öre, not over two thousand! 

Sweden is really good with dietary restrictions. There are tons of plant-based options. I am lactose-intolerant and I was pleasantly surprised to find multiple brands of plant-based yogurt, cooking creams, whipping creams, and baking “butter” to choose from at the grocery stores. They also have meat-alternatives, for example, vegan ground meat, meatballs, even kebab, for cheaper prices than animal meat. At cafes and bubble tea shops, they also do not charge extra if you ask for an alternative such as oat milk, which was a blessing. 

Classes were usually seminars. The professor would provide readings, give lectures, and facilitate student discussions. Where the course differed from SFU was in the assignments and grading. In the Storytelling course, there were both academic papers and creative projects. We had options to create an audio-play, comic, or even an escape room. The academic system is also more lax here. At SFU, I’m usually balancing multiple courses. Meanwhile in Malmö, I only needed to take one course at a time. My class also had two chances to submit a re-exam in case students failed the first time. Since SFU exchange grades are pass/fail, I appreciated having more flexibility to enjoy exchange. 

There are two campus buildings: Niagara and Orkanen. They are just down the street from each other and I attended classes in both buildings. Malmö University also uses Canvas. Just be sure to change the language settings to English because it might be Swedish by default. The library also has a writing centre (similar to the SLC) in case you need support. 

They also offer free Swedish classes for exchange students. Most people in Sweden speak English so you won’t face many language barriers if you opt out, however, I felt proud to be able to order coffees in Swedish by the end of the term. Some of my friends who opted out did have more free time for rest and travel, so whether or not you should take the Swedish class depends on what you want to get out of exchange.  

If you get a membership at the student union (Studentkåren), perks include free coffee and cookies from the student union building and access to discounts for companies such as 7-Eleven and Flixbus. I got involved with SUM Magazine, a student publication where you can submit writing and visual art. Orkanen Library also has a student gallery where you can submit art for display. Plus it looks super impressive to say you’ve exhibited art in Sweden! 

• Visit the beach whenever it’s sunny! It's an amazing place to watch the sunset, swim, play volleyball, and have a picnic. You can see both Turning Torso and the bridge to Denmark from the beach Ribersborgsstranden. 
• There’s also a sauna by the beach; in the winter you can take turns dipping into the cold ocean and warming up in the sauna. I was initially intimidated because it is a nude sauna, but it was a great experience to get more comfortable in my body. 
• Go for fika, or coffee breaks, at local cafes and try kanelbullar (cinnamon buns). 
• Funnily enough, every local will tell you to try the falafel. 
• Malmö City Library has beautiful architecture. 
• Parks such as Folkets Park and Slottsparken that are great for walks and picnics.
• Copenhagen and Lund are cities just a train ride away — great for day trips. Copenhagen has Tivoli, an amusement park where you can go on roller coasters.  
• Go to IKEA for lunch. 
• Malmö Opera is expensive but there is a student discount and you can view incredible performances with English subtitles. 
• Malmö Museum includes a castle, aquarium, and art gallery. 
• When it’s warm, go paddle-boating in the canal. 
• Go for a hike in the nearby forests; southern Sweden is somewhat flat so the hiking is easier (though not as majestic) as BC mountain hikes. 

First, my caveat is that you don’t need to travel to other countries to enjoy your exchange! I had several friends who preferred to stay in Sweden and explore it more deeply. Whether you’re working with a tight budget or want to minimize travel fatigue, Malmö already has plenty to offer! However if you do plan to travel, here are some tips I wish I knew early on. 

• I recommend Schengen countries. These countries have an agreement between each other to be “borderless,” so you can cross easily between places (i.e. Sweden, France, Germany, Italy) without needing additional visas. 
• Do your research. When I was planning my London trip, I learned that Canadian citizens could visit the United Kingdom without a visa, but my friends from non-Commonwealth countries couldn’t join me. Passport privilege is very real. 
• Once you get your course schedule, book flights early so you can take advantage of cheap fare while avoiding missing class.  
• Flights aren’t the only transport option! In some cases trains and buses might be cheaper (but more time-consuming). From Malmö it’s possible to take a train to Stockholm or Flixbus to Berlin. 
• Take advantage of student discounts. For example, the Chateau de Versailles in France is free for people under age 26 residing in the European Union. Since I met the age requirement and had the Swedish residence permit from exchange, I got to visit this historic building for free! 
• It would be a nice gesture to learn how to say “hello” and “thank you” in the languages of the places you’re visiting.  
• Many public washrooms in Europe require you to pay — even some McDonald’s locations! If you want to avoid this fee while sightseeing, try using the washroom whenever you’re already at a museum or restaurant. 

To recap all the apps I mentioned (plus a few more), here is a list:

• Google Translate (especially the camera feature) 
• Skånetrafiken - public transit
• Malmo by Bike - bikeshare 
• Revolut, Wise, Wealthsimple Cash - finances
• Mazemap - to find rooms on campus
• Mecenat - if you join the student union, you can show this app for discounts (i.e. 7-Eleven)
• STUK.CO - student discounts 
• Comviq or whichever phone company you choose - to check data usage 
• TooGoodToGo - cheap food