I made my first trip to Sweden in summer of 1994, just after I graduated from my university in Russia.
The Swedish government generously provided me with a free place and a round trip to Sweden. The course was organised by The Swedish Institute and held in Valla fölkhögskola in Linköping.
This city is situated at 200 km south-west of Stockholm and known for its aircraft industry and university.
The course included practice of vocabulary and grammar, discussion of a novel, which we had read in advance, and pronunciation exercises. All participants made presentations of their countries. There were also lectures and talks given by guests: university students, chief of the city fire department, a woman writer etc.
In addition, the course programme included visits of local families as well as of various administrative services of the city. I and two other students went to the employment agency and took an interview with its chief.
We also made a few trips to surrounding cities, such as Norrköping, and to the countryside, e.g. a medieval castle and a runic stone (Röksten).
The last night in Sweden I wandered in Stockholm's Gamla Stan: beautiful architecture, cheerful people sitting in outdoor cafes, lots of young people walking about streets, small aircraft in the sky pulling advertisements, and the Swedish language sounding all around me. I walked about Stockholm all the night, except for a short nap in a fair tent near the royal palace. Then next day, from 5 a.m. and till my flight, I was on my feet again, watching the city cleaners at work, visiting shops, looking at people and architecture.
Those 19 days were my fist trip abroad and of course it was an eye-opener. Even within such a short time I could improve my Swedish significantly. The course was very well organised and Sweden was such a beautiful country!
