Student blogs

“One year of love is better than a lifetime alone!”

Queen

As most of you are currently applying for accommodations, I think it would be fun to share my experience of living in Jägargatan – a student accomodation, located in the most hipster area of Stockholm, Södermalm. When I got the email that I got a spot in Jägargatan, I was extremely happy, since I spent 2 months there during my clinical rotation, so I arrived prepared. And now let me prepare you!

It takes time to get used to these locks! Don’t give when you come back late after bar

First of all, when you apply for accommodations, you have to mention a contact person, which might be tricky, since you don’t know anyone. Check out this page for official information and prices before applying.

Type of accommodation

Jägargatan is a corridor type dorm where you live alone in your own room but share a kitchen and bathrooms with other tenants. Sweden is currently running experiments to determine how much personal space you need in an apartment and how much would be enough to share. Aaaaand… we don’t have that much =D In other words, rooms are pretty small BUT it fits a bed, wardrobe, sink, book shelf, giant table and cabinet. I would say, that’s all you need for living. Because of…

1. Facilities

Expectations: Wi-Fi and washing machines, shared bathrooms.
Experience: Wi-Fi is perfect, we have 24 people in our floor, separated in 2 corridors, therefore, we all use 2 washing machines and 2 drying machines (one of them is a giant monster wardrobe), most times they are available for use, so we don’t have to use a booking system like in some other places, where the laundry is located downstairs and you have too book it. Wait until your arrival, you’ll feel that pain – sometimes laundry can be a good excuse to avoid an unpleasant meet-up or just a sad reason to miss all the fun =)

Each corridor has its own living room with sofas and chears to chill, so you can have dinners there. There is a TV as well, so watching an episode of Game of Thrones, for example can be an option =)

First snow in Stockholm, view from the living room

The kitchen is used by 12 people. Yes, it might be crowded sometimes, however, we are not only master’s/bachelor student, but some people work in labs, so we somehow manage our cooking schedules. For each person in the kitchen we have 1 shelf in the fridge, 1 in the freezer, 1 drawer to keep food. The kitchen is fully packed with pots, cans, cutlery, plates and cups, so you won’t even need to go to IKEA, to buy them. KI Housing provides all kitchen equipment. We even have potholders and towels, which are changed out weekly by the cleaning staff. OMG we even have CLEANING STAFF!!! It’s like living with your mom but without mom. Just kidding, you still have to clean after yourself.

Fully equipped kitchen

Conclusion: expectations overfilled.

2. Accessibility

Expectations: easy-peasy reachable to campus and the city center.
Experience: I usually use the Pendeltåg to go to school, which takes approximately 40-45 minutes. 7 minutes walking to Södra Station, 2 stations by train and another 15 minutes walking to KI or taking a bus, if you’re not able to move a lot in the morning (lol).
Our dorm is actually located in a building of Södersjukhuset hospital, so don’t get confused if you’ll meet people in their scrubs in the elevator. There are also 2 metro stations: Zinkensdamm is about 10 minutes by foot and Skanstull is reachable by bus 3, which parks on the other side of the hospital. I used to go by bus 3 to KI, since it goes through the historical part of the city and stops at KI.
One of the best things about Jägargatan is the you can reach Gamla Stan by bus in 15 minutes! I also love the Södermalm island itself because of its lovely streets and parks (one of them you’ll have near the dorm), charming Tanto beach and lots of cozy bars (he-he).

Swan chilling near the Tanto beach

Conclusion: expectations fulfilled.

3. Life support

Expectations: groceries, gym, etc.
Experience: nearby the Södra station we have 2 groceries: LIDL and ICA. At Skanstull and Zinkensdamm there are bigger shops, like COOP (why do they use capital letters, huh?) and Hemköp. Gym options are good, even though you have to walk or take a bus for a bit. There is 24seven and Friskis&Svettis, and both have a student discount. Living in an actual hospital might feel weird and useful at the same time. One of my floormates injured herself while falling from her bike and had to go to our Sodersjukhuset hospital. Luckily, the emergency room was not far and she was checked by a healthcare professional, who happened to be my other floormate doing an internship in SOS during med school! Yeah, KI truly brings people together.

I also want to mention Tanto beach once again, since it is a perfect area for running, cycling and swimming. Yes, you can swim in Sweden. Cold but not deadly cold.

Preparing towel for my brave Indian mate

Conclusion: expectations almost fulfilled.

4. Mates

The most important thing about Jägargatan is that you meet your first friends there. Arriving in a new country and leaving your normal life behind might be frustrating, trust me. I arrived almost 2 weeks before my study year and was the first of the new students. And even though Stockholm was and is my true love, it’s always better to share your life with friends. So until the other students arrived, I felt quite lonely. However, from the beginning of September we started to have dinners together and this allowed us to get to know each other. So whenever you want to socialize, go to the kitchen!

Winter is coming! Oh, wait…

What to bring:

• bedsheets – if you arrive late, there might be no time to buy your own. KI Housing provides pillow and blanket.
• hairdryer – if needed.
• pictures/photos – white walls looks empty

However, all weak points are compensated by our view and best sunsets ever!

Can you feel summer vibes? Check out view from my window!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me via email!

aleksandra.kanina.2@stud.ki.se