Solborg Viggosdottir is a Danish exchange student from KEA Copenhagen. She's studying on the Creative Media and Digital Innovation programme at UAS Grisons in the Fall Semester 2021. In this blog, she's writing about her first impressions of life in her new temporary home in Chur.
When I arrived my Buddy was so nice to pick me up at the airport in Zürich. We had been writing back and forth already 2 months before my arrival and basically stayed in contact till it was time for us to meet in person.
When I was flying over Switzerland I was wondering about where all the mountains were… but as soon as we got closer to Chur I finally saw them and it’s more beautiful than you can imagine.
As I arrived in September for the fall semester, I did not expect the summer weather that I actually arrived in. The sun is so warm here and the days are beautiful on those summer days. – Luckily I had brought some summer clothes!
I arrived on a Thursday, a week before the other exchange students would arrive to the dorm rooms in the Konvikt, so I was afraid that I wouldn’t have anything to do the whole weekend. But luckily for me, my buddy invited me to join her and her friends on Saturday for a BBQ and a night out. That was really a thoughtful gesture since basically we had only just met. Her friends were super nice and wanted to have conversations in English, even the ones that didn’t speak much English. Sometimes they switched to Swiss, but they always told me the most important parts and I tried to understand some words. All of the people I met during the evening were really nice and open. In Denmark people tend to be a little closed up at the first meeting, so this was super nice.
I got a bike and could go to the university and for small adventures in the city of Chur after class. During the week the other exchange students started arriving, it was actually nice to be one of the first ones in a new place. – It’s easier to take action and make contact to the new hallmates and maybe show them places I already been to or help them with something I already went through.
I went hiking with some of the other exchange students to Mittenberg which is only a 2,5 hours hike in total from the student accommodation "Konvikt" and back. It’s hard work uphill – especially when you come from a flat country like Denmark – But the struggle was completely worth it. It was such a beautiful scene and the view up there was breathtaking.
A good hallmate of mine went with me to the lake Crestasee which is about a 17 min. car ride and a short hike to the lake. The water is so clear that you can see everything in details at the bottom. If you come during summer, you can actually bathe there. I only sat with my feet in the water, but it wasn’t long till they started to feel numb from the cold.
Top tip: Some good advice for newcomers, if you want a Swiss number check the eSim-card from Digital Republic, it only cost 10 CHF a month, unlimited data and you get to keep your own number as well. – I learned that the hard way. I already bought a simcard for 25 CHF a month with only 5 GB and limited calling and texting. And I payed a deposit of 120 CHF for it, fingers crossed that I get it back.
Lovely to have you here with us. I wish you a great exchange semester at UAS Grisons