Resfeber!!!

Have you ever felt the mix of excitement and anxiety when you are just about to head on a trip to an unknown place? When you felt your heart racing with exuberance and also having a minor panic attack just hours before heading to an adventure. Being the travel junkie I am, I get this feeling every single time I step out of my home with my rucksack.
This time it was different. It was with three suitcases, going to a foreign country and for an indefinite period of time. So, that strange feeling multiplied as the flight took off to Sweden. Co-incidentally and grateful to the Swedish, they have a word that describes this strange feeling. It’s:

Resfeber: (n.) – the restless race of a traveler’s heart before the journey begins, anticipation and anxiety tangled together.

Its a sense of achievement of you crossing your comfort zone and exploring new places, culture and traditions (and of course food!!!). As the plane lands in Stockholm Arlanda airport, countless dreams of students see wings of opportunity to take flight.

Sweden welcomed us with a heavy shower of rain. A new city is meant to be explored through its nooks and corners and it started from day 1. My first month was eventful and memorable as for any other student here. Being an avid trekker, I found myself along with a group of trekkers, hiking parts of the Sörmlandsleden trail. The beauty of the trail and the lakes around strengthens my reason to travel. While on a day of rock climbing, I was fortunate enough to meet and get belayed by Oskar Kihlborg- The First Swedish Everester. Those moments and conversations would be ever etched in my mind.

KTH campus is spread over the size of an old town and offers a lot to explore as well. We got introduced to the ever working laboratories, silent classrooms, never-ending library, and an all green campus. One building that struck me was the innovation building and the signage on it – “KTH pre-incubator”. I immediately applied for it and after filling out the detailed application and a round of interview, I received a mail that my idea was selected into the year-long preincubation programme. Another opportunity that couldn’t be missed was getting into blogging. Travelling makes people want to express their experiences. I was running a small private blog for myself in India. The opportunity to be a blogger for KTH was a chance to do what I loved and to reach out to a larger audience. Like I said –  feathers sprouting out from dreams and preparing to take flight.

What better way to know our classmates and the programme than to let us on our playfield (read mechanical workshop) to go crazy on ideas to build our own go-kart and drive it. A whole day of brainstorming, building, failing, learning, getting to know one another and filled with fun. The day was probably a small snippet of how the next two years might be.

As I look forward to a year of experiential learning, the blog would be a reflection of the Resferber experienced day in and out here at KTH and in Sweden.

Hej, I am from India currently pursuing Integrated Product Design at KTH. Moving to Stockholm has given me an opportunity to explore the new city like a local yet maintain the awe of a traveler. The vibrant KTH campus and its activities are itself a treat to a creative and aspiring mind. Join me on this journey of stories as we meet amazing people, exploring the innovation and sustainability pursuits happening throughout the KTH campus and the historical treasures of the city and the ways of employing jugaad to survive on a budget in one of the most expensive cities.

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