EXCHANGEATLUND
Public Transport
You can take the public bus as long as you have a Jojo [pronounced yo-yo] card, which is like the equivalent of our EZ-link card. You can buy it at the Skånetrafiken office, supermarkets, 7-Eleven or Pressbyrån convenience stores for about 20SEK. To top-up the card, you can go to any Pressbyrån stores or self-service ticket machines at the Lund Central Station. The minimum top-up amount is 100SEK.
A bus ride in Lund, regardless of distance travelled, is approximately 16,40 SEK. Paying for your train rides to other parts of Sweden, and Copenhagen, using the Jojo card will give you a 20% discount for the normal card. If you take a bus or train to another city, say Malmö, you should also receive a printed receipt with a stated timing until which you can take local buses (only buses!) in that city for free. It usually lasts for about an hour or so.
If you're travelling with a friend to Malmö or Copenhagen, you can always opt for a duo ticket, which is cheaper than buying two separate tickets.
You can also buy a 30-day pass of unlimited bus rides (Jojo Period Card) for about S$90.
Phone
On Arrival Day, you will receive in your Welcome Package a Telia SIM card. For iPhone users, you will have to trim the SIM card as they do not offer micro SIM cards. To top-up the SIM card, you may go to any supermarket to purchase your desired refill amount.
Internet
The school provides Wi-Fi on campus with your STiL account student username and password. For Internet at home, you will need to bring along a WLAN cable from Singapore. Please note that you need Macbook adaptors for your cable if you are using a Macbook Air.
Basic Information & Necessities
Bikes
You can get second-hand bikes online, via referrals, at fleas, auctions and second-hand stores for between 500SEK to 900SEK. There are Facebook groups that sell second-hand things in Lund. You can also use blocket.se (the Swedish version of Craig's List!) to buy a bike. Make sure that everything is in good working condition as there will be no refunds for second-hand bikes. You may also need to refurbish them.
Please also get a good lock as bike theft is common, especially at Lund Central Station. You will also need to get bike baskets and bike lights. It is possible to sell the bike back after you leave, especially if you buy it through the Lundabocker auction.
IKEA Shopping
The nearest IKEA is in Malmö, and it takes about 1.5hours to get there from Lund. You will probably spend about 2hours in there too, and the store closes at 8pm, so do find a suitable time to get there and back!
Alternatively, LU also sells tickets for IKEA excursions on Arrival Day and takes you there by coach. It is also cheaper (40SEK) than if you were to travel there by yourself. Note however that it might be a few days till before the excursion, and you probably want your pillows and duvets before then. The pillows and duvets at IKEA are cheaper than the ones sold by the students during Arrival Day.
The food at IKEA in Malmö is generally cheaper than what you get at IKEA in Singapore. (:
How to get there:
Take the Pagatåg train (not the Oresundståg) from Lund Central Station to Malmö Syd Svågertorp station, and walk from there. IKEA is prominently seen from the train station and the walk there takes about 10min (not sheltered).
Swedish Migration Board
You will have to visit the Swedish Migration Board in Malmö to get your residence permit card done. It is typically open from 9am-12pm on weekdays only (double check that online!) so the safest way is to reach there by 9am. The queueing may take a while, but the application process itself is pretty fast. You will get your card mailed to you within the next week.
How to get there:
Take the train from Lund Central Station to Malmö Central Station. From there, take bus 3 towards Malmö Värnhem and alight at Malmö Celsiusgården. It's a short walk from the bus stop. Follow the street signs and you will be able to reach it. You can also take the regional buses 169 or 171 towards Malmö Södervärn and it's a 10min walk from the bus stop.
Finances
It is possible to withdraw money from your Singapore bank account at the ATMs (Bankomat) here, if you activate the Maestro and Cirrus functions for your debit card. There will be transaction fees incurred*, and the currency exchange rate is probably really not in your favour, so you might want to withdraw larger amounts each time.
Alternatively, if you want to set up a Swedish bank account, go to Handelsbanken with your passport and LU acceptance letter. The administrative fee is 195SEK and you get a debit card with a 4-digit PIN.
Note that for certain things like paying for your LU Student Card application, you can only pay by credit card, not cash. You will need to be able to receive your OTP via SMS on-the-spot!
*Transaction fees for POSB and DBS are S$5 per transaction but for OCBC you will be charged 3% of the total withdrawal amount.
Postal Services
There are mailboxes outside supermarket stores like ICA, Willy's and COOP for you to mail your letters. Stamps for letters and postcards mailed to Asia cost about 12SEK each, and the mail gets delivered in a week or so.
You can also send your parcels at the supermarkets, but they charge by the size of the box you use and not necessarily by the weight of your parcel. Each box also has a weight limit of 2kg - if you were to pack and seal your parcel without knowing that the total weight exceeds 2kg, you will have to unpack it and pay for both a new box and the damaged box. Small boxes cost about 205SEK, postage inclusive.
Medical Services
The healthcare system here is different from that in Singapore. Appointments to see the doctor have to be made in advance, and walk-ins are only for emergencies. Where possible, it is probably better to self-medicate by buying your medications from the pharmarcies - or, bring your own from Singapore! (:
