Exchange Student to Sweden gift ideas?
 

Hello, my little sister attend GA Tech in the industrial design program. She was recently accepted to be an exchange student in Stockholm for the fall semester next year. For her Christmas present, I'd like to give her something that will relate to her semester in Sweden.

Any ideas on what I could buy her? I'd like to spend ~$50. I've looked at the Swedish --> English dictionaries, but it doesn't seem all that exciting.

Any ideas?

You could do a little basket...a pocket swedish phrase book, a thick wool scarf and gloves (temperatures get very cool very quickly there in the fall), maybe a guide book or book of walking tours? The actual basket can be purchased at dollar stores. A box of Swedish cookie thins (ginger thins - yum!) and you have a cute little gift basket with valuable information. If you have extra budget, you could include a cookbook of Swedish favorites.

Haha, throw in some Swedish fish. . .;)

I have a very good friend that lives in Umea (way WAY north of Stockholm). Anyhoo, he comes to the USA at times and has stayed with me for a week here and there. Do you know that he swears there are no Swedish fish in Sweden? (Maybe they just don't make it that far north?) Also, he says Svedka is not made in Sweden and the bottle is written in Polish.

Food for thought.

I'm checking out some Swedish books on Amazon now. The basket is a good idea.

Get her some salmiak, it's great :devil: J/k, unless you grew up with it it's nasty, it's one of the first things they give to exchange students over there after they get them to repeat dirty phrases. :lol:

Warm knit things are nice, also a nice journal or bound book that all the cool people she will meet can sign is a good idea. If she wants peanut butter tell her she ought to bring her own supply.

I will tell her that. Thanks for the input. I think a Sweden themed basket is an excellent idea and I will try and throw in a nice scarf. :)

My friend also did a year abroad in Spain and I sent her a scrapbook set, complete with colored pens and themed stickers (travel ones with luggage and airplanes, school-related ones since she was teaching there, ones related to Spain, etc). While she was there, she was able to put the scrapbook together, and now that she is back, she has a really cool book to remember her trip by.

Some of my friends from high school are doing that very same program :) They seem to be all over Europe using Sweden as a base.

Maybe a Eurail pass? As someone who goes to school far away from home and will be studying abroad all of next year, I know I really appreciate pictures of friends, family, and my dog. Scrapbooks, albums, frames- it's all good.