Student Nations are the nucleus of student life in Uppsala. Founded in the 1600s, they are student societies are based around 13 different areas in Sweden. Originally students had to join the nation based on their home region, but these days you can join any one you want. Each one has a house, a restaurant, a pub, and usually a dance floor. They are the best place for affordable food and drink in Uppsala.
At SLU you don't have to join a nation, but you should! They have many interesting activities from trips to fancy dinners, called gasques. SlU has its own Union with a pub and such dinners, but activity there is more limited.
Each Nation attracts a different crowd. I'm afraid to say that my nation, Kalmar, is the hipster nation, for people who like Indie music and skinny jeans. Last week I attended the welcome gasque. It was a three course candlelit dinner served with excessive alcohol, which I tried to avoid, much to the protest of the Swedish boy I sat next to, who insisted it was a necessary part of toasting. There were lots and lots of toasts during the dinner, but I managed with .14 of a glass of awful snaps (horribly flavored Swedish vodka).
There were lots of speeches in Swedish and a few in English. Between that, there was lots and lots of singing. I actually knew some of the songs because my family owns a record that we always thought was Swedish Christmas Songs and we played it all the time during the holiday season. Apparently many are actually Swedish drinking songs, like Fredmans Sang No. 21, which seems to be about how lots of lots of drinking is so awesome.
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