Hi

Perhaps it’s time I introduce myself. I’m Lina. Editor-in-chief of this paper you’re holding in your hand – the Uppsala students’ paper. Those of you who understand and speak Swedish, might have already become acquainted with me and my two colleagues, who try to keep you up to date with what happens at the university, the student unions, the nations, and higher education in general. But I’m guessing most of you international students out there have not.
I can assure you that it has never been our intention to leave you out, just as I’m sure it’s not with intent that the student unions, the university, landlords, banks, Skatteverket, and just society in general sometimes tend to forget to take your perspective and situation into account, or to even offer a much needed translation from time to time. However, that’s exactly what we have done.
Left you out, that is.
This semester I think we’ve had exactly one text written in English – a short story submitted by an international student. Though we’re all Uppsala students’ newspaper, we’re not available to all students. I would love for that to change.
I’m not saying all or even half of Ergo will be published in English from here on out; Just like many of the student unions and associations (read more about this here), we unfortunately don’t have the time or resources to translate our material to English or to write it in English to begin with (it’s tough when it’s not your mother tongue ). But what we can do, which is what I’m trying to do right now, is to extend a hand to those of you who don’t understand Swedish and ask you to contact us if you want to write for us or submit a news tip or to just let us know what you would like to see in Ergo in the future. We want the international students of Uppsala University to be heard and seen as well.

I also want to wish ALL of you a merry Christmas (or holiday) and a happy new year Especially those of you who will be staying here, in what will soon become a ghost town. Maybe you can arrange a Christmas-y get-together with the few other students left in Uppsala. We have the recipes for it here. Ask your kind Swedish neighbour to translate them for you if needed.