At the end of the first week of the Spring Kick-Off, the new "Zeros" (new students) finally were initiated into our yellow overalls. The initiation involved many team building activities and fun games to get us to work together and feel more comfortable with our new friends. Many of these activities involved getting dirty in the dirt and mud outside. Most schools keep their overalls clean, but us in the Engineering School make sure to get them to get them a little dirty. It shows that we are not afraid to get dirty to get the job done. Along with being dirty, my overalls have a number of patches on them to remind me of the activities I have participated in. With the overalls, there is a rule that you can write on everyone's overalls and anyone can write on yours. Also, the overalls are considered holy so you cannot wash them, unless you wear them in the shower or go for a swim in the lake.
A tradition exists at most Universities in Sweden with these overalls. At Jönköping University there are many overall colors. There is a color of overall for each school. Engineering is yellow, business is green, health is white, education is red, and communication is blue. Students wear these overalls at activities like the Kick-Off week and at the Student Pub, Akademien. Wearing your overalls shows pride for your respective school and lets others know what you are studying. At first they were odd, but I have grown to appreciate them . Initially us "Zeros" had to wear the overalls all the way up, but after our initiation we were allowed to wear them up to our waist and held up with a belt. I am sure I will make many memories in these new overalls and it will be a very meaningful souvenir from my time here in Sweden.
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