Analysing what it means being neither immigrant nor tourist in a foreign country, this thesis looks at the experiences of international PhD students and their supervisors in the Swedish university town Uppsala. The Faculty of Science and Technology of Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) are the universities studied. Based on anthropological methods, this thesis focuses on the individual actors as they attempt to match the objective of doing a PhD while at the same time being in a different country. Using practice theory, the study highlights that the experiences of international PhD students and the people working with them vary greatly from PhD student to PhD student. Yet, almost all undergo a certain form of self-formation and adjustment process to match the requirements of not only their host country, but also the international field of science they attempt to enter. Being connected to other people in similar situations can help them adapt to this new environment, and many international PhD students join communities of practice. I argue that most develop an internationally recognised habitus, which helps them being recognised by the international community. The habitus can further, under certain circumstances, become partially conscious.