Sweden
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What A Year (ish)!
The six months I was able to spend at Lund University was a truly incredible time. Definitely coming with its highs and lows but nevertheless, I would relive it in a heartbeat if I had the chance. The video shows just a few snippets of the year. Things I would do again: Make the most of ESN- amazing opportunities and trips/activities both nationally and internationally. Organised for you. Decently priced. Great way to meet people. Join all the mentor groups at the beginning of the year- great way to meet people and keeps you busy at the beginning (you also don’t have to go to every event there is). Join…
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A Guide to Stockholm
The proximity of Uppsala to Stockholm on train is an unparalleled advantage of this student city and should make Uppsala a strong candidate for any prospective exchange student. To get to Stockholm, visitors have the choice to take either the high-speed direct SJ intercity train, or the slower commuter pendeltåg train which has more stops. In spite of the difference in time, both trains leave Uppsala regulary and arrive at Stockholm central station within an hour and cost around 85 SEK (£7). Whilst the cost and duration of the journey pose no problem to the foreign passenger, navigating the complexities of Sweden’s code of conduct is an ever-present worry. Whilst…
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Things to take Advantage of Whilst at Lund
Over the course of your time at Lund there will be many opportunities that I would recommend making the absolute most of. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus I was unable to experience some of these, but they are amongst events that ‘make’ people’s time in Lund. These include white-tie balls, tandem (where students cycle from Gothenburg to Lund on a tandem bike whilst people follow along on a party bus) and Kvalborg (a weekend in late April/early May where the beginning of summer is celebrated where everyone is in the city’s parks together) ESN ESN stands for the Erasmus Student Network. This is an organisation who run trips and activities…
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Lapland: lockdown edition
As Covid-19 rolled ominously across Asia and into the West, initially causing a deluge of cases in Italy, eventually the cloud burst over everyone. The distant, fluffy, cumulus cloud metastasized into an irksome storm cloud which proved to be the ultimate rain check for everyone on placement.
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Food Tourism in Flogsta
Not too long ago, I heard a rumour about an Ethiopian restaurant run from a bedroom somewhere amongst the brutalist blocks in Flogsta. Though I was told so little about it that it seemed mythical and even absurd. How could someone possibly do that? Where would they sleep? Is it profitable?
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Returning and Reflecting
Reflecting on my time in Sweden after half a year back in the UK, I can notice a few differences between the two. Some are obvious, and some are far more subtle. The first thing that I found strange when going about my day to day back in the UK was the language difference. This may seem obvious, but I had got used to either zoning out among a background chatter of Swedish, or tuning in to try and passively learn a few words. The difference on public transport or in a busy space is quite clear when you are forced to listen to everyone’s conversation! The more welcome changes…
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Uppsala Universitet: ‘run by students, for students’
In my first week here, a pair of Swedish students gave the University of Uppsala a glowing endorsement. They told me that Uppsala, with 40,000 strong student population, was a University 'run by students, for students'
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Swedish Dental & Health Care
It seems during my time in Manchester I had been too lucky as I have not needed to go to the GP nor dentist over my 2 years there. However, within 2 months of living in Sweden I needed to do both within a week of each other. So, I thought I should give an overview of my experience with both. Overall, my experience of both Swedish dental care and health care were positive. I needed to go to the dentist because I fell off my bike and chipped my tooth. This was my own doing and although I was fine in myself and did not experience as much pain…
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Expectations VS Reality
Reflecting on my time in Sweden, I began thinking about how my expectations before I arrived compared to the realities that I experienced. The main reasons I chose to study in Sweden include: great natural beauty, the idea that it was a world leader in terms of sustainability, a great studying and learning environment, and a feeling of the “unknown”. To start with, I was attracted to Sweden because of the possibility to spend a lot of time outdoors, exploring its natural beauty. On this front, I have definitely not been disappointed. A friend summed it up best when he described Sweden as one of the most “quietly beautiful” countries…
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A Comprehensive Guide to Housing Whilst at Lund University
For me, finding accommodation for my time at Lund University, initially, seemed like a never-ending endeavour. I would say this is the only negative experience I have had so far with my time in Lund. However, I do also feel that potentially my year was particularly bad. Therefore, I have tried to accumulate all the information I feel is useful and relevant when looking for housing and accommodation for your time in Lund. As some background on my experience of housing: when I flew out to Lund, I did not have anywhere to live and was staying in a hotel for the first two weeks. So, my first piece of…
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Student Nations at Lund University
One of the most unique things about studying in Lund is it’s organized student life. Many universities have student unions, however none are quite like Lunds. The first “Nations” were founded in 1668, based on geographic regions in Sweden, and historically students who came from that area would join the according nation. For example students from Halland province would join Hallands Nation, and students from the East would join Ostgota. In the modern day all 13 nations are open to anyone who wishes to join, and offer a wide range of activities to be involved in. This includes putting on cheap student meals and lunches, cinema nights, pubs and clubs,…
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The Academic Lifestyle at Lund University
Lund University and the University of Manchester have quite differing teaching and assessment regimes. I am now able to see advantages and disadvantages to both and why it is a great experience, if there is the opportunity, to try different styles outside those you are comfortable with and used to. Lund University offers a wide range of module choices which cover a lot of topics and agendas. As a human geographer and international student, I have to take at least 15 ECTS per semester from the Social Sciences School. If I wanted to take modules from outside this School, this would be allowed but I would not be a priority.…
