Nan H. Study Abroad Ambassador
What is one word to describe your study abroad experience:
"You don't have to plan everything. Sometimes the spontaneous adventures are the ones that give you the biggest challenges and learning experiences."
NAN H.
Exchange student at Lund Universitet, Sweden
Fall semester
Studying Tourism Management
- What is the best thing that happened while you were studying abroad?
Gaining a new perspective. As someone who has lived most of his life in Canada, studying abroad has opened my eyes to a lot of things I was unaware of. It gave me a breath of fresh air to new possibilities and experiences.
- What was the biggest cultural adaptation you had to make?
The biggest cultural adaptation I had to make was adjusting to communicating like the Swedes. Swedish culture is not as talkative since they often don't engage in small talk. Therefore, meeting and connecting with people requires a different approach than in Canada.
- In terms of your own cultural self-awareness, were there any instances where you realized that your own behaviours, perspectives, or attitudes were different. Where did those differences stem from?
I found the Canadian style of tone of voice and body language differs from Scandinavian style. Politeness in Canada would be being friendly and respectful to both friends and strangers. Politeness in Scandinavia would be being friendly and respectful to only friends and leaving strangers alone would be considered polite.
- Was there a situation where you felt your actions were culturally inappropriate? How did you adapt? How did you know these were the appropriate actions to take?
Tipping. Tipping is the action of giving a certain amount of money to someone as a reward for their service. In North America, most customers tip as a sign of respect or else they will feel terrible if they don’t tip. It is a strong culture norm that is practiced in nearly every restaurant. In Europe, people generally do not tip. Waiters are typically paid decent wages to a point where tipping is no longer necessary.
- Where was the coolest place you travelled to during your study abroad experience?
Norway. Seeing the fjords from both a high and low elevation was so surreal. Gothenburg, too, felt like it was a place home away from home.
- What is something that you know now, that you wish you knew before you studied abroad?
You don't have to plan everything. Sometimes the spontaneous adventures are the ones that give you the biggest challenges and learning experiences.
- What was your best learning moment?
Learning to appreciate loneliness. The truth about moving abroad is that making friends is not always easy. Being in a new environment is hard to build connections since you are starting from scratch. A lot of the times you will be alone and that is okay. You learn and grow from your independence. You will experience different emotions and become more self-sufficient.
- Who was the hardest person to leave that you met while on exchange? How did you deal with that?
There was not a single person specifically, but a group of close friends. It is calming to know that with the technological advancements nowadays we are able to communicate easily online.
- If you were to recommend exchange to your best friend, what would you say?
DO ITTTT! Not studying abroad is one of the most common regrets a person has after graduating and looking back at their time in university. Exchange is a once in a lifetime opportunity where you get to experience new people, culture, and gain a different perspective globally. It might be expensive, but trust me, it is sooo worth it in the end.
- What are your packing recommendations?
Definitely try to bring less stuff and have versatile travel products. I found I could always purchase things while abroad easily at a fair cost, especially considering how many second-hand shops there are in Sweden. Also, if you pack lighter, you can bring more gifts to friends and family back home ;)
- Would it be helpful to learn another language for this exchange?
No, Swedes are one of the best English speaking countries as a second language in Europe. It would be useful though to learn Swedish since you get to learn more culturally and make friends with Swedes easier, but it is not required. Also, learning a language is fun and Swedish is in the same language family as English and therefore it is one of the easier languages to learn as a native English speaker.
- Did you live on-campus or off-campus? Would you recommend it, and why?
I lived off-campus, but still in Lund. I recommend living in Lund, whether on or off-campus since the city is smaller and very student-oriented. Personally speaking, you would have a better experience living within the town. But, if you like are more of a big city type of person, I would definitely recommend living in Malmö since it is the 3rd biggest city in Sweden and the commute is convenient and a short distance.
- How did you finance your study abroad experience?
I saved up a lot working full-time whenever I was not in school and also my parents helped cover for me financially too.
- What interesting courses did you get to take while studying abroad? What was the title of the course(s)?
I took Viking Age Scandinavia, Sustainable Eating, Swedish for Beginners, and Diversity of the World's Languages. I recommend Viking Age Scandinavia and Swedish for Beginners as they are courses that you would not be able to take at home.
- Is there any other helpful information you would like to share with future study abroad participants?
Don't overwhelm yourself! There will be a lot of things you'd want to do and accomplish but keep in mind that you may not be able to do all of them. Make sure to have a healthy balance. Sometimes it is necessary to take a weekend to rest rather than to travel on a low battery.
