What is one word to describe your study abroad experience:
"Making friends was a lot easier, everyone is in the same boat and just wants to have fun and enjoy the experience."
LUCAS R.
Exchange student at Linköping University, Sweden
Fall semester
Studying Psychology
- What is the best thing that happened while you were studying abroad?
The best thing that happened to me while I was abroad was meeting the people that I met. I had to come late because of passport and visa difficulties. I quickly met my one roommate Duco, who was from the Netherlands. Immediately we had a connection, had the same energy, and just wanted to have an amazing semester together and became best friends. He introduced me to the group that he had been hanging out with, full of Dutch, French, Belgian, and German people. We had an absolutely amazing time together, spending as much time together as possible and going on many trips in Sweden and around the rest of Europe. These people will always have a place in my heart, and Duco is actually coming to visit me in October with his German girlfriend Mona :)
- What was the biggest cultural adaptation you had to make?
The biggest cultural adaptation was honestly just getting used to the openness of people. I found that Swedish people are quite quiet and reserved, a bit different from Canada where I feel a lot of people are very open. It seemed that not many people would talk as much if you didn't engage first. This wasn't an issue, as I did find a lot of outgoing Swedes, but the general population seemed a bit more reserved.
- 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 that travel was a lot different for me than for my peers. I was talking about going everywhere in Europe, and they didn't seem to have the same passion as me. They put it on the fact that everything is so close to them, that they didn't feel the need to rush and go to all these different places. Since I was from a different continent, I wanted to go to as many places as possible because I didn't know when I was going to return!
- Where was the coolest place you travelled to during your study abroad experience?
I think my favourite city I visited was Copenhagen. This city has such an amazing mix of food, old town, new development, culture, and party. Unfortunately, it's one of the most expensive places in the world, so I couldn't stay there too long, but the atmosphere and layout of the city was incredible. Freetown Christiana, The Round Tower, all of the beautiful churches and parks, there is never not something to do. The clubs are also open until 7-8-9 am so there is always something going on and always people partying. Almost everyone speaks English too, so no worries about not being able to find things.
- What is something that you know now, that you wish you knew before you studied abroad?
I think something that I wish I knew before was that it's a lot less scary than you think it's gonna be. Making friends was a lot easier, everyone is in the same boat and just wants to have fun and enjoy the experience.
- What was your best learning moment?
For me my best learning moment was just learning about different cultures and the way people acted from different countries. For instance, I found that people from the Netherlands were very open and outgoing and that people from Sweden were a bit more reserved and quiet. I loved learning about different cultures, I met people from all over the world.
- Is there an issue that you can articulate whereby you had the opportunity to view the perspective from a different worldview or cultural lens?
We talked about the housing crisis in Canada and found out that people from other countries actually knew a bit about our country and our prime minister. Swedes talked to me about the fact that they get paid to go to school, and thought it was ridiculous that I was paying so much for school.
- Who was the hardest person to leave from home? How did you deal with that?
It was hard to leave my dog from home, she was in her last stages of life so I had to say goodbye before I left. It was really difficult but I just made the most of my time together before I left. Turns out she actually lived the whole time and was still alive for a few months when I returned, was very nice to have some extra time with my pup.
- Who was the hardest person to leave that you met while on exchange? How did you deal with that?
Duco, from the Netherlands, was the hardest person for me to leave. We became extremely close while away on exchange and it was really hard to say goodbye especially because we are so far away from each other. We made sure that we would see each other again and have kept in touch since then, and he is actually coming to visit me in the coming weeks!
- If you were to recommend exchange to your best friend, what would you say?
I would say that you have to do it. It's something that you will never get the opportunity to do again, and it will change your perspective on life. Being in a different country really helps you understand that there are so many people in the world that you can hear and share experiences with, and there are so many places to see and experience too. I would say it was the best experience of my life and if it is possible for them to do it, they should.
- What are your packing recommendations?
PACK A UNIVERSAL TRAVEL ADAPTOR. This was super annoying, couldn't charge any of my things till i got there because of the adaptor switch. European ones are just better too. Make sure to pack enough clothes for different seasons, especially based on where you are going.
- Would it be helpful to learn another language for this exchange?
No you do not need to know Swedish to study in Sweden, almost everyone speaks English.
- What role did language and communication (both verbal and non-verbal) play in fostering appreciation for a different perspective?
I think that learning a different language was really interesting for me because I found out how similar a lot of languages in Northern Europe are. It was really cool to see and learn about how some words were similar to English too. I liked that it allowed me to really engage in the Swedish culture by understanding traditional words and experiences.
- Did you live on-campus or off-campus? Would you recommend it, and why?
I lived on-campus, and it was absolutely amazing. I met so many people and created such a tight-knit group of friends. I would definitely recommend living on campus so that you can meet more people and engage in group activities on campus!!
- How did you finance your study abroad experience?
I mostly used money that I had saved up from working + my parents helped out a bit.
- What interesting courses did you get to take while studying abroad? What was the title of the course(s)?
Ethics of AI, Swedish Beginner Course, Ethics of Morality - These were all very interesting, the ethics of AI course gave me a very good understanding of the state of the world and where we are at in AI development.
- How do you see your exchange experiences benefiting your future career?
I think that this exchange shows that I am an outgoing person who will do things that excite me. I think that showing that you have the passion to go outside of the normal box gives a really good look on your overall outlook on life and personality. I have a lot of connections across the world now too, so it could be helpful if I was thinking about moving to a different country.
- Is there any other helpful information you would like to share with future study abroad participants?
Make the most of the experience, and take lots of pictures (with you in the pictures!!)
