Exchange Report – Destination Örebro (2012-2013)
Annette Jacobsen
Pre-departure
A residency permit (visa) is required to study in Sweden if you will be there for
longer than three months. This process can take quite some time so I would make
sure this is one of the first things you do. To apply you will need to have a valid
passport, health insurance, and letters of confirmation of enrolment at your host
university. Also, the Swedish government need to know you are able to support
yourself for the duration of the exchange so you need to show them you have access
to 7,500 SEK per month (approx $1,200 AUD at the time of writing) for the duration
of the exchange.
Once you have been granted the permit, you need to have your biometrics done.
This includes being photographed and fingerprinted. Unfortunately the only place
you are able to do this in Australia is in Canberra but if you do not have time to do
this before you leave it is quite acceptable to get the biometrics done in Sweden
after arrival. This is the option I chose, as it also meant I was able to give them a
valid Swedish address – which Örebro University will not give you until after arrival.
I found both CSU and Örebro were great at answering any questions I had prior to
arriving in Sweden. Örebro University sent out a number of emails and also had
Facebook pages set up as a place where common questions could be answered. Our
exchange contingent (about 100 students) was divided into groups of ten called
“Fadder Groups”, and these groups were assigned two Swedish students (Fadders)
whose task was to guide us through the pre-arrival and orientation period. They
were able to answer questions like facilities available, holidays, where to hire or buy
bicycles, good shopping areas, and the weather.
Travel
Hot tip – start looking early! As a general rule international flights get more
expensive as time progresses, and it is rare to find good last minute deals. Also, be
flexible with your dates. Flying midweek or at unsociable hours can often result in
cheaper flights, so I would suggest looking in a one or two week period around
when you want to go. Looking at a number of different sites is another good
strategy, but my favourite at the moment is the SkyScanner website. Once finding a
decent priced flight, another good strategy is to check out the airline website itself,
to see if you can get a better price direct – sometimes you can and sometimes you
can’t.
Baggage allowances can differ between airlines – to Europe most airlines allow
23kg, although some allow up to 30kg, so check with your carrier before packing.
And don’t think you have to bring everything. Sweden is a very modern country and
you can buy most anything there anyway. This may also depend on if you plan on
doing some pre-travelling before arriving at the university, as in that case I would
definitely aim to pack light.
If there is anything you desperately want to have with you on exchange but don’t
want to carry it there yourself you can also consider posting stuff to yourself in
Sweden. You can send this before you leave, even if you don’t have a permanent
address yet, as most major post offices accept post restante packages. This way you
can send the box via sea rather than air, which is considerably cheaper but takes
longer. The post offices in Sweden hold packages for about two weeks, so time it
well and it can work out brilliantly.
Insurance
Sweden immigration requires you to have valid health insurance for the length of
your stay in Sweden before you even apply for a student residency permit, so this is
something you will need to organise early. There are a number of good and
affordable student travel and health insurance packages available on line, but one I
found appropriate for me is SwissCare. They have packages available specifically for
Sweden that are designed for students. Unlike many other student packages, they
are not age restricted – important for me as a mature-ager – and do not require
affiliation to any national or international student associations. But make sure you
check out at least three companies before making a decision so you know you have a
contract best suited to you.
Campus
Örebro University provides accommodation for all exchange students, but if you
want to find your own accommodation you are allowed to do so. However, I would
not suggest this unless you have contacts in the town, or have very good Swedish.
Being a University town, cheap accommodation is in high demand, and local
students often have to wait to get something both close to the university and
affordable. The university-organised accommodation is reasonably priced,
conveniently located and, best of all, no hassle!
There are two styles of accommodation supplied by Örebro University - corridor
style accommodation and apartment style accommodation. In corridor style
accommodation you have your own bedroom and bathroom, and share a kitchen
and living area with between six to eight people. This can be more social and is often
more party oriented. In apartment style accommodation you share an apartment
with one or two other people. In this latter style the living areas and bedrooms are
usually larger, but they are located slightly further from the university (still only 20
minutes). You do not get to choose your accommodation or whom you live with, and
this is not assigned until after you arrive in Örebro.
Meals are not catered by the university – all Swedish students self-cater.
Supermarket shopping is comparable in price to shopping in Australia, and possibly
even cheaper; however eating out is fairly expensive. The most reasonably priced
places close to campus include pizza, kebabs, and noodles. There are also a number
of fast food options that are relatively cheap – I would suggest trying at least one of
the Swedish chains: Max or Sybilla. Food on campus is reasonably priced, but not
cheap. The best budget option is the all-you-can-eat pasta bar, which costs the
equivalent of around $8 AUD. All buildings in the university are also equipped with
small kitchenettes that have fridges and microwaves where you can store and heat
up lunches brought from home.
The campus is rather small, so it is easy to find your way around. There are five
main buildings, with a separate library, gym and a union building with a bar. Each of
the buildings houses different faculties, so it is likely that you will only get to know
one intimately in your time there. The layout is easy to navigate, and although there
are two stories in some of the buildings there are always lifts as well as stairs for
access.
Course Information
Unless you speak fluent Swedish you will take subjects in English as an exchange
student. Because of this, the subject list is fairly limited at Örebro, especially if you
have restricted electives like I did. But where there is a will there is a way, and I
managed to find enough suitable subjects to fill up a year away on exchange. And
Örebro does have a wide range of subject areas to choose from, so you can find
something relevant to most degrees.
One tip for getting more out of your exchange is to look carefully at prerequisite
lists, as it may be possible to complete a course at second level (Masters) even if you
are an undergraduate student. The Swedish are fairly inflexible in regards to rules,
so make sure you check the requirements carefully. For my exchange, I did three
subjects at first level (undergraduate) and two subjects at second level (Masters).
This was possible because these subjects only required 90 credits (about 1.5 years
full time) in a specific subject area, rather than full completion of a degree.
The program I did at Örebro was completely different from anything I could have
possibly done at CSU. This is partly because of differences in the European
education system, but also in part because I study via DE back in Australia. In my
first semester there I did three subjects. The first was a classroom-based subject
called Drug Development, and was a Masters level subject. We were a small group
(five students) and a discussion group would follow each lecture. There was also a
small lab component over a couple of days. We did have to submit a lab report and
do an oral presentation as part of the studies, but these were not graded. The whole
mark for the course was based on one five hour (!!) exam. Makes the short two-hour
standards at CSU feel very nice in comparison.
My second subject was called Laboratory Medicine Methods, and was basically a
semester long laboratory internship. Aside from just teaching me techniques, I also
learned how to plan research, structure results, and write a research paper. It was
absolutely awesome. Finally, in the second half of semester, I did a short
independent project in a different laboratory. Students in nearly all undergraduate
programs in Europe finish their degrees with what is called a Bachelor’s Thesis,
which in a science based course like mine involves completing and presenting a
small project relevant to your field. This is supposed to help develop some
independence in students. I was very lucky in that I had a supervisor that allowed
me to have a big impact in our project and make quite a number of independent
decisions, so I learned heaps!
My second semester was not preplanned, and in this semester I was lucky enough to
be able to pick up subjects that were only project work – one at Master’s level and
one at undergraduate level, but in a slightly sideways field. Because of this, I felt
more as though I was doing a placement during semester, rather than actual study,
as I had no classes to attend. My whole semester was based on lab work and
independent research and writing – and as this is what I want to do down the track;
it could not have been better.
As far as administration and bureaucracy goes, I found this side of things much more
difficult in Sweden, but I think this would have been significantly better if I had been
Swedish, or spoke it better. There was little information supplied about the courses
and their structure, so don’t go there expecting anything like our subject outlines! In
all the subjects I did, I found there was very little guidance in how to complete the
assessment tasks, however this may also be because many of them were at a rather
advanced level. Also, most University regulations are in Swedish only, which can
make it a little intimidating. However, don’t be afraid to ask questions, as people are
usually more than wiling to help you navigate through things – especially the team
at the international office!
One other strange thing to get used to is the structuring of semesters in Sweden.
There are no official mid-semester breaks in Sweden – in fact there is not even any
official intra-semester break! Each semester is 20 weeks long each and backs
directly onto the next. But it is not quite as dire as it sounds, as individual lecturers
will often schedule class free weeks throughout semester – the only difficulty being
if you are doing more than one subject, these times may not coincide. Also, the
semester length is inclusive of exams, which can occur throughout the 20 weeks.
And the way courses are set up is quite different – a full-time load is 30 subject
points per semester, and this may consist of four 7.5 point subjects (rare), two 15
point subjects (more common) or one 30 point subject. Subjects themselves are
classed as full-time or part-time so, for example, one 7.5 point subject may run for 5
weeks full-time or 10 weeks part-time.
Although there are no official breaks, it is pretty much expected that there will be no
classes (or exams!) for the week surrounding Christmas and the time around Easter.
There are also a number of public holidays throughout the year, where the
University shuts down for a day. However, if you are doing independent project
work like I did, there is still a chance you may have to work during this period. On
the bright side, all Swedish students all break for summer (there is no third
semester) for the full twelve weeks.
Transport
Most students use bicycles to get around campus; even in the middle of winter when
everything is snowed up bicycles still get used! Cycling in Sweden is safe and drivers
are extremely conscientious – very different to what I am used to cycling around
Melbourne. Helmets are not compulsory there, but you are of course welcome to
wear one if you desire.
If you are in the corridor accommodation (Tybblegatan or Studentgatan) you are
also very much able to walk to and from the University. Even if you live in an
apartment at Brickebacken, it is only a 15-minute walk from campus. However, for
longer journeys, the next most common method of getting around is the bus. Buses
are reasonably prices (about AUD $2 per ticket), and it is definitely easier and
cheaper to have a bus card. These can be topped up with credit at the city bus
terminal, or at a number of supermarkets and convenience stores. If you get stuck, it
is possible to buy a ticket from the driver on the bus (card only, no cash!) but it is
more expensive.
Expenses
There are not too many additional expenses associated with studying at Örebro –
apart from the normal study related things like textbooks and stationary. There is a
student union also – this is not compulsory, but I would recommend it, especially if
you are there for the full year on exchange. They provide support for both academic
and non-academic matters, and you get a number of discounts around campus with
your membership card, which more than cover the costs involved with joining.
As far as expenses go, Sweden is not a particularly cheap country to live in, but it is
comparative to costs in Australia – at least for general living expenses. If you take
the student accommodation this includes all utilities (electricity, water, etc) and
Internet – but not wireless – you will need to supply your own router for that.
Supermarket shopping is reasonably priced, although there are a couple of different
options available. The three major chains in Örebro are ICA, Willy’s and COOP.
Willy’s and COOP tend to be cheaper, although there have been some things (such as
tofu and soy milk) that have been easier to get at ICA. ICA will also offer a discount
for students, which can make them closer in price to the other two. One thing to
remember is that you can get refunds on many things (plastic and metal especially)
in most supermarkets in Sweden. For example, a normal 500mL soft drink bottle
will get you a 1 SEK (Swedish krona) refund – and at the time of writing $1 AUD was
around 6.5 SEK.
Örebro is a decent sized town (approx 300000 people) so finding places to shop is
not a problem. The city centre is a 30-minute walk from the University, and even
quicker by bike or bus. In town you will find many major chain stores and also some
good second hand stores if you are on a budget. One of these is Myrorna, which has a
really great range of second hand clothes. Also, there is a second major shopping
centre just outside town at Mariestad, which has a small shopping centre and a
number of large factory outlet style stores – this is also where you will find the local
Ikea.
Going out in Örebro is relatively expensive, with most Swedish students tending to
socialise at home early in the night (you will quickly learn the word “prefest”), and
heading out to clubs after 11pm. The drinking age in Sweden is eighteen, however
there are some restrictions. You can buy alcohol in bars and clubs from eighteen
years old, and you can buy light alcohol (up to 3.5%) from the supermarket, but you
cannot buy alcohol from the local bottle shops until you turn 20. Alcohol sales are
strictly controlled in Sweden, and you can only buy strong alcohol from the
government run stores, which are called Systembolagets. These are open Monday to
Friday, restricted hours on Saturdays, and closed Sundays.
If you tend to do most of your cooking at home, it should be fairly easy to stick to a
budget in Sweden, and overall I found it not too difficult to get by. One last thing to
be careful of is the fees charged on bank transactions. A couple of ways to avoid this
include opening a Swedish bank account (the host University will help with this) or
setting up a travel account before you leave. Either is a good option and will help
avoid the service fees associated with using an Australian linked bank account for
the majority of transactions.
Holiday Travel
The Scandinavian countries are incredibly beautiful, and if you can work it into your
budget I would highly recommend spending some time travelling in the area. Trips
can either be done independently (or with other exchange students), or as
organised trips through the university International Student social group (ESN –
Erasmus Student Network). The organised trips through the University include
short trips to Norway, Lapland, hiking in Sweden, and larger trips to Finland,
Estonia and Russia. I tended to do most of my trips independently, but did go on the
Lapland trip, which was totally amazing!
If possible, I would recommend taking a few weeks either at the beginning or end of
your studies to do some dedicated travelling. Some nearby places within
Scandinavia that I visited include Iceland (my favourite country I have travelled in
here – great if you love the outdoors), Norway (expensive, but oh so incredibly
beautiful), and Finland (which has incredibly fun and diverse people and social
scene). Some highlights from these trips include walking across an active volcanic
area in Iceland, getting up close and personal with a glacier in Norway, and dancing
at the traditional midsummer fires in Helsinki. I also spent a brief amount of time in
Denmark (mostly Copenhagen) as my mother was born in Denmark, so I still have
some family living here.
Also, being in Europe, many exchange students take the opportunity to visit other
European destinations. Previously, I had spent a year living in England and had been
lucky enough to see much of Eastern and Western Europe, so this trip I was more
interested in focussing on the North. However, I did manage to make brief trips to
Barcelona, Spain; Tallinn, Estonia; and a couple of brief trips to Munich, Germany.
This added some extra variety to the trip and was a nice relief to the wallet after the
high prices of the Scandinavian countries. With the low cost airlines and a bit of
preplanning, it is possible to visit nearly anywhere in Europe that takes your fancy.
(check the visa requirements if you want to go out of the EU!)
Within Sweden itself, there is also plenty to see. Örebro is a very pretty town itself,
with its medieval castle, and Stockholm is lovely and well worth a visit (or two).
Although I didn’t go myself, Gothenburg was also given good reviews by other
exchange students. The northern area of Sweden is another world, especially during
winter where you may be lucky enough to see the Aurora Borealis (Northern
Lights). But any time of year, it is lovely up there – especially if you like the
outdoors, as it is said you are more likely to encounter reindeer than people!
Social Activities
The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is going to be your main port of call for social
activities while at Örebro University. Erasmus is the EU association for students, and
has branches at all major European universities. However, even as a non-EU student
you are allowed membership of, and support of, the Erasmus network.
The first big thing organised through Erasmus is orientation week. This is done in
conjunction with the International Office at the University, so is both
administrational and social. Although not compulsory, I would highly recommend
participating in this as not only do you get a lot of useful information in regards to
the exchange experience, this is also where you will begin to build up a network of
other exchange students who will act as your support and friendship group
throughout semester. We were a diverse group of around 150 students, mostly
European, although there were also students from Japan, China, the USA, Canada,
and South America. Although most students were early to mid twenties, ages ranged
from 18 to 35. Subject specialities included science, law, psychology, nursing,
business and teaching.
Activities in orientation week included scavenger hunts, city and campus tours,
movie nights, the obligatory Ikea trip, and numerous get to know you parties! The
week ended with a trip to a Swedish nature reserve where we stayed in cabins,
swam in the lake, played sports, and experienced a traditional Swedish sauna.
Lastly, we were treated to a traditional Swedish welcome dinner, also known as a
Sittning, which was classed as our “official” welcome to Örebro University.
There were also numerous activities organised by Erasmus throughout the
semester. Theme parties were run usually every couple of weeks, with topics such
as “cowboys”, “retro”, “Swedish”, and “Crayfish night”. Sundays were movie nights,
and on Thursday afternoon there were the Language Cafés, which gave us an
opportunity to practice Swedish, or to share other language skills between our
groups – a good place to pick up a quick bit of Spanish, or Italian, or Chinese. There
were also a number of day trips to activity parks, pools, and to ski resorts in winter.
The biggest Erasmus event of the semester is Sea Battle – which involves exchange
students from all over Europe spending a few nights together on a cruise boat and
was (reportedly) awesome.
Aside from this, there are other University social clubs and activities you can get
involved in, many of which are accessible through the Student Union. If you are a
sporty type, there are also plenty of sport clubs, and the University has its own gym,
which is relatively cheap for students. There is no swimming pool on campus, but
there are a number of pools in the town itself, including one 50m pool at Gustasvik –
which, incidentally, is also the biggest water park in Scandinavia. The University
also supplied free courses in dancing, drawing and singing for interested students.
As a general rule, exchange students tend to socialise predominantly with other
exchange students, however you do get to know local students as well during your
time in Sweden – especially if you are living in a corridor. Informal social activities
throughout semester include bike rides, visiting the local traditional market (there
were organised trips when it was all Christmassed up), lots of barbecues when the
weather was still nice, walks through the local forest with lunch picnics, sporting
activities, trips to local sporting events, and tobogganing down the local hills after
the snow had set in. This was usually coordinated through our Facebook group,
where one person would suggest an idea and say, “who wants to join?”
Cultural Information
I guess the first thing to speak about here is the language. Sweden is not an English
speaking country; they speak (strangely enough) Swedish as their first language.
However, all Swedes will learn English at school, and I found the level of English
spoken in Scandinavia in general was far above most other non-English speaking
European countries. I believe part of the reason for this is that they do not dub any
television or movies into the local language here, contrary to most other places in
Europe. This means that not only is English taught at schools, but also people are
exposed to it every day. Further to this, there are a number of subjects at the
University that are only offered in English – especially at Master’s level. This is an
effort by Örebro University to make sure their students are more marketable on a
global front.
This said, I would suggest learning a little Swedish – even if just out of respect for
your host country. Although most people you meet will automatically switch to
English when they hear your accent, it is nice to at least try and start an interaction
in Swedish – even if just to say “Ursäkta - talar du engelska?” (Excuse me - do you
speak English?) Other things that would be good to lean include “thanks” (tack –
conveniently this can also be used for please), “yes” (ja), “no” (nej), “hello” (hey),
and “goodbye” (hey då). These small things will at least show you are making a basic
attempt to get involved in the culture – how far you want to go past this is up to you.
Some other cultural things to be aware of are that as a general rule the Swedes are
rather reserved and rather orderly. The reservedness can make it a little bit harder
to get to know them, but it is worth making a bit of extra effort to do this. As far as
orderliness goes, you can see this everywhere. First is the Swedish love of queuing.
Nearly everywhere you go you will encounter a queue – even at the so-called fast
food venues. (once at Max I had a 30-minute wait for a burger and chips) And
because of the reservedness, you rarely hear anyone complain about being in a
queue!
Food is also fairly different, and if you are vegetarian you are probably going to find
it a little more difficult as the culture is very meat-centric. If you like meat, you
should, at least once, try the traditional Swedish meatballs with gravy and
lingonberry sauce. Other foods that are big in Sweden include many varieties of
pickled fish, particularly herring (sill) – this can take a little getting used to, but is
best if you eat it Swedish-style on rye biscuits with sour cream and dill. Speaking of
dill, new potatoes with dill are also very Swedish, and very traditional to eat around
midsummer.
Swedes are also very big coffee drinkers, and one of the first Swedish words you will
come to learn is “fika”. The closest English translation for fika would be “smoko”, as
it encompasses a break from work – traditionally with a hot drink and something to
snack on. This can be a cake, biscuit, muffin, or, if you want to be a bit more Swedish,
kanelbollar (cinnamon buns). Fika can be had morning or afternoon, and can also be
used to describe catching up for coffee with a friend on a weekend. Swedes are also
very big sweet eaters, with pick-and-mix type setups available in nearly every store
that sells food. If you are brave try the salted liquorice – it is a bit of an acquired
taste, but definitely uniquely Scandinavian.
Aside from the normal big holidays such as Christmas and Easter, Sweden also has a
number of other unique national holidays. However, easily the biggest of these is
Midsummer. You will probably only get to experience Midsummer if you stay and
travel beyond the duration of the exchange as it is in late June. This is considered the
biggest celebration of the year for Swedes, who typically escape the city and head to
their summer cottages – another very Swedish tradition. Here they will celebrate
Midsummer Eve with bonfires and dancing and maypoles, with lots of other
traditions including fortunes telling to find out who your future bride or groom will
be.
Another very Swedish tradition is Lucia day on December 13th, which is a
celebration of Midwinter. In this, a young Swedish woman dresses up in white with
a wreath of candles on her head. She has a number of male and female attendants
and they walk through the town singing traditional songs. In smaller towns the
procession goes from house to house and hands out saffron buns to you in your bed.
In a larger town, like Örebro, you can go to specific locations to see processions, as
there are a few. At the University, there are two chances to see the Lucia – one is just
before dawn in Långhuset and the other is just after dawn at the library. I would
highly recommend going to the first one in Långhuset as the Lucia pocession looks
much prettier in the dark, and you also get served saffron buns, gingerbread, and
mulled wine.
Politically, Sweden tends to stick to the left, however at the moment they have their
first right-leaning government for a very long time. Taxes are high, but social
welfare is strong – with free health care and education (including tertiary) for all
citizens. They believe very strongly in equality between men and women and,
although there is some way still to go, I felt it was more common to see women in
typically male dominated jobs here than it was in Australia. Same-sex marriage is
legal here, as it is across most of the Nordic countries.
Weather
Sweden has four distinct seasons, with summer days typically around 20C,
although they can get as high as 30C some days (in the south/central region).
Where I was living, winter days tended to have a maximum between -10C and 0C,
although we had a really cold spell for a couple of weeks where temperatures got as
low as -25C. Now that is cold. However, the Swedes do not see this as an excuse to
hang around indoors – one of their most famous sayings translates to “There is no
such thing as bad weather – only bad clothing”. So even in the mid of winter it is not
uncommon to see Swedes out running or riding their bikes. (if you have not ridden a
bike in snow before, it is sort of like riding in very cold sand!)
The best way that Swedes cope with the cold weather is by good use of layering and
some very good windproof outer layers. If you are planning on going up north,
where temperatures can get as low as -50C, these things are not recommended but
essential. I would suggest some good thermals, a very good warm and/or windproof
jacket, windproof gloves, and a couple of pairs of beanies. If you are planning on
spending a lot of time outdoors, windproof pants will also be a good investment.
Again, you can buy much of this stuff in Sweden – I found some quite good bargains
in second-hand stores such as Myorna.
What to bring
Aside from general luggage like clothes, only bring those things you absolutely
cannot do without. There is not too much that you cannot get in Sweden, however if
you have particular preferences for culturally specific food (e.g. vegemite) it may be
worth bringing some. If you take regular prescription medication, make sure you
have at least enough prescriptions to cover your time there, or take enough of the
medication itself. If you wear glasses, ask your optometrist for a copy of your
prescription in case you loose the pair you have, and if available take a spare pair
with you. It is also worth bringing your driver’s license on the off chance you do any
driving on your trip.
As far as things to keep homesickness at bay, well that it a very individual thing. I am
mature age, and have lived away from home for some time now – on top of this I
have also lived out of the country before for an extended period (1.5 years). As such,
I did not have any real issues with homesickness, but if this is your first time away
from Australia be prepared that it may get difficult at times. The hardest time for me
was around Christmas, which is traditionally a big family time for me. However,
what my family did was meet up with Skype during their Christmas dinner making
sure we all had the same cocktail mixed so we could have a Christmas drink
together. In fact, if you do not already use it, Skype is an awesome tool for keeping in
touch with family and friends during your time away – and out of all methods also
the cheapest. Although talking on the phone is nice, it is extra special to be able to
see those people that are close to you.
What to buy
The accommodation supplied by Örebro University for exchange students is fully
furnished, so you should not need to make any large purchases over there. Things
you will need to buy include bed linen (including doonas and pillows) and towels –
these are things that can be bought during the trip to Ikea during Orientation Week,
among other places. You may also end up wanting to get some kitchen stuff, such as
pots and plates, but most kitchens have some communal kitchen equipment that has
been left by previous students, so check out how stocked your kitchen is first.
Another thing you may want to buy is a bike, as this is one of the cheapest and
easiest ways to get around Örebro. There are a number of second hand bike stores
around Örebro, but it is also worth checking the noticeboards around the Uni or
checking the Facebook sites for other students selling. Örebro University has
nothing that resembles our forums so don’t expect to find a classifieds site. Expect to
pay between AUD $100-$150 for a decent second hand bike.
Relationships
As with most of these big experiences, it is the people you meet who are going to
have the greatest impact on your time there. Leaving old friends from home can be
difficult, but with Skype, Facebook, Twitter and email there is no excuse not to stay
in touch if that is what your relationship needs. I have been lucky enough to travel a
lot during my life, so am used to spending extended times away from family and
friends – as a result they are also used to me not being there. However, the weekly
Skype sessions with family were something I cherished during my time away.
Friends, I tended to interact more with on Facebook, however I did Skype a couple
of my closer friends. I was also lucky enough to have a couple of friends and some of
my family decide to take European holidays during my time away – maybe
something to suggest to those people who are close to you?
There will be plenty of opportunities to meet new people during your exchange –
including both local and international students. Due to the nature and intensity of
my program, I tended not to mix so much with the other exchange students, and
rather found a friendship group within my subject area (there were very few science
students taking exchange at Örebro). As such the people I socialised most with there
tended to be Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD students who were studying permanently
at the university. Although some of these were Swedish students, this also included
a large group of international students, including from India, China, Serbia,
Germany, Belgium, Iran, Ethiopia, and Nepal. Even though I consider myself fairly
well travelled, I still learned heaps from being to interact with so many people from
so many different cultures. Although I don’t think I will stay in contact all the people
I met here, there are some who have become close friends during my year away.
These people I plan to stay in contact with for a very long time.
Probably the best advice I could give for avoiding homesickness and getting the
most out of your exchange is to keep busy and get involved! If your study won’t give
you enough to do to keep you busy, you will find plenty of social opportunities
through both the University and the exchange programme itself. And make sure you
travel to at least one place outside your home town if at all possible – there is so
much to see in Scandinavia and surrounding Europe, and us Aussies travel so far to
get there it is worth taking advantage of it. Go there with an open mind and a spirit
of adventure and you will be sure to have one of the most amazing times of your life.