When I first went to the University of Southampton, doing a year abroad was the last thing on my mind, especially since I had just moved to the other end of the country. Being half German, half British and having lived in Spain, I considered my experience of the world much broader than most people my age, which, for the most part, was true. However, I now find myself having broadened my horizons significantly following the completion of my year abroad in Lund, Sweden. It is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life, and I cannot believe there was a time I did not even consider it as an option.
Due to my multicultural upbringing, I have always appreciated different cultures, but I very much associated them with having to go to each place to experience it. However, my year abroad has immersed me in an environment that is more internationally diverse than any I have previously been part of and has allowed me to be part of a vastly diverse community. I realise that even that aspect of my experience abroad is unique to a certain degree and due to my living circumstances; a very communal place, where you spend a lot of time with those you are living with, quite far from the centre and filled with international students. One aspect of my living arrangements I came to particularly enjoy were the potlucks. They were amazing group activities where we got to try food from all over. I can honestly say living with other people, especially so communally and internationally, it was the best thing I could have done; it enriched my experience so much and I can now honestly say I have friends all over the world.
The University was very nice, the campus was incredibly pretty, it would be hard to beat. Lectures and seminars were similar to what I was used to in the UK, I also had the benefit of them all being taught in English. In some ways this was good and consistent throughout Scandinavia which meant I did not have to worry about too much because of a language barrier but made learning the language incredibly difficult. Learning a language is best when you are immersed in it, but when you live in a country where, as soon as they realise you do not know the language, they immediately switch to English, it is incredibly difficult to learn the language. Overall, I think this is a shame because it decreases the need for people to learn the language and therefore, harms the future survival of the language and for anyone moving to the country makes integrating with the local populace more difficult on both sides. Due to this my time at the university was incredibly international which I did enjoy immensely as I got to work with people from everywhere, but I had less interaction with Swedish people. There were differences I did not expect, for example, the process and stuff you need to go through for learning difference support, which took some getting used to. But the overarching feeling I have towards the university is that although it is great to experience university teaching in another country, the important thing is life around it; the living.
Travelling is one aspect that proved central to my time in Sweden. Many people I met travelled further afield, for example, Poland, but I focused my travels on Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia. I did some local exploration with friends as well as trips further North to experience the extremes of climate. Through the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), which I joined when I arrived in Lund along with friends (I highly recommend joining your ESN), we went on a trip to Swedish Lapland in December. We did all the Lapland associated activities, such as a husky safari, skiing, meeting the reindeer and a trip across to the Norwegian fjords and even went ice swimming. We experienced almost constant darkness and when there was light, it was a couple of hours of twilight, which comes with higher latitudes. We even saw an atmospheric phenomenon known as nacreous clouds, which was incredible, none of us had ever heard of them before.
Similarly, I finished my year abroad with a road trip that headed North and experienced the midnight sun and did the longest zipline in Scandinavia and took part in the midsommar activities. It was great, a summer where it was pleasantly warm but not frying you alive, I really tried to make the most of it. I also undertook a solo trip to Stockholm which felt exciting and rebellious. I saw so much while I was there and am so glad that I went. Despite failed attempts to get people to join me, it was brilliant and I am now very glad I did it alone, it was an excellent exersise in independence. My best advice is to travel; learn more about the country and culture you’re living in and what it means to be in or come from that country.
That is not to say my year abroad was not without its difficulties, of course it had difficulties and you need to accept that there will be from the start, but it is in how you handle them. Taking the opportunity to do a year abroad has been one of the most valuable experiences of my life. If you’re even considering doing a year abroad you should do it, and if you’re not, you should consider it.
