A Week in the Life of a Swedish Program Student
November 27, 2023
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One thing I’ve loved is that every week is different, but there are some constants throughout the program that make it feel like home.
One thing I’ve loved is that every week is different, but there are some constants throughout the program that make it feel like home.
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed a shift here in Stockholm. Familiarity is creeping in, and it feels so good after that initial adjustment period.
My days in Sweden were marked with nothing but joy, adventure, and fun.
Though I consider myself outgoing, I was very scared that making friends would be the hardest part of going to a new place. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Sweden fit me like a glove (or like the mittens I had to buy before our trip to the Arctic) because Swedes take the process of bringing people together pretty seriously.
At the Swedish Program and the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), I found that course lectures, activities, and field trips were unlike anything I could find at my American liberal arts college.
Each day back in Stockholm, we recounted memories and retold stories about times from our Spring 2019 semester, always bringing smiles to our faces.
My connection with my contact family is strikingly natural, so easy to slip into the soft rhythm of their family. From doing so, I have inadvertently learned so much about the Swedish way of life and special elements of their family that I want to co-opt into my own.
On the days when I know I need to do work but would rather socialize, the atrium is a safe bet. The spacious indoor patio at the heart of SSE is filled with small cafe tables that always manage to fit one more Swedish Program student than it should.
I feel at home in Stockholm, not only because of my obvious love for the city but also because of the close community I’ve built within the Swedish program.