The final week of my
Erasmus experience has arrived and considering this will be my last blog post
about my time in Sweden it will be difficult to say everything that needs said.
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| Entering Norway! |
As well as myself many
other Erasmus students are leaving this week to go back home for the summer,
which actually led to a very random road trip to Oslo, Norway for Jakub, Hilal,
Pierce, Melanie and I. We set of in a very multi-cultural car which included Slovakian,
Turkish, American, French and British nationalities, a true indicator of how
Erasmus is an experience that you cannot have anywhere else. Whilst in Oslo we
were able to see some of the sights and attractions such as the place where the
tribunal of Anders Behring Breivik, the opera house, the famous Olympic
ski jump, one of the fjords, the royal palace as well as many other things that
interested us.
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| A group photo of us overlooking the harbour in Olso. |
Travelling
to Norway was a great way to end the chapter of the Erasmus experience as I got
to spend extra time with a few of the friends I had made and see another
beautiful city in Scandinavia.
As I reflect on the
past four months I have spent in Trollhättan, Sweden I have begun to realise
that it will feel really strange not to be with the same people every day and
possibly will not see some of them again although in the wise words of an
American, ‘it is not goodbye, it is see you later’. I feel extremely
lucky to have spent a semester studying in Sweden and have met so many
wonderful people from different countries all over the world that could not
have happened if I stayed at Stranmillis for the semester therefore I feel that
I have definitely broadened my horizons and changed as a person overall even
though before I went on Erasmus I was quite independent.
I knew how to do
laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, manage money etc therefore living in
Sweden without my parents to help me wasn’t a big issue. Naturally, I think
that it took some time for me to adapt to the Swedish way of life and grow
accustomed to the prices of things and the transport systems in and around
Sweden as I was used to a very different way of life in Northern Ireland. The
Erasmus experience has probably improved my confidence as I have given so many
different presentations in each module I undertook whilst at University West.
Since I don’t really like speaking in front of groups of people I have come a
long way and actually enjoyed some of the presentations that I was giving. This
may be due to the laid back, relaxed attitude that the Swedes have which has
taught me not to worry about such things.
Thinking about the
people I have met , become good friends with and the experience I have just had I would
certainly recommend Erasmus to anyone who is thinking of doing it as it
definitely creates friendships you cannot make any other way. And not only that
– it is an opportunity that you will never get again so you might as well take
it while you can!
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