Home -LINNAEUS UNIVERSITY EXCHANGE SWEDEN Talithia's Exchange to Linnaeus University | Sweden

Talithia's Exchange to Linnaeus University | Sweden

May 08, 2018
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May 08, 2018

Finding words that truly justify the experience I had while on exchange is probably one of the most difficult challenges I have had in relation to the exchange program. However, I will endeavour to do my best. As a first year undergraduate I visited the exchange fair and I immediately knew that exchange was an option I wanted to take advantage of, travelling the world and getting university credit for it?? It was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.  

So after completing my first year I discussed the idea with my academic chair who was extremely encouraging and suggested that Sweden would be a good option for my course. I had no preference in country, I only knew that I was primarily drawn to Europe so I took the advice and applied for Linnaeus University in Vaxjo, a small city in the south of Sweden.  

The next six months flew by and the next thing I knew I was boarding a flight bound for Paris. I spent three amazing weeks backpacking through the beautiful south of France, making the most of the sun before heading to Sweden. When I arrived at the local train station in Vaxjo I had no idea what I was supposed to do, I didn’t know a single word in Swedish, I didn’t even know how to pronounce the name of the city. The university exchange staff met me though and got me settled in at my accommodation. One of the most common phrases I heard about exchange before I left was “you will make lifelong friends”, that is not just a phrase to convince you that you won’t be lonely, it’s the truth. My accommodation was purely for international students and it is amazing how such strong bonds between strangers can be created in such a short time when you are all put in the same situation. I had 13 flat mates from all over the world, Korea, the US, Kenya, Mexico, and within weeks we were as close as family. It is now 8 months since I have been back in Australia and we all still keep in regular contact.  

The next few months were full of adventures, I travelled through Sweden with my flatmates, went on trips organised by the university, experienced a Nordic winter day of 6 hours and literal weeks where the sun did not shine. I participated in a program called the “Friend Family Program” in which local families take an exchange student under their wing, I think that was one of the best decisions I made. My Friend Family were amazing, very generous and very keen to show me around Vaxjo, I went mushrooming, had a delicuos home cooked dinner of moose, tried glassblowing, went a game of ice hockey, and went to one of the biggest Christmas markets in Sweden.  

All in all, as cliché as it sounds, my semester in Sweden was the most amazing experience of my life.  
My advice for those of you considering exchange: 

  • Do it!  
  • If you feel that exchange is something that you want to do don’t let anything stop you. Especially not nerves, don’t stress about the ‘what-ifs’, just take the plunge and not only will it be the most amazing time of your life you’ll come back a much more confident person because of it.  
  • It’s not about where you go, or what you study, exchange is about immersing yourself in a different culture, connecting with people you would never have met otherwise and having an adventure. 

 - Talithia studied at Linnaeus University in Sweden

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