Bonding time! Ideas for activities to get to know your peers outside of class

I know it looks like a Nutrition student’s life consists just of study, sports, and food. But we also do other activities, I swear! The content of our Master’s is very important therefore I will upload a recap of the first semester very soon.


Coming into a new country and not knowing anything or anyone around you can be daunting. However, you can learn enormous amounts about other perspectives, people, and about yourself. Studying abroad can be scary but also one of the most exciting parts experience of your life! Most of us felt this way at the beginning here at KI because we were all in the same boat. Now I can call Stockholm my home. Without the people around me, I wouldn’t feel this way. In particular, my classmates! But how do you get to know them?


At Karolinska Institutet, we have a lot of group work and frequently collaborate in lectures and assignments. What about outside of the lecture room? Check out the past and upcoming activities we organized as a class!

Sometimes it is about food

International Dinner

As you might know by now our class is quite diverse and people have pretty good cooking skills (Check out our class profile!). Luckily for us, that means we can try out many different cultural foods! As you can see below everyone made something special from their region and we shared it together. This is a great way to get to know another person’s culture closer while having good food simultaneously!

Winter special

We thought why not organize a winter special to get everyone into the holiday spirit. We combined holiday dinner with a gift exchange. Everyone brought special food they would usually eat during the wintertime to enjoy together. For Secret Santa, we arranged random pairs and people exchanged their gifts after a round of musical chairs. We had fun to say the least!

Future

In the future, we want to plan a trip to the cabin in Solvik. It’s a cabin from MF that you can book as a student at KI. It includes a sauna, a lake, and plenty of nature around. If you want to know more check out the blog from Fausta about their trip to Solvik.

Exploring Stockholm

Nature

Trip to Vaxholm

So food is important, but there is much more to do in Stockholm. The city has everything to offer from nature to culture. At the beginning of the year, we went to the Archipelago and took the ferry to Vaxholm. I would 100% recommend going on the ferry! It takes roughly 1 hour, you can use it with the normal SL ticket, and you get the whole island experience. On the island, we hiked around, played volleyball, and explored local bakeries. 

Vaxholm outlook. Photo Credit: Julia Balewska
Volleyball at the beach.
Photo Credit: Alessandra Siclari

Furthermore, having nature at our doorstep is the perfect excuse toplan trips to the parks in Stockholm. There is always something enjoyable to try during every season and it’s a great way to get to know people! Check out this post for some of my favorite parks!

Cultural

It is not something only for old people! If you prefer to stay inside and enjoy classical music, you should check out the orchestra and opera house. With some of our classmates, we went to watch the ballet and the Royal Stockholm Orchestra.  As a student under 26, you get a 50% discount on all tickets. I can tell you it is worth it! You can find a good seat for 50 SEK and have a comfy evening. Usually, we go to a restaurant close to the event to eat and use discount codes by Medicinska Föreningen. This way you can get everything together, food, talks and at the end a concert!

Ballet in the opera. Photo Credit: Tade Idowu
Konzerthuset. Photo Credit: Tade Idowu

Widen the academic horizon

I know it might not always be the most exciting, but the learning doesn’t end in the classroom. If you want to discover more about other subjects or deepen your knowledge of Nutrition there are plenty of lectures and seminars organized by Karolinska Institutet. You can learn about interesting topics and network with experts in their field. Usually, everyone can join. However, sometimes it includes waiting in line for 1 hour and a half to watch the Nobel lecture. But it was worth it!


I hope this blog inspired you to organize something with your peers! If you have any questions or feedback feel free to comment down below or contact me through my profile!

-Tade

Tade - Nutrition Science

Tade - Nutrition Science

I am Tade. I am Nigerian/German and the blogger for the Master’s Programme in Nutrition Science. Before KI, I was studying in the Netherlands. My whole life I was interested in food and sports, and that is why I decided to study nutrition. When I learned about KIs group-focused teaching and the international environment I knew where I wanted to go. When I am not exploring or trying different foods I am playing basketball in Solna. If you are ever up for the challenge, you know where to find me!

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