Student blogs

As I sit down to write this blog in my apartment one evening after work, the first thing I can think is “wow, these two years have gone by faster than I could have ever imagined they would.” Here I am, on the other side of a master’s degree, a life in Stockholm and a whole bunch of new friendships and connections. I’m not really sure how I got here, but I’m grateful I’ve experienced what I have. In this blog, I will do my best attempt at a reflection on my two years in Sweden covering my thoughts on the Translational Physiology and Pharmacology programme to life as an international in a new country.

The Translational Physiology and Pharmacology programme

The Translational Physiology and Pharmacology (TPP) programme exposed me to the human body’s physiological mechanisms and relevant treatments to pathology, applied to a clinical (translational) context. I learned about different areas of research (covering all the organ systems) and got to participate in my favorite areas through the programmes research projects! We were a tight-knit group of around 40 students from all around the world. My favourite part of the programme was definitely the research projects and electives. I did my research projects on different topics, from neuroimaging to receptor pharmacology and I’m glad I did as I gained exposure to different types of research and methods! Overall, I enjoyed the programme and enjoyed learning (and participating in) about novel, translational research.

Building a life in Sweden

When reflecting upon an experience, we often look back with rose colored glasses. For the sake of this blog I will take those off, discuss the hard parts and the good.

The challenges of settling into Sweden

I would be lying if I said my life in Sweden fell into place perfectly, all at once. In all honesty, adjusting to life in Sweden was a challenge for me, and getting settled here took me more time than I had anticipated. The extensive process of things like opening a bank account, finding housing, crazy living situations, navigating the healthcare system, all while trying to keep up with schoolwork and building a new community, was well, not a walk in the park. Perhaps the hardest thing for me was building a community in a more adult-like setting. When I say adult-like, I refer to the shift I experienced between living on a university campus vs in a big city. The adult-like setting of a big city, where all your friends live 40 minutes away (or more) from you. While I saw the friends I had made in class, that distance and different levels of extraversion made it difficult to feel close to people. After two years I can say that time helps in building community, patience is key, and the best friendships can be found in the most unexpected of places.

With all that being said, I am so grateful for my time here in Stockholm and at KI. While many tears have been shed in these last two years, there have also been an equal (if not more) numbers of smiles.

Two years of unforgettable experiences

Now onto the good. From seeing the Northern Lights in Lapland, to going on stunning hikes just an hour away from Stockholm’s city centre. Mushroom picking in the fall, trying out all the city’s swim spots in the summer and ice skating on frozen lakes + sauna in the winter. Ikea meatballs and lingonberry sauce, taking the ferry as a form of public transport, having a conversation in Swedish, meeting so many lovely new people, trying out all the cafes in Söder and specializing in fika (chokladbollar remains my favourite). These were key parts of the life I built in Sweden. When I think about all these memories I made here, it feels like I dream. Even with the hard days, I have loved my time here so much that after my upcoming Erasmus+ internship (more about that in an upcoming blog) I want to come back.

To conclude…

I have learned so much about myself as a scientist and as a person in my time here. I have fallen, gotten up, grown, fallen some more in what seems like an endless cycle, and I wouldn’t change it. I hope that this reflection blog was able to give you some insight into what living abroad can look like. A reminder that its okay if its not easy. That there are really challenging days but the good ones tend to outnumber them. I would say that in the end, those hard parts are worth the good ones.