Currently at:

Örebro University, Sweden

Hej!

My name is Sydney Mahon and I am a junior at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona! I am currently studying abroad in Örebro, Sweden but I am always going on amazing adventures in cool places. Feel free to follow along!

Tack för att du är med mig!

Pre-Travel Research

  • This video is me talking about some of the cultural, social, political, and religious norms here in Örebro, as well as my experiences coming from America! This is supposed to be a “know before you go” type of guide, as the initial assumptions I had about Sweden before moving here have definitely changed.

    Politically, Sweden is a democracy that highly values equality, fairness, and social welfare. Sweden is seen as a highly progressive country and shows up in everyday life through things like public transportation, infrastructure, and access to services. The economy is stable and focuses on quality of life rather than just profit, which definitely ties into some of the social norms here. Örebro is a growing city with a mix of education and business, but it definitely has a strong university culture. Örebro University attracts many students, making the city feel more alive.

    Sweden has a Christian historical background, but is now more of a secular nation. There is a beautiful cathedral in town, St. Nikolai Church, built in the 1300s, that regularly holds services. People in Sweden are more private with their beliefs, which is definitely unlike the United States. Regarding language, Swedish is the primary language, but most people speak English. English is taught during primary school, so even though locals will say they can't speak English very well, they definitely can. I am currently in a Swedish class for exchange students at the university to learn some basic conversational skills!

    The social norms here are definitely a change from those in the States. Swedish people are more reserved and to themselves, whereas Americans are more open and friendly in conversation. Small talk is not common here, so you could definitely strike up a conversation with any Swede and they would be more than friendly, but they might just be a little confused at first. The way people dress here is also very different. All of the students have a very basic, neutral palette. Black, brown, white, and grey are the go-tos. Now that it is springtime, more colors are coming out, but it is definitely not like the States, where everyone wears vibrant colors in the summertime.

    Overall, Örebro is an amazing city filled with nature and community. The school is very helpful and really cares about exchange students, making sure you fit in and have a good time. Change can be scary, but if you are coming to Örebro, you will love it just as much as I have!

Arrival

  • My arrival in Örebro was very exciting and also nerve-racking. Luckily, I had my mom come over and help me with everything, which was so nice. It would have been super hard to do without her. Very early on January 15th, I said goodbye to my dogs, my dad, and my home. The thought of leaving my home for six months was very overwhelming and felt like a heavy weight was sitting on my shoulders. I had been waiting for this day to come for so long, but now that it was finally here, I wanted to go back in time. I had a lot of doubts leading up to this day, especially about leaving all my friends in Flagstaff. It was a day full of emotions, with lots of hugs, tears, and “it’s not a goodbye, it’s just a see you later” one-liners. But the 15th came shortly, and I was off with my mom to Örebro! We flew from Phoenix to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Amsterdam, and then Amsterdam to Stockholm. We then slept in Stockholm that night and went to the Ice Bar, which was in the hotel lobby. After some celebratory drinks, we headed to bed since we had an early train to catch the next morning! We dragged all of my luggage to Stockholm Central Station and hopped on the two-hour train to Örebro! When we got there, we spent the night in a hotel, and the next day, the 18th, I met my captain, Elin, and she showed me to my apartment! That is where it all began. The adjustment was very hard at the beginning, with lots of emotions running through my nervous system. Although it did take some time to get used to, I am really glad I did not go back in time and change my decision. I ended up exactly where I was meant to be.

Week One

  • Arrival

    The journey all starts here! My travel day was very long, but it was very exciting, with a lot of anticipation. My mom flew out with me to help me move everything, which I greatly appreciated. We flew from our home in Phoenix to Minneapolis, then to Copenhagen, and finally to Stockholm, where we spent the night. It was a 24-hour travel day from Phoenix to Stockholm! The next morning, we took the train from Stockholm to Örebro, where we had about a day to explore and get a feel for the city. After a restful first day at my new home, I finally arrived at my university! I was greeted by my lovely group captain, Elin, who showed me around and helped me get settled into my new apartment. My mom and I went to IKEA and started setting up everything in my new place. Later that night, I met everyone else in my group, including my other captain, Ninos, and my other leaders (who are called fadders).

    Festen börjar!

    The rest of the week consisted of a lot of partying and getting to know everyone in my group and the other exchange students. Everyone I have had the privilege of getting to know has been nothing but kind to me as I adjust to this new city. On Wednesday, we had a pub crawl where we went to different bars/nightclubs (or discoteques, as I’ve heard many people call them, which I think is such a fun word). On Friday, we had a Sweden party where all of the exchange students gathered on campus to play traditional Swedish games and mingle. Then we made our way to the student nightclub on campus called kårhus (or kåren for short), where we danced the night away. On Saturday, we had a pre-party at Ninos’ apartment, then went to a club in the city center called Ritz, and danced the night away again. Sunday consisted of no partying (thank god), but we all came together and made a flag for our group which is Spiderman themed (Group 6 for the win!). After the flag making, we had a barbeque slightly off campus, where we had hot dogs and did a lot of sledding which was very fun!

    That concludes my very eventful first week in Örebro!

Week Two

  • Daily Life Has Begun!

    Week 2 consisted of many more fun orientation program events! Örebro hands down has the best exchange/orientation program I’ve ever seen. All of our fadders and captains make sure we feel comfortable here and are always at the ready in case we need anything. Monday started off with a city tour of Örebro with our group, which was very helpful! Our amazing tour guide, Mikeal, led us to the most need-to-know places in the city, and I definitely feel a lot more comfortable navigating on my own. One of my other fadders, Oliver, who was born and raised here in Örebro, was telling me about many other places I need to visit to get the full Swedish experience, which I will definitely be visiting. On Wednesday, we went on another pub crawl, but this time it was pirate themed! I have learned that Swedish people love a good theme, especially pirates for some reason, which surprised me. We started the night at a bar called Stora and ended it at a club called Oxya, which was so so fun! On Thursday, we had a school competition called So it may sound, which was a music trivia game against the other school houses. Our house for international students is called Nexus, and we went up against the other Swedish houses: Corax, Serum, Sesam, and Qultura. Unfortunately, Nexus did not win, but we definitely won in spirit. On Sunday, we had tryouts for our upcoming volleyball tournament next week! Everyone who went played super well, and it was very nice to get to know some more people who also play volleyball. To end the week, my friends and I from my group went to support our university hockey team, the Örebro Broncos!

    My second week was amazing!

Week Three

  • Last week of orientation!

    Unfortunately, week 3 was a little more lackluster for me. I contracted what's called “OP sickness.” Even though it sounds bad, it was just a mild cold, but I missed out on most of the activities this week. However, I was not alone, as most of our fadders and my friends were out sick as well. There was some other unfortunate news as well; the volleyball tournament got cancelled. The space where we were supposed to play couldn’t accommodate everyone who wanted to cheer us on safely without posing a fire hazard, which the university took very seriously. Even though our Nexus volleyball team was disappointed by this news, it came at a good time. As I mentioned earlier, I was sick for most of the week, and my friend, Anna, who is also an exchange student here and plays volleyball with me at Örebro, twisted her ankle during tryouts. So even though we were sad that the tournament got cancelled, it actually happened at a good time. Everyone here is hoping it can be rescheduled closer to summertime, since it is an event all the students participate in and look forward to.

    We didn’t let this keep us down, though! On Friday, we had another one of our biggest events of the OP, the color sitting dinner (or färgfestsittningen in Swedish) for all of the students at Örebro University! Each of the houses came together at the convention center in downtown Örebro to show off their school spirit, have a yummy dinner, and dance to Swedish traditional/pop music. Each participating house wore its respective colors. For us (Nexus), we had to wear light blue; Corax wore red; Serum wore yellow; Sobra wore black; and Sesam wore navy. It was a great night spent with friends and learning more about each of the university houses. After a late night on Friday, we had a brunch with just our group (group 6), graciously hosted by Asaka, one of our fadders, at her apartment. All the fadders came together to create a brunch spread for the books! There were hot dishes, pastries, an assortment of fruits, cheeses, and coffee. It was delicious! It was pajama theme, so it was very casual, and the sun even came out that morning to greet us with a beautiful day! After all of us left Asaka's apartment feeling very full, we had time to rest before our biggest party of the OP at Kårhus, where all students come together to celebrate the end of the orientation program and officially welcome us to Sweden. Group 6 had a pre-party at Captain Ninos’ apartment, where we played many card games and had a few drinks before we left. Once we got to Kårhus, the party really began! I spent most of the night with my friends Oliver, Esa, and Feli, and it was extremely fun! It was an amazing send-off into the rest of our semester that I will never forget. After a very late night, we went to one last event on Sunday, which also took place at Kårhus (although fortunately, there was no drinking involved this time). It was time for the international dinner! Every student in Nexus made dishes that represented their home country best for this potluck-style buffet. The spread was amazing! There were around 50 dishes from all over the world. Some students really went all out for their presentation, and it definitely paid off. Everything we tried was so delicious! Everyone in Nexus sat with their friends and reflected on the past 3 weeks and how quickly it had flown by. It feels like I only arrived here yesterday.

    Even though the orientation program is over, there are still many more adventures to come! I have some amazing trips planned this semester that I can’t wait to write about. The start of this week started off slow, but by the end, I definitely achieved my goal by ending this OP off with a bang!

Week Four

  • This week was filled with two day trips to Stockholm! One of which was a last-minute decision to go by myself and explore, and the other was with my friends Feli, Esa, and Clara. The first day trip consisted of me just walking around and exploring the city. The only thing I had planned was to visit a photography store called OdenLab to get some of my film developed, so the rest of the day was left up to me! After visiting OdenLab, I went to a tattoo shop and got a new piercing, which was a very fun, spontaneous thing for me to do. The rest of the day consisted of visiting some cute second-hand shops and doing some small sightseeing. Towards the end of my day, I went back to the restaurant my mom and I had been to when we first arrived in Stockholm before I came to Örebro, had some very yummy Swedish meatballs, and then took the train home! There were a few days in between for me to go to class and catch up on some schoolwork, but then Esa asked if I wanted to join them on their day trip to Stockholm, and I said, of course! Esa, Feli, Clara, and I took an early train to Stockholm and started our adventure! Our trip consisted of a lot of adventuring around Gamla Stan, which is Stockholm’s old town district. Everything from the vibrant architecture of the buildings to the narrow alleyways to the nearby rivers was absolutely beautiful! We had an amazing time walking around, checking out all the boutique shops and bakeries, and picking up some souvenirs for home. Towards the end of the day, we saw the most beautiful sunset while walking back to Stockholm Central Station. It was a gorgeous end to our very fun adventure-filled day. The rest of the week consisted of more school and getting some much-needed rest and relaxation. On Friday, my friends and I went out to Kårhus, our student nightclub on campus, danced all night, and said goodbye to another amazing week in Örebro!

Week Five

  • This week consisted of another daytrip to (you guessed it)... Stockholm! But this time it was with my friend Oliver, who showed me all the things I didn't get to see the first few times around. We caught a very early train into the city and started walking around and exploring. Well, actually, the real reason Oliver had to go to Stockholm that day was for his dentist appointment, so I went to that with him first. But still, it was actually very interesting to see how the social aspect of medicine works here and how it differs from the US. His appointment lasted only about 15 minutes, so the rest of the day was ours! After his dentist appointment, we went to a nearby bakery, and I got what is called a semla. It is a very popular pastry here in Sweden, and it actually has a public holiday surrounding it! (Which we were one day late on). After that, we went to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa Museum houses a fully preserved 17th-century ship with a very funny history. The ship sank on its maiden voyage and only made it about 500 yards from the port before it fully sank. However, this meant that the ship was still fully intact, and the Swedish government commissioned its removal 333 years later. This ship was absolutely massive, yet so beautiful! It was so fascinating to see such a rich piece of history only about 30 feet from me. After the Vasa Museum, we took a train North to take a quick look at the Mall of Scandinavia, which is way smaller than the Mall of America by comparison. I bought some souvenirs for home, and we were off again! This time, even farther north (about an hour train ride) to a neighboring city called Uppsala. I quickly fell in love with this city for its cozy atmosphere and college-town feel. Oliver actually lived in Uppsala for some time, so he was able to tell me all about it. We went to their cathedral, which was one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. We arrived around sunset, so the soft glow from the sun only added to its opulence. The cathedral houses the graves of many Swedish kings and queens, and the art wrapped around the entire interior was breathtaking. That was definitely my favorite stop of the day. We then took a short walk up the hill to see Uppsala’s very own castle, which, unfortunately, does not compare to the one in Örebro's city center. However, it did have a very good view of the whole city, so it made for a gorgeous sunset. We then took a late train and headed back home to Örebro!

    A few days later, we had our very last event of the orientation program, and it was definitely the biggest event yet! It was our Nexus Welcome Dinner! The theme was Oscars, so we all dressed very formally and had a delicious dinner filled with reminiscing on the orientation program, handing out awards to some exchange students, and announcing who the next general for Nexus will be! After our dinner, everyone headed over to a nearby club called Oxya, where the fun continued! It was an amazing event and was the perfect cap to a very fun start to my semester!

Week Six

  • This week was pretty uneventful in the grand scheme of my study abroad experience. This week, I focused on getting myself ready for my vacation to the Swedish Laplands the following week! That meant grabbing some last-minute needed supplies, like an extra wool base layer set and an extra heavy beanie for the snowy nights. I also mainly focused on getting ahead on some school work for my classes here at Örebro and for this Honors class back at my home university. I had many trips to my favorite coffee shop in town, Vasa Konditori, where I treated myself to some yummy semlas and chai lattes. I also went to a workout class with a few of my friends, which was a great activity to reset my mind and body for the big week ahead. On Thursday, Esa and I went to the cinema for the first time! We went to a smaller non-commercial, almost botique-esque theater to watch Hamnet. The theater was very small, seating only about 20 people, but that only enhanced our experience. It was a stark contrast coming from the U.S., where you are in these massive theaters with the largest screens and loudest sound systems... and everything is ridiculously expensive. The theater we went to was called Roxy, and the ticket and our snacks combined were about half the cost of just a regular movie ticket back in the States. Crazy! Hamnet was absolutely impeccable! Would definitely recommend watching it if you haven't had the chance yet. On Friday, some of our friends had a get-together at one of our friends' apartments! Nic was an amazing host, and it was so fun getting to see everyone whom I haven’t seen since the OP ended. Unfortunately, I didn't end up taking any pictures from that night, but you’ll have to trust me when I say that it was an amazing night spent with my closest friends here at Örebeo! It was a super fun cap to a relaxing week before our big trip!

Week Seven

  • This week might have been the most eventful week yet! I joined around 100 other exchange students on a trip to the Swedish Laplands! This week was packed with amazing activities and memories that I will never forget. Here’s how it went!

    On Monday, we left Örebro at around 5:30PM to start our 24-hour bus ride up to Björkliden (yes, actually 24 hours). Björkliden is a ski resort town located at the very tippy top of Sweden, above the Arctic Circle, so it took a long time to get there. The bus ride wasn’t so bad, actually, but I don't sleep that well on planes, and this wasn't any different. We made two stops on the way there to break it up a bit and refuel the bus, which definitely helped.

    On Tuesday, around 6 PM, we had finally made it! The rest of that night was spent just exploring the resort and getting everything settled in our cabins. I was in a cabin with four of my other friends: Nic, Anna, Esa, and Clara. I took a little walk around the forest with Oliver, and then we called it an early night to get ready for our activity-filled day on Wednesday!

    The next day, on Wednesday, we woke up early to take a mini day trip to Narvik, a small city in northern Norway! It was an hour bus ride there, but around 20 minutes outside the city, we stopped at this big lake at the base of a fjord, so that any brave souls who wanted to swim in the lake (around 4°C) could do so! I was not one of those brave souls, but it was a lot of fun watching all my cabinmates partake. We then had around four hours to explore Narvik! Our guide for the week, Aki, showed us some good lookout spots, gave us recommendations in the city, and then sent us on our way! I ended up exploring the city with two of the fadders for my group during the OP, Mai and Oliver.  Mai, Oliver, and I ended up taking some scenic walks around the city, eating at the nearby University, and grabbing some souvenirs before we hopped back on the bus to Björkliden. Later that night, we had our snowshoe hike! This was a brand-new experience for most of us, as we had never even really seen enough snow to even think about using snowshoes. Even though we felt a little bit like penguins walking around with these contraptions strapped to our boots, it quickly became one of my favorite activities that I have ever done. We left around 8 PM and ended up extremely lucky with the weather, with skies 100% clear. So clear in fact, that we saw the northern lights! It was so surreal to see them in real life. We stopped a few times on our hike to sit and observe the beauty of the Laplands and the aurora borealis above us. After snapping some amazing pictures and being present in the moment with all my best friends, we went to bed that night extremely happy.

    Thursday was my longest day activity-wise. Nic and I woke up around 6:30 AM to attend our Arctic survival skills class, where we learned how to build a fire without matches and a snow shelter using a tarp and a shovel. Aki was also our teacher for this class, and he is extremely knowledgeable about everything outdoors related! It was a lot of fun learning all the tips and tricks about camping, especially winter camping, from him. After our class, we took a trip to Abisko National Park! We spent the early afternoon exploring the snowy landscape and walking on their giant frozen lake at the base of the national park. The views from this lake were absolutely stunning! There is a U-shaped valley between two mountains called “The Gates of Lapland” or, in Sámi, “Čuonjávággi,” which translates to “Goose Valley.” This valley is considered a sacred spiritual place for the Sámi, and it was breathtaking to get such a clear view of it from Abisko! Speaking of the Sámi, that is who we visited next! This portion of the trip was especially special for me. Last year, I took an Honors Anthropology class, and for our final research paper, we had to research an indigenous community. I chose the Sámi because my family heritage is from Norway and Sweden. I had done extensive research on the Sámi in preparation for this final, so it was a full-circle moment for me to meet the community I had spent so much time researching last year. We got to meet their adorable reindeer and hear firsthand about the troubles the Sámi people face today. It was very eye-opening to hear how the Swedish government has failed to support them in so many ways and how they continue to fight for basic rights every single day. I entered the village knowing a lot about their people, but I left the Sámi village with so many new perspectives, and I cannot wait to tell my professor back at the Honors College about my experience meeting these amazing people. When we arrived back at our cabin around 8 PM, it was another clear night in the sky, and the northern lights were even more beautiful than the night before! My friends and I all went back out to look at the beauty and capture some amazing photos! After our great day, my cabinmates and I went up to the reception building and played a few games of darts and pool. I then received a call from Oliver asking if I wanted to go for a walk in the forest to get back out and look at the stars and northern lights, and, of course, I said yes! We took a long walk for about an hour, just taking it all in, and after we returned around 11 PM, we decided to call it a night. What an amazing day it was!

    Friday was supposed to be my “chill” day, as I only had an activity in the evening. However, I did tell Oliver that I would do something fun with him in the morning since we didn't have anything official planned. However, our “chill” morning was definitely anything but that. Oliver called me, and he had gone up to the reception to ask what fun things we could do, and the lady suggested that we go cross-country skiing. Now, I have been downhill skiing for pretty much my whole life, but I have never even touched a pair of cross-country skis, so I was very hesitant at first. Oliver has cross-country skied for most of his life, so he was definitely already a pro. I warned him that I would be a beginner, but he pushed me to try it anyway. Even though it was an extremely steep learning curve for me, I am so glad that he convinced me to go because it was one of my favorite activities I have ever done. It was so frustrating to get the hang of, but it was so rewarding. When we finally got above the steep hills and made it out into the backcountry, the views were absolutely stunning. You could see all of Björkliden and all of the neighboring mountain ranges! I fell probably about 10 times, but I learned something new and challenged myself! And according to Oliver, I picked it up extremely well for a beginner! Later that evening, we left for our arctic survival skills camping night. We hiked about 45 minutes into the backcountry and put our skills we had learned the previous day to the test. We built our own shelter using tree branches, a tarp, a shovel, and a lot of snow. We found the perfect spot, and our shelter turned out pretty awesome! That night, we slept under our tarp tent in a sleeping bag on top of some reindeer fur. The weather that night was honestly pretty bad. It was whiteout conditions with very strong winds, but that only added to our experience! Even though most of us didn't sleep particularly well, it was a lot of fun and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

    On Saturday morning, around 6:15 AM, Aki woke us up, and we started taking down our shelter and packing up all our gear. Stupidly, Oliver and I forgot to bring our shoes inside the tent the night before, so we woke up to our shoes covered in ice and snow. Even though extremely annoying in the moment, it is definitely a moment we look back and laugh about now. Once we packed up all of our stuff, we started our hike back to our cabins and caught the most amazing sunrise I’ve ever seen! The sun was coming through the clouds and hitting the mountains perfectly; it was so beautiful! We got back to our cabins around 8:30 AM, cleaned our cabins, packed our suitcases, and said goodbye to the Laplands at around 10:30! We then had our 24-hour bus ride back to Örebro! We had more stops on the way home, and I slept way better on the way home, probably because I had only gotten about 4 hours of mediocre sleep in the backcountry of the Arctic the night before.

    At around 10:30 AM on Sunday, we got back to Örebro University, and that marked the end of our trip! It was a week of unforgettable memories and a trip that was definitely one for the books!

Week Eight

  • This week was spent recovering from such a great trip to the Swedish Laplands! I spent many days of this week working on my take-home exams for my 2 classes here at Örebro University and catching up on some assignments I missed from the previous week. Very enthralling if you ask me! I met up with some of my friends, Ananya and Yelin, to do some group work and tell them all about my fun trip! The real fun was at the end of the week, when my group threw a Thank-You party for all our fadders. It is a classic tradition here for the exchange students to organize a party for our fadders to show our gratitude for all the work they put in during the first 4 weeks of the semster. The only rule for the party was to get the fadders as drunk as possible, which we definitely achieved. We, the exchange students, organized different games for the fadders to play, such as a Kahoot where they had to guess which person was associated with the fun facts about ourselves we wrote, various card games, and some “burning” questions that the fadders had to answer, or else they had to drink. After our thank-you party with just our group, Group 6, we ended the night at kåren where we met up with all of the other exchange students. It was so fun! And let's just say that all the fadders definitely spent the next day in recovery... campus was very dead on Saturday. But that means that we followed the only parameter set for us and did our job! We were very nervous that we wouldn't live up to their expectations since we didn't really know what we were doing for most of the planning, but it all came together very nicely, and all of the fadders loved it, which made us very happy! It was an amazing end to what would’ve been a lackluster week without it.

Week Nine

  • Week nine was officially exam week, so I primarily spent it working on / finishing my essays for my 2 classes here at Örebro, as well as completing assignments for my Honors Capstone! I spent many days with my friend, Anna, working on schoolwork together and gossiping about all the things our lives entail here and how our thank-you parties went the previous weekend. I had also spent many days with Oliver, and I hinted that I wanted to take a trip to Norway soon. I didn't think much of it at the time, but he ended up calling me on Thursday and said that his weekend would be free, and if I wanted to go to Norway with him for the weekend, I happily said yes! We spontaneously booked a hotel and bus tickets, and on Friday morning, we were on our way to Oslo! It was a 5-hour bus ride to Oslo, but since we had just spent 48 hours on a bus 2 weeks ago, this was a breeze. We got into Oslo on Friday evening, around 7 PM, and had dinner, then relaxed the rest of the evening to prepare for our big day tomorrow. On Saturday, we explored all around Oslo and saw what it had to offer. We first ran some errands, such as getting coffee, going to a photo store to turn in some of my film for development, and then going to a grocery store to get some snacks. We then stopped at the local cathedral to check out the gorgeous inside. The stained glass is what caught my eye the most. It was absolutely stunning! After that, we took a short walk over to the Oslo Opera House, and its design lets you walk on the roof for an amazing view of the whole city. Props to the architect! After the Opera, we walked around Oslo's seafront/fishing district, where we were right on the water. We spent the late morning just walking around and taking in all of the beautiful seafront views. We had some very tasty salmon for lunch, and then we took a tram up to the Holmenkollen Ski Museum. We saw a massive ski jump, and it was insanely cool to see how steep the slope really is. There was also a viewpoint from the top of the ski jump, and you could see the whole city of Oslo and its surrounding areas. It was breathtaking! The last stop of our day was the Vigeland Sculpture Park in the city, where we walked through the massive park and saw some very abstract sculptures (as well as some very cute dogs). It was a very peaceful end to our very long day. We had dinner near the sculpture park and ended up walking the 2 miles back to our hotel, which was a lot of fun. I think the best way to see the city is to just walk with no navigation and see where your feet take you, which Oliver and I love doing. We talked a great deal on our way back to the hotel and watched some TV before calling it a night. The next day, we decided to go a little outside the city to a neighboring town called Moss and its adjacent island, Jeløya. This day felt like the polar opposite of the last, as we went from crazy-busy city life to the quiet, serene nature of these coastal villages. We found out quickly that most businesses and restaurants are closed on Sundays, and in an already small village, it felt like we had the whole town to ourselves. We ended up finding an open cafe, and it was very yummy! It seemed like the main restaurant in Moss, so I’m glad we found it. After our lunch, we continued to walk around Moss and then over to Jeløya to continue our peaceful nature walk. There wasn't really anything to check out on Jeløya, but we ended up being absolutely fine with that. We walked around for a few hours, just enjoying the simplicity of these classic Norwegian villages and the stillness that washed over us. Even though there wasn't much to do, we loved it just the same as if we had gone anywhere else. We took the train back to Oslo, and ended up going to the Edvard Munch Art Museum, just simply called MUNCH. This museum was located directly behind the Oslo Opera House, so it wasn't far from the train station or our hotel. This museum was extremely beautiful, and the art was fascinating. Edvard Munch is an infamous Norwegian painter known for The Scream, and it was surreal to see the painting in real life. Oliver and I both agreed, though, that it wasn't our favorite piece of art in the whole museum. In fact, we had many other favorites before The Scream came on our list. After every room we went through, we asked each other what our favorite painting was, which was a very hard choice since every piece seemed more beautiful than the last. After our peaceful day, we grabbed some dinner and headed back to our hotel. We took the train back to Örebro the next morning and reminisced about what an amazing trip it had been. What a perfect weekend!

Week Ten

  • Week ten was full of new adventures and new experiences! This week, I had my first taste of what the European healthcare system is like, which, if I’m being honest, was really annoying to try to figure out as an exchange student. I had to get some of my prescriptions refilled, and there were many hurdles to jump through to get them. I figured it out tho! Woohoo! Next on the list was my first Swedish language class, which was my first real attempt to learn a new language in recent years. Swedish is a very interesting language to try to learn. Grammatically, it is very simple and closely resembles English sentence structure. But trying to speak it? It is so hard! There are three special characters in Swedish: å, ä, and ö. As an American, there are totally new sounds that will definitely take a lot of practice to nail. But it’s a lot of fun learning new things, and I think I will be able to speak some Swedish when I come home to my friends, which I am very excited about! On Thursday, I went to a concert in town with my friends and all of the other exchange students. The group performing was a band of 4 international students from Brazil who played some Brazilian funk / traditional music. They were amazing! The whole bar was packed, and everyone was enjoying the music. I will go into more depth about this cross-cultural experience in my Arts assignment, but trust me, it was so good! Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of their group, but I would definitely go see them again. The next evening, I had dinner with my friends Nic, Emmi, Hannah, Anna, and Amina, along with Anna and Amina’s boyfriends, Paul and Gustav. Anna made her famous sweet potato curry and rice, which is so yummy. Anna made that dish for us when we were in Lapland, and we have been dying to have it ever since then. It instantly transported me back to the cozy cabin we all shared in Björkliden. Gustav brought over this Finnish Easter dessert called memma, which was... definitely interesting. He warned us beforehand that it was not very good, but we decided to try it anyway, and we all kind of instantly regretted it. The best way I can describe it, though disgusting, is that it tastes like cold rye bread mush. Would not recommend. On Saturday, I went to see the movie Project Hail Mary with Esa, and it was amazing! It was a great end to a week full of new adventures and great time spent with friends!

Week Eleven

  • Week eleven was a very classic Swedish week abroad. I attended my classes, including my Swedish language class and my class on social media and disinformation, both of which were very interesting, so I am very glad I picked them! One niche thing about me is that I love collecting patches, and luckily, it is a big tradition here in Sweden to get patches for different events throughout the semester! I have a very strong collection going on so far, and I can't wait to get more! Across all universities in Sweden, students wear overalls (called ovve) in different colors corresponding to their field of study. On one leg, they stitch their name, and on the other, they put on all their patches. I wish this were a thing in the United States! I don't know who I need to talk to in order to make this a thing at NAU, but I need to get in contact with them because it brings a great sense of community and is a great symbol of their student culture here in Sweden. The weather is starting to become very beautiful here as well. The snow is finally gone, and everything around us is starting to bloom! Because of this, Oliver and I decided to go out into the forest and play frisbee golf for a few hours. This was my first time playing, but Oliver and his friends come out all the time and play. Oliver informed me that frisbee golf is a huge sport here in Sweden. Almost as big as American football or basketball. This shocked me, honestly. In the States, frisbee golf is definitely a sport people love to play, but I wouldn't say it is big by any means. Oliver laughed at that statement and said it's the complete opposite here, and he was completely right. We only played a few holes (or would you say baskets? I’m not sure), but we had professional Swedish frisbee golf players passing us by left and right, out practicing with their backpacks full of frisbees… and it was so impressive how good they were. Even though I definitely got shown up by Oliver and those other professionals, it was still a new experience, and I had so much fun playing a new sport that has so much (surprisingly) cultural significance here in Sweden. The rest of the week was spent taking long walks around the city and enjoying time with my friends. Yay for another week here in Sweden!

Week Twelve

  • This week was a very special one because I got to go to Iceland! And it was extra special because I got to see my mom for the first time in 3 months since I started studying abroad. I met my mom there, along with four of her friends: Robin, Beth, Michelle, and Ann. We met at the Reykjavík airport and immediately went to the Blue Lagoon, which was just what we needed after our long travel days. Mine was significantly shorter than theirs, but we all agreed we needed a spa day. It was so beautiful there, and all of the products were so luxe! It truly felt like a five-star experience! We then went back to our hotel and relaxed before taking a very late northern lights boat tour that night. Now I must admit, the boat tour started at 10 and ended at midnight, and since Iceland is 2 hours behind Sweden, I fell asleep on the boat for most of this ride. I was super tired, and the swaying motion combined with the pitch-black sky did not help. But luckily, I didn't miss out on much because they didn't really get to see any lights. The next day, we woke up bright and early to go snorkeling in between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in the Silfra fissure located in Thingvellir National Park. Even though we had to put on these massive dry suits and look a little silly to protect us from the just-above-freezing waters, the water was unlike anything I had seen before. It was so clear and so blue… You could see all of the rocks and boulders that have fallen in between the expanding plates just below your eyes. That is definitely an image that will stay ingrained in my mind forever. The snorkeling lasted about two hours, and we were about an hour outside the city, so by the time we got back, we were all pretty tired. We ended up resting at the house for a little bit, and then Robin set up her own walking tour of Reykjavík for us! We visited many museums, ate some yummy hot dogs, and enjoyed looking at the beautiful fjords and mountains surrounding us. Later that night, we went to an experience called Fly Over Iceland, which, if you've ever been to California Adventure in Disneyland, it was exactly like Soarin’. It was a very cool experience, and you got to see things about Iceland you would never have seen in person, like volcanoes and some secret waterfalls. The next day was another early morning, as we adventured up to the Golden Circle of Iceland, located again in Thingvellir National Park, but we were even further up north this time. We traveled up to a region of the National Park called Bláskógabyggð, where there was a huge waterfall and a collection of geysers. It was super interesting learning about the history and land disputes surrounding the waterfall and how it came to be. Even though the weather wasn’t that great when we went, that region of Iceland was so stunning, and I would love to come back someday. That tour lasted a good majority of the day, so we grabbed some dinner at this local seafood restaurant that was amazing! After a delicious dinner, we ended the night at Ægir Brugghus, a local Icelandic taproom. However, I called it an early night because I had to go home and pack for my early flight the next morning. Early the next morning, I said goodbye to my mom and all her friends, then hopped on my flight back to Stockholm. After I arrived in Stockholm, I sprinted through the airport so I could catch the early bus and had dinner at Oliver’s house once I arrived back in Örebro. It was a short but very meaningful and action-packed trip! I would love to return to Iceland in the summer months to do more hiking and explore the amazing nature it has to offer.

    After I returned, it was unfortunately back to real life and schoolwork. On Thursday, I caught up on some work and then met up with my friends Esa and Feli to grab coffee and talk about how life has been. It was so great seeing them! A little later that night, Kåren hosted a pub night where all the students could just sit, grab a drink, and chill with each other, so I met up with a lot of my friends, and we talked shop about how everything had been going for them. I definitely loved the pub's chill atmosphere compared to the chaotic clubbing scene, so I will go back. On Friday, Oliver invited me over to a party at his flat so I could meet some of his Swedish friends. I was definitely a little nervous because it would be my first time getting to know non-exchange students outside the OP, but everyone was super friendly, and we all had a great night talking and playing some games. It was also super nice to make more new friends! I hope to see them again and go out with them soon. The weekend was spent resting, relaxing, and preparing for the week ahead, which was exactly what I needed after a very eventful week full of travel and new adventures.

Postcard from Iceland

  • This video I created, called Views From Iceland, is my version of a postcard, though it be a virtual one, it is a short recap of what my trip to Iceland was like through my eyes. This trip was especially meaningful to me because it was the first time I had seen my mom since I arrived here for my study abroad semester. It had been just over three months since I had seen my mom, and it was so nice to hug her and see her again. We both agreed, though, that it felt like only three days had passed since we last saw each other, not three months. This is probably because we call almost every day, and she has been very in touch with what I am doing here. It was still an odd feeling seeing her in Iceland. For practically my whole life, we had always traveled together and gone to and from the same places. We would fly or drive to the same destination, leave at the same time, fly back home together… all of it. But this was quite different. This was my first time taking international flights without her, and the very idea of meeting my mom in a different country was foreign to me. That's another reason this trip was so special: I truly got to travel internationally solo for the first time and experience what that was like. It was a lot of fun, and I would definitely do it again. In fact, I am doing it again in about three weeks from now to meet my friends in Amsterdam. Yay! My mom and I had an amazing time with her friends in Iceland, and it was so cool to do what we love most together: travel and experience new adventures, big or small. Leaving was the weirdest part, though. I was taking an earlier flight back to Stockholm when the rest of them were leaving that afternoon, and I kept expressing to my mom how weird it was that 1. I was not flying with her, and 2. that I was not going back to Arizona. She also very strongly agreed, and I made sure to give her an extra big hug that day. Even though I am a very experienced traveler, it felt foreign not to return to Arizona after a vacation. My mom got to go home and see my dogs, my grandma, my dad, and everything that I experience in my normal life, while I had to go back to Sweden. I am not saying that is a bad thing at all. I love my life here, and I was very excited to get back to my friends, but I can't lie: I did feel a little extra homesick after that. I think that may be another meaningful reason to come from this trip. It gave me a little slice of home that I get to return to in a few months. This trip was meaningful because it reminded me of the person and the place that mean the most to me. My mom and Arizona.

Week Thirteen

  • This week was full of spending time in the outdoors! It was especially warm here in Örebro, so all of the students were spending as much time outside as possible. I spent a lot of time walking through campus and soaking up the much-needed Vitamin D I had been lacking for the past 4 months. School-wise, I went to my Swedish lecture and went to the library to work on some of my other work over here, but I primarily wanted to be outside with friends since the weather has been so beautiful. I went on a long walk through the forest with Oliver next to campus, and it was so beautiful. Everything is in bloom currently, so the forest is lush and vibrantly green. Even though Flagstaff is surrounded by trees and forest, it is so different from Sweden. The colors are so insane! I just couldn't stop looking. We also saw a lot of frogs, which I don’t get to see much in the States. Oliver picked me some nice flowers from our walk, so I adorned Eggbert's tophat with them (as pictured above). Later in the week, I met my friends Anna and Amina to chill outside and (again) soak up some much-needed beautiful weather. We talked about life, school, and everything under the sun (the sun is the major theme of this week if you haven’t noticed). After I met with them, I met up with Oliver and some of his friends, Maja, John, and Lova, later that night for a little late-afternoon picnic and drinks. I am always quite nervous meeting new people, especially Swedish locals, but they are all super cool and very welcoming. It was a great picnic to take away from the stresses of school for a few hours. I also picked up some new patches for my collection! I can't wait to see how much it grows by the time the semester ends! On Sunday, I met with a few of my friends on campus so we could all study and do homework together. This has become one of my favorite activities with my friends because it reminds me so much of home. I have a very busy week next week, as it is Oliver’s birthday and also the King of Sweden’s birthday on May 1! Swedes have a tradition (or more so a holiday) called Valborg, where everyone gets the day off from work and school to celebrate. Students here at Örebro will gather on a set of hills next to campus and bring games, food, and drinks, and celebrate the beautiful weather and Swedish culture. I think we also need this in the United States! Although I have been telling my friends back in Flagstaff that it reminds me a lot of tequila sunrise. There is a lot to prepare for, so I’m glad I got this time to work on some schoolwork with friends.

My Accommodation

Forskaren

  • At Örebro University, they assigned us on-campus housing, which I am super fortunate to have! All of the exchange students live on campus (unless you want to try and find an apartment for yourself, but I have not seen anyone do that), and they are fully furnished and very nice! I am staying in an apartment complex called Forskaren on the west side of campus. They are all single apartments, so everyone who lives here does not have a roommate. When I first arrived, I thought I would have a communal-style kitchen or have to walk to a laundromat, but everything I need is right here! My apartment has a full kitchen, a big closet, a bathroom, 3 big tables, a nightstand, and a recliner, and the laundry room is just downstairs from me. This apartment complex was technically for research students/guests, but since they had so many exchange students this semester, they put some of us in here, and I love it! I have truly made this place feel like home. I have a NAU pennant hanging right above my bed, all of my postcards from my travels on a wall at the foot of my bed, and so many pictures and trinkets that I have brought from back home. The walls were quite empty and white when I first arrived, so it's been a lot of fun filling that space with things I love. I have a great view of the University courtyard, with some nice, big windows to go along with it. I am close to all of the academic buildings as well as my friends in the other on-campus apartments, The Oak and The Pine. I love my cozy apartment and wouldn't want it any other way!

Career

  • Studying abroad at Örebro University has not changed my desire to attend nursing school after completing my Biomedical Sciences degree, but it has shaped how I think about the kind of nurse I want to be. Comparing my life here to Northern Arizona University, one of the biggest differences is the pace of daily life. Things feel more structured but also more balanced in Sweden, especially when it comes to school and personal time. At NAU, I was constantly juggling assignments, work, and future planning, while here I feel more present in what I am doing. The main thing I have loved while I am here is getting to spend time on my hobby, photography. It has provided a great release from the stress of school and everyday life, which is also something I want to make more time for in my career path. Along those lines, one thing I have noticed is the emphasis on overall well-being rather than just productivity. That is something I want to bring back with me, especially into a nursing career where burnout can be common. This experience has not changed my path, but it has added more depth to it. I want to carry forward a better sense of balance, patience, and awareness of different approaches to care when I return to the U.S. Living here has shown me that being constantly busy does not always mean being effective, and I think that mindset will be important in nursing. I want to be more intentional with how I manage my time and energy so I can actually be present with patients instead of feeling rushed or overwhelmed. I have also learned the importance of patience, both with myself and with others. Being in a new environment where things are done differently has forced me to slow down, ask questions, and be okay with not always knowing everything right away. I think that will translate well into patient care, where listening and understanding someone’s experience is just as important as applying clinical knowledge. Being exposed to a different healthcare culture has reminded me that there is no single “right” way to approach care. I want to stay open-minded and adaptable, recognizing that different perspectives can improve how I support patients and work within a healthcare team.

Local Transportation

  • Local transportation in Örebro and Sweden in general is very easy to figure out, which I did not expect. Honestly, I thought that would be one of the hardest parts for me, since public transportation isn't really a big thing in the United States. The buses are run by a company called Länstrafiken, and after a quick tutorial on how to use the app and know which buses to get on, all of us exchange students were pros! I use the buses daily to get to anywhere I need to go in the city, and it is way easier than calling an Uber. I do miss driving, but it has been a new, fun experience learning all of the ins and outs of public transportation. Another form of public transportation is trains! These can be a little trickier to figure out when you’re in a big city like Stockholm, but it's not all so bad when you know what you are looking for. Taking the train from Örebro is very easy, as the station is relatively small. The hardest part is figuring out which carriage is which, and honestly, even after asking a couple of local Swedes, they don't really know the answer either. It is usually not a big deal if you end up on the wrong carriage, but it can be a little embarrassing if you do happen to be called out for it. The last major forms of local transportation here are bikes and electric scooters. Most people have their own bikes; in fact, I seem to see more bikes than cars most of the time, which is something I wish I'd seen back in the United States. From a sustainability perspective, it is very refreshing not to hear honking, or people “rolling coal”, or having the loudest mufflers known to man attached to their cars. Biking is obviously way better for the environment than cars, so it is very nice to see the streets empty. Or if they are full, it is because people are taking the buses or biking. However, if people don't have a bike, they use the plentiful electric scooters available on campus and throughout the city. The city is very walkable, which means it's also very scooter-able. The scooters are very nice if you need to get somewhere quickly when buses aren't available, or don't stop exactly where you need to get off. They are also a lot of fun to ride (when it’s not too cold outside).

Words of Wisdom

  • Studying abroad in Örebro has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life. When I first arrived, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what the experience would be like. I expected to travel, meet new people, and learn about a different culture. While all of that did happen, I did not fully understand how much this experience would change the way I think, how I see the world, and how I see myself. Looking back now, I can clearly see that this experience has shaped me in ways that will continue to affect my life long after I return home.

    One of the biggest things I have learned is how to be comfortable with discomfort. When I first got to Sweden, everything felt unfamiliar, even simple things like grocery shopping, using public transportation, or turning on the stove or doing my laundry in Swedish. At first, I found myself comparing everything to what I was used to in the United States. I would think about what felt “normal” or “correct” based on my own background. Over time, I realized that this way of thinking was limiting. Instead of trying to fit Sweden into my own expectations, I had to adjust my mindset and accept that things are simply done differently here. This shift has helped me become more open and adaptable, which I know will be important when I return home. When I think about how this experience will guide my life moving forward, I realize that I will carry this sense of adaptability with me. I feel more confident stepping into unfamiliar situations because I have already experienced what it feels like to navigate a completely new environment. I also think I will be more patient and understanding in my everyday life. For example, if I meet someone from a different cultural background, I will be more likely to slow down and try to understand where they are coming from, given that I have definitely been in their shoes. This is something I did not fully appreciate before studying abroad. Another important takeaway is how my perspective on independence has changed. In Sweden, there is a strong cultural value placed on independence and personal responsibility. I noticed that people tend to rely on themselves and respect others’ space. At first, this felt a little isolating, but over time, I started to appreciate it. I learned to be more self-sufficient and to feel more comfortable doing things on my own. Whether it was something big, like traveling to a new city, or something mundane, like handling everyday tasks without help, I became even more confident in my ability to handle things independently. At the same time, I also learned the importance of intentional connection. Because social interactions in Sweden can be more subtle, I had to put more effort into building relationships. This made me realize that meaningful connections do not always happen automatically. Even though I clicked naturally with all of my closest friends here, they often required a bit more effort and a little more openness. I think this is something I will take back with me, especially in how I approach friendships and relationships in general. I will be more intentional about reaching out and being open.

    Thinking about future intercultural experiences, I feel much more prepared than I did before coming here. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that culture shock is real, and it does not just happen once. It can come in different phases. At first, everything feels exciting and new, but eventually, there are moments of frustration or confusion. For example, communication styles, social expectations, and even figuring out how to do something simple, like refilling my prescriptions, which I could've done in 10 minutes back in the United States, required adjustment. Now that I have gone through this, I understand that these feelings are a normal part of the process. If I were to prepare for another experience like this, I would approach it with a more open mindset from the beginning, rather than creating some initial assumptions in my head. Instead of expecting things to feel familiar, I would expect them to feel different and be okay with that. This experience has also made me more aware of my role in globalization. Before studying abroad, globalization felt like a broad concept that I learned about in class. Now, I see how it plays out in real life. Being in Sweden as an American student means that I am constantly representing my own culture, whether I realize it or not. The way I act, communicate, and interact with others can shape how people perceive Americans. This has made me more intentional with my behavior and more aware of the impact I have. At the same time, one of the most meaningful parts of my experience has been the people I have met along the way. I did not fully expect how quickly strangers could turn into close friends, especially in a place where everything initially felt unfamiliar. The group of people I met here, many of them other exchange students, came from completely different backgrounds, but we all shared the experience of being far from home. That created a kind of connection that felt really genuine. Some of my favorite memories are simple moments like cooking meals together, exploring new cities, or just sitting and talking for hours about our lives back home. I think these friendships are what made the experience feel real and personal rather than just another fleeting moment. Meeting people from different cultures other than Swedish helped me see the world in new ways. I was able to hear different perspectives, learn about different traditions, and understand how people think and live in other parts of the world. Being part of this environment has made me feel like an informal ambassador, not just representing my own culture, but also learning how to communicate across cultural differences. I think this is one of the most valuable parts of studying abroad because it teaches you how to connect with people in a meaningful way. These relationships have shown me that cultural differences are not barriers, but opportunities to learn and grow. I know that the people I met here will continue to be part of my life long after I leave, and that is something I will always value about this experience.

    I also think this experience has made me more curious about the world. Before studying abroad, I was very interested in travel, but now it feels way more influential. I want to understand how people live, what they value, and how their cultures shape their daily lives. This curiosity is something I plan to carry with me in the future, whether I am traveling, working, or interacting with people from different backgrounds. Looking back, I realize that studying abroad is not just about the places you visit or the things you do. It is about how those experiences change you. For me, it has been a process of learning, adjusting, and growing. I have become more independent, more open-minded, and more aware of the world around me. I have also learned that it is okay to feel uncomfortable at times because that is often where the most growth happens. My time in Örebro has had a lasting impact on my life. It has changed how I approach new situations, how I interact with others, and how I understand cultural differences. Moving forward, I know that these lessons will guide me in both my personal and professional life. I feel more prepared for future intercultural experiences, and I understand the importance of being respectful and open-minded in a globalized world. Most importantly, I have gained a deeper understanding of myself and the kind of person I want to be.