Sweden, Canada, Northern Ireland, England - The World Is Our Oyster
by Andrea León, Anne Klante, Jessica Rzepka, and Willi Böhme
Life in Malmö, Sweden.
When I thought about Sweden, I thought about super tall, blond (super blond), good-looking people, with really healthy and active kids. I could think of cold weather, rivers, sea, boats, smoked fish and meatballs. When I first came to Sweden, all this was confirmed.
I chose to go to Malmö before my last year of teacher’s education. And even though I was not assuming I would see Vikings on the streets, some things were so different and new to me. In Malmö, things really work! Public transportation and buildings are excellent, and it is so easy to move around. That is just impressive for a person coming from a big, crowded city (with ore than 7 million inhabitants and almost no respect for other’s personal space. Imagine how difficult is to ride a bike around!). Even when Malmö is a small town compared with others around the globe, it is the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Scandinavia with a population of 302, 835 inhabitants. A place where languages, different cultural backgrounds and impressive nature invite you to stay and just fall in love with the country.
Communication was not a problem. You can use English everywhere and almost everyone will understand you. Moreover, approximately 50% of the population has a foreign background, and more than 100 languages are represented in the city. So finding people from your country and even with your particular accent will not be difficult, as it will not be difficult for many people to pronounce your name in the correct way the first time you meet.
Adapting to a new culture and reality might be exhausting, and sometimes difficult. But university programs and people around you will make it easier. There are 150 exchange students at Malmö University each semester. And before classes start, you will have the most interesting, fun, active and unforgettable learning experience ever! There is an introductory period of two weeks in which you learn about Sweden and Swedes, how their law works, gender equality, language (the basics), history, environmental care and food. They will present all of the above through classes, trips, parties, festivals and games. During this time, you will also get the chance to meet and share experiences with people from different countries, know their expectations and dreams.
Malmö University was founded in 1998 and it is the ninth largest higher educational institution in Sweden. It has five different faculties and more than 24,000 students. But lessons are really private sessions. You don’t feel anonymous and you have the opportunity to talk, share ideas and work actively in every class. You can also work with other group seminars in special activities and projects, go to the city and present your ideas to the community. In the School of Education you also have the opportunity of doing a placement for three weeks in a local school, and experience the Swedish teaching system, as well as the obstacles that teachers and students face when learning in multicultural classroom, and how to overcome the difficulties.
Six months in a completely different reality, not speaking your mother tongue and having almost no sunlight in the cold winter days, might sound scary… until you see the beautiful landscapes Scandinavia offers. Even the cold and snow will seem the best opportunity to go out and spend as much time as you can outdoors. Sweden has a vast territory with only nature, and you are
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