Hi! I know I haven’t written for a while, but life’s just gotten kind of busy and it’s very easy to get lost in things. I think it’s a good time to reflect on my semester in Lund (even though I feel like it’s been forever ago). Everyone’s experience is different, so it would be unwise to take my experience as how studying abroad is, but rather treat it as a data point.
Life studying abroad for me was quite different. I felt often that I had long stretches of time where I had absolutely nothing to do, and then a fun trip, and then absolutely nothing to do, and then a fun trip again. This is quite a different change of pace from my regular life at Berkeley or interning as I feel life has more or less the same intensity and fun. It was interesting for 5 months, but I found out that I do appreciate the latter lifestyle more. Life for me is more about enjoying everyday, rather than waiting for short bursts of fun with long periods of boredom.
I traveled quite a bit, and there are a few places that I have to recommend: Lapland, St. Petersburg, and Amsterdam. The first two I did through the ESN program which I highly recommend to do. The Lapland trip (basically northern Finland) was amazing, where we got to see the Northern Lights, get pulled on sleds by huskies, jump into the Arctic Ocean, sled down a mountain at night in the pitch black, and much more. The night I saw the Northern lights was utterly the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen; the whole sky lit up with green streaks, it shimmered with different colors like purple and pink, and burst into other streaks. We were also very lucky to see it like that as I know other groups only saw a single green streak throughout the sky. It really depends. But it was indescribable to see what I saw that night. St. Petersburg is extremely extra as so many buildings were plated with gold and it was so extravagant. It was like most of old Euorope, except they spent a lot more money on it. And Amsterdam is just…very different. There is just a lot that goes on that it seems like you are in an alternate universe.
I also found out I feel like…fun is overrated. Not that fun isn’t…fun, but I also felt like I didn’t have a purpose in Sweden and I felt lost and pointless at times. Back home, I feel like I’m working towards something and making something of my life, and it’s more fulfilling for me than partying. I know, I sound like an old adult. To each his own. Everyone who I met who was studying abroad was also more extroverted, and as a more quiet person, it was more difficult for me at times to connect and socialize. This is not to say I didn’t meet some awesome people. Especially Gustav and Antonis, I miss you guys.
I feel like most of my trips were very planned, and I would like to have more uncertainty in my trips. It’s something I will take in consideration for the future, as it’s fun to live life a little unscripted.
And lastly, I really appreciated the different lifestyle and culture. I think sometimes we are too much inside our own bubble, and to see that it’s possible for cultures to have different goals and ways of thinking and still succeed is a good perspective to have. Having more viewpoints is good and it lets you figure out what you want in life. And by having these different ideas and being able to connect them with your life back home will make you invaluable. You are what your thoughts and experiences are (well, I guess that’s up for philosophical debate), and having different experiences. It was a quite a mixed bag of experiences, and I am grateful for it, the good and the bad.