Hej! My name is Lilly, and I have recently completed an incredible semester abroad at Umeå University in Sweden as part of my dual degree in Social Science (Psychology)/Criminology and Justice. I was lucky enough to be able to have this experience with my best friend, Mikayla, who also completed a semester of her degree in Umeå. Considering we chose Sweden completely at random, I’m so grateful that this was the place we ended up!

Leaving Australia for Sweden was quite nerve-racking, but once the jet lag wore off and I had settled into a routine, I was eager to see what this new chapter had in stall for me!

The international student scene at Umeå was buzzing. There were hundreds of international students which made it easy to make friends from all over the world. But, I’ll admit, it also meant I got a bit lazy with picking up the Swedish language and fully embracing the culture at first. Swedish life was a bit of a shock to the system. Swedes are much more reserved and introverted than Aussies. But I decided to accept it, and over time, I really started to appreciate their way of doing things.

Now, let’s talk about Swedish winter! I’d never seen snow before, so you can imagine my excitement to be in a country with so much snow. Once snow season was here, we saw metres and metres of it. Temperatures reached -36 degrees Celsius on some days, and I can now say with confidence that I know what it’s like to have frozen boogers! The hardest part of winter was the amount of daylight we would have. The sun would rise at roughly 10am and would set again by 2pm. Not getting the amount of sunlight I was used to in Australia was challenging but thank God for vitamin D tablets and seeing friends. Despite these challenges, the snowy landscapes were breath-taking. The first snowfall had me feeling quite emotional because of how beautiful it was. Once we got the hang of the snow, we were out there every chance we got- ice skating, building snowmen, and having campfires.

The Northern Lights were another incredible part about my semester abroad! Since Sweden is so far north, it’s the perfect country to see the northern Lights. Mikayla and I made it our mission to catch a glimpse, and after a few nights of nothing, we struck gold! It’s one thing to see pictures, but seeing the lights dance in the sky with my own eyes was magical.

I was lucky enough to be able to complete part of my placement for my degree in a Swedish workplace. This was a game changer for me when it came to embracing the Swedish culture. This pushed me way out of my comfort zone and gave me a real taste of Swedish life beyond the international student bubble of university. The people I worked with at my placement were eager to teach me many things about their culture, from sharing different foods with me to even managing to teach me some of the language.

Beyond Umeå, when I wasn’t studying in my dorm room, I was fortunate enough to have some epic adventures. I visited the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, went to a concert in Stockholm, and was lucky enough to do a bit of travel through Europe to cap off the semester.

All in all, this semester abroad was easily the best experience of my life so far. It has opened my eyes, shifted my perspective, and lit a fire in me to see more of the world and experience more cultures. Sweden might have been the most random choice Mikayla and I could’ve made, but I’m so glad we took the plunge and had this adventure!

~ Lilly Ennis

Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)/Criminology and Justice