ISEP student Diana Laura de Anda Padilla is a student blogger and part of our new ISEP Voices program. She is a design major from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO), and is currently studying abroad at Linnaeus University in Sweden. Here she discusses five things you can expect when studying abroad in Sweden.
1. Fika
If you are planning to study abroad in Sweden, you can expect to enjoy warm conversations while drinking coffee and eating a delicious cinnamon bun. In Sweden, this is called having a fika.
Fika is the Swedish word that refers to the spare time you spend to drinking a warm beverage (coffee or tea) and eating a sweet treat, in order to strength relationships between people. It is not a coincidence that Sweden is the only country to have a word for this activity. It is a reflection of the culture in which equality is very important. They believe everyone should have spare time, access to education, health care, vacation, clothing, food and more.
2. Winter weather
You will enjoy sparkly snowflakes during the winter that will make you feel like you are living inside a snowball. If you like the snow as much as I do, there are plenty of mountain resorts where you can ski or snowboard on the nicest slopes, surrounded by beautiful lakes and pines.
3. Hockey
As Swedish are used to the ice, they have become masters of skating on it. It would be a big mistake to not visit at least one arena to watch a hockey game !
4. Nature
The Swedish also love to enjoy nature, and they are surrounded by plenty of lakes which make their cities flourish in green color. You must wander through the woods. Whether you decide to do it by riding your bike, running or walking, you should keep an eye open, because you might get to see a moose!
5. Kind people
If you visit Sweden, never forget this little piece of advice: always say Tack! – The Swedish word that means please and thanks. Swedish people are the kindest people in the world, but they don’t take courtesy for granted, so it is always good to give thanks!
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