After my arrival with the plane I took the “flygbuss” to Stockholm’s central station where I was welcomed from my “global friend”. She showed me where I can buy a ticket for the public transport and then we drove to my student accommodation.

I have received the door code, the code for the key-box and the access-code for the Internet before I left my home country - everything worked out fine.

I haven't been at the introduction day because it took place about three weeks before my first rotation started.

The contact with the student health center was without any problem. I asked for an appointment before I came to Sweden and it worked out perfect.

I lived in Jägargatan, which is connected to the Södersjukhuset (a hospital in Södermalm). We have been 19 students on our corridor. Everyone has had his own small room with a bed, a desk, a wardrobe and a washing basin. All of us shared one kitchen, two sitting rooms, five showers, six toilets, two washing machines and two dryers. The general areas have been cleaned every day from Monday to Friday. It depends on the students who live there how tidy it is for example in the kitchen and how loud it is - you could here everything through the wall.

It is really nice to meet students from other countries and spend the free time together e.g. for some trips or for cooking together (if you want).

I spent most of my free time with students who lived in the same accommodation like me, but you can easily get to know others - for example at university or when you join some of the various events that are organized by student unions. You get all the informations for the activities by e-mail and they are well-planned.

I got to know other Swedish students at the hospital and from time to time we spent our free time together - for example we went ice-skating together.

I wanted to do an exchange period in Sweden, because the Swedish health system is classified as one of the best and I have also travelled through Sweden before and I really love the country. Therefore I applied for all three cities in Sweden where an ERASMUS-exchange is possible. I got my first choice - Stockholm.

When I received my acceptance for the exchange period in Stockholm and my study-programme, there was one rotation in a wrong department, but with the help of the International Student Coordinator it was not a big problem to change this.

It also worked out without any difficulty to get a place in a student accommodation after applying for this on the UAC-homepage.

The information-material that was sent together with the letter of acceptance was really helpful. If there are questions unanswered, you also get the information whom you can ask.

I was also contacted by “Global friends” who offered the possibility to pick the foreign students up when they arrive in Stockholm and show them the way to their accommodation.

You need to do an MRSA-test if you want to work in a hospital in Sweden, but the test has to be done in Stockholm. If you are unsure about being MRSA-positive you can make a test in your home country and start the treatment before you come to Sweden.

I can really recommend an exchange-period in Stockholm. Everything was well-organized, people are so friendly and helpful and the city is absolutely liveable. If you have the possibility to decide the time of your exchange-period, try to come to Stockholm during spring/summer, because it is really dark during the winter time. It is much easier if you understand at least basics in Swedish, especially if you work together with Swedes all the time. I have learned a lot and have met people from all over the world - I really have enjoyed the time in Stockholm.

I have done a basic Swedish-course in my home country and had also been in a hospital in another part of Stockholm for four weeks one year before I started in Stockholm.

I applied for a Swedish-course for exchange students (which would have been free of charge) in Stockholm (level B1), but the course fell through because too few students have registered for it.

I have heard and read Swedish every day in the hospital so I have improved my language knowledge a lot, but I couldn’t improve my speaking that much, because most of the time when someone realised that I am not that good in Swedish they changed to speak English with me (meant nice, of course). If you don’t understand any Swedish, they try to translate you the most important facts (depending on how much time they have), but it is really helpful to know at least a bit of the Swedish-language from the beginning - otherwise it could be boring if you don’t get what is going on.

In my student accommodation everyone was talking English, because there haven’t been any Swedish students living there.

I have been in the hospital the whole time to get practical experiences and haven’t taken any courses or seminars.

Most of the doctors I followed during my different rotations have tried to teach me and let me do practical work as far it was possible. In case of special interests the supervisors always tried to organize them for the students.

Compared to my home country there is no hierarchy between doctors and students. In this setting it is very easy to learn, because you can ask as many questions as you want and you can also add your knowledge. I like it very much that everyone is called with the first name.

It never happened that a patient refused a student joining or doing the examination or the questioning about the case history.

In my home country medical students spend a lot of time with taking blood from the veins or giving infusions. In Sweden the nurses are allowed to do it so the doctors have much more time to do the real "doctor-work".