Exchange report - incoming students
Home university: Makerere University
Study programme: Midwifery
Exchange programme: Linnaeus-Palme
Semester: Spring semester 2011/2012

Arrival and registration

We arrived on a  cold,cold tuesday morning very tired from the long flight.The coordinator was their to meet us and she drove us to KI introducing us to the department we were under then she helped us get our checks and set up bank accounts.She was really helpful.Our  coodinators at the department then gave us the programme for the next few weeks then took us to get  tested for MRSA ,then to pick our keys before taking us to our apartment and helping us get th SL travel cards and some grocerys at the store.By then we were exhausted and just wanted to fall into bed.So after a hot meal and shower we did just that. 

Acommendation

 I appplied for housing through UAC.I was placed in PAX although i had applied for jagargatan.The room i got was spacious and clean and selfcontained which i appreciated.It was really good except for the rent which was really expensive.

Leisure time and social activities

We were not attached to any swedish students but we made friends wuth the people we styed with and worked with.We learned to take ourselves around and using the maps and tourist guide we were able to see abit and of stockholm,go shopping and take part in the holiday celebrations but it would have been nice to have had someone who knew the city to help us.

Pre-departure

 I chose to apply for this exchange because i love travelling,i've always wanted to know what life is like in a country i assumed was so diffferent from myn and i wanted tosee what it was like to be a midwife in another country. I hadn't heard much about KI except that it is one of the best Medical universites in the world and i was eager to see for myself.The application process  went smoothly and the international coordinator was very helpful and helped us get our visas in time.

Courses during the exchange period

2XX001 : Sexual and reproductive health in a global perspective
The topics covered were diverse and the class members were also from different backgrounds.The lectures were given by expertr who knew their stuff. I learned so many new things i didn't know even about my own country.I have learned to look at issues in a global perspective,to question why things are different in different places and whether there are solutions to some of these problems.The presentation was a good exam format.Each presentation was unique and coverd a topic we hadn't done in class so we learnt more. The one improvement would be to have more student participation in class in form of discussions.
2EE089 : Antenatal care including fertility control, delivery, neonatal and postnatal care, theory and clinical education
It was interesting seeing the differences between clinical practice here and at home mostly because of the available resources and technology here.

Summary

Generally the last 3 months have been a time to learn,try new things enjoy this beautiful city,meet new people make friends and inspired me to travel more,study more and try to make a difference, no matter how small, wherever God places me.

Language and Culture

I was unable to attend the swedish languge course because it clashed with my clinical rotation schedule.But from the few words that i learnt i think swedish is a difficult but beatiful language.

Studies in general

The first 7 weeks were clinical rotations at the delivery,postnatal and neonatal departments at Södersjukhuset and a maternity center.They were really interesting and the midwives were really kind.It was kind of dificult following what was going on when they spoke only Swedish but they tried to assign me to patients who spoke English whenever possible and translated for me when they could.I noticed that in Sweden the patients are well informed and their rights are really respected.One of the things i really liked is that each student is attached to a midwife who is their clinical instructor and this is different from my home university were the student learns from anyone willing to teach them.Another difference i noticed is that clinical skills were taught on dummies before allowing the students to touch patients.However i think students at my home university get more clinical experience probably because we have more patients.

The second course was really interesting and the teachers mostly encouraged us to participate and allowed us to debate and express our opinions.