Very int resting was to see large hips of snow than before but challenging too was the very high temperatures of coldness.

 

I was very impressed by the arrival arrangements especially meeting host students from global friends at the airport. I had never been to Sweden so i felt to meet several challenges.

To my great surprise, the host students gave me orientations on how to easily cope up and to contact them in case of any challenges. It was interesting to me!

The contact with the students health service was fair. Some challenges were met in accessing health services when in need but are part of life."He who has not met challenges,will not challenge challenges!" Its therefore something not to worry much a bout but to improve greatly where possible.

I had applied for housing via UAC. This was arranged via on line applications.

 

The housing arrangements were very good because i was assured of my room number, apartment and some other details. Generally, the apartment was good because people were friendly and social.

 

However, its good to mention that i was not given a chance to choose from a variety of a available apartments,different services offered in different apartments, and costs incurred. This never pleased me so much because i later found apartments that were better than what i was given in many considerations.

 

For example the hygienic standards of kitchen, sharing of toilets and showering rooms. The rooms were not having toilets and showers inside that was an inconvenience at times.

 

One of our friends had lost a computer and i was cautioned by fellow students on apartment on arrival that scared me at the start in terms of security. This was good on the other side that i had to take care. I felt sorrowful to the friend that no compensations were made for him.

It was very interesting to participate in the international party with students and some teachers from different fields and countries. Each person/people was/were requested to sing their country song that was a form of fun to me. I met new friends and felt at home.

I made many Swedish friends.

REASON FOR EXCHANGE.

I chose to go for exchange because i was selected as the best student for exchange program me and wanted to:

• Add on my professional experience from a developed country.
• Learn and transfer new skills to develop my country and our citizens that are in need.
• Gain more knowledge about community based rehabilitation to see how to apply it in my home country.
• Interact with other people and share experiences, among others.

I chose KI university because it was a worldly known best university in Sweden. It also had signed student's exchange contract with my home university (Makerere).

 

The information given to me was interesting but i thought of meeting some challenges during the preparation for the travel and my stay.

 

I was required to be vaccinated.

In general, my exchange period at KI was very good to me.

I participated in the Swedish language course. In general it was good for me because i met new friends from the course. It was a nice experience to learn a new language than before. It was int resting to me that in most of the times, i was able to speak Swedish with some people/friends. I felt that if i was to stay for a year or more i would have learnt it so much.

Its however good to mention that because i knew i was staying for only three months, my interests were in learning the common terms and not in the detailed information. At times i was very tired from placement that i never liked to go because it used to end late at night. More time could be spent on journal that would interfere with some activities of daily living like evening dinner.

Environment
Excellent study environment.
Reasons: absence from distraction like noise, good infrastructures and in good hygienic conditions, resourceful like libraries, Internet services, and co-operative staff.

Relationships
Very good relationship especially between supervisors, students, patients, and teachers. They were friendly, co-operative and willing to share their experiences with me. Supervisors were cooperative, educative, friendly and willing to help when in need.

 

Comparisons
In KI/Sweden, there is improved technology, services, and health care system in general compared to my home country.
In my home country, there is more use of local materials and improvised aids than already made/imported or technical aids for clients. Similar to both is the treatment approaches and some times way of interaction.

My stay during exchange program me was very good.

What to be improved
Students should be asked to send their learning expectations and their areas of interest in relation to their profession.They should also send in  their clinical experiences from different settings if any.

 

Reason:
During placements, some students are placed in areas that are not of their interest, though part of the profession. Others are placed in areas where they had already got experience from home countries or other areas before. Some are placed in areas, acquire skills and knowledge/experiences that will never be applicable in their home country settings. These hinder learning. Its good to learn new things but its very vital to consider one's area of interest and choice for excellent learning results.  Improvement should be made on this if chance avails next time. Tack!

Also students should be told what they are expected to do in different settings before their departure from home countries. This helps them to take like photographs, prepare their work/presentations from home countries relevant to their topics. Home universities should be advised to prepare their students prior to their departure. This is because some students leave when they are not sure what exactly is to be covered during certain courses.

What i learnt:
I learnt many things from different settings and people but briefly to mention are:

The role of an occupational therapist in a prison setting.
Differences in rules and rights of prisoners.
Differences in health care delivery/health systems.
Health care system in different geriatric settings.
The role of an occupational therapist in the care of elderly people.
Community based rehabilitation and how best to be applied.
Culture perspectives/considerations in relation to health care delivery.
"Personal learning" through sharing of experiences with other people.