Arrival at Stockholm was a little hard,because of the bad weather.The temperature was far below from what I was used to at my home,the tropics. And the clothes I had weren’t working. Apart from that, the pick up service that took care of us was one to be encouraged, the guy chosen was born in our neighbor country so he knew more about our way of life, which made it easy for us to understand eachother. And he speakes English fluently so communication wasn’t a problem. Then he took us to our Accomodation center,told us some one will come to receive us in the morning.So in general the first day was bittersweet for me.The next day a student came early in the morning, she was very concerned about our well being,and she took us to the bank to get us our scholarship money. We got some warm clothes from KI, then she showed us many places in the city. She helped us get our SL card,showed us the markets,the malls and the train and bus stations.So finally at least we knew our way.We also went to the health center to be tested of MRSA, which went on well.

Information regarding the accommodation was sent for  me months before my  departure.I was given many alternatives about the places the centers are at,the amount of the rent and what the rooms look like.Then I chose the one that’s near to the campus and that I can afford. Then I applied for  the UAC housing 2 weeks before my departure, after few days they sent me my room number and the key code. The cost of the housing was very affordable and much cheaper than the private one’s. And the room was very clean, at first I even thought if I was the first one to enter the room. The kitchen we share was very organized and neat. My neighbours were all KI students and at my age, which was perfect. They helped me to know more about KI and things I should do during my stay.

The timing was a little not suitable for social activities as it was winter.But there were lots of good friends I met both Swedish and other Europeans.I met most of them at my accommodation center,where everybody residing was a KI student.It was the first time for me to see a snow and it was very exciting,with my friends I have practiced skating. We also have had many gatherings and parties with my friends. And the teachers also prepared us dinner programs which helped us socialize easily.I was able to visit some historical places,palaces,and beautiful architectural works.The place I enjoyed most was the magnificient City hall,starting from the architecture everything was amaizing and interesting.

Due to the absence of exchange programs in my home university to other universities,most of the students didn’t gain the experience they should gain.But from what I know KI was one of the first institutions to bring this exchange program to life. And our university chose 2 of us by our merit .As far as I want to broaden my medical experience, when this opportunity came I was absolutely sure I needed to take part.As medicine is all about experience and what u see and learn, taking this chance is one big step. After that I went through all the information provided by KI regarding the exchange program, and indeed it was fascinating and appealing. And the coordinator at KI working with us was helping us by any means she can. Actually due to the short time we had we weren’t required to bring vaccination certificates,but as far as I know we needed  to be vaccinated to get our passport and visa.Finally all the preparations were complete. We were told of the weather that would be expecting us, so that we get prepared.We were also contacted about the accommodation and the pick up service.With all this everything was ready and no worries.

In conclusion,starting from the pre departure to the last date at KI, everything was organized and went as planned.I have had very exciting and unforgettable memories of my stay. I was able to get enough knowledge and experience that I am going to share with my friends at home and work on . I think I am going to miss my time at KI a lot.I wish i might return again to Karolinska sometime in the future to do a research or specialization. For me everything was perfect and was more than I expected. Thank you for making my stay one of the best moments of my life.

I was given the chance to enroll in a Swedish language course at my arrival, but due to the short time  of my stay, I wasn’t able to do so.But the good thing about Sweden is that,if you know English,wherever you go whether the malls,the streets,at the campus,you wont face any problem communicating.However its one of my plans to Know a little Swedish in the future.

The good thing about Swedish study environment is the English teaching medium.The teachers and everybody at the clinic speak English fluently, even those that couldn’t, know well enough to communicate and understand what we’re saying. The other thing is the teacher student hierarchy is not observed in KI. The teachers interact with us like a friend, they hear our ideas, questions and explain to us. The teachers share every thing they know about the subject,and teach us from the experience.The instructors were I think one of the best from the country even from the world,they were full of experiences and were very specialized.Which was very helpful. The midwives and nurses we met at the clinic were very eager to help us in any problems we face.As my field requires more privacy for the patient,some patients didn’t allow me to enter the room they are examined under. But most of them allowed me to see examinations and practice under supervison on them. The teachers and midwives helped in translation when the patients had trouble speaking English.So my relations with the patients was good though faced with some problems.The hospital I stayed was staffed very well regarding personell and machines. I was able to see operations that I couldn’t see at my home. The patient care,the cleanliness  was one that I can't  pass mentioning. For me knowledge wasn’t the only thing that I gained from KI, rather the ethical  aspect of Patient Physician relationship. As I am living in a developing country comparison to a first world country like Sweden is a little difficult.The intricate instruments and machines they have at KI,the openness between teachers and students, and the proportion of the students to the hospitals we are assigned are  the major differences. The subject matter and the cases I meet  are more or less  the same between my home university and the KI, which makes it important as I am going to practice in my county. Saying this, things that could be improved I suggest are, it might be beneficial if the Swedish students learn together with the exchange students. Because of the importance of sharing information and experiences between eachother.