Unlike other international students, I arrived in the middle of the semester. I missed out on most of the ceremonies but I am highly indebted to to International students coordinator. She personally made arrangements to make me feel welcome and at home. I was happy that I managed to settle down and Immediately started with formalities in the laboratory. My host Department had some of the most helpful and hardworking people. I consider myself lucky for having joined a very vibrant team. They made it easy for me to start work.

I applied for housing through the UAC/ KI housing . They secured for me Jagargatan. This was cheap compared to UIB housing though alot smaller and the usual problems of shared accommodation. It was great that we had good people on the floor. They made sure it was clean most of the time. We did not have to pay or book for laundry.

It was far away from campus which was nice for me because it kept me health. I had to walk long distances everyday. The signals for internet were very low and hence I missed out. I could not access internet in my room which was on the downsize. I wish they were using plug in.

Most of the social activities i was involved in were arranged by members of my host laboratory.  They were so good that now I can confidently say that I have a rudimentary idea of Swedish way of life.

I always wanted to visit and be part of Karolinska Institutet due to its reputation in Medicine and its association with the Nobel Forum. It was natural for me to respond immediately when my home University announced the possibility of an exchange programme. I had prior contacted someone at KI who would probably be my supervisor. I was pretty satisfied with the information provided by my home university to proceed with the application process.

My home University made it clear to me that I had to personally apply online, get insurance, and accommodation. They told me that there were a few differences between KI and UIB. This and other tips made it possible for me to easily integrate on arrival.

Since I was not going to work with patients and coming from a country with similar health policies, I was not required to get some of the vaccinations though I had to take health insurance since I was not an EU citizen.

I feel pretty satisfied with my exchange period. My host University told me that i was the first exchange student for this programme but I believe I will not be the last. 

I participated in the language course. My programme was too full since I had very little time at Ki and hence did not enjoy it the way I would have liked.

my work was exclusively laboratory based. I am happy both with the discipline and commitment of the team in the department I visited. The rules at times seemed to be too many but that was alright with me.