Exchange report - incoming students
Hillerød
Home university: Zürich University of Applied Sciences
Study programme: Occupational Therapy
Exchange programme: Erasmus
Semester: Spring semester 2013/2014

Arrival and registration

As I had to finish a course in Switzerland I missed the introduction day witch would have been useful to get information about the campus and to meet other exchange students. 
In the first week I had to visit the health centre for an MRSA screening. It was easy to get an appointment and the screening was done quickly.
Before my arrival in Stockholm i got dates from the coordinators at KI for introduction meetings. Everything was well organized and i got all the information i needed for my stay in Stockholm. 

Acommendation

Me and my student friend got both a room at Varberg. The Students housing was in an former hospital. The building was newly renovated. The rooms were big and comfortable furnished. I felt very comfortable right at the beginning. There were a lot of activity facilities like a billiard table, dart, a ping pong table, a big TV room, a big balcony etc.
The shared kitchen was used by about 16 other students. On our floor the kitchen was alway very dirty and people just left there dishes standing around etc. This was something i had to get use to.
Pretty soon i got in touch with the other students form my floor. It was very interesting to meet people form all over the world. I met amazing people and my friends from all over the world, for me on of the best things of my exchange.  

Leisure time and social activities

I didn't participate in many social activities provided for exchange students as i pretty quickly got in contact with the other students form my housing and more often hung out with them. 
The access to the information about the activities was easy. It was hard though to make swedish friends as i mostly was surrounded by exchange students. The people who took part at social programs provided from the university often were exchange students and no swedish students. 
Frederiksborgs Slott

Pre-departure

Me and my friend, another student from my University, were the first people from our department who took place in an study exchange. The only  opportunity we got was to do an exchange at KI in Stockholm. It was lots of preparation, organization and clarification as it also was the first time for our teachers at our department. For me it was a tough time as a lot of things weren't clarified from our home University. I had to decide if i want to take that risk and jump into an adventure without knowing what exactly i have to expect from the exchange but also what i have to expect upon my arrival back in Switzerland at my home university. As soon as i have decided to take place in that exchange and got accepted from the KI, i wanted to organize everything as quickly as possible. As well i wanted to find a accommodation quickly as i heard a lot that its pretty hard to find a place to stay as an exchange students in stockholm. So i signed up at the KI housing where i got a room at a student housing.
Those responsible at KI were very helpful and patient with me as they answered all my question via eMail. 

Courses during the exchange period

1EE083 : Clinical rotation for exchange students - Occupational Therapy
I had a practical placement at the Karolinska University Hospital on the occupational therapy department. It was very interesting to work in a different setting, to work in a different country as an occupational therapist. I saw a lot of thing that work the same way as it does in Switzerland. Even though i also saw a lot of things working completely different then in Switzerland. I got to know a different healthcare system and a in some parts a different way of working. For me it was a very good experience. It gave me a brighter view on my occupation.
EAR004 : Analyses of literature from an occupational perspective
The analyses of literature was for me good training in view of my bachelor theses witch I will have to start working on soon. I got enough time scheduled to work on that literature work. I also had always the possibility to contact the teacher who was in charge of that work.
AT1X01 : Community and Home Based Rehabilitation - Cultural Perspectives
The teachers at KI were all very friendly. Even though it seemed as the couldn't really take on to our feedbacks to the course. I got to feel that the course was still developing and partly not fully organized. The teacher didn't seem to be in a good exchange with each other as sometimes it happens that we got theoretical inputs twice form two different teachers. It was very interesting to meet all the students form different countries as well as occupational therapist and physiotherapist from India, Kenya, Iran, Ireland etc. Through the course i got a bigger knowledge about home based and community based rehabilitation, especially how those work in other counties. It also showed me how important international coordination. The course has brightened my view as an occupational therapist.

Summary

All in all my exchange to Stockholm and at KI was a very good experience and I would always do that exchange again if i could. I met amazing people, with the same or with other professions. It was such a good experience to work and study in a different country, get to know a different culture and sometimes even a bit of a different way of living.
It would have been very useful though if i had visited a swedish course back in Switzerland as in my practical placement i was confronted with a lot of swedish and i didn't really understand anything. This was very exhausting and i think with a bit of knowledge in swedish i could have benefit even more from that practical placement in Stockholm. 

Language and Culture

I did start a Swedish course at the very beginning of my stay in Sweden. As the level of my course was too high for me though i asked to change into a lower level. The course i could change to didn't start before April though what was in the second half of my stay. 
As i got confronted a lot with swedish during my practical placement it would have been very helpful to visit a course during the period of my practical placement. It also would have been very good if i had visited a Swedish course back in Switzerland before my arrival in Stockholm.
The second course i didn't finish, as it was very time intensive (twice 2hrs a week). As well because i wasn't confronted with any swedish at my course anymore as the course was all in english.  

Studies in general

The Swedish study environment didn't seem that different to me then the Swiss environment. 
The relationships between the teachers and students might have been a bit more easy going. Except form that everything was pretty similar. 
The course i visit managed a good relationship between theory and clinical education as we had severals study visit to see how the theory works in practice. 
I did realize that a lot was similar to my home university. At the KI i sometimes recognized the same problems of coordination and organization.