The warmth of the people and the country was evident the moment i alighted at Arlanda. The efforts taken by the university were overwhelming. I am secially thankful to Michaela who received us at the airport with our keys . we had very clear instructions as to directions and transport. I had been  told about this wonder called the SLtransport card and I was soon to discover its benefits as I explored and re explored the city by bus tram boat metro and what not. The transition from 42 degress to 2 degress was not easy, but then when one is as awestruck as i was, it really did not matter.

Emmylundsvagen 1 or Pax as we call it was to be or home for the next three months and i couldn’t have asked for better. I was informed of the options four months before our arrival which gave us ample time to apply. Following the advice of our seniors, I opted for Pax.for all the confort and facilities it provided it was an ideal accommodation well suited to its cost. It was a great means of learning skills of independent living. I being someone who had never cooked before, the kitchen in itself was a blessing, and sharing it with a bunch of enthusiastic corridor mates was amazing. Kitchen duty was a wordwe dreaded every month but nevertheless emerged proud homemakers at the end.

It is wonderful to see people in Europe making the best use of their leisure time, and i decided to absorb as much of Europe as i can in mine. Stockholm is a beautiful city and theriverside was what i enjoyed the most. Just taking an aimless bus ride on bus number three was a days worth of sightseeing. I loved Slussen and Gamla Stan and took every opportunity i could to walk along the water. The extremely late sunset added to the joy of exploring. We got to know people from france, Italy, spain, chile , Switzerland, Lithuania,USA, new Zealand, Greece, germany, and of course, from India too. I love travelling and globe trotting i enjoyed at its best when i visited numerous coutries- France, Lithuania, Italy, Germany, Amsterdam, Belgium, Spain and saw another aspect of Sweden-Gotland. Travels independently taught us survival startegies, how to booktickets, hotels, and how to manage currency. We are still in touch with our Pax friends and plan to do so in future too. The land and nature of every European country has a lot to offer.

To summarise the best three months of my life  into  a report is unthinkable. However, this is gratitude of the university,  Sweden and the wonderful people of Europe.

Opting to go on exchange was an easy choice to make , simply because of the sheer range of experiences it provides. Prospects of learning from this opportunity were endless. On an academic level, wanted  to acquaint myself with approach to a patient in terms of humanity, dedication and skill. I also wanted to learn from my observation of  facilities, dedicated faculty, and novel teaching methods.On a personal level wanted  to experience what it took  to represent the country . It was a test of my success at an independent  living, my ability to imbibe their medical knowledge, and hone clinical skills. Moreover, it would serve as an assessment of my adaptability in an alien environment.Finally on a social level, I hoped to discover a new campus life, and attitude of students , while hoping to pick up tid bits of language, culture and cuisine .The experience of foreign travel was novel in itself.I was amazed at how detailed and prompt all information given to me was. The acceptance letter and brochure charted out every academic and leisure detail very lucidly.we owe a lot to Mrs Magdalena, how immediately put us at ease and was a great support right till the day we left.

These three months were a dream come true. Life was good with very little to worry about. We learned a lot and travels were enriching. The people were a joy to be with. More over, we were overwhelmed by the hospitality of the nation. We return determined to make our college atmosphere as welcoming as possible for those who make our country their home for the time they are here. We hope to be back someday and catch up with all those who left such a great impact on us.

Coming from acountry with innumerable languages,  Swedish was, well, just another language,interesting,nevertheless.It is also amazing tohear the flawless English most Swedes speak,irrespective of generation. Hence general communication was awalk in the park, specially when compared to a few of the other countries we visited during our travels. At the wards, Swedish was a bit of a challenge, and google translate was our best friend as we sat and translated patient charts to understand their condition. We did not avail of the language course,but for all those who have a knack for languages, do go for it.

Studies in the West are generally and conspicuously different from the East, specially India were basic academic attitude is competition based.I loved the calm, unstressed environment in which studies worked at Karolinska. The concept of the pass and fail assessment was an interesting and encouraging concept. The block pattern of education, comprising three months of theory and three months of practicals however didn’t come across as something i would like to opt for , owing to its potential to get tedious in the long run. The library amazed me and it was great to see how confortable they make the study environment. More over,it was extremely well equipped. We in India in most parts still rely on intense theoretical learningas compared to the application based learning practiced in most parts of Europe. Both have their pros and cons and somewhere in the middle exists the ideal. Its great to see these two cultures mixing and absorbing the best of both.