My first fika in the old town of Stockholm

Author: Jessica Creech | Major: Industrial Engineering

Hello, my name is Jessica Creech, and I am an industrial engineering major who decided to do an exchange semester in Sweden in the fall of 2021. Ever since my older brother studied abroad in Australia, I knew that I wanted to be able to have a similar cultural experience. I never knew where in the world I wanted to see, but after hosting an exchange student from Sweden during my senior year of high school, it was the easiest decision in the world. I wanted to be able to travel, try new foods, live a different life, and gain a better perspective of a culture vastly different from my own. I knew that Sweden is known for being incredibly sustainable, so I was hoping that taking courses around that topic as well as living in a country who embeds sustainable choices into their lifestyle would be an amazing opportunity for me to see if it was my true passion. The entire experience increased my interest in further studying sustainability, and my courses were fascinating. Even though I had chosen a range of topics for my courses, simulation, transportation and warehousing, leadership and project management, and sustainable supply chain management, all of my classes maintained a perspective around the topic of sustainability. The courses were based much more on self-motivation and the classes shifted based on the student’s interests. Each lecture was more of a discussion where the students asked questions and the teachers would lecture based off of what the students most wanted to know. Rather than homework, the courses would have one major project for the students to work on in groups to best learn the material and apply it in a more hands-on way. At the end of the course, an exam is taken to see how well the material was internalized and a final grade is determined from that. Compared to courses at the University of Arkansas, universities in Sweden are much more relaxed and personal with more student involvement. However, if the students in the classes are not very interested in the topic of the course, the class does not have as strong of an impact. As for outside of the classroom, Swedes takes their personal time very seriously. They do not bring their work home with them, so when a person is spending time with friends or family, those people have their full attention. It is very important to Swedes to take time to really talk and spend time with those they are close to, so they have what is called a fika a few times a day. Fikas are where people will take breaks from a stressful time at school or work to go and have a coffee and a pastry while talking with their friends or family. My favorite Swedish pastry to have during these fikas was a kannelbullar, a cinnamon bun. This program completely changed my perspective on life. It showed me how to take a stronger interest in the classes that I am taking and the topics I am learning about. I also learned how to do my work effectively without letting it overwhelm me, how to take time to clear my mind and focus on those around me. I would highly recommend this program to anyone considering spending time abroad. There were always events going on at the school, and the classes were very interesting with amazing professors. I wish I had known how tiring traveling can be. I took several trips to different cities across Sweden as well as different countries in Europe. All of this time on public transportation, adjusting to vastly different cultures, and seeing as much as possible can be exhausting after a few months. It was very bittersweet to have everything come to an end, but a semester is a long time, so it will be nice to see friends and family again. Also, to anyone who does this program, the hardest goodbye you will have to say is to the incredible convenience of Walmart.