The next few months Dustin Joosen, student hbo-ict at Windesheim Almere, will be blogging about his experiences and adventures as an exchange student in Luleå, Sweden. “I hope to experience a different culture, and to enjoy the breathtaking environment.”
My host university, Luleå University of Technology, organizes courses a bit differently then I am used to compared to Windesheim. Instead of a specific study, here you pick your own courses. This means you can learn exactly whatever you want. I have spoken with someone who is studying both geology, and material engineering at the same time. I believe this is the case in a lot of other countries, but for me this is a new concept.
Lots of activities
I take four courses here in total. The Swedish language is one of them. This course is made specifically for exchange students, to help them integrate in the culture. And that is something the university puts a lot of focus on. The first few weeks there were a lot of activities planned to get to know the city and my fellow exchange students. All in all I was very happy with this organization.
Most of my time during the school days I will spend on campus. There is a big library where you can study, but there are also restaurants, a sport school, a bar. It’s great to have so many facilities in the area.
Degrees of -30
Luleå lies in the northern part of Sweden, so of course it is very cold, with an average temperature of -10 degrees, sometimes reaching up to -30.
The days are also very short. When I arrived here it was already dark around 2pm. But as time goes on it’s slowly going to get warmer, and the days are going to get longer.
Northern lights
Despite the extreme environment, it is without a doubt the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The pristine snow all around, big lakes, the atmosphere, and of course the northern lights. These are parts that I will without a doubt miss when I go back home to the Netherlands.
