Västerås Social Media
Emely Lüttjohann
BA Business Administration, studies one semester at Mälardalen University Västeras Sweden
"I've never tried that before. So I'm absolutely sure I can do it" - Pippi Longstocking
So, that's the end of my Sweden report. Finally, a few impressions from Stockholm: architecture, colorful houses, lots of greenery, in the middle of islands, water and always good weather. In general, to everyone who is thinking about a semester abroad: just do it, there's nothing to lose! There are times waiting for you, with an incredible number of new acquaintances and discoveries. Make the most of the time, travel a lot, try to get to know many nationalities and find yourself anew. Dare to do things you've never done before: That's what life is all about.
National Day of Sweden-06-June/2022, in short: official national holiday since 1893, in memory of Gustav Vasa's election as king in 1523. The day was also once called "Svenska Flaggans Dag", i.e. Day of the Swedish Flag. Many rooms in the royal house were opened today and free admission was granted. I saw "the bernadotte library" and the "royal apartments", but my absolute highlight: Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel waved to me. So, next week will be my farewell post: Stockholm and my highlights!
Tortuna lake - the insider tip among Erasmus students! It takes about 20 minutes by car from Västerås and then another 20-25 minutes to walk through the forest, but it's worth it - you're almost always alone, can enjoy the sun on the rocks and jump into the turquoise water. Add coffee, strawberries and a few cinnamon buns and you've got perfection!
Summer can come! Last Thursday was my last home exam and so I'm off work until the end of August. What can I summarize in retrospect? They were super exciting modules, all in the field of marketing, from which I was able to learn a lot. All the requirements were achievable in terms of time and thanks to the combination of different exams, it wasn't difficult to get good grades. In the pictures you can see my courses, a day in the lecture and the breakdown of the exams from my last course: Nordic Perspectives on Marketing and Management, and their ECTS distribution. Maybe you were a little interested.... Why are there still open courses? I have extended one semester and the next three will start at the end of August!
This is Uppsala University (Uppsala universitet). At the weekend we took a short road trip in the area and were absolutely impressed by this university. One of the oldest universities still in existence in Scandinavia, it was founded in 1477 by Archbishop Jakob Ulfsson and the regent Sten Sture the Elder. Around 20,000 students from all over the world study humanities, education, law, medicine, theology, social sciences, science and technology here. The Carolina Rediviva library is also impressive. Some of the books we found and saw there were from the 18th and 19th centuries and from all kinds of countries, religions and languages.
Day trip to the Stockholm archipelago. It's unbelievable that it consists of around 30,000 islands... I can hardly imagine. The nice thing about it, however, is that you are almost always alone on the islands and can enjoy nature to the full. There are also "main islands" that seem a bit more touristy, but as soon as you take the ferries to the smaller ones, you can sit by the water for hours, go for a walk and have complete peace and quiet. There are no cars, a few Swedes work here and there in their garden and it smells of summer and barbecues everywhere.
Trip to Oslo - capital of the Kingdom of Norway. Here are a few interesting and fun facts: The inhabitants of the city are among "Norway's healthiest", most of the area consists of forests, the city was once called 'Christiana', it is "the City of islands", Oslo's nickname is: "the Tiger City" and the city counts as a "Green City"!
As announced, our barbecue evening on the island of Björnö near Västerås. With the whole group, consisting of different nationalities such as Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, we drove to the island and looked for a quiet place with a fire pit. There we collected wood and made a fire. With the indescribably beautiful sunset, as in the pictures, we had bread on a stick, sausages and pasta salad. We enjoyed nature and the warmth of the fire until late into the night.
ABBA-THE MUSEUM! Probably Sweden's best-known music group with an estimated 370 million records sold, founded in 1972 and their breakthrough in 1974 with Waterloo at the Eurovision Song Contest. Also known for the musical Mamma Mia. Band members: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. But the best fact: on one of the 24,000 archipelago islands off the coast of Stockholm, the couples each bought vacation homes and wrote their songs together. The songs "Ring Ring" as well as "Waterloo" and "Dancing Queen" were written on Viggsö.
The "Mälardalen Högskola" has a campus in Västerås and one in Eskilstuna. Both can be visited and used by all students. Eskilstuna is about 40 minutes away, but there is an hourly bus service from one campus to the other (free for students). At the moment I have only taken courses in Västerås, but I know some people who also attend courses there and commute back and forth. I was there last week and was amazed at how great the university looks and what a cute place it is.
The four of us took the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki on Friday, the journey took about 18 hours. Tonight we're heading back, but the few days in Finland were definitely worth it. A very nice apartment right in the city center, cool cafés, lots of different stores and incredibly interesting architecture. Plus lots of churches, some museums and nature outside. To be honest, I had no ideas or expectations of Helsinki, but I was pleasantly surprised and would love to come back in the summer.
There's still snow here and there, it's cold and it gets dark early. What's the best thing to do then? Right, cooking together. At the moment, everyone has a few group and household chores to get through and in the evenings all you want is a change of pace and relaxation. It's already a ritual for us. Getting together, being creative and trying out all kinds of dishes, improving English and exchanging stories from all over the world
Of course, a semester abroad in Sweden is not just about trips to Lapland, baking cinnamon buns and hiking, but also about studying and attending seminars. Some of you are probably wondering whether there are any differences to Kiel UAS and what "everyday university life" looks like here. In my opinion, it is completely different. The semester here is divided into two sections and these in turn. So 1 a and b, and 2 a and b. Modules very rarely overlap. I had a 7.5 ECTS module in both 1 a and b and will have a 15 ECTS module in 2 a and b. Instead of a regular exam, there is a HomeExam, for which you have several hours to days, plus group work and articles or term papers. Seminars and lectures are relatively few in my case and are held on 1-2 days a week at most. Hybrid is also offered. So even if you are planning a trip to Lapland, you can still attend your lectures as normal. I hope that I was able to give you a good impression of how the semester went, and I'll have more information soon when I have more seminars on campus. Pictures show how we prepare in the library and what a beautiful building the MDU is!
Northern lights in Västerås - what a phenomenon. It's fascinating how you can only see light "clouds" and then it suddenly becomes more intense and clearer. The lights then sweep across the sky, unfold and draw a wide variety of patterns. What I didn't know was that auroras can also have different colors such as red, green and blue. They can even turn purple, white and yellow. The colors depend on the different components of the atmosphere and also on the altitude at which the spectacle takes place. Of course, the best places to see the Northern Lights are above the Arctic Circle and in the winter months, but I am more than grateful for the experience!
Kiruna- 935km away, above the Arctic Circle in Lapland. Our first destination. We took the night train from Wednesday to Thursday night and arrived 15 hours later in the deep snow. The days were indescribable. So much snow, a beautiful landscape and the feeling of freedom. On the return journey today, I felt as if I had immersed myself in another world for a few days. The video shows you some of our highlights. From the husky tour, IceHotel, reindeer farm to the night snowmobile adventure, it was all there. And even the Northern Lights! So, for all of you who might be planning your semester abroad in Sweden, take the chance
When you think of Sweden, you immediately think of cinnamon buns, don't you? Did you know that the average Swede consumes 316 cinnamon buns a year... and there is even a "Cinnamon Bun Day", which is called "Kanelbullens dag" in Swedish. Officially, the "kanelbulle" was created after the First World War and has become an integral part of a "fika" break. Fika = a moment to switch off and appreciate the happy things in life - like a coffee with friends. The pictures show you a few "Fika" moments of mine and how we baked super tasty and vegan cinnamon buns ourselves.
Living again and a change of scenery was just what I needed. After just a short time, I got to know such great people who I feel like I've known forever. We quickly started to identify our highs and lows every week and share them with each other. My low, so far only the problems I initially had with the WiFi provider. My high, definitely my new friends, with whom I can already have in-depth conversations. I also really enjoy our shared experiences such as hikes in the snow, sunsets on Lake Mälaren, studying together in the library and evenings with music, drinks and cooking together.
How did it all start? My father and I set off on January 14, the car was packed to the brim. With a stopover in Helsingborg, we arrived in Västerås on Saturday, January 15. The drive alone was scenically beautiful. If it is possible to bring a car, I highly recommend it. So, there I was.... two years of home office and Zoom event behind me and full of joy to experience something new.