Written by Joshua
03 Jan 2025
And just like that, my first semester is finished 🤯. It feels like just yesterday I stepped off the plane at Arlanda Airport. Believe it or not, the time really does fly, even when you’re in school. Between projects, assignments and exams, before you know it, an entire semester will go by. My perspective has changed so much over my first 4 months. Here are three things that I have learnt, and that I think you’ll learn too!
1. I’ve learnt what makes home special to me 🥹
Since the beginning of my journey as a blogger with Study in Sweden, you guys have heard me talk a lot about what I think home means to me. As international students coming to Sweden, our worlds are completely thrown up in the air when we move to Sweden to study. Living in Sweden, or in any new country for that matter, will undoubtedly change the way you think about home. Whether it’s related to the climate, culture, family or anything in between, you begin to start seeing everything that you’re used to living with in a different light. For instance, living in Europe with new people from all different backgrounds has cast my life and relationships in Jamaica in a new light. There are things like the no-nonsense attitude, punctuality and dependability of Europeans that I have really come to appreciate. On the other hand, living in this new environment has reminded me how much I love the colorfulness and authenticity of Jamaicans ☺️. That new perspective can be refreshing, it can be challenging, maybe even scary. Whatever your new perspective is though, it adds to your life. New perspectives change the way we see the world, and help us figure out the things we want out of life.
2. I’ve learnt more about the things I want for myself
For me, living in Sweden, even for just 4 months, has helped me to understand the things that are important to me in life. When you’re taken away from everything you’re used to, outside of the life and perspective that have shaped you, and the people who have already marked your life out for you, you begin to understand the things that make you just a bit different from everyone else 😚. I’m not saying that you’re going to have a clear outline of everything you want in life, but you do notice the little things that you didn’t realize were so important to your existence. Those little nuances, the things that you miss more and more the longer you’re away from them, start to frame the way you think about your future. “Will I be able to live without this?,” “Will I thrive in this type of situation?” “What does this really mean to me?” are some of the questions that will begin to pop up. Your responses to these questions will significantly impact the choices you make going forward in your life.`
3. I’ve learnt how important people and friendships are
I think this is one of my biggest learnings for this semester. I’ve said it all the time, but I don’t think I really took my own advice. University is not something that you’re meant to do by yourself, and if you think you can take this journey all alone, think again. For me, I made friends throughout the semester, but later down, I began to realize how important it was to actually invest in those friendships . Maintaining any type of personal relationship takes work, and in university, you’re going to have to make sacrifices sometimes. For me, that meant I had to go out when I didn’t feel like it 😅, I had to put myself out there and socialize with my classmates, I had to ensure that people saw me and knew what I stood for. Why, you might ask? In Jamaica we say, “Good fren betta dan pocket coin,” meaning, friendships are invaluable – they’re something you can’t pay for. When you’re sick, behind on an assignment, have group work to get done, or just need somebody to talk to, those people will be the ones to stand by you. In fact, you may not realize it now, but some of these people become your friends for life.
Ok, on to second semester. I know a lot of you guys are still finishing your applications and are eager to hear more about Sweden. Keep interacting with our ambassadors in the comments sections and feel free to ask any questions you might have. Can’t wait to see you in Sweden 😃!
