Hello again, it is I, Darcy, a biochemistry major from Franklin & Marshall College. I took Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach in Session 1 and Medical Biotechnology and Drug Development in Session 2, both of which were in Copenhagen. And now I’m in Stockholm to take Public Health Policy in Practice.
I chose to take this course because I’m interested in public health, and how we can make healthcare accessible and affordable to everyone. Scandinavia has a great healthcare system, so it is really wonderful to learn about public health here. Our Study Tour is in Belfast and Dublin, which is exciting. I’ve had the fortune to visit Ireland and Northern Ireland before, and they are beautiful.
I’m doing three Sessions because I really wanted to get as much out of the program as possible. Since it wasn’t feasible to study abroad during the semester, I wanted to devote an entire summer to my study abroad experience. It is a long time—ten weeks—and it feels like I’ve already been here for nine weeks, not seven.
I decided to do the Mix & Match mainly because I could not choose between Copenhagen and Stockholm. Both cities seemed amazing, and I really wanted the chance to visit them. So when DIS offered summer courses in Stockholm, I was really excited. While I chose courses based on my interests, I was thrilled that the last one was in Stockholm.
My first impression of Stockholm was that it was a lot more city-like than Copenhagen. The buildings were closer together and it seemed to have that signature hustle and bustle of a city. There were also a lot less bikes in Stockholm than in Copenhagen. However, the pastries continue to be delicious.
I’m excited about exploring Stockholm’s archipelago. There are so many beautiful places around Stockholm, and I really want to experience those sites for myself. I do believe that Stockholm will be very different from Copenhagen. This Session, I might go travel more in nature and explore the area around Stockholm, rather than inside Stockholm.
Hopefully, I’ll get as comfortable with Stockholm as I am with Copenhagen, and really enjoy the city. It’s a bit jarring to be thrown into a brand new city after six weeks, but I believe I have the tools to have a successful time in Stockholm.