Well, after a ten hour bus ride and some grovelling with a Swedish washing machine, I’m all settled in Stockholm! If you don’t already know me, I’m Evelyn, a William and Mary student studying healthcare and sustainability for the summer with DIS in Copenhagen and Stockholm.
For the first two sessions, I was in Copenhagen. There, I took Health Delivery and Prioritization in Session 1, and Sustainable Development in Northern Europe for Session 2. Now, I’m in my third and final session in Stockholm, again studying healthcare in Public Health Policy and Practice!
To be honest, I hadn’t thought about studying in Stockholm until I realized a public health course was available, as I was initially more interested in Copenhagen. However, since being in Stockholm, I’ve fallen in love with it just as much!
The two cities have very distinct cultures. In Copenhagen it’s all about freedom, the feeling you get from the wind in your hair as you bike to go out with friends in the evenings. Stockholm is more straight-laced with a heavy emphasis on natural beauty. See the lovely view from my room!
Transportation in Stockholm is heavily based on trains, and the system is more efficient and reliable than Copenhagen’s. However, it does mean you spend a lot of time in a station rather than on a bike where you have a more direct contact with your surroundings.
I’m excited about connecting to Stockholm in the same way I was able to connect to Copenhagen, though I have much less time here. Luckily, there are a few knowledgeable locals in my housing that are happy to pass along recommendations!
Returning to more academic matters, I chose to take Public Health Policy and Practice mainly to fulfill my minor requirement back at William and Mary. We’ll be heading to Dublin and Belfast for our Study Tour. I’ve never been to either place, and I’m interested to learn more about the Irish healthcare system. I hear the wait times for treatment are longer there than in the rest of Europe. More to come!
My previous course was in sustainability studies, which I think is a very relevant topic to most anything, public health included. I know we will spend at least a day in my current course discussing the intersection of climate change and health, though from what angle I do not know. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I was not particularly interested in environmental studies before I took Sustainable Development in Northern Europe (a fairly random choice for me), so I think it will be incredibly interesting to take my newfound passion for it back to my main passion in the public health sphere.
Overall, I look forward to having one last hoorah in Stockholm before I leave Europe for the summer. For me, this means learning and exploring as much as possible. As always, I’ll “see” y’all next time!