Hey everyone! My name is Jennie Shaw and I’m going to be taking a course at DIS Stockholm this summer. DIS offers a number of different sessions during the summer, so it’s super easy to mix and match courses, both in Stockholm as well as in Copenhagen. I decided to stay in Stockholm since I was already here studying at DIS during the spring semester, and I just loved it so much that I didn’t want to leave! I’ll be taking the course Understanding Terrorism: Causes, Solutions, and Dilemmas (find it on the DIS website here) and I can’t wait to get started.
While I’m of course looking forward to meeting other students and learning more about terrorism, I’m most looking forward to spending time in Stockholm in the summer. I first arrived here in the middle of January, when the sun was only out for 7 hours a day. It was cold and dark and the winter was longer than normal. I rarely saw people out and about. Now, just a little more than a week before the summer session starts, the sun is out for 18 hours a day. The cherry blossoms have bloomed, the sun is hot, and I’ve never seen more people outside just hanging out – who knew this side of Stockholm existed?
I have a lot of ideas on my list of things to do this summer in Stockholm. One of the things that I’ve been wanting to do since getting here is to go to Gröna Lund, an amusement park on the island of Djurgården. It’s closed during the winter, but every time I passed by and saw those roller coasters, I’ve wanted to go. Lucky for me, it’s finally open! I’ve purchased a season pass (for a very affordable price) which gets me admission into the park every day this summer, and also includes admission to all of the concerts they hold there. In fact, last week I saw Macklemore there! They have some pretty big names performing there later this summer, and I’m excited to go back.
I’ve done so much traveling this past semester abroad, and while it was all incredible, this summer I’m really just happy to be able to stay put and enjoy the beauty of this city. Strolling around Södermalm and enjoying fika with friends sounds like a perfect summer in Stockholm to me. Stay tuned to hear more about my time here!