BRENT ADNAM
News Writer

My experience studying abroad in Uppsala, Sweden, started on Aug. 26. As an agriculture student it was tough to leave home with harvest only 10 per cent complete, but the excitement of future endeavours kept me going.

Things started a little shaky. I had no vehicle, no contacts and found it tough to find my way around an unfamiliar city.

My first night in Uppsala, I asked myself, “What am I doing in a foreign country with no family or friends?”

This challenge did not take long to overcome, as I quickly made new friends and purchased the most common mode of transportation in Uppsala, a pedal bike. I also became familiar with the bus routes to the university and within days I had the answer to my question. This once unfamiliar place now felt like my new home.

Being a major sports fan, I immediately began to seek out sporting events to play and watch. To my surprise, I learned that my long time favourite hockey player, Peter Forsberg, was playing some games for Modo of the Swedish Elite League. I was later delighted to be asked by a friend to join a group of people to go watch a sold out game between Modo and Djurgårdens, a team based out of Stockholm. I was not disappointed.

Forsberg scored the overtime game winner and earned first star of the game in a 2-1 win for Modo.

When I returned to my corridor, I did some research and found a game called “innebandy” which is a Swedish type of floor hockey. Despite the fact it is a non-competitive league, I quickly enrolled and now play innebandy on a weekly basis. Another sporting event I was fortunate enough to attend was soccer.

Although soccer is also well-known in Canada, it is much more popular in Sweden and the rest of Europe. Being in a stadium with 40,000 people was truly remarkable. The only experience I can imagine to top that on this trip would be to attend a Premiere League game in England.

In the beginning of October, I was also pleased to attend the opening of the NHL hockey regular season between the Detroit Redwings and the St. Louis Blues, which took place in Stockholm. Although it is something I have done in Canada several times, it was a unique experience to attend a game in a different culture.

Another truly remarkable luxury of being in Europe is the closeness of neighbouring countries. This is something Canada lacks and something I plan on taking advantage of while I am here.

This past weekend, I hopped on a cruise ship that travelled to Helsinki, Finland, for the weekend. Again, I was not disappointed. The cruise was an incredible experience and since arriving back home we have already booked another cruise to Riga, Latvia for Nov. 17.

Places that seem so far away from home, such as Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Berlin and Athens are still on my to do list while on exchange. The thought of visiting these places and participating in events encourages me to complete my assignments during the week, so that I can take time to enjoy these experiences on my weekends.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my trip so far has been the many different connections I have made from countries all over the world that I would never have made had I stayed in Saskatoon for my entire university career. Among these are new friends from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Belgium and the United States. Not only are these new friends interesting but I believe having these connections will one day enhance my career potential and future endeavours.

Despite technically being a bilingual country, another interesting realization is that we are one of few nations where the majority can only speak one language.

Although I have encountered several obstacles and challenges along with the positive experiences, the exchange program is something that I am proud to be a part of and will cherish for the rest of my life. I have learned a lot about myself and will only continue to become a stronger person. The exchange program is a truly remarkable experience and something I strongly recommend.

I only hope my next 13 weeks will be as memorable as the first seven weeks have been.