If you’re walking in front of the Student Union at Jönköping University, you probably won’t get free food or free scantrons like you might at the U of A. However, the Jönköping Student Union does an incredible of planning fun outings and providing opportunities for international students to get involved in the local and neighboring cultures!
This semester, for example, the university has offered trips
to Norway, Russia, Copenhagen, and Lapland (a northern region of Sweden where
you might see the Northern Lights!). Day-trips are also available and some of
these excursions have included hikes in the surrounding forests and a visit to
a Moose Safari! The trips are posted online one month ahead of time and we have
the opportunity to reserve our spot-although most of these trips sell out very
quickly!
One of the cool things about studying abroad is having the
opportunity to travel to other countries on long weekends or holiday breaks. It
still blows my mind that I can get to another country by car quicker than I can
get to Dallas from Fayetteville! Anyways, it can be fun to play around with
different flight/bus/train-ticket prices in an attempt to plan the cheapest
trips, but a HUGE benefit about these university-sponsored trips is that they
basically do all of the planning for you!
We take a bus together that leaves
from campus, the university books the hostels, and they even offer optional
group tours/activities. Although I wasn’t able to take part in the trips to
Norway or Russia because of exams, I was able to spend Halloween in Copenhagen
with 50+ students from my university! We went on a guided boat tour, visited
Tivoli Gardens, and explored the city for hours!
This past weekend was the Moose Safari! –which reminded me
of the Gentry Zoo near Fayetteville and all the pictures of people holding baby
lions-- When we arrived at the moose park we sat in these military-style carts
and were pulled behind a tractor. The owner gave us apples and potatoes and the
moose would come up and eat out of our hands—or give you a “moose kiss” if you
were brave enough to put the apple in your mouth.
A few of my favorite memories from my time abroad have been
on these trips! Jönköping University does a great job of making sure
international students aren’t bored during their time in Sweden!
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| Nyhavn Canal, Copenhagen |
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| The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen |
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| Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen |
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| Trip to the Moose Safari! |
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| Trip to the Moose Safari! |
Danielle is an Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Honors Student who is currently studying abroad in Sweden this fall. Read more about the U of A exchange program with Jönköping University's School of Health Sciences at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/exchange/jhs
