Studera utomlands

Hello everyone! I am Amelia, a student in her final year of the Bachelor’s in Biomedicine program, currently on exchange at Heidelberg University! I am very happy to announce that this is my first blog post of many as I will be sharing my experience during my semester abroad. While studying at KI I perfected my scientific writing while my journal has been quite neglected so I am very excited for the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences through these blog posts.

But before we get into all the fun stuff about my exchange experience, I should talk a bit about myself. Despite always saying I am Romanian, I happened to be born in sunny California while my parents worked there. However, that didn’t last too long as they soon moved back to Cluj, Romania where I spent most of my life, growing up in the country side with my grandmother’s chickens and studying in the city. I experienced quite a contrast in environment when I moved to Stockholm to join the Bsc in Biomedicine at KI right after high school. Besides the big city, metro system and shocking contrast in daylight changes, I was met by a lovely international community. I most enjoyed making friends from all around the world and learning all about their home countries.

Therefore, when I was given the opportunity to go on exchange, it only felt right to say yes. So, I packed my bags and moved once again to start my vacation abroad in Germany. While here, I will be conducting my thesis project, which means I will spend this semester in the lab, away from lecture halls. Before coming here, I was worried about the challenges I will face such as making friends, especially because I will not be among students much, and not knowing enough of the local language. However, I can happily confirm that I already gathered a handful of fun people around me and although my inability to respond in German has led to some awkward situations, I am managing everything quite well. And while the main things motivating me to go on exchange were the cultural experience and the amazing lab I am part of, I must admit that escaping the Swedish winter has been quite refreshing. What can I say, I am looking forward to an early and warm spring.

I already started exploring the city and embracing the new routine so hopefully I will have a lot to write about in the following months. I’m excited to talk about all the trips I will go on, fun facts I will gather and tips I will learn about living in Germany. I hope you will follow along on my journey and maybe get some inspiration for your own adventures. Feel free to reach out to me any time. Tschüss!