I did my exchange with Lund University in Sweden about 2 years back and the memories I created there are still fondly remembered till today. 

My life in Singapore since birth has very much been sheltered and embarking on this exchange journey without my family for 6 months was at first daunting but has definitely taught me a great deal about a lot of day-to-day things that many of us take for granted back home. 

This experience has made me a more independent individual and it was definitely eye-opening to live and study like a Swede for half a year and bask in a culture different from my own. The curriculum here is so much more flexible compared to Singapore, each semester is divided into 2 terms and we were only required to handle 2-3 modules at one go which made it a lot less stressful (and of course more time to travel! Oops!). 

The professors here were also very understanding and we were allowed to submit a written essay if we were to miss a mandatory seminar. Oh! And the people! Never have I ever come across such friendly and light-hearted people until i came to Sweden. The locals are always so happy and never fail to smile at you even if you’re just a stranger walking by. 

I remember shopping in town one day when an old lady approached me and started talking to me for a good 20 minutes about her travels to Singapore many many years ago and how grateful she is, till this day to the staff at Changi Airport for helping her out when she was down with a high fever and her flight got delayed.

Exchange study is one experience I will never ever forget. From cycling around town almost everyday, working with peers from different backgrounds on a school project, experiencing -25 degrees for the first time, seeing the northern lights, going white water rafting in 10 degrees weather, attending Christmas mass at the Vatican, going trekking with a llama, missing a flight because I overslept, missing a train cause I saw the timing wrongly, and many many more.

Going on student exchange has definitely changed my life and made me a better and stronger person today.

Melanie, from Singapore Management University, previously on exchange at Lund University (Sweden).

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