Features
Where in the world is: Brian Sobotko ’16
By Brian Sobotko ’16
April 17, 2015
Why Sweden? A quest to be good at studying abroad.
“Why Sweden?” has become a pretty familiar question at this point. In reality, it became familiar before I even left campus in December. I got the question from professors wondering what drew me there, I got it from family who wondered why I was committing myself to four months of cold and darkness at a time when I could have gone anywhere in the world, I got it from friends who confused the country with Switzerland and I got it from myself lying in bed during the nights before arriving. The onslaught of questions has continued since I arrived in Stockholm, but now they seem more motivated by a genuine curiosity from a population that can often be described as adorably shy. While I gave everyone my go-to answer (observe Scandinavian models, travel Europe, speak English, be with friends), I have been adding layers to my answer over time in a way I can only hope I will be able to fully articulate when I return home.
I think there is such thing as being good at studying abroad. I know this could sound kind of silly or ridiculously subjective. Obviously there is an element of “to each his/her own” in terms of where to go and what activities to immerse one’s self in. What I mean is you that have to commit yourself. I think of it as a combination of leaning in and being here now. It’s not always easy. For some, cultural repression comes in the form of language or food, for me it is not being able to turn on ESPN every morning. Overall though, I think my quest to answer the “Why Sweden?” question is on track to being a success. But I still don’t know. These things are not that easy to write. As I sit here writing this after promising my Spectator editors/friends that I would, I wonder why it is so hard to reflect on what has now been almost twelve full weeks of this sixteen week adventure. During my time on campus as a student and Spec editor I have always enjoyed this feature as a preview of the life-changing abroad experiences I looked forward to. I don’t know if the changes I’ve undergone are profound but I do know I’ve learned a lot and had a great time doing it.
I live in an apartment in Bromma with two other Hamilton students. The trip from our front door to the Stockholm School of Economics is about 25 minutes. The apartment set-up certainly has advantages and disadvantages. While we sacrifice a little bit of the direct cultural experience by not living with a Swedish host family, apartment living allows me to try out more independent living and also gives me two great friends to reflect on my experiences with on a daily basis. From the moment I leave the house every morning until the moment I get back I work to try to look at Sweden with a critical but sympathetic eye. Some aspects of Swedish society have been a little frustrating. For a social welfare state in Scandinavia, the Swedes could be a little more impressive in terms of ice removal/treatment on sidewalks. Some aspects of the culture I was able to get behind right away. The Swedes don’t talk on the trains. At all. While many of my American friends have chosen not to adopt that custom, as a self-identifying introvert/extrovert depending on the day, I’ve really grown to love silent rides.
As a public policy major, Sweden always attracted me because of its strong social welfare state. My program at SSE consists of 24 students, five from Hamilton and 19 from schools that are pretty similar. Unfortunately, the SSE students cannot get credit for our program’s classes, leading to a mass exodus from the Comparative Public Policy class that was supposed to include many natives. Instead we sit in class as a group of Americans trying to make sense of a society that is so far removed demographically and ideologically from the American life we grew up in.
When discussing my “why Sweden?” answer, I always talked about wanting to travel. I recognize that is pretty much a staple of all study abroad programs, but the ability to travel easily around Europe always appealed to me. Over our two breaks, I have been to Prague, Rome, Madrid, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Copenhagen. The European backpacking lifestyle has been a blast. I’ve learned all the tricks to find cheap flights and hotels as well as the secrets of sneaking on a carry-on bag that is a little too big for your small regional plane. Even more so, I have gained a somewhat better conception of just how many different awesome things there are in the world. That is probably cliché, but these are the things we notice on early morning train rides up the coast of England.
This felt a little disjointed to write (hopefully a little less so to read) because I think I was looking for a central theme the whole time, but I’m not sure my experience has had a central theme. Like my original answer to the question, this semester has definitely been a piecemeal experience. As I said, I think there is a right way to do this whole thing and that might be way.