Anthropology students share their study abroad experiences at Uppsala University, Sweden.

I am a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. 2019 was a memorable year for me as I had the honor of receiving a one-semester exchange scholarship at the Department of Anthropology and Ethnology - Uppsala University, Sweden. Through this article, I want to share my experiences and learning experiences during my six months in this cold but incredibly new and interesting Nordic country. My journey will be told through small stories under each photo I will share below. I hope my story will inspire other undergraduate and graduate students in Anthropology to continue striving to achieve their dream of studying abroad in the future.

My journey began with meetings with representatives from Uppsala University in Vietnam. The criteria for applying for the Linnaeus Palme International Exchange Programme scholarship included excellent academic performance and proficient English skills. The photo shows a meeting with new Uppsala University students in 2019 at their Hanoi office.

An opening ceremony in a grand auditorium accompanied by classical music – surely we don't have this amazing experience in Vietnam.

These are pictures of the English campus – where I study. The facilities are modern and meet all the learning needs of students. In addition, there are computer labs located throughout the campus to meet students' computer needs, as well as group study rooms and a library.

This is the office of the Faculty of Anthropology and Ethnology at Uppsala University, and a picture of the professors and lecturers working in the faculty.

This is a picture of an Advanced Anthropology Theory class. The typical format involves students reading and preparing beforehand, then the lecturer providing guidance and asking discussion questions. Students are free to express their opinions. At the end of the class, students write down the key points of the session on the board using various fonts and colors for summary. I find this method quite effective and it requires each student to be proactive during class.

In addition to classroom lessons, we have the opportunity to attend lectures by renowned social scientists from around the world, such as Bruno Latour, Don Kulick, and others.

For the Ethnography course, throughout the program I was free to choose a research location to practice anthropological research methods and write weekly reports. I chose the student association called Smalland Nation, one of the 13 oldest student associations in Uppsala (student associations are all organized and managed very professionally by students, including student housing, cafes, pubs, libraries, scholarships, etc.). Thanks to my experience with this student association, I understood more about international student life in Uppsala, which is completely different from what I knew about student associations in Vietnam.

The photo shows my graduate students, including both Swedish and international students. They are all very friendly and sociable.

I was assigned a room in the dormitory in the Flogsta area, which has a private bathroom, a shared kitchen for one corridor, a shared laundry room, etc. In addition, there's an outdoor exercise area, convenient for working out and improving health.

These are my classmates from different countries such as Sweden, India, Bangladesh, Greece, and Iran. They are all very good students in their respective fields, and I admire them very much.

We had the pleasure of reuniting with Professor Lam Minh Chau when he came to Uppsala University for a faculty exchange program in November 2019.

We had the pleasure of celebrating Christmas with the family of Ana-Klara, the former representative of Uppsala University in Vietnam in 2019.

Studying abroad as an exchange student is also a great opportunity to enjoy Swedish cuisine in particular and European cuisine in general. A portion for an adult here is much larger than my appetite.

I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced all three seasons of Sweden in just five months of my exchange program. In winter, when I'd never seen snow in Vietnam, the feeling of playing in the thick layers of snow was truly novel and enjoyable. My sunset photo at Flogsta was fortunate enough to win the "Most Popular Photo" award in the "Vietnam-Sweden Memories" photo contest, celebrating the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Sweden, organized by the Swedish Alumni Association of Vietnam (SANV).

​​​​​

This is also a great opportunity for me to travel to many places and explore European countries. Without this scholarship, it would probably have taken me a very long time to fulfill this dream. Make friends and form a student travel group; you'll save quite a bit on your trip to Europe.

These are my personal experiences that I find incredibly valuable. I know that the Faculty and Student Exchange Program between my university's Department of Anthropology and the Department of Anthropology and Ethnology at Uppsala University will continue in the 2020-2021 academic year. I hope that the next cohort of undergraduate/graduate students from the Department of Anthropology will have the opportunity to study at Uppsala University to gain more knowledge and have even more wonderful experiences than I did!