Hallå allesammans! In the penultimate blog before I go galloping off to Uppsala, I tackle that second-to-last minute problem: doubt. Silly I know, but there’s been quite a few times from about November or so onwards when I’ve asked myself: am I doing the right thing? Do I really want to spend both my birthday and (unless I can easily afford another trip back home) Christmas away from all my friends and family? Wouldn’t it just be easier if I did what all but two of my history colleagues are doing and stay put in Cornwall? How easy will it be for me to settle in? Will I get homesick? Will I be able to find a Church when I’m out there when I can only speak a few simple phrases in Swedish? What if the course is too difficult?
These are all perfectly logical concerns, to be sure. But then again, what do I gain from worrying about the future? If you can cast your minds back as far as 2000, then you’ll remember that many people were predicting the dreaded arrival of the “Millennium Bug”, and a great deal of hype and panic was stoked up over something that in the end caused only a few minor problems here and there. A major crisis might have ensued, but the computer industry took steps to ensure that there wasn’t, and ultimately passed the test.
So what’s my point? My point is that just because something appears as if it’s going to be a major problem or obstacle, doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed in solving that problem or getting past that obstacle. And those valiant geeks did not solve the problem by simply avoiding it, or running away bawling “It’s too difficult and scary and I don’t want to do it!” They got on with the job, and did their best, and that is what I have to do, whether I have doubts about the future or not.
Am I doing the right thing? Well, I like to think that this will benefit me in several ways: I will have studied abroad for the first time; I will meet new people and make new friends; I will study different topics; I will visit different places; in short, I will enjoy myself whilst doing my CV a great deal of good. Do I really want to spend both my birthday and Christmas away from all my friends and family? Well, admittedly it will be a bit pants not having any of you lot with me to celebrate my 20th birthday, and I would like to be home for Christmas if at all possible, but if it turns out I am stuck in Sweden for both then I might as well make the most of it: besides, celebrating Christmas Swedish-style could well be a good experience.
It almost certainly would be easier just to stay put in Cornwall, but as I’ve said before, I enjoy a challenge: besides, the problem of settling in, or being homesick, is one I’ve dealt with before and will undoubtedly have to deal with again. The difficulty of finding a Church, vaulting the language barrier and the course itself do worry me a little, I’ll admit. But I’ll take it one day at a time and go from there. After all, as Marcus Aurelius (i.e. that old Emperor bloke in Gladiator played by Richard Harris) once said, “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” And as Albus Dumbledore (also played by Richard Harris) almost said, “To the well-organised mind, Sweden is but the next great adventure.” Then again, best not to misquote people too much, or I’ll get in trouble, for what I type in blogs, echoes in eternity.
So, in just over a week, I’ll be off, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a bit nervous. But at the risk of being a bit harsh, you’d have to be a robot not to get nervous over this sort of experience. But to use one final quotation from that most awesome of Psalms, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” And with words of reassurance like that, it’s easy to see why I’m taking my Bible with me to Sweden.
Next week, I’ll be saying a few final goodbyes and paying a few tributes to some of you fantastic bunch: it’s the least I can do considering I’m all abandoning you all for five months! I’ll also be describing how I’ll be getting from A to B, as it were. So tune in next week for the last British installment of…
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sweden (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Chris Stanley
Welcome!
Hello! If you happen to know a random loon called Christopher Julian Stanley, and you're wondering why on earth he's going to Sweden for five months, then you've come to the right place. As Edmund Blackadder once said, "Pull up a muffin" and "Sit yourself down", and feel free to ask me some questions about my impending voyage to Uppsala, or comment on my blogs.
Signing off,
The Intrepid Explorer
Signing off,
The Intrepid Explorer
Frequently Asked Questions
Chris, I hear you're going abroad for five months?
That's correct. From August the 20th 2008 until January 16th 2009 I will be studying abroad on the Erasmus programme for the first half of my second year at University, residing in the delightful city of Uppsala.
Uppsala? Where's that?
Uppsala is in Sweden, and is approximately 50 miles north of Stockholm. It's also about 1200 miles from London.
So why Uppsala, then?
Uppsala University is one of the Universities that is linked with my uni, the University of Exeter, through the Erasmus programme. Exeter students can study abroad in places like Uppsala for the first semester of their second year, then return to Exeter for the second semester.
Studying abroad - but wouldn't you have to be fluent in the language of the nation you're visiting?
Nope, that's only if you're studying in France, Germany, Italy or Spain. I'll be doing an English speaking course - mind you, that won't stop me learning a bit of Swedish in order to get by!
Wouldn't it be easier just to do all of your degree in the UK?
It would, but it would also be less challenging, and I like a challenge. It's also a great oppurtunity to see how history is studied outside of the English education system, and let's not forget it's going to look great on my CV!
When will you be blogging?
I'll be doing a major blog every Tuesday, from the 20th June 2008 until at least the 27th January 2009. If anything exciting happens I'll do a mini-blog on that too.
That's correct. From August the 20th 2008 until January 16th 2009 I will be studying abroad on the Erasmus programme for the first half of my second year at University, residing in the delightful city of Uppsala.
Uppsala? Where's that?
Uppsala is in Sweden, and is approximately 50 miles north of Stockholm. It's also about 1200 miles from London.
So why Uppsala, then?
Uppsala University is one of the Universities that is linked with my uni, the University of Exeter, through the Erasmus programme. Exeter students can study abroad in places like Uppsala for the first semester of their second year, then return to Exeter for the second semester.
Studying abroad - but wouldn't you have to be fluent in the language of the nation you're visiting?
Nope, that's only if you're studying in France, Germany, Italy or Spain. I'll be doing an English speaking course - mind you, that won't stop me learning a bit of Swedish in order to get by!
Wouldn't it be easier just to do all of your degree in the UK?
It would, but it would also be less challenging, and I like a challenge. It's also a great oppurtunity to see how history is studied outside of the English education system, and let's not forget it's going to look great on my CV!
When will you be blogging?
I'll be doing a major blog every Tuesday, from the 20th June 2008 until at least the 27th January 2009. If anything exciting happens I'll do a mini-blog on that too.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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