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- My job here mainly consists of assisting with the testing of elite and recreational athletes, however I have also got involved with data collection for various research projects and have also recently been doing some data analysis for the ski federation.<\/li>\n
- The work life balance here seems to be much better than it is in England, here I feel like the idea that we work to live is much bigger than the idea that we live to work. People are always trying to make the most of any good weather and there is an hour of paid exercise incorporated into the working week!<\/li>\n
- The working day here is from 8-5 but obviously this is different in any job and there are always lots of coffee breaks throughout the day<\/li>\n
- As an intern I am often asked to help various colleagues with different things, whether it\u2019s a research project or pedaling on a bike to check it\u2019s working properly, so I guess be prepared to do some potentially tedious tasks if you\u2019re looking at doing an internship!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Swedish culture:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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- FIKA!!! Probably one of the first things I learnt here! Fika is essentially a coffee break with some sort of cake or snack, there isn\u2019t a word for it in English! We have \u2018proper\u2019 Fika once a week on Thursday and people take it in turns to bring something in\u2026 I always look forward to Thursdays \ud83d\ude0a It has been a great way to try some more traditional Swedish treats and is always a nice way of catching up with people! There are also Fika breaks
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2024\/04\/IMG_9433-225x300.jpeg\")
<\/a> everyday at 10am and one at 3pm, so if you\u2019re bored at your desk you can usually find people to chat with by the coffee machine!<\/li>\n- Language: obviously the difference in language was quite a big thing to get used to, everyone speaks good English, however a lot of the time conversations are had in Swedish as this is the native language. I could find this a bit isolating at first but it pushed me to try harder with learning the language and you can also always ask people to try and speak in English so you can be kept in the loop! \u2013 to help with this I attended some Swedish lessons at the university in \u00d6stersund, which I found really helped!<\/li>\n
- Something I found quite surprising is how much the Swedes love candy, there are pick and mix stations in every supermarket, even the small ones, and Swedish people consume the most candy each year!<\/li>\n
- DIY: another thing I have found is that Swedish people have a very \u2018Do It Yourself\u2019 attitude, from making their own bread, to building their own furniture, which I think is really cool and definitely something I want to take back to England.<\/li>\n
- Barbecuing in all 4 seasons; if there\u2019s one thing about Swedish people it\u2019s that they love a barbecue or \u2018grill\u2019 as they call it, even when it\u2019s minus degrees outside and there\u2019s snow outside. When I first heard about this I thought it was kind of crazy, but I\u2019ve since taken part in a winter barbecue, even having hotdogs up the mountain and it is so much fun!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How has it helped my understanding\/learning:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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- My placement has been really beneficial in allowing me to put things I have learnt in lectures into practice, I have used a lot of theory from physiology as most of the testing I do is VO2max testing, so I now know a lot about measuring oxygen uptake and lactate sampling<\/li>\n
- I have also done lots of blood sampling to measure variables such as lactate, haemoglobin and also oxidative stress, which will be very beneficial moving forward<\/li>\n
- Through getting involved with research studies and data collection I have learnt a lot of valuable skills which I know will be really useful when completing my final year project<\/li>\n
- So all in all I\u2019d say the placement has really added to my learning and overall understanding of sports science, even though for me the work hasn\u2019t necessarily been my absolute main focus while being here as I have also really enjoyed the oppurtinity to live in a different country<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Things I have enjoyed the most:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- FIKA!!! Probably one of the first things I learnt here! Fika is essentially a coffee break with some sort of cake or snack, there isn\u2019t a word for it in English! We have \u2018proper\u2019 Fika once a week on Thursday and people take it in turns to bring something in\u2026 I always look forward to Thursdays \ud83d\ude0a It has been a great way to try some more traditional Swedish treats and is always a nice way of catching up with people! There are also Fika breaks
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2024\/04\/IMG_9433.jpeg\")
<\/a> everyday at 10am and one at 3pm, so if you\u2019re bored at your desk you can usually find people to chat with by the coffee machine!<\/li>\n