From Thursday to Saturday I was in Sweden with my Positive Psychology class. One of the reasons I chose to come to DIS was because this program really integrates traveling and class bonding into their curriculum. I had a wonderful time getting to know my classmates more and seeing a part of Sweden I don’t think I would’ve seen had I not been with this group. I also was able to learn more about how the positive psychology field, or more specifically, meditation and well-being fits into the real world.
On Thursday, we left Copenhagen at 7:30 AM. It only took us 50 minutes to get to Lund University, which is one of the top 100 universities in the world! It was in a beautiful, quaint town. The university was established in 1666 and the teachers were paid with meat and grain rather than money. Now the university has almost 50,000 students! Our class met with different professors and listened to the research that they were working on. This was probably my favorite part of the whole trip because the studies that these professors were working on were ingenious and fascinating. If you’re not into research, you can skip down to the next paragraph 🙂 The first woman talked about her research on the effects of meditation/mindfulness on people with depression. She wanted to see why some people responded to antidepressants and other people did not. She also wanted to look into why some people develop depression and why others do not. The current research with mental illness focuses so much on the negative aspect of the diseases, meaning much of the focus is on what is wrong with the person and how to get them back to neutral. However, this women wanted to look into what was “right” with people and certain attributes that prevented people from getting sick. The next researcher talked about her work with elderly people. She studied four different groups of people: people with a disease and reported having many symptoms, people with a disease but did not complain much, people who did not have a disease but complained of many symptoms, and people who did not have a disease and did not complain of symptoms. She found that optimism was a key personality factor that contributed to how well a person felt. This provides evidence that your outlook on life can actually affect your physical health. How interesting!!
Buildings at Lund University
Next, we drove about an hour by bus to Nimis. See my previous “re-blog” for more information about this one-of-a-kind place. This was by far one of the coolest places I have ever been. We spent about 3-4 hours hiking down to the structures and we even could climb up the structures themselves. Words are not able to do Nimis justice, so here are a bunch of pictures:
We went to a cute, little Swedish cafe and DIS paid for us to have coffee, tea, and pastries. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day. We spent the evening at a hostel nearby and had dinner and a bonfire. It was a great bonding experience!
The next day we went back to Lund and had some free time to explore the city. We also went to a glass blowing studio to learn about the craft. It was so fun watching the man turn pieces of glass into a beautiful vase.
Then we had a lecture from our teacher about Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. It’s a new psychological therapy used for people that have had multiple cases of depression. It utilizes mindfulness and meditation in order to focus one’s thoughts on the present moment. Then we talked with a mindfulness nature instructor. He started his own company where he leads meditation/hike sessions in Sweden. In class we have been talking about how nature has been shown to decrease feelings of depression and increases attention and memory. It was very cool to see how this is being used in the real-world. I hope this gives you some motivation to take a daily walk or do something outside in nature!
After the lecture, we spent the night in a hostel in Malmo, Sweden. We ate dinner at a Greek restaurant and the food was amazing! The next morning (our last day), we went on a 2-hour walking tour of Malmo. It was snowing and really cold, but we got through it! DIS provided lunch for us and it was out of this world. Everyone could not stop raving about how good the food was. After lunch, we went to a modern art museum in Malmo. It was fun to look at surreal art and relate it to psychology. Apparently the point of surreal art is to make the viewer question what is real and what is not.
From the museum we left for Copenhagen! Although this was one of the funnest weekends I’ve had, I have totally fallen in love with Denmark so I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to come home. Even though we were all exhausted from such a busy few days, some of us got together a few hours later and went out into the city for the night; it was a blast. I am so thankful for the short study tour because it really allowed me to make some good friends and meet people who I may not hang out with at my home university.
This Thursday I am leaving for Vienna, Austria with my friends Shane and Chloe. The amount of schoolwork has picked up and I have a few papers due this week, so I will be busy frantically trying to finish everything before we go. I also just booked a trip to Berlin, Germany for St. Patrick’s Day weekend! I’m super excited.
To potential DIS students: let me know if you have any questions about the program or my experience thus far. I could talk about how impressed I have been for days…
Have a wonderful week 🙂
Caitlin in Copenhagen! 
Wow cait wow fantastic blog again love dad
I am a prospective DIS student, actually I am just waiting to hear back about my application, and I was wondering if you had any suggestions for living arrangements. I think that the DIS Residential Community would be best for me, but I can’t really find a lot of information on it. Do you know any details? Thank you!!
Hey Andi! A lot of my friends live in DRC’s and absolutely love it. It’s basically just like DIS’s version of dorms. You only live with other American DIS students. From what I’ve heard, you have one roommate and then you share a kitchen and living room with the rest of your floor. Some may be set up a little differently though.
You receive about $600 for the whole semester for food, so you’re responsible for buying and making all of your meals. One of my friends makes dinner with the people in her building every night, so it’s less expensive and a good way to meet people. Another good thing about DRC’s is that they are all super close to campus. You will only be 20 minutes away maximum and public transportation is really easy to use.
The reason I didn’t chose a DRC is because I wanted to immerse myself more in the culture. Some of my friends are bummed that they have only really met American students. They also haven’t seen other parts of Denmark since you can get everything in Copenhagen.
Have you thought about living with a host family? I have loved every second of it! They provide all the meals and it’s nice to feel like you have a home and a support system. I’ve also learned a ton about Danish culture that I don’t think I would’ve learned otherwise.
Kollegiums are another good choice if you want to live with people your own age. It’s also a way to live with other Danish students. However, they can be farther away.
No matter where you live, I’d recommend signing up for a visiting family (if you’re not with a host family), the buddy network, and volunteering at the studenterhuset (bar/cafe near DIS). I bartend and have a buddy network and I’ve met some of the nicest international students. I know that seems like a lot to sign up for, but I think it will be a good way to meet non-American students.
Wow, sorry for the information overload! Hope it wasn’t too overwhelming. Let me know if this helped and if you have any other questions! Have a good semester 🙂
Caitlin
Thank you so much! That is exactly what I needed to know! I definitely plan to get a visiting family and the buddy network. I’m also interested in the studenterhuset, but wasn’t as sure! I think I will take your advice though! I’m now almost positive that DRC is the way to go for me personally!
Thank you again for the answer, if I have any others down the road I’ll definitely not hesitate to post!
Hey Caitlin… I am super happy for you and all you are doing and learning. A bit jealous actually!!! Savor the moment(s)… unbelievable experience of a life time. Don’t you just love learning and experiencing new things? So, so, very cool. Also… love the research. I, too, believe in working from a competency based perspective with people. If we believe in people, and help them find what their strengths and competencies are, people tend to thrive. I love my work and the fact that I get to help people get out from under the piles of “crap” that we are handed/told in life, and see the gifts within. It is such a privilege and honor to be let into those vulnerable places in peoples lives… and then to see them find amazing truths about themselves! And mindfulness and meditation is one of the most powerful ways to do so. Such wisdom to be learning at this place in your life… what a difference you will make in people’s lives! Have fun Caitlin. Freeze frame moments and record them in your memory banks! Be well, be warm and be cool! Much love to you, Chris
Cailtin, one more thing… if you decide you want to go back to Ireland and visit, let me know and I will try to connect you with my friends over there. I’d be happy to ask if they’d lend you a bed for a day or two, and go out for a pint at the local pub!
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