When studying abroad gives you much more than you hoped for!
For Tindra, a Swedish student, it was a matter of obtaining better English skills that first brought her all the way from Gothenburg to Tampa in Florida. Now, a few months into the study abroad adventure, she has found that the experience has given her much more in return than what she could hope for. Read on, if you want to learn more about her adventures at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I am Tindra, I am 20 years old and graduated from high school in 2022 and have been working in a bank since then before moving to Tampa now in 2023. I am studying for one semester as a gap year student here and then I will continue when I am back in Sweden, on another degree than the courses I take here in Tampa however.
Why did you choose to study instead of just traveling in your gap year?
I really wanted to try the College experience because I’ve seen so many movies and my mom did it as well in South Carolina, so that is probably what has inspired me to be here now. I study mainly English writing and reading and then a bit of math, so my main objective is to improve my English skills.
Does these topics relate to what you dream about studying when you’re back in Sweden?
No, I mean math and English will always be part of your studies I guess, but I will study Economics when I’m back in Sweden. I actually wanted to study Business here in Tampa, but because my language isn’t that great I had to do these courses first.
So, why did you choose Tampa and Hillsborough?
I always wanted to go to the United States and then I searched about all the different states. And I saw that Florida has both the sunny side, like you can go to the beach and stuff, but it also has downtown where you can go out and meet new people. And there’s always something to do here. I love it. Tampa is also a bigger city than Gothenburg where I am from, which gives me even more options to do fun stuff.
How is HCC as a college for you?
I really like it here. The teachers are so sweet and as soon as they hear that you are an international student, they always available if you need help. There is also a free tutor center where you can get help with math i.e. My math tutor is very sweet and educational. All in all, they are very good at making you feel welcome and included.
All international students had to be here 2 weeks before school started, which meant that we had time to do some activities before. There is an international club that organizes a variety of activities so we can get to know each other. The international club consists of people within the age of 18 to around 23, and now that I am 20 I’m probably somewhere in the middle.
Did you go by yourself?
Yes, I am completely on my own, but there are lots of Swedes here. Of course going by yourself always lead to different feelings. When it was 3 months before I was going, I was mainly just super excited. When it came closer and within a couple of weeks I started to get quite anxious and stressed out.
How do you overcome those feelings?
I think that you just need to come to the conclusion that everyone probably feels the same way, and everyone should know that once you arrive these feelings also disappear pretty fast. That’s easy for me to say, but it will be fun!
What did you do to connect with other students?
I went on Facebook and searched for groups i.e. there was a group called “Swedes in Tampa” and in this group everyone is eager to get to know new people and many are in the same situation as yourself.
Alright, did you have any accommodation sorted when you first arrived in Tampa?
I had booked a hotel for the first night, and then I went to campus where I live now on my second day. I had arranged that I was going to live on campus before I arrived, so that went pretty smooth and that was pretty nice not to be concerned about my living situation upon arrival.
How is it to live on campus?
It’s so fun! You get to hang out with your friends all the time and I feel that this is the real college experience that I am living. It also makes you feel less lonely, because there are always a lot of international students around. Where I live, I share apartment with 3 American girls and we all have a bedroom and a bathroom and then we share kitchen. It’s 700$ per month so that’s actually pretty reasonable.
Now you have been there for a couple of months, how is the daily life in Tampa?
It depends if it’s on schooldays or not. On Schooldays I go to my classes, then I go studying afterwards for a couple of hours. Later on schooldays we would often go visit each other in the different dorm rooms, watch a movie or do some of the activities that are planned on week days – that could be bingo, movie nights or something third organized by the International Club or by HCC.
On the weekends we go to the beach or we go downtown on the nights. There are actually some 18+ clubs so you can go actually also go for a night out. I go to school Monday to Thursday so I have a bit of a long weekend. It’s different but I like it.
Have you already been out exploring more of Florida?
I have not explored that much of Florida yet, actually. I do have plans to go to Key West in the future. So far, I’ve been to Rainbow Lagoon which was really pretty with clear blue water. We have a group for international students, where we coordinate events. There’s always someone writing in the group with ideas for things to do and surprisingly many college after parties.
I guess we’ve all seen college movies where there are big parties going on, is it actually like this?
Haha, it really is. Last week I went to my first frat party which was really fun and exactly like you see in the movies. Kind of crazy now that I think about it. In Sweden young people mostly drink when they go out, and the culture here is so different. Here, people smoke weed instead.
You mentioned culture, do you see a big difference between Sweden and USA?
In the beginning when I arrived I saw a lot of differences, it was actually quite a big culture shock for me, but now that I have settled down here, you don’t feel the cultural differences that much any more. People are in general much more outgoing here than back home and everyone talks to you and asks you how your day has been and stuff.
Is it easy to adapt to a different environment?
It took some time for me to adapt. The food is different, the showers are different, the toilets are different. I feel like I have adapted now, but I am going home in December and will have to re-adapt again, haha.
Speaking about different environment, college sports is also quite different from back home right?
Yes, it is so big here. I don’t play any sports in Tampa myself, but some of my friends are in a tennis team which is quite big. I am more into team gym, but unfortunately there wasn’t a team for that here. But I’ve been to some of the big sports events. Many people go to Tailgates which is a party before the game and then you go to the actual game. It was a bit meh for me, because football is so long and with so many breaks where soccer is more fast paced with only one real break which is more me.
But the atmosphere, however, is so crazy. There’s SO many people and it’s incredible that everyone is just super invested in the event especially when you think about that it’s “just” a school game. It feels like it’s even bigger than when the best football teams play back in Sweden. They really go all in – and honestly I feel like Americans really go all in for everything!
What’s going to happen when you get back to Sweden and how will this adventure help you long term?
It’s my plan to go back and work in the bank for 9 months before I start studying in September 2024. On a personal level I feel like I have to do everything on my own, figure out everything myself and in the end this helps developing me as a person. Already now I feel that I am maturing and developing, but it will most likely be more clear to me when I get back home to my old life again.
When someone reads this, what is the best tips and trick you can pass on?
The first thing I would say, is that it’s probably difficult not to feel a bit alone in the beginning, but you will settle down and it will for sure be better and most likely faster than what you think.
Another tip is if there are a lot activities organized, just go for as much as possible. Especially in the beginning, even though you have made friends with someone who won’t be going. Just go anyways. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet new people, and you can never get enough new friends when you’re abroad on your own.
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