Source: SwedenBIO

When I finally moved to Sweden, I realised that there was more to Sweden than the cold weather.

Describe your roll at the company, and briefly your background / experience of living and working in other countries.

– I am from South Africa and I am a Marie Curie Fellow, currently undertaking a PhD at the Biomedicine Institute at Gothenburg University in Sweden after having been awarded an Initial Training Network (ITN) grant. My previous education include a BSc Honours (Medicine) Biochemistry, and a Master’s Degree from the University of Cape Town as well as a Bachelor Degree and National Diploma in Biomedical Technology from Cape Peninsula University of Cape Town.

What expectations did you have before moving to Sweden?

– I first visited Sweden in 2011 for a research collaboration project. Prior to the trip to Sweden, I had a brief understanding of the Swedish culture. My first impression was that everything was expensive; the weather was very cold, wet and dark. The language was too hard to understand, and funny too.

– I never imagined that I would stay in Sweden, although the prospect of me pursuing a PhD in Sweden or any other country, besides my own, would have been a positive move for my career. People seemed cold, kept to themselves and did not speak to each other, at least in my observation.

Read the full interview on SwedenBIO.