Keemi Ereme DIS Spring 2010

What drew you to Denmark?

One of the main reasons I decided to study abroad at DIS was that the MPP program seemed so interesting – of course the fact the program is taught in English was also a factor as I never focused on foreign languages in school. I knew other people who had come to Copenhagen a semester or two before me and had studied in the Medical Practice and Policy program. I made sure I spoke with them when I was considering my options, and they told me how they had really enjoyed themselves at DIS and had learnt so much. In general they just had so many good things to say about the program; their recommendation was a major factor for me.

What will you take home with you from your course work?

I loved the clinical experience aspect of the MPP core course. It was fantastic to be able to interact with patients and I loved the different activities we got to take part in, like suturing and learning how to do IVs. These are things I would never even have encountered until later on in medical school. I will definitely take home the experiences I had with ‘hands on’ medicine, but I’ll also take back new knowledge about the diseases and what causes them. I learned a lot regarding that aspect and how to recognize the related symptoms. In the US, these are the things that you don’t learn until medical school and I will definitely hold on to them.

Where did you go on your long study tour and what was your favorite part?

Both the short and long study tours – which were integrated into the core course – were really great. On the long study tour, we went to the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and Tallinn in Estonia. In Stockholm we managed to do some sightseeing and went to visit a children’s hospital and the medical school. We gained an all-encompassing view of the area of medicine that we were focusing on in our class work at DIS while we were in Stockholm. It was interesting to see the Swedish view of healthcare and we got to talk to a lot of doctors and have interesting discussions with them.
After Stockholm, we travelled to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which was part of the former Soviet Union. Seeing the healthcare system and how it is being developed in a former Soviet bloc country offered a nice comparison to the Swedish system. We encountered a lot of the cultural aspects of Estonia, and went on a visit to another children’s hospital. We talked with this lovely old nurse there, who discussed what it’s like to work in the Estonian healthcare system. It was very different from Sweden, and was very interesting and eye-opening.

Where have you lived for the past 4 months? 

For my housing option, I chose to stay at the International Folkehøjskole in Helsingør, which was a distance away from the center of Copenhagen. I think there were 33 different countries represented and meeting such a diverse group of people was definitely the most positive part. It was a world cultural experience and I made friends with a lot of people, experienced different cultures firsthand by hanging out and interacting with them. I now have friends on every continent… it was a great experience!

Glad you came to DIS?

Overall, I am very glad I came to DIS. It made me more independent, even though I was quite independent beforehand. But now I feel that I have changed into an adult after arriving here as more of a child. I’ve grown on my own and I am now completely able to do what I want, and to do things the right way.