No matter how vivid the photos or descriptive the lecture, there’s nothing quite like seeing and experiencing another country in person. And, in today’s increasingly global business climate, it’s vital that students be versed in the culture and business practices of international partners. There is much to be learned from seeing how others do it. That’s why, every year, students in the Plastics Engineering Technology program have the opportunity to travel overseas to visit plastics companies and universities and attend a plastics trade show, too.
Eleven students recently returned from a ten-day trip to Sweden and Denmark. We asked them to send us some photos and tell us about their journey. In this blog post, we pick up with the students on Day 8. (You can read the first week of their trip here.)
Day 8 – Thursday, October 22nd
After breakfast, we had a long train ride from Gotenborg to Stockholm during which we were able to admire the beautiful countryside of Sweden. Once we arrived, we made our way to our hostel along the Riddarfjärden bay. We then had the evening to scout out the different places that we wanted to visit and find a local restaurant for some classic Swedish cuisine.
Day 9 – Friday, October 23rd
On Friday, we took the train to SSAB Steel Mill for a presentation and tour of their facility. The presentation discussed the advantages their tool steels provide over more commonly used materials, including their high strength and hardness properties. Touring the mill was an eye-opening experience. The size of the equipment required to manufacture the steel itself was overwhelming. Rolling the hot steel slabs caused the entire room to shake and we could feel the heat from about 20 yards away. After the tour, we rode the train back to central Stockholm to spend the rest of the night exploring the city.
Day 10 – Saturday, October 24th
Saturday was our opportunity to explore the historic sites in Stockholm. During breakfast we used our city and bus maps to plan our events for the day. The events included touring the Vasa Museum (a museum dedicated to a salvaged warship), exploring the Royal Palace, and roaming the scenic streets of “Old Town.” We were also able to visit some of the local shops in search of souvenirs. Our evening consisted of a final dinner together at a local restaurant, followed by dessert at a near by ice cream shop. We ended our day back at our hostel where we began packing for the journey home.
“Old Town”
Royal Palace
Vasa Museum
Day 11 – Sunday, October 25th
We ended our final day in Stockholm with a group breakfast at our hostel before hauling our luggage and souvenirs to the train station for the last time. After arriving at the airport, we chose to spend the last few hours reminiscing on our experiences as we browsed through each other’s pictures. Though we all enjoyed our time traveling overseas, by the last day we were glad to be on our way home so that we could share the stories of our experiences with our friends and family.
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