American-Austrian designs on Gothenburg

Sarah Cooper, 34, from the US, and Nina Gorfer, 29, from Austria, met in 2004 at the School of Design and Crafts (HDK) in Gothenburg.

Sarah and Nina sought to widen their expertise by taking a Master’s degree in Design and found friendship and a new business venture together. Their exam work collaboration kick-started SEEK — the design bureau they set up in Gothenburg.

“Sweden has a great reputation as a design country so it was an obvious place to study,” Nina says. “But it wasn’t just about being creative; we got to grips with organizing work flow and realizing a project.

“That professional approach gave us the self-confidence to start our own business,” she adds. Today the duo have both Swedish and international clients on their books.

Sarah Cooper, 34, US and Nina Gorfer, 29, Austria, Master's degree in Design at the School of Design and Crafts (HDK) in Gothenburg. Photo: Studio SEEK

Former photographer and music producer Sarah moved from New York to Gothenburg in 2000. She decided to stay put to pursue her post-graduate studies. “There was a sense of maturity as well as extreme freedom in the course so I found it a really wonderful chance to grow,” she says.

Sweden’s reputation for design inspired Sarah and Nina to come to Sweden to study. Photo: Studio SEEK

“Sweden has given us a fantastic environment to work within. I don’t think we could have done this elsewhere.”

Both Nina and Sarah learned Swedish, which has smoothed the transition from university to working life. “It also helps to learn about the Swedish way of handling things,” Sarah says. “But at the same time I do not want to give up the Americaness in me — that would be tragic.”

Nina and Sarah keep close links with HDK today, returning to give lectures and workshops of their own.

Iran to Kristianstad: weathering a new environment

Both the value of a qualification from a European university and the chance to be closer to her family who were already in Sweden encouraged Maryam Abdisaran, 28, from Iran, to make the move. She studied a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Embedded Systems at Kristianstad University College.

“My university was well connected to industry,” she says. “We were really kept up-to-date with market know-how and that is extremely valuable.”

She remains in Sweden, working as a software developer in Gothenburg. “I can honestly say I’m applying everything I learnt in my job today.”

In order to further her career she has started to learn the Swedish language. “When I was a student, I could manage with English wherever I went. But now I’m working I want to progress and it’s important that I speak Swedish.”

Maryam Abdisaran, 28, Iran, Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Embedded Systems at Kristianstad University College. Photo: Fateme Zarvani 

Maryam could try practicing by talking about the weather — a subject close to her heart. She admits she struggled to acclimatize at first. “The days are short and dark during the winter,” she says. “And the weather affects your social existence; when it’s cold outside, you tend to stay at home more.”

But she became a seasoned admirer of wintertime. “I remember by my third year I was even looking forward to the snow,” she adds.

In order to expand her network outside the international student community Maryam actively chose to collaborate with Swedish students in her exam group work.

She recommends this as a great way to make friends and learn more about life in Sweden. “It’s all too easy just to mix with others from abroad but it really helped me to understand the country more and have a better experience.”

A noble move from Bangladesh to Umeå

Before arriving in 1996, Sanchoy Chanda, 52, from Bangladesh knew Sweden was home to the Nobel Prize. But he certainly hadn’t heard of Umeå.

Having graduated in medicine from Dhaka University, he was keen to specialize in child-related health and chose a radical swap from the Bangladeshi capital to the tranquility of northern Sweden.

He studied a Master’s degree in Public Health at Umeå University and now works as a technical officer for the UN Population Fund in Dhaka, supporting projects to improve newborn health.

Sanchoy Chanda, 52, Bangladesh, Master's degree in Public Health at Umeå University. Photo: Bandita Thapa

Although internet access in the mid-1990s wasn’t readily available in Bangladesh, Sanchoy found enough information to spark his curiosity about Sweden. “I read scientific articles from Swedish institutions,” he says. “And through research collaborations, I heard more about the Swedish education system.”

He describes his year in Sweden as having a positive impact, both personally and professionally. “I have traveled and worked in many countries but I never felt I was in a foreign place in Sweden,” he says. And he still appreciates the open approach to education. “I remember being surprised at the relaxed relationship between student and teacher but I found that an inspiring learning environment.”

Sanchoy has encouraged a new generation of students in Bangladesh to consider Sweden as a study destination. And with information more readily available online, he recommends they read up as much as possible on the country beforehand.

He would also advise them not to go to the Nobel Prize ceremony without an invitation. Not knowing the protocol, Sanchoy turned up at Stockholm’s City Hall to attend, yet failed to make it past security. “But 13 years on, it still remains a special memory,” he says with a smile.

Christine Demsteader

Christine Demsteader is a British freelance journalist based in Stockholm.