Stress

The first day was such a stressful and overwhelming experience, more than I expected! The first bit of stress was from the fact my phone was locked. It should not have been locked and because of that I was paying $12 a day. I had not prepared for the possibility that my phone was locked, as it was a Verizon phone. It is later in the week my mom and I still still have no idea why my phone is locked. Verizon and Apple also has no idea why it says that, allegedly, it is not locked on their side. So, airplane mode and a phone that does not work without WiFi is my life.

The second stressors was that I had been up for about 30 hours before I could head to my housing… (long travel day) and immediately after we had a program dinner and mixer! Getting into the housing was also incredibly stressful, as we had to pay a deposit. My roommate and I wanted so badly to shower or nap. Instead, we used our hour break to rearrange the room. However, the dinner was so healing and after I was no longer stressed. I just needed to relax and give myself grace to understand that, while it is stressful, it does get better. It is my first time in a different country, so navigating it by myself was at first very very stressful.

(The image below is the dinner that saved me from my stress!!!)

Workplace

I am working as an intern at “agood company” which is a Stockholm based startup. This business sells sustainable products for the global market. My company sells a wide range of products like phone cases, notebooks, and water bottles. All of the products made and sold are sustainable, and with each product the company strives to make it better.

AGood Company is B certified which is super important in validating the sustainability model. When it comes to sustainable businesses making sure that you are truly striving for sustainability, while being honest is important. It is important that you are not greenwashing, or hiding behind planting trees, truly being dedicated to the principle is important. AGood Company is committed to making sure their suppliers are also compliant with their sustainable foundations.

There are many things that are unique to my host company, especially in the sustainable business industry. The products, for example, are largely unique. For example, their MagSafe Ring is made of completely recycled metal and is detachable from the phone and phone case. The company has a unique skill in finding the right material that has both an environmental benefit and a market benefit.

Myself and another intern have been tasked with creating the impact report of the company. Through research thus far I have learned a lot about how they pick materials and market it. When it comes to sustainable companies in Sweden complete transparency is favored. Swedish companies do not like hiding behind technicalities or marketing a fact better than it is. This is something that I am not used to, but I appreciate the raw honesty from the company.

Another aspect of the Swedish workplace I am not used to is the laid back atmosphere. Working here everyone is treated the same, an intern is treated the same as the CEO. I work closely with the CEO and the office manager, which is very helpful. The company is a tight-knit group of people and it feels like a mini family. I am not sure if this atmosphere is a combination from it being a Swedish company, but also a sustainable startup.

Program Activities

Not only am I interning, the program organizes trips and get together for those on the program. The first weekend we had a scavenger hunt that was meant to get us acquainted with the city as well as introduce us to new people in the program. It was super fun and I got to explore parts of the city I would not ever have! After the scavenger hunt we got coffee and pastries, otherwise known as Fika.

My roommate, myself, and a couple other people went back to Gamla Stan (Old Town) to take more time and explore. We went into a candy store to get the iconic Swedish candy (my absolute favorite). I had gotten Swedish fudge and some pillow raspberry flavored candies. The fudge is one of those things that I know I am going to crave when I am back in the States.