News, Nesodden | Eirig (20) is studying abroad: – I have been among the lucky ones
Fagerstrand: 20 year old Eirig Wyn Jones from Nesodden is studying clinical biomechanics, a chiropractic study, at the University of Southern Denmark in Denmark. He applied for study abroad just shortly before the pandemic broke out.
– I applied for a study place just before the pandemic started, so it was not something I thought about when I applied, but I was a little afraid that I would not get started because of the pandemic, says Eirig.
In 2020, more people applied for health studies, and the 20-year-old from Nesodden had to postpone the start of his studies by six months.
– Denmark has such a system which means that the oldest gets a place at a so-called summer start while I did not get before the winter. So I started in February even though I had applied to start in August, he says.
– It was a bit awkward, but in retrospect I’m actually a bit happy about it. I then got half a year off where I learned a lot, he adds.
Jones spent the six months before starting his studies at Sunnaas hospital in Nesodden. There he worked in a warehouse that was to supply the hospital with medical equipment and infection control equipment.
– It was quite intense to work in the hospital during the pandemic. It was a lot of jobs, he says.
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Digital study start
For many, the start of studies is a time to party, get to know the city you study in and make new acquaintances. This, however, was not such studies started for Eirig Wyn Jones. In January last year, Denmark closed its borders and Nosodden was not allowed to come to his study city to start his studies.
– Denmark closed borders at the beginning of January which meant that I could not move down to start studies. This resulted in me having to study from Norway until the end of April, when I finally got to move, he says.
For the first few months, Eirig had to have all the lessons online.
– There was a lot of zoom to put it that way. It is initially challenging to learn a new language, but perhaps especially at zoom. All teaching is in Danish, so making friends and learning a new language over zoom was demanding, says the 20-year-old.
– At the very beginning, it was just those you had education with that you talked to, so korona has probably limited the social a bit.
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Had to test himself every other day
The chiropractor students at the University of Southern Denmark spend the first three years with the medical students.
– I think I have been among the lucky ones. Since we study with the medical students, we have almost only had physical education in Denmark, says Eirig Wyn Jones.
– Before I got the vaccine, I had to test myself every other day to go to class, he adds.
Denmark was one of the first countries to use corona passports. This made everyday life much easier for Eirig.
– The Danes have had good test capacity and used corona pass something which made everyday life more normal than it was in Norway where there were a lot of restrictions and a little impossible to say who has been ill or not, he says.
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Had to almost celebrate Christmas in Denmark
With changed travel restrictions from both Norwegian and Danish authorities, it has not only been easy for Eirig to visit the family on Nesodden.
– There has been a lot of headache before traveling to follow both Norwegian and Danish travel restrictions. This summer I had to go into isolation when I was going home and it requires a little extra, says Eirig.
Shortly before the Christmas holidays, omikron arrived in both Denmark and Norway. This could create difficulties for the journey home for Christmas.
– Omikron came to Denmark just before Christmas, so I went home a week before when I actually had to leave for fear of being stuck in Denmark. It turned out to be very wise, says Eirig.
Just one day after Eirig went home to Nesodden, someone in Eirig’s class met at school with a corona.
– I went to Norway on Tuesday the 14th of December and the next day it was someone in the class that I met up with corona and then there was an outburst in my class. So I escaped very well that the pandemic increased again in Denmark, he says.
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