On Wednesday 6 May, the International Office organised an international mingle at Universum which attracted 300 students from Sweden and 30 other countries. The participants joined in conversation around a pizza buffet, listened to thank you speeches and received information. Departing exchange students were also given the opportunity to join the alumni network.
Offering these international mingle opportunities is a way for the International Office to thank and bid farewell to all exchange students who have spent one or two terms in Umeå. It is also a chance for them to meet Umeå University students who have just been or are going to their home universities.
The first part of the afternoon consisted of information and a look back for the exchange students who leave Umeå shortly. Many of which have participated in the Buddy programme under which everything from international pub evenings to hockey journeys were arranged over the course of the last year. The Buddy programme coordinators, Malin Eriksson and Sebastian Lindberg, got the chance to show pictures from many of the activities.
Half an hour into mingling, Swedish students, who have recently been exchange students themselves or are planning an exchange this autumn, joined. The seating arrangement was divided into what country the students are going to or have just returned back from. This way, the International Office gave students a chance to get to know others with previous experiences from or with an upcoming exchange period at the same university.
New meetings at the International mingle
Foto: Mattias Pettersson
Approximately half of the 300 participants were international exchange students. In a room full of cheerful students there was plenty of opportunity to talk to one another and listen to Anders Fällström, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and Greg Neely, Head of the International Office.
"The International mingle is a fantastic opportunity for our outgoing Umeå students to start preparing for their semester abroad while at the same time giving us an opportunity to say good-bye and thanks to our international students. We find that many of our international students want to keep building on their Umeå University experience even after leaving us and many think it is great to be able to start by giving outgoing Swedish students advice about their home country," says Greg Neely.
Many joined the Alumni network
Foto: Mattias Pettersson
Many exchange students also took the chance to join the alumni network which is a splendid opportunity to keep future contact with Umeå University.
See more pictures from the International mingle on flickr.