Smilla Bakteman Hedlund

About me

During my years at Tingvallagymnasiet (high school), I always knew that I wanted to do my Bachelor’s in Hawaii since I lived in Kaneohe for two years when I was young. But this was something that I perceived as impossible due to it being quite expensive.

Therefore, I contemplated other things I wanted to do after I graduated and was determined to go to Australia to work. However, due to the pandemic that dream closely faded away. However, one day after meeting my long-term boyfriend, we talked about how tired we were of being stuck in our small town, and that is when he said

“Let’s do something, let’s go to college.”

Life in Santa Monica

On the 28th of August of 2022, we arrived at LAX and I realized that Santa Monica would be very different from what I expected it to be like. At the time, I was struggling with English and had a hard time being confident in my second language, and therefore I found it hard to make friends, but this became easier over time.

The first year was better than I expected it to be, with a lot of parties, going to the beach, doing homework, and experiencing a new culture that I thought I already knew from social media. But over time I realized that American culture was different from what I expected, in a good way.

At the time, I was taking a variety of different classes such as American Jazz History, Marine Biology, Mass Media, and English. At first, I did not really know what degree I wanted to pursue, but after a while, it was clear that I was a com major. 

However, since Santa Monica College is a community college they did not offer a full bachelor’s degree and therefore I looked around for transfer opportunities, and that was the moment I contacted Hawaii Pacific University. A couple of weeks later, that old dream of mine slowly turned into reality.

Life in Honolulu

To begin, my last two years in Hawaii have been incredible. The things I have appreciated the most would be the weather, diverse communities, and Aloha spirit. In addition, the ability to be able to wake up to incredible weather and go on hikes, surf, and tan on the beach throughout the winter months is the main thing I love about Hawaii as a Scandinavian.

My favorite beach is Kailua Beach which is an incredible beach on the east side of the island. In addition, it is also very fun to rent a car and drive around on the island and do hikes the pink Pillbox and the Three Peaks trail are my favorites, which are moderately challenging routes but the view is totally worth it.

Even if I would like to live on the east side, I have lived in Waikiki for my whole stay which has been very good since it is close to everything such as the beach, bars, stores, etc. But when coming to Oahu, my biggest tip is to not get stuck in Honolulu, rent a car, and experience the island – going to the North Shore and eating an acai bowl is a must. Make sure that you make the most of each day because time goes by too fast and at the end of every semester I have seen exchange students feeling sad about the fact that they have felt that they only have been here for a month. I guess time goes by too fast when you are having fun.

Recommendations

Is studying here worth it?

But let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Many friends in Sweden always ask me if I think the amount of money I have spent on studying here really is worth it due to all the assumptions about the American school system. But I am determined that I would do everything all over again due to how much I have grown as a person and professional which has been influenced by the global perspective here when being present in a hybrid cultural space.

The Best.

//Smilla Bakteman Hedlund

@Smillabacktemanh