A Psychiatrist’s experience of MediCarrera’s Swedish language course

Are you curious about what it’s like to participate in a Swedish language course with MediCarrera? To give you the best answer to this question, we interviewed Mario Carretero, a psychiatrist from Spain. He just finished the language course together with his family on our campus in Calafell. In a few days, they are leaving for Gothenburg, the second biggest city in Sweden.

Do you feel prepared to work in a foreign country?

Yes, I’d say yes. I feel that I am ready for the steps ahead; For example, I understand the language right now, and I am prepared for the trip, but I won’t see a patient until June. I feel prepared to continue formation in the hospital and eventually see patients.

“Before this course, I thought learning languages wasn’t my thing, but now that has changed.”

You came to the language course with your family, how can you describe the experience with them?

In general, the experience was very good. The classrooms are in the same building as the apartments, so we arrived quickly and on time for the language classes, and when we finished, we were steps away from home.

The first month was the toughest because our youngest daughter had never been to daycare, and when I was taking classes next to her nursery, I could hear her cry at times. The good thing is that she started adapting, and things started going more smoothly. Both my partner and I have learned a lot of Swedish in these six months. Even the kids have a good base level to keep learning. I am happy to say we can be understood by others when talking, and we can understand what people say to us.

The beautiful terrace with sea view on our campus in Calafell, Spain.

How about the course intensity? Is it too intense to learn a language in such a short time?

The course is intensive, there is a lot to learn, but we’ve had some stops to take a breath. The teacher has also managed the classes very well, knowing when to push harder or ease up. Even these last two weeks of studying for the B2 exam haven’t been stressful.

Was there anything that you found especially hard or easy to learn?

I was very motivated when learning, so I can say that many things came easy, due to hard work and motivation, I think that is the vital part. The Swedish language is not easy, but some grammatical features, reading, and understanding texts are more straightforward than they seem. Before this course, I thought learning languages wasn’t my thing, but now that has changed.

What about the covid situation? How was the pandemic at MediCarrera’s course?

At the start of the course, we felt some tension because of not knowing our classmates and feeling scared about contact. With time, everyone calmed down, the classes were set up with enough distance between people, and we were not having contact with many different people besides our classmates and neighbors.

The day after this interview, Mario and his family left to continue their journey in Sweden. They are adapting to the new environment, but we are sure Mario’s motivation is still as high. We wish him and his family all the best and good luck!

Learning a new language can be challenging and provide you with outstanding opportunities for personal and professional development. Are you interested in getting more information about our Swedish language courses and moving to Sweden? Read more here.