Week Three: Bright Days and Brighter Nights: My First Week in Stockholm

Hello again! This week marked a huge step forward, I finally started my in-person internship at International IDEA, and it’s already been so much fun!

First off, commuting to work has been way better than I expected. The metro here is so fast (I’m at work in under 15 minutes), and the stations are filled with incredible art, it makes the tunnels feel more like an exhibit than public transport. After the ride, there’s about a mile walk to the office, but it’s genuinely enjoyable. The path takes me past gorgeous old Swedish buildings, and the whole city is incredibly walkable. There are pedestrian lights and bike lanes everywhere, even on bridges and highways. From what I’ve seen so far, there’s nowhere you can’t get to on foot if you’re determined.                                                  

And then there’s the office itself (pictured above). International IDEA is located on its own little island, right off a highway and along a bridge, in this incredible 17th-century building. The inside had really interesting artwork and rooms and It’s such a cool place to come to work every day!

As for the work, I’ve already learned so much. Everyone here is incredibly kind and genuinely wants the interns to learn and connect. My supervisor, Julian, along with the whole team, made me feel welcome right away and helped us get up to speed quickly despite the fact that they’re still recovering from their big 30th anniversary celebration two weeks ago. (Apparently it was quite the event!) I also found out I arrived just after Midsummer, which I’ve learned is basically the Swedish equivalent of Christmas. Everyone heads off to spend time with family, eat pastries, and just enjoy life.

This week I got to meet the other interns in person, plus two past interns from the spring, Marisol and Kira. They were so helpful in showing us the ropes before they left, they somehow managed to explain complex systems in a way that made perfect sense to us as fellow students. Sadly, it was their last week here, but they left us with tons of advice on both the job and what to do while we’re in Sweden!

On top of reconnecting with Hank Blackburn (my fellow William & Mary student, go check out his blog too!), I also met the two other interns: one who’s fully remote and from Italy, and another who studies in the U.S. but is originally from the U.K. It’s been a blast getting to know them, and I’m really looking forward to tackling this experience together.

For work this week, we were each assigned briefs on recent elections in different countries. It’s been a challenge, with some of these smaller countries not having much available information, and in some cases materials need to be translated, but I’ve enjoyed digging into how these electoral systems work and comparing them (at least in my head!) to the U.S. system. I’ve also been researching how other countries with similar electoral processes might offer ideas to help strengthen the system I’m focused on.

I wish I’d explored Stockholm a bit more, but between the time change and the never-ending daylight, I’m still adjusting! The sun here just refuses to set. But I plan on getting out there this weekend and I’m following the great advice I got: go get lost in the city!

I’ll check back in with another update next week, and in the meantime, hop over to my fellow schoolmate and intern Hank Blackburn’s blog to see what he’s been up to!