By Ray Yip
Guest Writer

UNCP Women’s Soccer team member Jackie Bower, 20, studied abroad during her 2004 spring semester in Sweden. Bower was offered a chance to go to Germany but opted for Sweden because she lived in Germany for two years while growing up. Her soccer coach who was Swedish also encouraged her to go.

“I finally got to see the way Americans are really perceived by other cultures. Seeing the anti-American graffiti on the walls along with Nazi swastikas was surprising at first,” Bower said. “Everyone always wanted to talk to us Americans about our government and politics and stuff, too. I think they knew more about our government than most Americans do.”

Bower was glad to come home but she did miss some things about Sweden especially the food. Some of the things she remembered were the local bread called polarbrod and the Swedish meatballs that she said, “they’re so good.”

By studying in Sweden, Bower met a lot of international kids and learned about their cultures. She said she realized how similar and different they were at the same time.