I came to Sweden to do my practical training by helping in a research study of the removal and collection of phosphorous from the wastewater of a toothpaste company Psilox. Goals of my research were to create a marketable product and get rid of the excess phosphorous from the wastewater. Methods I used in the experiments were addition of iron sulphate to create vivianite and addition of calcium hydroxide to create calcium phosphate. Vivianite is a form of iron sulphate that is being researched in battery manufacturing. Calcium phosphate is a good fertilizer and would be easily marketable.
In my spare time I explored the nature by hiking and biked around the city. One of my favourite things to do in Uppsala was Frisbee golf and the campus had one of the most stunning Frisbee golf courts I have ever played, and the nature was over all stunning. The city was also very interesting, and the old architecture make it a very pleasant place to visit. The best burgers I found in Uppsala were from Bastard burgers as they had a variety of vegan options and good quality beers.
We also had gatherings with work and dorm mates where we would make dinner together and play cards and chat. These gatherings were one of the best times I had in my time at Uppsala.
The working culture I faced in Uppsala differs from the working culture I have experienced in Finland by being more laid back and open and the meaning of coffee break or as the Swedes call it Fika is quite the opposite to the coffee breaks in Finnish workplaces as people tend to have more chats and discuss about matters at hand. In the Swedish working culture communication through meetings is a lot more common than in Finland. Personally I liked the work environment and the experience made me understand better of what kind of work I want to prepare myself to do after graduating.
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