Student Snapshot: Going to the dentist is fun!

23 February 2022

Student Snapshot

Thelma Guðný Ragnarsdóttir is a full-time dentistry student at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU). She is currently in her second semester.

Where are you from, and how did you end up choosing Dentistry at RSU?

I'm from Vopnafjörður in north-eastern Iceland. It's a very small town of about 750 people! I have a Latvian boyfriend whom I met when he came to my town to play football. We've been together for about 4 years and I found RSU through him.

I've been to Latvia many times over the years and decided to attend an Open Days event at RSU. I was very impressed with how it looked, but it was still hard to decide to leave Iceland. Today I'm very happy with my choice.

So no big culture shock when you moved here?

I've been here so many times that it feels like coming home. I really like it here.

What foods do you miss from home?

I really miss the fish! I also miss this Icelandic energy drink Collab that is made from fish collagen so it's full of protein! I miss that drink a lot. I also miss Icelandic sweets. I can't find anything quite as good here. And of course what I miss the most of all is Icelandic water.

Where did most of your friends go to study?

Most of them are in Iceland, but many medicine and dentistry students go to Slovakia and Hungary. Some go to Denmark too, but it is pretty difficult to get in there, just as it is in Iceland.

I feel that studying in Latvia you get a chance to prove yourself and to grow.

A stereotype you hear about Iceland is that everyone knows everyone. Are there any other stereotypes that you encounter?

No, just that we all know each other and that we're all related, that we're all cousins. It's kind of true, though and we even have an app where you can check how closely related you are with someone you meet.

I thought that was a myth!

No, it's true!

What stereotypes about Latvia did you have?

Before I came here, I thought that Icelandic people weren't that friendly and were closed off to strangers, but I came here and realised that we are actually quite friendly! People say good evening, or hello, or smile at you in the street, but here you smile and sometimes no one will even want to look at you.

What Latvian foods do you like?

I really like most things made from cottage cheese. Cottage cheese isn't that popular in Iceland and doesn't taste good at all. But I love Kārums! Also I love all Latvian pastries, karbonādes, and sašliks.

How are your Latvian language lessons going?

I speak Icelandic, English, and I understand Danish, so there are Latvian words that I can connect to words from these languages. But it is complicated. I'm studying hard and trying to slowly introduce small phrases into my daily conversations with my boyfriend.

Have you been able to meet your coursemates?

I've tried to meet them but it's been difficult since we only had one week of in person classes at the beginning of the academic year. We met and went to a pub crawl, but the lockdown started soon after. Most of my classmates went back to their countries then.

Have you thought about any kind of extracurricular activities?

I would love to find a sport. I played football for 16 years! At one point I played quite seriously and even thought about playing professionally. When I was in my teens I started to lose interest and after that I just played for fun. I was close with my teammates so I played more for social reasons. I love any type of sport so I'm definitely interested in finding some activities to try.

Did you always know you wanted to study dentistry?

I loved going to the dentist when I was little. I thought it was so much fun! I was excited to go because the dentist was so nice. I loved teeth and my dentist would teach me and answer my questions.

Dentistry studies felt out of my reach because of how difficult it is to get into university in Iceland. That's when I looked at other subjects, like physiotherapy. I spent several summers studying and sitting exams to see if I could get in. Some of the exams were 16 hours long (8 hours in one day, and 8 the next)! I ended up coming in 36th place when the cut off was 35! My world came crashing down and I didn't know what to do because I had spent so much time studying. It was then that I looked for universities outside Iceland.

What are you hoping to do after your studies?

I've thought about it a lot. My boyfriend wants to go to Iceland, but I'm not sure. I love Iceland, but I like being in Europe and enjoy the fact that there are four distinct seasons! We don't really have summers like here. I'm open for anything, though.

I find it funny when Latvians complain about the weather or that they're a small country. They're clearly just not looking far enough!

Seriously, the weather in Iceland is very bad! We don't have summers, we have winter and autumn all year around. You can wear your winter jacket in the summer!