
Jonathan Alexandus with friend in Italy
31 January 2025
"It was a bit strange to go to Italy to learn Spanish"
Jonathan Alexandus is a fourth-year aerospace engineering student. He is currently in Milan on an exchange program, an experience that has changed his life in many ways.
Hi Jonathan! Tell us a little about yourself!
"My name is Jonathan Alexandus and I come from a small town in Småland, an hour outside Jönköping. Here at LTU I study Space Engineering because I always wanted to work in that industry. You can study mechanical and electrical engineering at other universities, but the specializations available here at LTU gives a slight advantage."
Why you were curious about studying abroad?
"I'm not quite sure when the idea struck me, but I think it was after I had read a course in Uppsala about radio amplifiers. Then I got to experience another university for the first time and that's when the idea was born and I started looking around."
Why did you choose Milan?
"Space Engineering is not available in many places in Europe and many are more focused on Aerospace. But I wanted to come somewhere that mimicked LTU. I looked at universities in the Netherlands, Germany and France but Politecnico in Milan was a bit more appealing. It felt idyllic to start the morning with an espresso and pastry. And I had never been to Italy either."

Jonathan Alexandus på fjällvandring i Lombardiet.
What is the best thing about being an exchange student in Milan?
"Milan is a typical tourist city. If you experience it as a tourist, you have to find all the churches, all the tourist traps. When you are here for a longer time, you can take your time and really experience the city. Then it's only an hour to Como, an hour to Lecco, it's close to alpine lakes and mountains to hike in."
How is your Italian after a year there?
"Here it's a bit complicated! I started studying Italian before I came here. But two weeks into my studies, I met my girlfriend, who is from Peru and speaks Italian and Spanish - but not English. My Italian was terrible at the time and I had my Spanish from high school to lean on. So we ended up speaking Spanish, and just over a year in, I'm handling the language well. So it was a bit strange to go to Italy to learn Spanish!"
What other memories will you take with you from here?
"I learned to ski in Trento. It was absolutely wonderful actually. Trento is a huge ski resort with many kilometers of slopes. We went there with the Erasmus network, so it was quite cheap and they had arranged it wonderfully. Then we have also had lots of day trips to various mountain areas and national parks with the same network."
Are you curious about studying abroad?
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