Growing up on a farm in Iceland instilled a love for animals in Björn Benedikt Sigurðarson. He may have taken a little detour through physics at university, but when he saw the need for more veterinarians in his area, he made an impulsive decision. The following interview gives you an insight into the Icelandic mindset and the national spirit of resilience and optimism in the face of challenges.

Where are you from?

I am from Iceland, from a farm in the northwest part, it’s kind of the middle of nowhere. I have two brothers and a sister. Both of my parents are farmers, my father farms sheep and horses. My mother is raising and breeds sheep, cows, horses and chickens, they have separate farms.

Growing up on a farm I assume animals were always part of your life.

In my first 6 years, I was at the farms non-stop. We can say that I spent more time with farm animals than people.

Is this the reason why you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine?

It is more complex than that. I had a teacher when I was a teenager, he was a retired veterinarian, I did found him very inspirational. We do not have vet schools in Iceland, and once I graduated from high school I went to learn physics at the university. I didn’t really find myself there, so I ended up working for a while. At that time I had kind of stopped thinking of studying veterinary medicine.

Then one spring during lambing season, we had a lot of abortion cases on the farm. It was a rather rough and frustrating time. I asked myself why I didn’t apply to be a vet before when I was thinking about it. So I decided to go for it but it was quite late for the application. From Iceland, people usually go to Norway or Denmark for university but their application period was already closed. Here in Budapest I still had one week so I made an impulsive decision and came here.

This was 5 years ago, how do you think back now to this „impulsive decision”?

I do not regret it. I gained both positive and negative experiences during this period. Although I do not really think too much about the bad moments, they are in the past. Now, I am chill, the exam period is over. If you asked me before or during the exam period I would maybe have given a different answer. The covid period was maybe the most frustrating but everybody did their best, there was nothing to do about that. In a way I wish I could have come here a little sooner and gotten my degree before covid happened. On the other hand, I think I was lucky that it happened during my second and third years rather than at the end of my studies. All in all, I am happy with my decision.

I tried to do my research on you before our interview and found your Facebook profile but it is kind of short. Few photos of you with lambs and border collies.

Yes, I made that profile when I was a teenager and later moderated its content, it is short for a purpose, I am rather a private person. So yes, we have border collies, all males and they are not always getting along with each other, they are working dogs used for herding.

What kind of animals do you like?

Well, that’s a broad question, there is no animal that I dislike, unless for example flies. I may have less connection and experience with cats, I don’t dislike them I just find dogs more predictable.

After you get your degree, what kind of animals do you want to treat?

Farm animals, I plan to go back to Iceland. When I decided to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, there was no veterinarian in our area. Other vets tried to serve our area but they often had their hands full, so it was sometimes hard to reach them. This is the main reason I am here now, three of us are currently doing our studies so there will not be a shortage in the future..

I am not familiar with Icelanders’ relationship with animals. Can you tell me about it?

When I came to Budapest I was surprised that so many dogs were everywhere, which is kind of cool. From the city perspective, in Reykjavík, I am not sure that people are so keen on keeping animals. People in the city who had dogs were considered weird. It is slowly changing, for example, dogs were not allowed on public transportation previously, but now they are. On the other hand, the countryside is full of animals, including dogs and cats. Although it was surprising how Hungarians are strongly connected to their pets emotionally compared to Iceland. I am not saying that Icelanders do not love their animals. Our cows all have their own names, our dogs are allowed to stay in the house, it is normal.

When I was at the small animal clinic of the university and something bad happened to a pet most owners looked like their whole world was crumbled. In my community, people accept when there is nothing to be done and they move on, the grief period is shorter. This mindset might sound rough, but it is not. We have this motto „Þetta Reddast!” which means things will be fine, do not worry about it.

I think this mindset is useful for a vet, they need to handle death. You can not freak out every time or it will ruin you.

Absolutely. Although when I started at the clinic I realised that I need to work on this, you know, to show more empathy in hard situations. I think I am getting there, I understand these strong emotions more than I used to.

Which part of your studies did you enjoy the most?

It is hard to pick, there was always one or two courses I liked particularly. I prefer subjects which are more animal oriented, for example, farm animal medicine, equine medicine, and small animal medicine, in some ways these stood out.

Before you came here to Budapest did you study or live abroad?

No, I went to the University of Iceland before to study physics, but some people, like my sister, pointed out that I was a more hands-on type of person than someone who sits at a desk making calculations all day. It turned out they were right. I decided to start working in a fishery doing physical labour. It was very intense, you have to move a lot, and at the end of the day, you are extremely tired. It was wonderful! Not as a future career but at that time it was perfect and besides that, I could do the work at the farm.

And then you came to Budapest which is a rather big city.

Budapest is fine but I am not a city person. There are a lot of convenient things about living in cities but I tend to prefer the rural environment and the fresh air. At least I can say that I tried to live in a city.

What about the differences between being a student in Iceland and in Hungary? Can you compare the teaching styles?

In Iceland we had assignments, and problems to solve week by week and we usually did these in small classes, in front of everybody. They told you that you need to do this, deliver that and so on. In Hungary, you are more responsible for keeping up with your studies for yourself. But I am comparing the physics course and the veterinary medicine, similar training might have the same style in Hungary.

The other difference is the level of formality, and how you address what you say to professors. In Hungary, you need to be aware of the titles, which shows respect. In Iceland it is more laid back, we do not use titles, and we call professors by their given names. In Iceland we do not have last names anyways, my last name is just the name of my father. When people call me by my last name it is a bit weird because they are basically saying hey you, son of XYZ or daughter of XYZ. This is why all Icelandic names end with -son, or -dóttir in the case of a female. It is just cultural differences. Apart from these, a university is just a university.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about applying to UVMB and plan to study veterinary medicine?

Well, it is going to be hard, you need to be determined, and willing to put in the work. You need to be aware that you will live in another country for several years. Check the important things before you choose your direction, the tuition fees, the cost of living and so on. If you are ready for this big commitment and investment then go for it. If you are not sure then take your time to try out other things. I don’t think it should be a hasty decision. Mine looked spontaneous but it was in the back of my head for years. If you get your degree then you will have a lot of career options to choose from.

Regarding career options, I think I saw you at the Job Fair last week.

Yes, I was there, it was useful. I spoke to some of the exhibitors, mostly hunting for a place to spend my 11th-semester practice. I got helpful tips and some email addresses. Knowing about the options is always good.

What do you do in your free time?

Besides vet school? All my hobbies were put to the side but I like sports such as football and handball. I used to do athletics, I was not very good at it but it was fun, and I enjoyed doing it. Back then I started bouldering but I had a little injury on my hand so I kind of stopped. Some of my friends here go bouldering actively and sometimes drag me along too. Actually farming is a kind of hobby for me, work is my new hobby. I can’t believe I said that out loud…