my story...

When I sent my application to be an exchange student in Finland, expectations were : to improve my English, to discover the Nordic design, to live with a denseness of population 12 times less than in France, to live with a uge nature and to have for habit to go to the sauna weekly.

I had friends-students around me who went to Finland to be an exchange student. Everybody had great memory about their trip. Last year, I met a folk from my school when he came back to France. He spent 6 months in Finland. He was my principal source of information in finish way of life. He liked his experience in Lahti, in Finland. So it was difficult to change my plan after I spoke with him because he was really enthusiastic! At that time I just would like to start the experience directly!

My story starts now, I had my answer from Lahti university of design. I was accepted.

Three months after, I arrived in Helsinki airport. 

My first contact with finish people was with the bus driver to Lahti who didn’t speak English at all! (After, finish people told me that everybody speak English in Finland except bus drivers! That’s not a legend!) I felt a bit alone…When I arrived in Lahti bus station, it was 21:00, it was dark. I waited with my big luggage and I saw 5min after my tutor. In this moment I felt better, somebody was waiting for me. She was so nice with me and she gave me my key for my flat in Mukkula. I toke a taxi and I met my roommates. The next week I discovered finish language. I had never heart it before. It sounds strange for me first of all because it looked like Spanish but it was not! Then I bought some foods in a supermarket where I could not understand what it was write on the products labels! That was an interesting experience. I couldn’t read and the color code of each product was different than what I use to buy in my country.

Even, Europeans people are really different. For example, I use to smile when I pass somebody and person in front of me answer by a smile or a “good morning”. Here nobody answer me. Most of people on the street do not use to smile or say hello. I was not really surprised about that because in north of America I discovered same. Because everybody look floor to avoid to slide on the ice! Then, most of women in Finland are strong. I discovered that in different situation. First of all because they are in the same level as men, I think. So they can speak loudly, drink like a man and take care of all the family. I read that they don’t like to have too much attention by a man. They prefer rough and moody men. Actually a lot of men in Finland are like that. The best way to understand this king of men is to take the ferry between Helsinki to Tallinn! It’s the place to see “Viking men” because the alcohol is cheaper than in their country!

Finally, my personal feeling is the same as the one of my first day because, I didn’t make judgment.

Otherwise, I am going to speak about drinking experience, living environment and leisure time. First of all, my drinking experience during party is better for my health than in France because I drink less than there because here it’s too expensive to drink a lot. But in Lahti there is the Cherry experience where we can drink a beer for one euro and that didn’t exist in my country. My favorite drink here is the cider. We can find a lot of home-made cider everywhere. About my living experience and my leisure time I can say that I use to live with a lot of nature around me. Also I go to the sauna minimum weekly for my pleasure. I am becoming addict of it! In France I use to practice Yoga and here my relax time is in the sauna. Then I use to do Nordic walking near the lake.

I am still questioning myself about finish culture. First of all, I didn’t understand yet how friendship works here. I have some finish friend in my class. I made a project with them during one month, we were together almost every days, I got out with them a lot of time but I am not such close to them. In my country after experience like this on, we are friend. However, one of them lent me her flat in Helsinki two times and when I said “thanks you” she looked me like it was normal! I was really surprised about her. She trusted me while she didn’t know me since a long time. Anyway, that was really nice! Finally this story doesn’t help me to understand friendship because she is from half Finland and half Japan! Then I still don’t understand why in Finland, in every toilette, we can find a shower just near the bowl and never water on the floor. That’s unbelievable !

Lastly, if people decide to come in Finland they have to know some rules…

Rule number one never kiss to greet finish people.

Rule number two get ready for being naked in a public sauna, in the bath room in the swimming pool.

Rule number three do not be surprised if you see in the sauna (again) finish people to whip other one with a branch!

Rule number four do not use your bike on the car road! Here everybody use to bike on the pavement and share it with pedestrians.

Thank you for reading.