A Dream Come True – Studying Abroad In Finland

I am Michael Alcivar Mora and I’m a junior double majoring in Paper Science and Chemical Engineering. Last semester I studied in Tampere, Finland at TAMK University. The decision to study abroad was a tough one, as I was already participating in a co-op and a summer internship. I knew that  not all the classes that I needed were going to be offered at TAMK, but I always wanted to go to the Nordic countries. For anyone considering the Finland study abroad experience, I will gladly detail my journey from deciding to go abroad to landing back at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

Exchanging the NC Heat for the Finnish Cold…would do it all over again

The idea of a Finland study abroad entered my mind in Summer ’18. I was doing research for Dr. Pal and two of my peers, Rukmini and Riley were in the process of getting all of the required documents to go abroad. Throughout the summer, I fantasized about leaving the North Carolina heat for somewhere cooler both physically and metaphorically. I attended a few information sessions in the Fall 2018 semester and decided to apply for the program. I discussed the decision with a  few of my friends, who also studied abroad, and came to the conclusion that even though I might fall a little behind, the experience would be worth it and there’s always summer classes to help me get back on track.

To Talk or Not? A Surprising Outcome

Once I was accepted into the program and got approved for financial aid, I started looking into the culture of Finland. Everyone I spoke to, and everywhere I looked online pointed to the same conclusion: Finnish people will not talk to you first. I felt conflicted about this information as I also do not usually talk to people first. In my mind, things could go one of two ways: I’d revel in the public silence or I’d feel suffocated by it. Luckily it was the former and not the latter. What everyone seems to leave out when talking about Finnish culture is that they are some of the nicest and most polite people you will ever meet, once you get them talking, of course. Besides, there are a lot of international students at TAMK, so I was able to meet a wide variety of new people.

In my first couple of weeks, I kept to myself and got grounded in my new environment. I sized up my acquaintances and jumped around into different groups until I found who I stuck with the most. This turned out to be a group consisting of Austrians, Germans, and English folk. Before settling in, I did feel a sense of loneliness, which I was accustomed to since I spent the rest of the year away from NC. It was hard some days to force myself into social situations. I got over it eventually by connecting with the friends I had there on a deeper level and making a better effort to keep connected with my friends back home through WhatsApp video calls.

More than Friends…I made a new Family

During my time in Tampere, I really made a new family in the people I found around me. We went on trips to nearby cities, nature parks and on a couple of occasions different countries! For instance, TAMKO, the central student organization at TAMK, organized a 3-day cruise to Stockholm, a 5-day trip to Lapland, the northern half of Finland, a cruise through the Baltic countries and a trip to Russia. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend all of them but the Stockholm and Lapland trip were unmatched.

At the end of it all, I was really sad to say goodbye to everyone. The most bittersweet part is the final goodbyes where you’re not really sure when or where you’ll see each other again, but at the same time, all too ready to reconnect with friends back home. The light at the end of the tunnel is the internet. Even though social media and DMs can’t replicate person to person interaction, it helps to keep those friendships alive. I fully intend on visiting Germany and the UK once I have the funds for it and I hope my friends will remember me if they end up flying across the pond!

Check out the study abroad adventures of Jamie Kanzler and Claire Hammontree, who were in Finland at JAMK.

Guest blogger Michael Alcivar