First time in Helsinki

I am Aadhavan from India. I am going to pursue my masters in the university of Helsinki during this autumn. I just came to Helsinki summer school to attend intensive Finnish course to learn some language. This was first trip to a foreign country and i did not have any exposure towards the foreign culture and their activities. Since it is a new country, i was bit afraid how to ask someone if i need some help and i was having many questions in my mind. Moreover a new person cannot move as their wish in a new place and cannot find anything as soon as they expect. Here I would like to share my experiences, which i had in the Helsinki airport, summer school and in Finland.

Once i landed in the airport, i was having some trouble in finding the way to my home and the luggage was too heavy for me to carry. I just asked a person who was working in the airport to help me out and surprisingly the very next minute he carried my baggage and dropped me in the place where buses will come and showed me the correct bus. This gave me a bit comfort in a new environment. Once I got from the bus down in my student village, the same problem existed there and I was not able to carry the whole 46 kgs of luggage alone. I just followed the same strategy as I did in the airport and asked a person who was traveling in his bike to help me with my luggage. No other person can be happier than me on the very first day in a new country because he dropped me in front of my room. That moment made me to astonish and a question arose in my mind ” How kind  are Finns to a new person?”

Once started my Finnish course, I am in search for someone to practice my language. I do not have any idea how the Finnish students will behave to a foreign student and I am a bit shy to start my conversation with the Finns in my apartment. No surprise again, few Finns started to speak with me as their own countrymen and having a little chat on first few days. Later, i practiced my language skill with them daily and regularly, they corrected my mistakes in my pronunciation and imparted more knowledge in me in the Finnish language. Very soon, Finland will become my second home country.

Apart from my studies in the summer school, HSS organised many other activities in Finland. We are exposed to Finnish culture and to their general activities. I had some good time in Helsinki and i liked the most playing mölkky game. It was a new experience playing mölkky and no special skills required to play it. On the other side, I visited historical Finnish museum and few lakes and forests. Kumpula botanical garden is one of the most exciting places to visit in Helsinki during summer. We can see a different Helsinki during summer and it is awesome to be here. It is rightly called “The land of midnight sun” and it is also “Land of seas and forests”. There are many other seas and lakes to watch in Helsinki. International food festival in Helsinki  provided me an opportunity to taste food from different countries. I’ve learned some typical Finnish culture such as Nordic walking, humppa dance and tried traditional Finnish pea soup. If one wants to spend their summer, Helsinki is the right place to enjoy.

Text by: Aadhavan Shanthi Venkatesan. student of the HSS course Intensive Finnsh.