Mi è sembrato di vivere un mondo parallelo, un mondo fiabesco, a Mynamaki governa la quiete.


I like to summarise my experience in Finland at a very specific time: on the day of departure, when I got on the bus, with my eyes full of tears I turned to Daphne and with a look of understanding we understood that we had to go down to greet Iida once again, the one who welcomed us as if we were part of her family. I genuinely loved my experience, from A to Z. People, although apparently cold, have a big heart, are good and very kind, at least most of the ones I've known. Every single moment has served me to realise what my country boasts and what is scarce in my country, and that's why I think this experience is amazing.
It seemed to me to live a parallel world, a fairytale world, in Mynamaki the tranquillity rules.

-Marta

Or maybe we're just noisy... 

In short, there aren't few times we've been scolded because we spoke too loudly, disturbing the environment around us. “Shhh we are near some houses stop making that noise” … “houses”, you could hardly see 5 of them each square kilometre! Disturb what?! Plants? The asphalt?

Well, they don't even ask for this. In Finland there are unwritten rules that everyone respects, and that in Italy, which as Checco Zalone says (yes I like Checco Zalone that's fine) is all a "magna magna", they wouldn't work. To name a few: what is public belongs to everyone, therefore everyone must take care of it, it is necessary to respect the quiet of the neighboring houses without making any noise, …

Speaking of the school system, I can say how impressed I was by it, and I don't know yet whether in a positive or negative way, but certainly due to the enormous difference with the Italian school. In Finland the teachers usually call the students by name and have themselves called by name, the classrooms are large, beautiful, the canteen works, there are 4 lessons a day of 75 minutes and the students can come and go when they want. In short, it almost seems like an utopia, but are beautiful classrooms and nice books enough to have beautiful heads? Unfortunately I am anchored to the Italian school system, however stressful, ancient, unbearable it is, but it is objectively a system that has always produced good heads. This is also due to the great artistic heritage present in Italy, and which I have not found in Finland.

To conclude, otherwise I'll make it long, it was thanks to this Erasmus, or rather, to the diversity it made us experience, that we appropriated more of our identity as Italians. We are more aware of our characteristics, and perhaps, of strengths and weaknesses…

Everything was perfect from the second I stepped off the plane. 

To be honest I had high expectations which were even exceeded because I had one of the best week of my life.

In particular I have to thank my host family because they did everything they could to make me feel at home. Then I have to thank all of the Finnish students, including the ones who didn’t take part to the Erasmus project because they all were so nice and welcoming with us.

Through this experience not only I saw different environments than usual but I also learnt a new culture.

I can never thank this experience enough to say how grateful I am.❤️

-Lavinia