Exchange student experiences at UCPori: Making it yours

Each semester, UCPori welcomes approximately 30 exchange students from around Europe. Two German exchange students from the Autumn 2019 semester graciously allowed Pointti to pick their brains about their experience, Finnishness and their top tips on how to make the most out of the pearl* of the West Coast.

*subjective

“Explore – that’s how you make memories”

Caro Scheil studies Computational Visualistics in the University of Magdeburg, combining both computer science and medicine as her two majors. “I wanted to study in the Nordic countries as they’re considered the ‘IT capital’, and Finland and Pori just worked out practically in the end,” Caro says. “My parents had also been here for a holiday in 1992, and it was nice to visit some of the same places they’d shown me pictures of – luckily now missing the awful fashion of the time!” Before arriving, Caro didn’t do much advance reading on her new temporary home. “We all make our own experiences, and I think it’s better to see things for yourself rather than have set ideas that might not be true, possibly disappointing you. I wanted to see how Finns and Finland really are, without being prejudiced.” It does seem like a good approach; Caro and her fellow exchange students were surprised how after just a few weeks they all felt at home in Pori. Avoiding prejudice - however some common stereotypes do seem to ring true. “Both Finns and Germans are polite and punctual, though privacy might play a bigger role in Finland. It might be a bit of a process to try and get familiar with a Finn at first, but the process is worth it.” Caro does find some differences between the countries however, in a very everyday life situation – breakfast. “Germans use it as a chance to chat and talk, at least in my family, and food is something on the side. Here? Finnish breakfast is just about eating. Save the chatting for later.” Despite Finns and Germans functioning on the same level of politeness, Caro says she has learned something during her time in Pori – that less is more sometimes. “Finns get their message across. Germans often say too much, politely making small talk without saying what they really mean as they don’t want to hurt anybody. When you have an opinion and you know what you want, you need to voice it – and this is what I really like about Finnish people. I also found that the best way to get friendly with Finns is to go slow and steady; you can’t push them. It’s a process.“ A process that is good to start at parties and events, Caro adds. “That’s where you meet the people and that’s what it’s really about.” Newsflash for new arrivals: Pori boasts a good variety of saunas for its size, and UCPori students are not known to turn away from these. “I’ve taken so many saunas here,” Caro laughs. “I’ve become so familiar with many places with pools and saunas in Pori. Sauna truly is a cultural thing and not just a stereotype.” One thing Pori is very proud of is the seaside front, and Caro agrees. “The Kallo lighthouse and the Yyteri beach are places I took my German friends who were visiting me. My friend didn’t quite realise how cold the sea actually is when he ran off to take a dip in Yyteri…” Caro strongly recommends for exchange students to explore Pori on their own, not just on tutor-led days. “Dedicate a day, several days, to exploring Pori. Make sure you do it when the weather is nice! Pori has beautiful places and the best way to find them is to explore them by yourself, and find

your own favourite places. Go for a walk by the riverside. Go to Kauppahalli (old market hall in the city centre) and have a nice coffee”. Caro has been a tutor herself, so she was very impressed by the international tutors at UCPori. She felt welcomed with how the tutors organised things to make the exchange tutors feel at home. “They definitely deserve more acknowledgement with everything they do. A big thank you to them, how they welcomed us and organised things to make us feel so at home. I would recommend all exchange students to please use them and their support!” A modern legend amongst UCPori is the German sit party, ‘Saksa-sitsit’* that a group of exchange students organised in Autumn 2019. a German sitz party, the Autumn 2019 exchange students organised. “Sitz parties are not common in Germany, but the guys who organised it were so into the idea. It’s kind of easy to organise, as you just need to come up with a theme, have a programme, buy beer and have fun. It was something the Finnish students who attended will remember – Finns said this was the best experience WE could’ve give them, they were very happy we made the effort to organise it.” Caro says she considers organising a pretty good way to acknowledge the work the tutors do, and say thank you to the new friends. “You can always ask Finnish students or the tutors where you can organise something, they are more than happy to help with everything. It was amazing. Exchange students can really make it to organise something.”

*)Sitz party, ‘sitsit’ in Finnish, is a traditional form of a Finnish student party, built around a theme and sitting and drinking and whatnot.

“Try to see as much as possible,” Caro urges future exchange students as her final point. “In the end, those are what make our memories. Beauty is so personal, so you need to go and explore the things you appreciate. And photograph everything!”

“Focus on the things HERE”

Sebastian Volpert hails from Nuremberg in Bavaria, southern Germany where he is doing his Masters at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg. Sebastian studies International information systems, mixing technology and economics. He hopes to

work on the tech business analytics side in the future, combining data science and IT infrastructures after he ideally graduates in 2021. Finding himself in Pori in August 2019 was a sum of several factors. “I’d already wanted to do an exchange during my Bachelors, but was too busy – I promised myself a semester abroad for my Masters,” Sebastian recalls. “I wanted to go somewhere I’d never been before, and north seemed appealing – the most north I’d ever been to was Hamburg! I usually just go down south from home to the mountains (The Alps).” Sebastian is a keen photographer, so Finland’s beautiful nature and the possibility of also capturing Northern Lights was a big plus when finding his exchange location. “You always hear about Finland’s epic education,” Sebastian praises unprompted and unbribed, “so I thought, ‘why not test it out’.” Luckily Sebastian did have an epic time, both in and outside his studies. “One of my favourite places in Pori is actually the August space on the main hall of UCPori,” he says. “It feels more like a living room at home than a study space. You don’t need to go home early to have a nice study environment, but you can actually stay at the comfortable library or at August. You can always find a good seat, too – back home, you need to get in early to have even a small chance of securing a seat. It’s very nice to have the shopping centre Puuvilla so nearby as well.” Not only the physical surroundings of UCPori, but also the humane vibe made an impression on Sebastian. “Here it almost feels like a little family. People are more distributed and divided between different courses in Germany, but here we cling together more – studying and letting loose together.” Despite having literally felt at home at the UCPori campus and encouraging students to enjoy the total programme they are tackling, Sebastian does also flag the importance of off-time. “University is nice to get in touch with people, but it’s easier for you to get in touch with each other and really get to know each other during the parties. The party atmosphere is a great ice breaker that often results in great conversations.” A good tool Sebastian used before arriving to Pori was the public CCTV the city has. “It was good to familiarise myself a little before arriving, to get to grips with how it looks, where we are living, how you get around and so on. Luckily I did check how to get around, as Pori doesn’t have the best public transport system – a top tip I also followed was to invest in a good bike, as the city is excellent for biking around. I was also excited about UCPori being in an old cotton factory!” Sebastian was busy working right before his arrival to Pori, and even carried out remote work whilst he started his semester. “My best tip? Honestly, just slow down and focus. Focus on the things

here. You can’t do everything, so don’t fill up your day or schedule too much. Experience the things that are here right now. I made the mistake of having too much on my plate at first, and I didn’t get to travel as much as I would’ve wanted to for example.”

“Here it almost feels like a little family.”

Sebastian did manage to enjoy some travelling in Finland, and hopes to come back for more. One of his favourite things were his experiences in the national parks, as some of the exchange students rented out a cabin in the woods. He has thus a clear recommendation for new exchange student arrivals. “The national parks are beautiful, visit them! And the cabin culture here… You have a cabin, naturally with a sauna, and in the best case scenario a lake or sea directly next to it for you to jump into. Everyone should definitely do that, it’s brilliant.” One does not need to wander far from Pori to experience a bit of nature’s beauty. In addition to the campus, one of Sebastian’s favourite places in Pori is Kirjurinluoto. “You can do so much there. Swim in the river, play on the volleyball field, pet the animals…” Sebastian compliments the peninsula park area in Kokemäenjoki river, close to the UCPori campus and right in the middle of the city. Sebastian is also generous in his praise for the UCPori international tutors. “They’ve been super helpful and great. I really have felt inspired by the tutors here, so much that it’s making me consider becoming one when I get back home.” With the return home approaching, Sebastian looks back at the semester with positive thoughts. “Everyone should do an exchange study. You learn so much about people and cultures, and also about yourself. I would suggest to maybe do it a little earlier than I did. My girlfriend did it during her Bachelors, and she still has so many contacts she keeps in touch with all over the world. You can go to places, they take your hand and show you places – and not just the tourist places.” And the Northern Lights? Sebastian amongst other exchange students had downloaded an app called Aurora to enhance and alert possibilities of seeing Northern Lights. Amazing luck struck in October – following a long wait outside, he has evidence to show on his Instagram account captain_ monkey in the form of brilliant bright green Northern Lights, very unusual this south of Finland.

*Please note: app does not guarantee actual Northern Lights spotting.