From clueless to accustomed – how to adapt yourself to Finnish culture

Williane Bernardes

Writer: Williane Bernardes
Master’s Degree Programme: Medical Physics

Greetings, fellow reader! I am Williane and I was born in Brazil about 26 years ago in a family whose background is a mix of European, Brazilian native and African heritage. You may be surprised but such thing is quite common in South America due to the historical context. Due to that fact, I have always been very curious about my ancestors’ origins and since most of them were Europeans, I decided to visit the continent. Doing an exchange would be the easiest way and in the end Finland was my chosen country since I also wanted to see snow for the first time. Fortunately, I could not have made a better choice and soon you will understand why!

My trip to Lapland on November 2017.

The total time I have been in Finland is around 3 years but divided in two periods. The total time I have been in Finland is around 3 years but divided in two periods. The first time was during my exchange in the University of Jyväskylä in 2014-2015 and the second time is still going on since I came back on 2017 with the intention of starting my master’s degree. Fortunately I got accepted in UEF and I have not left so far.
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My tips to balanced student life in Kuopio

Pracheta De

Writer: Pracheta De
Master’s Degree Programme: Biomedicine

“Namaste! Hello! Terve!” has become my usual greeting when I introduce myself at any event these days. It makes me feel great to embrace all the cultures around me and that is part of the reason why I came to study here in Finland.

Choosing to study Biomedicine at UEF, Kuopio, was one of the best decisions I’ve made as it gave me an opportunity to meet people from around the world, study in a fair education system, and have good work-life balance. Not only have I learned to live independently but I can also handle adversities better now.

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These strange Finnish habits surprised me – but now I’m in love with Finland

Thao Nguyen Le Phuoc (May)

Writer: Thao Nguyen Le Phuoc (May)
Master’s Degree Programme: Research Chemists

Hello everyone, I’m Thao Nguyen Le Phuoc (May) from Vietnam. I’m studying the first year in the Master’s degree programme for Research Chemists. This is my first time I am far away from home and living in another country. Therefore, it is easily understandable that everything was so interesting and strange to me. Sometimes, I was really shocked at the Finnish habits, which may not be found in my country. Read this blog post to find out what those strange things I noticed are.

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Enjoying unique Joensuu in my free time

Writer: Fernando Esteban
Master’s Degree Programme: European Forestry

Hello everyone, I am Fernando Esteban, an avid biker and an overall adventurous fellow, carrying out my master studies in Joensuu in the Master’s Degree Programme in European Forestry. The desire to spend time in nature led me to study forestry and to choose Joensuu to live, but it was only after arrival I realized the real scale of nature around and within the city.

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When “typical” does not really fit in your vocabulary – a week of studying at UEF

Writer: George-Cosmin Porușniuc
Master’s Degree Programme: Information Technology (IMPIT)

Hello everybody! I am George, a thirsty for knowledge 23 years old romanian computer science student. Upon reading that very first statement about me you might wonder: “well, isn’t there any better place out there in the world to quench you thirst for knowledge other than Finland?”. The answer to this previous question (that I actually got asked quite a few times by friends and relatives) is a very big and sincere “NO” and in the next few lines that I will share with you I will explain to you why this is the case.

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