Ready for Finland!
Tomorrow I leave for my semester in Finland, and it’s really starting to hit me now. This will be my first time traveling abroad on my own. I have taken baby steps traveling around the U.S. on my own and to India with my family, but this will be a gigantic step up from anything I’ve done before.
When I chose to go to Finland, I did so knowing that I was going to a less populated, Western, and English-speaking country. I figured since I was going to study, it would be a good idea to choose somewhere that was relatively easy to get around. Even with this in mind I’m still going halfway around the world on my own for four months. But I’m sure this will help increase my independence and give me the opportunity to meet many new people.
I wanted to get some background on Finland, so over the summer I read The Nordic Theory of Everything by Finnish journalist (and now American citizen) Anu Partanen.
After growing up in Finland and moving to the U.S. as an adult, Partanen compares the social policies in the two countries and explains how Finland is able to create equal opportunities for all its citizens through universal health care, free college tuition, and paid family leave.
This book also gave me some insight into Finnish culture. From what I gather, although Finland is consistently ranked among the happiest nations in the world, the Finnish are ironically a humble, introverted, and somewhat depressed people. I hope to better understand why when I get there.
It is these same Finnish tendencies of introversion that give me apprehension. I worry that it will be difficult for me to make friends in a country where people tend to keep to themselves. I also worry about my particular status as an American. Will they think I am weird for smiling at them? Will I come across as overly friendly? Am I going to have to discuss American politics every time I introduce myself?
In the end, I know these are just nagging, pointless thoughts that might not even be real issues when I get there. I’m sure if I get involved on campus, participate in clubs and sports, and generally get out of my comfort zone I will make friends. Just as long as I don’t give up.