Week 2: 11th January – 17th January

Personal and Cultural Development

Out of the worst experiences come the best stories :)

My expectations of the first couple of weeks away included a hectic schedule with a long ‘To-Do’ list! In reality, the time has demanded so much more than this! I did not realise there would be so much formal documentation to fill in and sign, or that I would need to set up my life here as if I shall be living here forever!

<< Turku city centre.

However, it has been a very productive week in terms of settling into the way of life in Finland. I have almost developed a sense of belonging here already, especially by setting up my own bank account. The Finnish strongly believe in Internet Banking and paying by card; cash almost seems like a thing of the past! This has been something I have had to get used to, as previously I was not an avid user of Internet Banking, and when I paid by card in shops I was used to entering my PIN to complete the transaction, whereas here it is done by signature. There is also no such thing as cheques! Another surprising aspect of Finnish life is the high level of independence and responsibility children seem to have from an early age. For example, from their first year in school at age seven, the children get the bus to school by themselves. Ways of Finnish life such as this demonstrate the trust, security and courage that exist in the culture here.

I received my first letter to my new address this week (from the bank!), which was reassuring to know that I had filled out my Post Office form correctly! I have also been getting to know the girls I live with: Anais (pronounced An-nice, nice like the French town) from France and Jitka (pronounced Yeet-ka) from the Czech Republic.

Me, Jitka and Anais at a club called Onnela...................>>>>>>

Anais and I share the same sense of humour and get on very well together. With Jitka I enjoy learning from her Czech culture, especially the food and drink! I feel very lucky that English is my first language, since for others this experience is much more challenging as they try and improve upon their English, most commonly as a second language. I find myself speaking much more slowly using simple vocabulary and avoiding Northern Irish slang, so that people understand me. I am looking forward to starting my Finnish course to broaden my horizons further and be able to communicate more ably with native Finns.

 

Professional Development

Most of this week has been spent doing exams for Stranmillis, so unfortunately I missed out on most of a school visit. It has been rather challenging taking in so much new information while also trying to retain old information for the exams! Despite this, I am glad that it was possible to do my exams here; otherwise I would have had a very expensive situation on my hands that I know some of the German students have. One German student I was talking to is required to fly home for three weeks at the end of January in order to do her exams for her home university. If my exams had have been organised in that way I would be missing a lot of classes and school experience, as well as paying a lot of money for flights! I did manage to go for a couple of hours to the school visit this week though, very early in the morning. This meant that I would have something to contribute in the follow up class.

While visiting the typical Finnish primary school, it was interesting to note that the children automatically stand when an adult enters the room, and at the beginning and end of lessons. I learnt that this was a calming method that indicated the difference between class time and break time for the children. This significantly contributed to the overall calm atmosphere and sense of freedom within the school, for pupils and staff, even though it initially seemed controlled. 

A typical Finnish classroom >>>>

Furthermore, the teachers and children wear casual clothes with no uniform restrictions, the teachers setting an example for the children. The school day varies in length according to the age of the kids, but, on average, it is much shorter than in Northern Ireland. For example, when children start school in Finland at the age of seven, their school day is four hours. There is a national curriculum in place but it is flexible. Teachers have the freedom to choose what to teach and often there are different local curricula. The most surprising aspect of the teaching profession here is the fact that there is no inspectorate! A great deal of trust is instilled in teachers and pupils alike. The government and other professionals state that there is no need for an inspectorate because teachers are only qualified to teach in Finland after they have completed a Master’s degree. There are many differences between the education systems in different countries; this came to light in a seminar for one of the modules I am studying called Finnish Schools in the Light of International Comparison. I found it fascinating to learn about other systems, such as those in Spain and China, from other exchange students studying the same module. I hope to learn more this way, through discussing aspects of education with other students and lecturers.