Pre-departure:
I was so nervous about my trip to Helsinki, mostly because I wasn’t sure what to expect. All I knew was that the culture would be entirely different from my own but, all the postulating in the world could not really prepare you for the real thing. My residence permit application was a breeze, but a bit more expensive than your regular visa so I was so thankful for my Erasmus grant. I booked an appointment at the embassy in Pretoria and I received an email that same afternoon confirming the success of my application. I then went back 2 weeks later to pick up my permit. They were so timely and efficient.
I would suggest getting this aspect of your trip over and done with as soon as possible so that you can book your flight ticket mainly because the earlier you book, the cheaper the plane ticket/s will be. I also wouldn’t advise anyone to book the ticket before getting your permit because, first and most importantly, your residence permit has dates – if you book a ticket for a date earlier than when your permit is valid then you’re in trouble. Another tip would be to buy flexible date change tickets in case something changes. I, for example, took the cheapest option available when I bought my return flight and when I got here (to Helsinki), I realised the courses I planned to take were no longer available. This meant that I was going to finish earlier than anticipated and when I tried to change my ticket, I couldn’t.
When it comes to packing, I would suggest investing in a luggage scale. I got this tiny scale that ended up being a real money saver. It can be just too expensive to pay for overweight luggage in foreign currency. I would also advise anyone travelling over long distances to invest in hard shell suitcases because of the wear and tear bags experience when moving between connecting flights, unless you get them wrapped at the airport. You should also roll your clothes into French loaves to maximise space (a trick Sarah strongly recommended). This creates so much more space than regular folding. Do not pack generic things like shower gel (toothpaste is a must though), they honestly just add unnecessary weight to your luggage and you can buy a new bottle when you get to your destination. Also, make sure that the clothes you pack are suitable for the weather. When I packed for Helsinki, I was under the impression that it would be -1-degree weather, but I forgot to take the actual seasons into account. I arrived at the beginning of autumn and all I had to wear were snow shoes and heavy jackets, so I had to go shopping for lighter clothes because of the constant sweating under my heavy winter clothes.
Experience at the host university:
The original courses I had chosen were unavailable so there was a lot of reshuffling done. The school year begins in August so a lot of attention was given to us as new students. We had an orientation programme with designated tutor-led groups. The tutors really helped us get to know the surrounds and how to navigate our way through the university. For example, the electronic timetable only gives you the letter and a number to indicate the location of your lecture. I found this system to be odd because, without the help of a local, you would never know where any of your classes were. It turned out the letter indicated the street name, and the number represented the building number, therefore Values & Morality F17 Sali 12 meant that my Values & Morality lecture would be at building number 17 on Fabianinkatu street in lecture hall number 12.
To this day, I wonder what we would have done during that first week of lectures had it not been for our tutors. The orientation programme also helped us get registered and getting our student cards, showing us how to the unicafe system works, and all other essential activities on campus.
The unicafe is basically every student’s saving grace. You can get a full meal at any one of these multiple eateries in town; a salad and a glass of milk or juice, for a crazy 2.60 euro. This is the cheapest meal you will find anywhere in Helsinki. A typical meal in Helsinki costs around 10 euro.
The academic programme in Helsinki is excellent. The country offers free education to all students (including foreign students until recently) and provides students with a monthly living and transport allowance. This system is remarkable, I wish this could be a reality in South Africa one day. The level of academic interest in South Africa at the university is also amazing, I have engaged with a lot of scholars on issues in South Africa on multiple occasions. The teaching style at Helsinki university is not dissimilar from that at Stellenbosch university. Lectures are conducted in a similar fashion in the lecture halls, I often forgot I was not at Stellies when attending lectures. The courses they offered on intercultural encounters were interesting. They channelled a lot of interesting topics like Whiteness & Privilege and Cultures in Contact. There was a lot of discourse on subtle racism, prejudice and the refugee crisis, all topics I feel strongly about. They tackled global issues from a non-South African perspective, and so this was very interesting for me because it provided a learning curve; a different approach from which to look at things.
If I had to compare my experiences at Helsinki University to Stellenbosch University, I would say Helsinki University had a liberating effect on me. The interculturality and diversity of opinions gave me a lot of insight I would not have otherwise gained in South Africa.
Yes, South Africa is a diverse nation, but I am a South African and so I think as one therefore, being in a space outside of my comfort zone with different people from different sides of the world was an enriching experience altogether.
Return home:
Preparing for my return home was bittersweet. On the one hand, I wanted to return home and be with my family for Christmas and, on the other hand, I wanted to stay and explore the rest of the country and Europe. I packed my bags a week before I was due to leave but I also planned a trip to Sweden to get in a bit of travelling. The trip to Sweden was also supposed to help me take my mind off my upcoming 22 hour trip back home. I even fell ill during that last week because I was so anxious. It felt like I had been away from home for 4 years instead of just 4 months. I honestly don’t think I would have survived the semester without my flatmate though because it gets really rough during the dark months without sun or snow. Snow is basically the only thing that brightens up Finland during the dark winter, without snowfall or sunlight you can get depressed, which is why you should also get vitamin D pills, especially if you are a person of colour (apparently, people of colour react more adversely to the lack of vitamin D).
My experience abroad has been great overall. I met a lot of amazing people from different parts of the globe and made lifelong friends. I lived in a residence for international students so, that made it easier to make friends since we were all newbies. My perspective of Finnish people has also changed, they are pretty cool people once you get them to talk. This exchange has also afforded me an opportunity to educate people on some of their ignorant views about people of colour. Coming from South Africa and being a black woman, I did expect my race and origin to come up, and so I felt that it was important that I play my part in educating people as much as I could. One of my funniest encounters involved me helping a Russian friend understand that Africa is not a country, and yes, we do have white people in South Africa. All the experiences I had were meaningful and I am glad I got the opportunity to challenge some stereotypes and help people understand and know more about black people and how beautiful South Africa is as a country. I also got to hear people’s opinions about our country and how we are viewed by outside countries.
This exchange has definitely inspired me to go abroad again. I’ve realised that there’s so much more to see out there. I made a friend in Tallin, Estonia who had been travelling alone across the globe for months, I thought that was incredible and brave, and it inspired me to also seize the day. My next stop will probably be China. I would like to take some time off to immerse myself in another culture again, it could be another fulfilling experience.