The two Erasmus semesters in Finland at the prestigious Aalto University are packed with so many experiences that it is difficult to express them in a simple summary. So I will try to describe the course of my stay chronologically.
Submitting an application
Are you one of those people who sit in the classroom in the morning before the professor arrives? That's probably how it should be. I, however, was notorious for notoriously late arrivals, which persisted even when I submitted my application. I applied for one of the most popular exchange destinations a week after the deadline. And yet here I am. The coordinator at Aalto University - Sasha is Czech; she naturally has a good relationship with UWB, and both parties manage the organization of the exchange stay perfectly. After signing two contracts, I had all the assessed money credited to my account. Compared to foreign universities, this process is really excellent, as some of my friends from Germany and Spain are still waiting for the grant after more than half a year. As far as formalities go, it doesn't get any better. :)
Budget
The Erasmus grant for Finland was valued at approximately €600 per month. From the money I saved, I was able to add €400 per month for two semesters, so my total budget was €1000 per month. If I leave out one-off expenses, I usually have 100 - 200 € left at the end of the month. I pay for my accommodation, which is 410€ per month, and parking, which is 10€. Both are very cheap by Finnish standards.
Your budget will mainly depend on how often you go drinking. :) If you decide to go to a bar, 10€ might not even buy you a pint of beer. Student parties are very popular here, though, where you can get a Lonkero for just under €2. So you definitely don't have to skip the recreation.
Journey to Finland
I'm not one to travel light. I packed my old station wagon to the roof with boxes and headed north early in the morning. My future roommate lives in Berlin, which is down the road. So I stopped at his place and somehow stuffed 4 more suitcases into the car. Das Auto. I continued to the port of Lübeck-Travemünde, where I arrived around midnight. I had a few hours to spare before the ferry left, heading straight for Helsinki.
You can easily tell that this is a cruise to Finland - There must not be a sauna missing on board the ship either!
Fig. 1 - In the middle of the Baltic sea
After two exhausting days in the hot tub, the first signs of land appeared - Finland!
Fig. 2 - Morning islands in the haze
Study
There may be some crazy people among you who go to Erasmus to study and not just to travel. I have only good news for such people. Aalto is in the top 250 universities in the world, and it shows. You can look forward to an indescribable student culture. Finns are proud students and show it with countless student events and traditions. At the start of your studies, you will be given a jumpsuit in the colour of your faculty as a Fuksi, for which you will collect patches. If you are a whole student, at the end of the summer term, you will be part of the Wappu, where you will become a Tekkari and receive a Tekkari cap in a ceremony.
And then, naturally, you'll throw your group leader into the freshly thawed sea.
Fig. 3 - A well-deserved reward for voluntary work
As far as the quality of teaching is concerned, however, it is also at an excellent level. You have to put in most of the effort during the semester, when the professor may ask you to do challenging term projects or even a study diary, but the exams are pretty easy after that. The form of the class is entirely up to the professor, so you may well find yourself making up exercises for the second half of the class halfway through the semester. In general, however, studying at Aalto is fun and refreshingly unusual for a student at UWB.
Traveling
Getting to know a new culture is the main attraction of a trip abroad, and Finland certainly didn't disappoint.
I arrived in Finland about a month before the start of the semester, which I spent traveling around southern Finland with my friends from the Czech Republic. We explored the Finnish summer nature, which is beautiful, clean, and, most importantly, vast. You can find parks even in the capital city, but if you travel a little further, you might not come across a living soul all day. We also tried a classic Finnish holiday - a wooden cabin with no electricity or water but with a sauna. The Finns have a really unique relationship with nature.
Fig. 4 - Pier by our private sauna
Estonia is only 2 hours away from Helsinki by ferry, so a visit to Tallinn is a must. You'll experience different architecture, and the Maritime Museum is also worth a visit, where you can go on a submarine.
Fig. 5, 6 - Tallinn architecture
From the end of the first semester, I started to travel north of the Arctic Circle, where I got to know Lapland bit by bit. The temperatures were below -20 degrees, but after a while, you got used to it. The only difference from winter waking up in the Czech Republic was the number of layers I had to put on. (including double gloves).
Fig. 7, 8 - Views of Lapland
My travels also took me to the northern Norwegian city of Tromsø, where I experienced one of the most beautiful sunsets. Of course, when the day had just lasted a few hours.
Fig. 9 - Red breeze in Tromsø
Finally, many of you would probably like to ask me what aspect of northern nature I found most fascinating. I have a definite answer to that question for you:
Fig. 10 - Aurora Borealis, Inari - Finland, Fig. 11 – Aurora Borealis, Lingen - Norway
Fig. 12 – Aurora Borealis, Kilpisjärvi - Finland