Anton's Exchange

“It was a time I will never forget.”

Anton Adamek

Student International Tourism Management

My name is Anton, I am a 24 years old German who studies International Tourism Management. During my third year I did an exchange semester at Haaga-Helia University in Porvoo, Finland. My main motivation to do an exchange semester in Finland was the opportunity to experience a different university environment, meet new people and live in a country that I have never been before. Furthermore, at Haaga-Helia, I was able to follow Aviation Business courses, a topic I was always interested in.

Haaga-Helia University

The university itself is a really small yet modern university which mainly focuses its education on project-based learning. So actually, quite similar to NHL Stenden. I was very lucky to be in a class with many Finnish students, which gave me the chance to dig deep into the Finnish culture. I was kind of surprised that they were all very open-minded and talk active. The class helped me a lot in getting to know the culture better and they showed me their way of living. I was invited to Finnish dinners, typical finish student parties (“sits”) and of course to a real Finnish ice-hockey game from “Jokerit Helsinki”. In addition, the students introduced me to their holy Finnish sauna which is deeply anchored in the Finnish culture.

Finnish language

However, one thing which fascinated me from the beginning on was the Finnish language. The Finnish language is not even close to any other language I know, and it is very hard to read and understand something. But as I am a curious person and like to learn the languages of the countries I am staying in, I took a Finnish course at school and tried to learn the language. In one word; impossible. Luckily, all Finns speak very good English.

Free time

Besides the courses and the daily activities with my fellow students, I have to admit that Porvoo itself is a beautiful, yet very small city. Fortunately, I was able to travel a lot during my stay in Finland. Besides many smaller weekend trips to Helsinki and the surroundings, I travelled to Rovaniemi in Lapland, to discover the Finland which is advertised in travel magazines. I went ice-fishing, husky sledging and watched the northern lights. This trip was by far the most amazing experience during my stay in Finland and I would recommend it to everyone who would like to see the northern part of Europe. It is a different kind of excitement if you stand on a hill in the middle of the night at -35°C and see northern lights above your head.

So overall, my exchange semester at Haaga-Helia was a complete success. I learned a lot about the Finnish culture, the courses on Aviation Business were very informative and I met a lot of new people and discovered one of the most amazing places in Europe. The only thing which can be challenging is the weather, the darkness and the prices. If you are prepared for this, I can recommend Finland to everyone. It was a time I will never forget.