Exchange Student Letters: A letter from Makena in Finland

Moi Rotary! I’ve been asked to write a little article about my exchange year to give you all a little peep into what my life has looked like for the past 9 months.

I’m originally from Hood River, Oregon but for the past 9 months (with 2 still to come), I’ve been living in Sastamala, Finland as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program. My decision to go on exchange didn't really feel like a decision at all. I genuinely can't remember a time in my life where RYE wasn't in the cards for me. When I tell people that I am living my dream by doing RYE, sometimes I think they don't believe me, because what 6 year old dreams of living with a completely new family across the world for a year? Well, that 6 year old was me. So when my sophomore year of high school rolled around and it was time to apply, it just felt like the next part of my life, it was so natural for me.

After months of preparation, August 3rd came around and I landed in Helsinki, Finland with 65 of my new closest friends from around the world to start our exchange years together. When I first arrived, one of the biggest surprises was simply how quiet and peaceful Finland and its people are. Another thing that caught me off guard was exactly how cooked I was when it came to learning Finnish. I'm 9 months in and I'm just barely above an A1 level as Finnish is the fifth most difficult language in the world for native English speakers to learn. Even small differences, like walking everywhere, shorter school days, cooler weather, slightly different foods and even meal times, made everyday life feel completely new.

A typical day for me now looks like waking up for school at 11am, having class with a break in the middle and then having a full, warm, and actually nutritious meal for lunch with my friends. After that, I'll have more classes until either 2pm or 3.30pm. After school, I ride my bike back home and walk my dog Penne (like the pasta) along the river bank until dinner at 4:30 or 5pm. To me, Finnish school seems a lot more focused on the actual academic part of education. My school, like most European schools, does not offer clubs, sports, or associations that are attached to the school itself so there’s no other part of school than intentional learning. This forces students in lukio (high school) to be involved in their community in order to be a part of sports, clubs, and other interests. In Finland, there are two options for kids after middle school.

They can either choose to go to lukio (high school) or ammattikoulu (trade school). Having both options lets kids choose what type of education they feel is best for them, it also causes kids to be more attentive and respectful to the school and teachers because no one is forcing them to there and learn, its all their choice. Outside of school, I spend my time reading, being outside (especially now that the weather is warming up!) and traveling around other places in Finland. This winter, I had the amazing opportunity to join one of the few ski teams in Southern Finland, Ellivuori Ski Team. Our training took place only 20 minutes away from my home and lasted from January to March, as Finland also had an absolutely horrible winter. It was also an awesome place for me to use my Finnish because a lot of the kids on the team were young and had not yet learned English.

Living with my host family (the Tiainen family) has been one of the best experiences of my life. For my exchange year I live with my mom, dad, and brother (19). However, my brother moved out to fulfill his mandatory military service this past January. I also have a sister (17) who is currently on her exchange in Germany. In RYE, it is customary to have 2-3 host families over the course of the exchange year, however this is not my case.

I happen to have been placed in what one might describe as the middle of nowhere. Therefore, there are not many host families for me to stay with. Because of this, I have stayed with the Tiainens for the entirety of my exchange and couldn't be more grateful! I now know that I have two moms, two dads, two sisters, and finally a brother because of my exchange. I have also gained new grandparents, aunts, uncles, and countless more family friends because my new family and their friends have been so welcoming to me since months before my exchange started. Half of my family is in the USA and the other half is in Finland!

Of course, not everything has been easy. One of the biggest challenges has been learning Finnish. Most everyone I know speaks English fluently or near fluently because it is taught to them starting in the first grade. Even so, I still wanted to learn Finnish because if I didn't learn the language then I wouldn't be able to ever fully understand the culture and people of Finland. Over time, I’ve learned to put myself in situations where I know that I will have to speak Finnish. One of my favourite ways to do this is to take a train into the city and do all of my communication in Finnish just to practice. I like this because if I mess up, I know that I'll never see any of the people I'm talking to ever again so it doesn't matter.

Despite the challenges, some of the best moments have been skiing under the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland and swimming with jellyfish in the freezing Baltic Sea (the water was 5C=41F). One moment I’ll never forget is the day I had a conversation in Finnish and the other person didn't know that I wasn't Finnish. Experiences like these have made everything worth it.

As my exchange in Finland enters its final 2 months, I know this experience isn’t over yet.
In the time I have left here, I’m looking forward to EuroTour. This year on EuroTour 35 exchange students, including myself, will be visiting Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. One thing I especially want to do before leaving is go to Moomi World. I absolutely love Moomi. I also plan on using my Finnish as much as I can because I know that when I come home I will miss speaking and hearing Finnish every day.

There are still everyday moments I want to fully appreciate, like the cooler weather and sunsets over the river. These small things have become a big part of my life here, and I don’t want to take them for granted.
At the same time, I know the end of my exchange will come with mixed emotions. I’m excited to come home and see the mountains and my friends (mostly mountains, lol), but it will be difficult to leave behind the nature and life that I have come to love here. Saying goodbye to my family will definitely be the hardest part. I try not to think about it because whenever I do, I cry.

For now, my goal is to make the most of every moment. Whether it’s traveling Europe with my friends or simply walking my dog on the river, I want to finish my exchange strong and take in everything this experience still has to offer, because a lot can still happen in 2 months!

This exchange has changed me in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve become confident and even more open-minded and I’ve learned to do things on my own because doing it by yourself is always better than not doing it at all. Being in a completely new environment has shown me that life is not contained by a political border but by the borders we create for ourselves. If we stay within the borders of the life we think we’re “supposed to live” then we aren't really living at all, we’re just missing out on everything else that the world has to offer. I mean, I don't think swimming in 32F water was on your schedule today but it could be if you wanted to step beyond your borders!

Looking back, what started as excitement and a little bit of nervousness has turned into a lasting happiness from the life I've created here. My time in Finland has not only given me unforgettable memories, but also a new perspective on life that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

-Makena