“I’ve learned to sing in Finnish,” claims Greg Lynch from the University of Carleton in Canada.
“I don’t always know what I’m singing about,” he admits, “but I’ve performed several times with the Student Union choir and most of the songs have been in Finnish.”
But singing in a strange Finno-Ugrian language isn’t the only thing that this humanities student from Ottawa has learned during his one-year exchange at the University of Vaasa.
“The choice of courses at the university is just amazing,” Greg says. “I know it sounds a bit weird, but, for example, some of the English literature and culture courses I’ve taken here in Finland actually make a big difference to my degree in Canada.”
Greg thinks that the main strength of the language and cultural studies is, like with most things about the University of Vaasa, that there is a decidedly contemporary, up-to-date touch about everything. He has been able to study topics like popular culture, new literatures and postcolonial studies, to name just a few. “It’s a good addition to the more classical approach they have at my home university. I think it makes for a perfect combination.”
When Greg decided to leave for a one-year exchange period in Europe, one of the things that made him consider Finland was the Nordic welfare system. “I wanted to see first-hand how it works. In Canada there are big debates about the social system and the Nordic countries are often seen as the model example of how things could be organised.”
After coming to Finland, Greg has found also other points of interest. One of them came through the Student Union film club. “I’ve become something of a fan of the Finnish cinema and there are actually several films which I’m going to take to Canada with me and show to my friends.”
Greg is fascinated by some of the elements of Finnish culture, which he thinks can be identified in the films. “There is a melancholic strain to them, but it’s always coupled with a lot of humour. The same can be heard in Finnish music too, I think.”
As an exchange student, Greg is also a member of a large and highly active multicultural community of international students in Vaasa. However, through his hobbies, he has also made friends with many Finns. For Greg, this is a perfect situation to be in. Actually now, after seven months in Vaasa, he feels so much at home here that he believes that he will experience something of a reverse culture shock when he returns to Canada.
“So much has happened, both here and at home.”
But if Greg had to take only one photo to sum his experience of Finland to his family and friends back home, what would be in the picture? “I think it would be me and all the other international students standing on the frozen sea’s ice just behind the university library. And in the background there would be the university campus sauna and maybe some cars driving slowly across the ice. And a beautiful Nordic sunset of course.”
Greg admits that depicting his whole experience of Finland would probably be a challenge for a photographer, but that’s what he would like to take home with him.
