Hey, my name is Karla. I’m from Germany and I’m studying political science and sociology in Frankfurt. Right now I’m doing my Erasmus in Rovaniemi and I’m loving it. I fell in love with Lapland’s landscapes and the Finnish mentality. I even extended my studies here for this semester and I’m hoping to spend summer here as well.
When I arrived in August everything was extremely calm and relatively summer-ish. I enjoyed the long days and was fascinated by daylight that seemed to never disappear in a way. Somewhere far away near the horizon was a little shimmer of light far until past midnight. I also remember that everybody welcomed us so warmly and tried to support us wherever possible in order to create wonderful memories here.
Why to chose Lapland?
I’ve chosen Lapland because I wanted to do something special and I wanted to go to place where people speak English well. I also thought that Erasmus is supposed to guide you to places which otherwise you would not have chosen to go to. I was also curious about living in the darkness because I couldn’t imagine it being dark all day long. When looking at it now, this was a relatively stupid reason to go to Lapland since it’s basically just night all day. Yes, for sure. I got to experience the dark, everybody is speaking English well and my expectations were even exceeded since everybody is so welcoming and supportive. Studies are good. I like the format that courses are over a longer period of time at once but that the semester doesn’t have the same schedule until the end.
Lapland is like a retreat
Studying in Lapland – Why different
Like I said before the courses are longer on a daily basis and the semester isn’t the same for 6 months. Also, we are allowed to call teachers by their first names and in general everybody is less formal. I really like that the university is small especially in comparison to my home uni. It’s mainly super cold and extremely beautiful. The landscape, the snow-covered trees, beautiful sunsets and endless hiking possibilities and fun outdoors, I appreciate all these possibilities.
I usually get up late at around 9 a.m., after I eat breakfast and go to study at library, the I eat lunch at Felli, study a bit more and in the evening I either do sports or meet with friends. The outdoor activities. Ounasvaara is close by and we could go cross-country and downhill skiing or hiking, berry picking in the summer. I like that we can easily leave the city and walk in the middle of nowhere without anyone.
Best Experiences in Lapland
Take it easy – relax, everything will fall into place, sometimes you have to communicate it though. Some days this is working better than others. I’ve got a lot: BBQ, ice swimming, skiing in Ruka, being stuck in snow with the car in the middle of nowhere and still finding help just to sit in the sauna in the end of the laughing about our naivety. Lapland is like a retreat.
Corona: how are the days going? Well, It plays a minor role, in university and stores we are asked to wear masks. Then the restrictions came and it we weren’t allowed to go to university or restaurants. This was a big adjustment but luckily we always had nature to escape to.
Being alone doesn’t mean you’re lonely. I think the Finns master at being alone, they don’t seem to have the urge to meet up everyday but rather enjoy being alone. That’s something I’ll need to practice more also in order to foster some self-care.
Read also- Studying In Lapland: My Experience During Corona Pandemic – Ivana
