Reader Perspective: High School Exchange Program in Finland

Written by DIWYY guest writer, Ember, who is currently doing a high school exchange program in Finland.

If someone would have told me that I was going to be an exchange student at the beginning of my junior year of high school, I would have not believed them. I did not actually choose to be an exchange student until I went to an informational meeting given by Rotary International about their Youth Exchange program. Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) is a highly respected exchange program for high school students. It has given about 8,000 students from 80 different countries the chance of a lifetime.  After that meeting I was set on being an exchange student. I have always wanted to travel and this was my chance to go somewhere for a year. I love new cultures and languages so this program was perfect for me.

The Rotary asks the exchange student to pick and prioritize the five countries they most want.  My choices were: Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic. When I made my choices, I researched the countries and I made lists about what I liked about each destination. Unfortunately, I did not think about climate when I was making my choices.

The February before I was to start my exchange, I was told I was going to Finland. I realized all I knew about Finland was where it was on the map and that it has the best education system in the world. I didn’t know much else. So I started researching Finnish culture.  It was not easy to find books on Finnish culture, but my Dad did find one called Culture Shock. I also bought a few books on how to learn the language. I soon learned all about the Finns and what I thought would be their culture, and I also started learning their difficult language. Finnish is not Latin based, and is like no other language, so even if I thought I had it perfect before I left, I was wrong.

My first week in Finland was a bit of a culture shock. Everything I had read was someone else’s interpretation of the culture. Some of it helped, but not a lot. The language was and still is overwhelming. I now know enough Finnish that I understand people and I can answer them in short sentences. Most of the time people speak English, which can be frustrating for me trying to learn. However, when I do try to speak in Finnish my friends help me as much as possible.

High school here is very different than high school in the United States. For one, it is called Lukio. Lukio starts at age 16 and is voluntary.  Going to Lukio is different for me. It is hard to put the exchange students in classes because the language is so hard to learn. Even now it is hard for us to go into a course taught entirely in Finnish. As a result, we are scheduled into English courses, courses taught in English, and the first year courses, many of which I have already taken. Therefore, most of my friends are younger than me. Some other differences: if you have a class in the beginning the day and the end of the day, you can leave and go home in between. We also have a warm, healthy, free lunch every day.  Additionally, education is free, even at the university level.

I never imagined that being an exchange student would change me so much. I also cannot imagine what life will be like when I return. I feel at times like I am Finnish. I have started acting like them and have assimilated to their culture. But, I will have to go home soon. I know there is such a thing as reverse culture shock and I know I will go through it. I wish that I could be an exchange student the rest of my life. I guess I will be. Being an exchange student is a lifestyle and it is hard to get rid of that lifestyle.  Now when I look back, I have to think why I ever didn’t want to be an exchange student. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn about cultures and to learn about yourself.