Day 6 – 19/04/26

Ignacio:
We woke up and had breakfast, then we ate some crepes that are very popular at local festivals in Finland before heading back to Tampere. When we arrived, we spent some time resting at home, watched basketball on TV, and had typical Finnish sausages for dinner.

Enrique:
Today we woke up much earlier than usual because we were going skiing on one of the biggest mountains near Kolari. We took a bus, and when we arrived, we rented ski equipment for me. Then we went to the slopes to practice, because it was my first time skiing. The first few falls were hard, but by the third run I was already improving. Little by little, I learned how to turn and stopped falling. After about an hour, I knew the basics, so we decided to go to the top of the mountain. We went down a slope along the side of the mountain that ended near a lift leading to a higher area. When we reached the top, we took some photos. Jimi skied down, but since I’m not as experienced, I went down by lift.
At the bottom, Jimi suggested going up again for one last run. We were very tired, especially me, and the snow was quite melted, which made skiing more difficult. Even so, we went down the slope one last time before taking the bus back. When we got home, we went to the sauna and then we rested.

 Day 5 – 18/04/26

Ignacio:
We all woke up around the same time and had breakfast with toast made from a very popular bread in Finland. Then, we cleaned and prepared an bathtub, filled it with water, and cut wood to heat it. They also showed me how to cut and prepare firewood properly. After that, we had lunch, chicken with roasted vegetables, and then we went to Bore, the town where the family grew up. There, they bought some things and left one of their boats for repair. When we returned home, we heated the bathtub again and tried a typical Finnish dessert made of melted cheese with milk and jam from a local fruit. For dinner, we had stuffed baked potatoes. Later, we tried one of the most popular Finnish traditions: we first spent some time in the sauna, then went into cold water (around 10°C), and finally into the hot bathtub (around 40°C).

Enrique:
When we arrived in Lapland, we were very tired after sleeping on the train. Still, we left our luggage in a cottage where Jimi’s grandmother lives, and where we would stay for a few days. After that, we went to the forest behind the cottage, where I saw snow for the first time in my life. It was a bit frozen because of the low temperatures at night, but during the day it became softer as it started to melt. Walking in the forest was difficult because our feet sank into the snow, but we kept going. At one point, we found an axe and some logs, so we cut some firewood. After lunch, we explored the village of Äkäslompolo, visiting a supermarket decorated with a giant reindeer statue. Then, we walked on a completely frozen lake with amazing views, where some people were fishing and others were cross-country skiing. After spending more time exploring the village and playing in the snow, we went back home, used the sauna,                                                   since there was no lake nearby, we jumped into the snow instead.

 Day 4 – 17/04/26

Today was a calm school day. We went to classes together, we did our work, and met more people. After school, we separated because each of us would spend the weekend with our Finnish host family.

Enrique:
After school and having something to eat at home, Jimi and I went for a walk in a forest near our house. We passed by some lakes where people usually swim after the sauna. After the walk, we went back home to pack some things for our trip to Lapland, in the north of Finland, where there is still some snow and where we will see things that are hard to find in Tampere. Once everything was ready and we had eaten, we went to the train station to take a train to Kolari. The journey takes about 10 hours, and we will spend the night on the train.

Ignacio:

After school, we went back home, had something to eat, and got ready to go to the family’s cottage. It was located outside the city, about an hour and fifteen minutes away by car. When we arrived, they showed me the cottage and some of the rooms, and we went for a walk around the area, which belongs to the family. I also saw other cottages owned by some of their family. Later, we had dinner salmon with sauce and they explained that salmon is a very typical fish in Finland.

 Day 3 – 16/04/26

Today we wanted to solve a problem we had. When we arrived at school, each of us had to go to different classes, Enrique with Jimi and Ignacio with Voitto. This meant we couldn’t stay together, which made things more difficult. So, during lunch at around 11 a.m., we looked for a solution, we would alternate classes. We would go together, first to Jimi’s class and then to Voitto’s, depending on which had more free seats.

During the classes and breaks, we met more friends of our partners. Everyone was very friendly and tried to make us feel comfortable by starting conversations and asking us questions about Spain.

After school, we went home quickly because we wanted to visit a famous museum in the city center. Museums are free, but they close at 6 p.m., so we didn’t have enough time since school finished at 4 p.m. and we still had to go home first.

Even so, we went for a walk around the city center and visited some shops. We also tried some typical local sweets, while they continued showing us important places. First, we saw again the place where energy is produced using water, as they said it looks different during the day. Then, we visited a Catholic church on the way to the Nokia Arena, the best ice hockey stadium in the country, where we will watch a semifinal match between two local teams next week. After the tour, we went to the bus stop to come back home, passing by the train station.

 Day 2 – 15/04/26

Today was our first day of classes in Finland. School started at 9:45 a.m., which we found surprising because in Spain classes usually start much earlier. When we arrived, we saw a large campus with different buildings depending on which subjects students study.

Inside the school, what impressed us the most were the facilities. There are sofas and a lot of technology in every classroom. However, the best part is how friendly everyone is, teachers, students, and our exchange friends all make you feel welcome and help you feel comfortable. They also support you if you need help to follow the lessons. Another thing that surprised us was the food, which was much better than we expected. Interestingly, many of the products sold in the cafeteria are made by cooking students, as there are practical courses similar to FP in Spain.

After school, we visited the center of Tampere, where we saw some shopping centers and walked around the city. There, we met a Brazilian man who spoke Spanish and had studied in Granada. He told us a bit about his life and where he came from.

One of the best parts of the day was in the evening. After dinner, we all met at a friend’s house to watch an Arsenal Champions League match, their favorite team even though football is not very popular in Finland. Before the match, we played a car game and talked about the differences between Finland and Spain. After the game, everyone went home to rest.

 Day 1 – 14/04/26

We woke up early to start our trip at 6 a.m., traveling from Seville to Málaga. The journey took about 2 hours and 40 minutes, and we arrived at the airport around 9 a.m. After checking in our luggage and going through security, we went straight to the boarding gate, where we waited to get on the plane.

The flight lasted a little over 4 hours. When we arrived, our host families were waiting for us and welcomed us after we collected our bags. One thing that surprised us was the difference between the airports: Málaga’s airport is very large, while Tampere’s is much smaller.

After leaving our luggage at home, we were shown around the center of Hervanta, an area where many students live because it is close to the university campus. There are several buildings, and each student goes to a different one depending on their studies, which are identified by letters.

In the center, they explained the main places, but since we didn’t have much time, it was a quick tour. They showed us the first place where energy was produced using river water (1), the front of the theatre (2), and a building similar to a town hall (3), which has a fountain covered with glass to protect it during big ice hockey events.

(1)                                                         (2)                                                          (3)