Serena was on an exchange year in Finland

Hi, I'm Serena from Italy!

I spent my high school exchange year in Finland. I chose to do this experience because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone to try new things and I chose Finland as a destination because I wanted a European country that had a completely different culture from the Italian one.

School in Finland

School in Finland is completely different from the school system in Italy. In many ways, I actually found it more similar to my way of being. In Finnish schools, all the services work very well. There is full communication between students and teachers, who are always attentive to your progress, but above all, to your mental state, one of the aspects that is worked on a lot in the Finnish school environment. The school that was assigned to me was a very stimulating environment for students and exchange students. It allows you to grow as a person and as an individual simply by remaining who you are, working on your potential and how to best bring it out.

Activities

I did many new activities during my year abroad. I attended the theater and music classes that my school allowed students to attend. I tried cross-country skiing for the first time. My friends and I had the habit, even in the cold, of going out to study in a cafe and then meeting up around the city to take pictures and visit new places.

Making friends

It wasn't difficult for me to make friends at all. I consider myself a very open person, which is why I wasn't afraid to have this experience. I was lucky enough to have many exchange students around me with whom I could share my feelings and emotions, and they were a source of great support for me in difficult times. I still love them all. On the other side, I met many local people, and even though they have different cultures and ways of doing things, Finns are very open to meeting new people and share the beautiful things they have to say about their country of origin.

My host family

One of the most positive aspects of my year abroad was definitely my host family. Today, I consider them an integral part of me and my family, including my Italian one. I had the privilege of having three wonderful host siblings, and I was able to understand what it means to be the big sister, I hope I left them something positive for the future. My host dad is one of the nicest and kindest people in the world. He has always been really gentle with me. My host mom was like a best friend to me, I will always be grateful to have her in my life. All of them, together with uncles, grandparents, and cousins, were a shoulder to cry on in difficult moments and my first supporters, ready to rejoice with me in good moments. For me, they will always be my Finnish mom, dad, and siblings,

Differences

There are a thousand differences that I could list, like that the school system is very different and that Finland faces 6 months of darkness and very cold days every year (a climate that an Italian from the south like me is definitely not used to…). One of the funniest moments I remember from my year abroad is when it snowed so much that some days the snow reached our knees and my friends and I played throwing ourselves in the snow, coming home all wet hahaha.

Every time I noticed a difference, especially a funny one, I wrote it down in my phone notes, and a long list came out, which served as a starting point for me to tell my Italian family about my experience. I advise all exchange students to do it, sometimes it's really fun to talk about it. It was worth living everything I experienced, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to fully experience these differences.

Expectations

My year abroad exceeded all my expectations. I was already very positive at the start, but everything went even better than I expected. Luckily, I didn't have many difficulties or particularly difficult moments. In difficult moments, I was lucky to have people by my side who gave me courage, but what I wish for all future exchange students is not to be afraid of these difficult moments because they will make you grow and understand who you are more than anything else.

Learning about oneself

My year abroad allowed me to know myself deeply and understand what my potential is. It helped me to be who I am and know how to interface with any type of person, even those who were not similar to me in character. I learned to adapt to any situation and find ways to live them to the fullest.

Recommendations

To anyone who is thinking of doing a year abroad: Do it!!! It will be the best experience of your life. Years later, I would go back a thousand times and always make the same choice to leave again. This experience will give you an open mind that no other experience can give you. If you have the opportunity, go and live the experience 100%. My advice is to accept everything that is proposed to you (within the limits of the rules of course haha), even those activities that seem not suitable for you. You might discover new sides of yourself and new passions that you can then take home with you. Many times they are the ones that offer you the most unforgettable experiences.

In any case, I recommend Finland as a country or the Nordic countries in general, because they know how to welcome you at the same time as teaching you so much.

Why I chose STS

I chose STS with my family. They believed it was the most suitable for my experience. My older brother had the same experience in Finland with STS, and he also had a great time. They were always available for any clarification and for any help to me, my family, or my host family.

Find out more

• Read more student stories from Finland
• Read more about a high school exchange in Finland
• See all our high school exchange destinations