Leaving for Finland!

Tomorrow is the big day! I leave from Cleveland to Washington DC, make a stop in Copenhagen, Denmark, and then on to Helsinki, Finland, where some of my family will pick me up from the airport (most don’t speak English though). My second cousin Tarja (Tha-di-a) will then meet me at my apartment where she has brought a few things like sheets, cooking things, a hair dryer and wants to help me with anything she has extra that I can borrow. She has my keys and speaks fluent English. I think I will be spending a lot of time with her. I am very excited but also nervous. I have never lived in a big city or spent more than one day in one. I suspect that finding my way to classes will be my first major struggle. I will basically be starting over as a freshman! I think this will help me grow as a person though.

Some people may be wondering why I picked Finland in the first place. Many of you may have to look at a map to even know where it is. When I decided I wanted to study abroad (freshman year) I was set on going to Italy. I had a very romantic view of the country, and thought it would be a great place to spend some time. When having a conversation with someone who had already studied abroad, I was asked why I picked Italy. I stated my few reasons, but he did not seem convinced that this was the place for me. I was then asked why not Finland? After all I am 50% Finnish and have never been there. After a few days of reflecting I realized that studying abroad was not only a chance for me to see a new culture, but a chance for me to see a country that means so much to my family.

 In my house Finnish is spoken everyday by my mom and grandparents, but I cannot speak more than a few sentences. I spoke it when I was younger but after going to kindergarten, did not use it anymore. I have always wanted to speak it but have never put in the effort needed.  It has taken my grandmother (who is going to be 85) getting sick for me to truly realize how important it is for me to go. As resilient as my grandparents are to keep living and working, they are not going to be here forever and I only have so much time to learn their story and history. My grandma, Mumma as we call her which means grandma in Finnish, has a blood disease that has caused her body to quit producing blood. She is now going through chemo to trick her body into thinking it has cancer so that it starts producing again. She told me right before I left that only 40% of people live, I was again reminded of the limited time I had to get to Finland and get home. One specific goal I have is to find out if her farm is still standing and visit it. I want to learn the language and culture and continue that when I get home. My goal is to only speak Finnish to my grandparents and mom once I return.

Besides family reasons, I want to go to Finland because it has one of the best school systems in the world! Higher education is normally free, but since I am in an exchange program I had to pay. Finland is also one of the countries that during the economic crisis in 2008 stayed stable and was a lender to other EU countries. I am very interested in learning more about Finnish economics since I already know taxes are very high. I have researched some on current events but will continue this once I get there. I want to learn everything I can about Finland and its role in the world.

This is a brief introduction to my trip. It has been a very difficult road so far but I know it will be worth it. I hope you will continue reading. I feel I will have a lot to talk about as I experience a new chapter in my life. I don’t think I can go without briefly mentioning Catlin Yager. I was very sorry to hear about this tragedy. I did not know her very well but she was supposed to study in Russia and spend a weekend or so with me in Finland. My condolences to her family and everyone who knew her. 

I am happy to answer any questions about my experience and studying abroad in general.

Danie Chirdon