It may sometimes be complicated to live abroad because of the cultural aspect, BUT, don’t be afraid. Last year, I went to Finland for my Erasmus. I stayed in Turku (2 hours by bus from Helsinki) for 6 months, and I tried to fit in well in the Finnish culture. Before going there, I checked some tips and tricks about this unknown country on the internet. The same way I read stereotypes about the Portuguese before coming here, I also read a lot of funny (and other not funny) things about the Finns… Let’s talk about stereotypes. I was thinking that the Finnish people were rude, impolite, and unable to share their feelings. I considered that they were old bears listening to metal music and drinking vodka the entire day. It’s true that the Finnish language is not as beautiful as the French language, and that it sounds unpleasant, BUT I will give you some good reasons to visit Finland anyway. First, they all have a sauna in their houses. This is a really good advantage. They are a little bit crazy because most of the time, after the sauna, they all jump in the cold water (in the lake, the Baltic Sea, snow or whatever). They always go naked to the sauna, even if they do it with business associates because it gives them the possibility to forget the hierarchy. About the daylight, in June and July, the sun doesn’t drop below the horizon and the temperature is around thirty degrees, you can party all night long without feeling that it’s time to sleep! the winter, on the contrary, is really hard. The temperatures are around minus thirty degrees you can walk on the frozen Baltic Sea. It is snowing all the time and you can build a snowman and throw snowballs on your friends. It was in Finland that I saw the quietest and most beautiful landscapes I have seen in my life. Everything seems blue (the sky and the sea) white (the snow) and green (the forest). Landscapes are gigantic and huge. It’s easy to go on a trip around Finland because there are a lot of countries. I went to Russia, Lapland, Aland Island, Sweden, Latvia, and Estonia. I also used a Couchsurfing website to meet people in each city where I stayed, and visited tourist attractions and other places “not meant” for tourists. It’s hard to make friends with a Finn. I do not mean this against the people themselves, just in a cultural sense. They usually don’t speak too much and boys are shy, they never hit on you. Which means it is girls’ turn to go and make a move on them, and well, why not? – For me, and having a double of actor Channing Tatum in my English course, this was not a problem. One of the stereotypes about Finns is truly true… They LOVE VODKA. In some bars or places you can ask to have a bucket with a cocktail of vodka inside. Most of the students (even me) take a cheap ferry (to go to Estonia or Latvia) and buy alcohol Duty-free – meaning that we can buy alcohol and not pay any taxes. So, to conclude, I would say that any experience can be a good experience to have. It may sometimes be complicated to live abroad because of the cultural aspect, BUT, don’t be afraid, I can say in full honesty that this kind of program has given me one of the best experiences in my life. This is the opportunity to meet some new friends, and to feel free! Léa Fricot Students’ Union French Volunteer Project co-financed by ERASMUS+

Ruas geladas, noites intermináveis e um frio cortante caracterizam o inverno no Círculo Polar Ártico. Rovaniemi pode chegar aos 35 graus negativos e, apesar de estar meio ano coberta por um manto de neve, é uma das cidades mais encantadoras do mundo. Museus, galerias, bares, restaurantes, clubes e muitas outras actividades ajudam combater o frio inverno. Começamos a visita pelo museu Arktikum, onde podemos observar com grande detalhe como é que as pessoas têm sido capazes de sobreviver a este tipo de clima, explorar o passado Sami, dos povos indígenas da Lapónia, e ter uma ideia do que a mudança climática pode fazer. Continuamos por Santa Claus Village, a casa do Pai Natal, provavelmente, a atracção mais popular da cidade. Renas, luzes, árvores de Natal, é Natal 356 dias por ano. À noite podem ver-se os mágicos Northern Lights, a aurora boreal, o mais belo fenómeno natural que vi na minha vida. Luzes verdes e vermelhas preenchem o céu e fazem despertar os sentimentos mais empolgantes que enchem o nosso corpo por alguns momentos. Esta cidade oferece também uma variedade de desportos como pesca, caminhadas, patinagem no gelo, motas de neve, trenó com huskies ou renas, esqui, snowboard, que fazem desta visita ser inesquecível. Depois de uma viagem a este encantador canto do mundo não te intimidará mais o frio e a escuridão. Rovaniemi é magia em estado puro, e ensinar-te á a disfrutar a vida abaixo de zero ao mesmo tempo que explorarás uma cultura quase tão inóspita como desconhecida. Mayka Rubio Voluntária Espanhola na Académica da Madeira Projecto co-financiado por Erasmus+.