Good memories

Two weeks ago my great Erasmus semester was over. The Student Village was already empty, my friends had already left and I was ready to go home and to see my family and friends again. Still I wished I could stay and I'm sure I will go back there for a holiday to visit friends. For now it's over and time for my last blog. 

In the beginning of my semester I was longing for Dutch food sometimes. Speculaas, Sinterklaas candy, the bread etc. The last week I was only thinking about what Finnish food I could bring home and I didn’t feel at all like eating Dutch food. However, I was looking forward to riding my own bike on very good bicycle roads without any pedestrians walking in the way and to feel the fresh cold wind. Somehow I felt like it was not windy at in Finland and I even lived at the seaside. The last couple of weeks was hanging out with friends, arranging all administrative stuff and visiting the most special places in Turku for the last time.

It was not so much about looking forward to what I can have at home, but about what we would miss. Some examples are the Student Village, minttu, salmiakki, korvapuusti, the trips, the Finnish language, Marimekko, Stockmann, Muumi, sauna, Fazer, Finnish music, the clubs, Glögi, pipari, the dinners, the teatimes, the birthday parties and making cakes. And all of these examples together is only a tiny part. 

What I will mostly miss are the friends I made there and all the things we did together. They became real friends and not just for the period in Turku. We will see each other again already in February and I’m so looking forward to it!

When returned to the Netherlands I didn't go back to Tilburg. My exchange period was the last semester of my bachelor which I’ve now completed. In March I will leave again to my next big trip. Last year I went abroad a lot and I liked it. I will not study next semester, but I wanted to do something from which I can learn a lot and develop myself further. Therefore I decided to go to Cambodia to do volunteer work. Going abroad is great, you meet a lot of new people and you see differences between countries and cultures. You see how things can be done and organized differently and how people communicate in a different way.

During my time in Finland my image of the Netherlands was not always that positive, although I’m from the country itself and sometimes a typical Dutch person. People are very direct (too direct sometimes), individualistic, and do many things just “because they can”. In Finland people are really honest, if they say something they really mean it, they are very hospitable and very respectful. They are much less individualistic, it’s not only about yourself, but also about the people around you and the environment. It was so nice to be in contact with some Finns and to experience that. For me it was a great country to live in.

Being back home you see your own culture from a different perspective. I heard what other peoples think about Dutch people and the country and now you see it yourself. For example when you drive through a neighborhood you see ditches everywhere. Also the language is pretty weird. We use so many sayings when we talk and the structure is also very complicated. Having learned a little bit of Finnish from scratch you think about how it would be to learn Dutch and I agree now that it must be very difficult. Walking in an old city like Den Bosch, Delft or Amsterdam makes me proud and I love the way these cities look. Going abroad for a while enables you to reflect on your own country and it’s habits and to see the special things. Every day I see something else and I like it!