Cultural differeneces: Being a Young adult in Italy and in Finland During my Exchange in Finland I have heard many thinks that are part of the Finnish culture and sound very different from the Italian one. Talking to some Finnish friends, one of the things I was surprized to hear was about being a Young adult here in Finland. Since the age of 18, people leave their home and their families and move to other cities to study or work. Even if their occupation is close to the parents's house city or in the same city, young adults move away. Young Finns are in charge of finding a new place for them self and pay for it and their needs. For the Finnish people, being older than 18 and living with the family it is seen like something wrong and despicable. A Young adults who decides to stay at home with the parents should be ashamed and the person is considered as an immature individual. In Italy (especially in the South), this is very different. I personally moved away to study
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Christmas in Sicily VS Christmas in Finland Christmas period is important and loved by many cultures but, the way we celebrate and spend the period before and during Christmas time can be very different. One of the most characteristic aspect of Finnish Christmas culture are the Christmas markets where you can meet Santa or go shopping. People sell handcrafts, local products, food and gifts. Small and big cities have their own markets going on during the weekend and they are very popular. People drink Hot wine and eat paistres on the Streets. In Sicily (where I am from) there are not such markets in the big cities. In the last years, maybe to imitate northen countries, it is possible to visit some temporary markets during Christmas time, but that is not actually in our tradition. People usually buy presents in the common shops and we have no hot wine at all. Although,in the small villages in the countryside is possible to visit some 'food festivals' where local produ
Studying in Finland: the main differences with the Dutch system I have been studing physiotherapy for the last 3 years in The Netherlands. I was so excited about the opportunity of coming to Finland for a semester as an Exchange due to the fact that Finland is famous all over the world for the high level of education and the quality of the health care system. Studying in Finland has been very interesting. Since day one I noticed that the the classes, the methods students use in order to get their knowledge and prepare for exams is very different from what I am used to. First, the cycle of studies here in Finland lasts 3 years, in The Netherlands is 4 in total. Where I study (in the Netherlands) the theoretical classes are more during the week and the time we spend reading books and articles is endless. Here in Finland this is not the same. The theory is important but not as much as the practical skills. I was impressed by the level of professional attitude o
Country comparison:Finland and Italy (Hofstede theory) Now, I will try to show you the results of an analysis has been done on Finland and Italy using the Hofstede theory. This tool is very useful and interesting one to use in order to get a good overview of the different cultures and make a comparison with other countries in the world. I knew Italians and Finnish are very different but, using the Hofstede theory, I learned about some more aspects of the Finnish and Italian society and how much they actually differ from each other. Finland and Italy have been analyzed on different levels and fields: Power distance, individualism, masculinity, long term orientation and indulgence. In analysis about Finland, the results of the study show a society in which equal rights, decentralized power and communication are fundamental both in private life and working field. The score Finland achieved in the field of Individualism is pretty high. This feature highlights the common
My schocking Erasmus My Erasmus experience is coming to the end. After four months in Finland I can say that it has been a great adventure. I believe that this experiences has the power to enrich you in a professional level, deeping you knoledge but, even more, it can enrich you as a person. Meeting new people, being in a country you dont know, speaking new languages, trying new food, living in new and unaspected conditions, everything puts you out of your confort zone and makes you a more mature and open-minded individual. I really suggest this experience to all those who have a chance to live it. The unique point about doing an Erasmus is that it gives you the opportunity to know more about the world and about yourself. Furthermore, you can learn how to look at the things in life from different points of view. If I am asked to describe my own experience in Finland using few words I would definitely say: Friends and Nature. On one hand, the word friends obviously re
Experiencing the Sauna in Helsinki My Erasmus is coming to the end, it is crazy how time flow past so quickly. My Brother came over from Italy to visit me and that was definitely a good reason to go to Helsinki for a day trip again. The city is even nicer now that Christmas is coming. Lights, Christmas markets in the Senate square and in the square in front of the Harbour and many tourists around. We had a good time and were walking around for a while, visiting the nice markets. In Italy we do not have Christmas Markets or anything like that. For this reason I guess it was really nice for my Brother to see that, However, the best part of the day was when we went to the Sea Pool Sauna place at the Helsinki Harbour. In Italy saunas are not common, here in Finland are everywhere, for this reason it ws important for me to make my Brother try it. Paying the entrance ticket (8 euros for students and 10 for adults) you have free access to the saunas, swimingpools and changin
Turku Castle During the 100years Celebration Coming to Finland in 2017 was surely a good opportunity in order to join special events organized by the governament in order to celebrate the 100 of indipendence of the country. As I anticipated in the previous post, Finns love their country and their traditions. It seems like, out of all the festivities and celebrations, the Indipendence day is one of the most important for them. Finns are very proud of their freedom. Yesterday was the official celebration day (6of december) and it seemed like even the nature wanted to give her gift to the country. The day was freezing cold but with a nice blue sky and even the sun. The castle of Turku is owned and maintained by the Finnish state and is entrusted to the use of the city of Turku. Now, during the ordinary days, the castle functions in its entirety as a historical museum as part of the Turku provincial museum and it is possible to visit it. Yesterday, in honor of the I