Week 5, 12.02.11 – 18.02.11 (Cultural Blog) - Mandy Brown

It is my fifth week in Finland and although it seems to me that I have lived here far longer, it is only now that I have had more opportunities to experience the culture.  My student tutor invited me along with the other tutor and two exchange students to her apartment at the weekend for a DVD and snack night.  This was enjoyable as it was a more relaxed atmosphere, where I could get to know about the Finnish people rather than them helping me with practical things all of the time!  During the evening we were able to engage in conversation ranging from University life to personal life.  It seemed that we were all intrigued about one another’s culture.  An example of this is that although my tutor gains course credits for helping me, she expressed that she also wanted to learn about me and Belfast.

We also discussed sauna and my tutor explained it was normal for most homes to have a sauna and for people to use it Finnish style (unclothed).  As a family, everyone can go together and that the only awkward part for her personally was during puberty, going into the sauna with her brother.  She invited us all to go to a sauna, and I look forward to joining some Finnish people for this experience.

As part of my ‘Get Finternational’ course I attended the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum, which is the only part of Turku to survive the fire in 1827.  This was an interesting experience to learn a little about the history of Turku in its original form.  It was an outdoor tour including looking inside some of the wooden houses.  I was informed that in those days families baked bread twice a year as a batch could hang from the ceiling and be edible for six months.  In addition to this I saw an old printer’s office, which apparently is still used today for making wedding invitations.

Finally my last experience involved the ‘Understanding Cultural Diversity’ workshop.  I was amongst a group of mainly exchange students and three Finn’s.  The tutor was very engaging, using ice-breaker activities to involve everyone from many different countries, speaking various languages.  This workshop was interesting with numerous examples given to stimulate my thinking about my own identity, beliefs and values, and that of others around me.  It has prompted me to keep an open-mind regarding other people and how their culture may differ from my own; with a reminder that although this is the case, everyone should be respected equally.

Picture: An original Turku house in Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum.

Week 4, 05.02.11 – 11.02.11 (Professional Blog) - Mandy Brown

This week has been more structured than that of previous weeks.  I have attended University lectures and started my day-care placement.  University lectures differ somewhat to that of Stranmillis University where a three-hour lecture began considerably early at 08:15AM.  The lecture was based on the Social Services System in Finland, including Education and Health and Social Care.  Although the lecture appeared long; group work with students from other cultures proved useful when comparing the systems in Northern Ireland, England, Poland and Finland.  This was a great opportunity to discover that education systems vary from country to country (for example, starting age at pre-schools, primary and upper secondary schools.)

In addition to the above, my initial observation of my placement was that it appeared to be a very relaxed environment.  On my arrival I was warmly welcomed with an offering of coffee and porridge (excess food from the children’s breakfast!).  I was informed that I would be in the ‘Bumblebees’ pre-school room (a group of 6 year-olds).  It is required that the day-care provide 4 hours pre-school per day, usually from 9AM to 1PM.  During this time the children have one hour formal learning, seated at desks to prepare them for primary school.  This provision is funded by the government.  However, if a child stays for the afternoon session in ‘day-care’, parents are required to pay for this.  One surprising observation is that the setting does not have a secure coded lock on the front door, therefore anyone can enter.  I had a discussion with the teacher about this and we concluded that perhaps Finland has not had as many child protection issues as Northern Ireland; hence there is no need for this.

In comparison to my employment experiences in Northern Ireland (day-care, primary school, after school clubs) I am amazed at the provision provided in this setting.  Although the general routine appears to be similar, there is a greater emphasis on outdoor play and health.  An example of this is that although the weather conditions are cold with snow, the children are fully equipped with suitable clothes.  In regard to health, the children are not given any sweet desserts unless it is a party day.  The children are given large portions of dinner and from what I have observed so far, they eat everything they are given with no complaints.  They also have their own individual packets of sugar-free chewing gum which they chew after eating lunch.  According to the teacher, this is common across Finland for adults alike – for good dental health!

Finally, I have been impressed by the quality of the setting in general.  It is always clean, tidy and has excellent facilities for the children.  For example, desks, chairs and toys are made from wood.  These new experiences have opened my mind to the possibility that Northern Ireland is a long way from introducing this type of provision.  I look forward to further experiences in my setting so that I can consider more similarities and differences.

 Picture 1: Pre-school facilities - wooden desks/chairs.

Picture 2: Beds for 'resting time' after lunch.

Week 3, 29.01.11 – 04.02.11 (Cultural Blog) - Mandy Brown

This week has brought new experiences yet again.  My Student Tutors were responsible for helping a newly arrived Spanish exchange student (Mónica).  However, as they were busy revising for examinations they asked Katie and me to show Mónica around Turku, helping her to settle in.  It is surprising how much information I have gathered over a two-week period that I can pass on; therefore I do not see myself as the new student in town anymore.  Initially, there was a communication barrier between Mónica and me as she has limited vocabulary in English and I do not speak Spanish.  On the other hand she is here to learn English, and I hope that this will improve the communication issues.

In addition to this, I participated in a trip to Lapland organised by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN).  This enabled me to attempt new activities including snowmobiling, snowshoeing and horse-trekking, all within the forests.  I enjoyed travelling through the forests observing the lovely peaceful scenes of nature.  During the trip I shared a cottage with other exchange students and whilst there, we went searching for the Northern Lights one night, unfortunately with no success!  However it was still in all a great experience to go searching. 

On my travels I visited Santa Claus’ Village (just within the Arctic Circle) and met Mr Claus himself!  I have been corrected that Father Christmas is indeed Finnish and does not originate from the North Pole.  This experience gave me the opportunity to explore the village and take in the beautiful surroundings, and to meet the Reindeer. 

On a more general note, the Finnish people still appear to remain quiet, but friendly and willing to help when I ask!  In Lapland the Finn’s were very welcoming.  As well as this I have noticed that the 24 hour clock is used in Finland and that ‘AM’ and ‘PM’ is not used at all.  At first I found this strange and difficult to adjust to, especially as bus timetables list times in 24 hour. 

As for bus timetables – I have finally established the difference between Finnish and Northern Irish timetables.  It seems the first bus stop on the route has a start time with an estimated journey length to get to the destination.  Therefore it does not list individual times for stops in between like in Northern Ireland.  This is another difference that I am gradually becoming more proficient with during my stay in Finland.

 
Picture 1: Snowmobiling in Lapland.












Picture 2: Almost -10 C at Santa Claus' Village.