It's hard to believe that I arrived in Finland nine months ago already! Luckily, I get to stay in Finland for a little longer since my master's degree program is two years long. However, now that it's March, I'm less than a month away from leaving Jyväskylä to live in Helsinki for six months doing research. It's bittersweet leaving the city that I've called home for the last nine months, but I am very excited for a new adventure living in a capital city!
One of the best parts of living in a new country is getting to explore new places. Not only have I traveled to several Finnish cities (including Helsinki, Turku, Tampere and Oulu), I've also traveled to other countries! Traveling in Europe from Finland is much cheaper and quicker than it is from the U.S. Over the summer, I took a solo trip to the United Kingdom (UK) to see a few West End musicals in London and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site city of Bath. I also traveled alone to Stockholm, Sweden where I visited the Nobel Prize Museum and tried Swedish meatballs, or köttbullar [shut-bull-ar] in Swedish!
Exploring new countries and cultures on my own gave me a lot of confidence. Even though it was uncomfortable and intimidating, the people I met and unique places I got to see made it so worth it.
