Témoignage de Pablo Ramos sur son expérience Erasmus+ en Finlande

Interview réalisée en anglais de Pablo Ramos (109) en mobilité individuelle à Orivesi (Finlande) pendant 9 semaines. Propos recueillis par Sofiya Miatselskaya, volontaire biélorusse du Likès La Salle.

How are you Pablo?

-Good! But sometimes quite down and tired because of the cultural shock. 

How were your first days in your new home? 

-They were perfect! My host family is adorable, and they’re really trying to make this exchange enjoyable for me. 

But it’s really cold haha ! Regardless, people here could seem nonchalant, but once you get to know them better, they’re basically really nice. One thing to know is that the weather here could make you feel down, with the insufferable cold and the short days, so it’s not really easy if you struggle with mental health problems such as depression for example.

Could you tell me about your days in Finland? Is it different from your usual life and studies in France? 

-I don’t really do a lot, I just go to school and do some activities with my host family. It’s not really different from my usual life in France, but school is extremely different and lifestyle due to the weather too. 

My typical day : it usually starts at 8 and there are 3 courses in the morning which are 75-minutes each and there’s a 15-minutes break in between each lesson. Then at 12:15 there is a 30-minutes lunch break and after that, just one more hour and fifteen minutes of class left, and then we’re officially done for the day, ending at 2 pm. 

The food here in school is good, and the education system is far more organized compared to the French one. I finally have some time after school here. 

Do you miss home? What helps you cope with the absence of family and friends? 

-Yes a lot, but I call my family and my friends almost every day and I spend some time with my friends here to cope with that absence. 

Will you come back changed? 

-Of course! I think for the moment this trip is really helping me appreciate nature which I’ve never really been fond of. And I also learned how to say hello, thanks, and bye in Finnish 😊 

How did you find your Erasmus project? 

– I’ve always wanted to do an exchange trip, I found my Erasmus project thanks to the email sent by Le Likes. 

What advice would you give to other students about to attend or looking for a program? 

-Bring really warm clothes, please!