Thinking About an Exchange Program to Finland

[u/sunnidepressi]

hi! i’m a 16 year old from hong kong, and i’m thinking abt joining an exchange program to finland. i’ll be staying with a host family and studying at a local secondary school there for around 10 months. i’m fluent in english, so i hope communication will be easier.

is there anything i should know before choosing to stay at finland?

i’m concerned that i might find it boring there, since i’m a really talkative person. will i find it difficult to make friends? thanks in advance :’)

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[u/No-one-s-home]

Make it your mission to learn Finnish and you'll never be bored.

[u/MitVitQue]

" i’m a really talkative person"

If you are willing to listen, not only keep talking, this is not a problem.

Other than that, it's impossible to say if you would be bored or not.

[u/kallekilponen]

You will probably find it at least different culturally. Finns typically aren’t very talkative side at least until you get to know them better.

But it’s definitely easier to make new friends in school than it is as an adult.

I suggest heading to the stickied tourism, moving and studying thread for more information.

[u/uxgpf]

If you enjoy the nature it will be a good experience.

The social stuff very much depends.

Finns are not the most outgoing with random foreigners, but if you spend an effort you'll likely find that part welcoming too.

It's very different from for example from the British culture which you might be more familiar with. 

Here the social class doesn't matter as much. Honesty and being direct is appreciated.

[u/Similar-Country-2752]

if i’m being honest, you might find finland a bit boring. hong kong is busy and hectic, finland is definitely not.

[u/escpoir]

Where will your exchange be? Capital area? A smaller city? That might determine your degree of boredom here.

[u/BetterDentist1300]

there is nothing interesting here

[u/MudScary2337]

Hi! From my exchange year experience in Norway (pretty similar from habits as Finland) and volunteer work in Finland, I can say that first finnish people might be a bit reserved, but then they start to open up. Many exchange student get used to daily school life and friends there through f.ex. host family siblings.

For the boredom, I would recommend starting a hobby and going to language cafe, which way you can also get friends. The host families also often want to do things together with exchange stundent, and both they and exhange students suggest to each other some activities (f.ex. hiking and going outdoors, some events...). In addition, there have been at least 3 camps per year organized by exchange organization to where exchange students can see and get to know each other, not to mention non-formal smaller area meetings and visits between exchange students and their host families. The camps definitely are highlights of the daily life where many make unforgettable memories and experiences.

If you're talkative, I would say that is an asset when getting to know people: if you are too quiet, it might be difficult to make conversations as students in Finland might seem shy and quiet too at first. Wish you good exchange year!

[u/Tikka25196-1930 → u/[deleted]]

Have you ever been/visted Finland?

[u/Tikka25196-1930 → u/[deleted]]

Not trying to disagree with your main point. Just interested in your motivation. So no?