A Week in Finland

Last week my core course traveled to Finland for our long study tour! We flew out of Copenhagen on Sunday and arrived in Helsinki where we spent a few days before going further north to Rovaniemi and then returning to Copenhagen on Friday.

Sunday

After arriving in Helsinki on Sunday, we boarded a bus to Nuuksio National Park where

we enjoyed a fireside lunch of salmon, potatoes, salad, and broccolini. Once we finished lunch, we were given the opportunity to explore the park on our own before gathering for our first sauna experience! Since there was a small beach by a pond with docks to sit on, we decided to also make it our first polar plunge experience! We all got into our swim suits and spent about 2 hours going back and forth between the ice cold water and the toasty saunas! Later that afternoon, we boarded another bus to Green Window Oy, a property near the national park where we went on a guided tour and learned some more about the significance of nature in Finnish culture. The forest we hiked through felt like a fairytale. There was moss covering the rocks and a small stream ran along the path. After another dinner of salmon and potatoes, we boarded the bus to the hotel. Our first day in Finland was full of adventure and excitement and after our long day, we excitedly checked in to our hotel for the rest of the night.

Monday

On Monday, we started our day with a delicious hotel breakfast before going out to visit two different schools. The first of our school visits was with a forest kindergarten. We got to listen to one of the teachers go over the details of how the school operated and then we got to join the children out in the forest. They were all playing on a small beach by the sea with a small stretch of forest that was full of different natural materials that were great for play! We watched them build nests out of a straw-like material and climb up into the small trees. The play was all child-led and the adults rarely intervened. It was clear the children knew their boundaries and the teachers trusted them to stay within them. After some great conversations with the teachers, we walked to a nearby middle school where we got to learn from students, teachers, and their principal. It was interesting to compare the Finnish education system with the Danish and US systems because it felt very different from both of them. It seemed to be more structured than Danish school but there was a greater focus on experiential learning than in the US and many more class subjects that children got to start from a young age! After our school visits, we had the rest of the afternoon to spend on our own. For our last full night in Helsinki, our class decided to try karaoke! We all had so much fun cheering each other on and it was fun to step out of my comfort zone and try something I never thought I would do.

Tuesday

Our last morning in Helsinki was spent at the University of Helsinki where we got to learn about Finnish teacher education. As someone who isn't going into the field of education, I didn't think I would find the lecture that interesting but I was pleasantly surprised! It was really cool to learn that all future teachers are required to take a certain number of credits in special education. I have never heard of this being a requirement for teachers in the US and I thought it could be helpful in creating a more inclusive environment for students with disabilities. After the lecture, we had more free time and some friends and I decided to visit Suomenlinna, a small island off the coast of Helsinki. Unfortunately we only had a few minutes to spend on the island since we misread the ferry times, but it was very pretty and cool to see another UNESCO world heritage site! For dinner, we met back up with our class at Loyly, a restaurant that also had saunas and was right on the gulf of Finland! We were surprised to find out that for dinner we would be having reindeer! I think most of us were a little nervous at first but we all ended up enjoying it and many of us noted it as the best dinner of the trip! After dinner, we got back in our bathing suits and spent a little over an hour going back and forth between the Baltic sea and the saunas! This water was significantly colder than the pond but it still felt amazing! I managed to fit in about 3 polar plunges and got lots of sauna time in before we had to leave. That night, we boarded an overnight train for Rovaniemi!

Wednesday

Our first day in Roviemi was one of my favorite days of the trip! After dropping our stuff off at the Santa Claus hotel and grabbing lunch, we boarded a bus for a visit with huskies! The property was owned by a couple who care for and train over 20 huskies. They have bred their own dogs but they also take in huskies from people who adopt them and find out they aren't able to commit to giving the dogs the amount of exercise they need to stay happy. It had started snowing when we got there and between the snow and the 27 huskies, it felt like a perfect Finnish day! We went on a hike with the huskies and all got to take turns walking each of them. Although they were much faster and stronger than us so it felt more like we were the ones being walked! After, we enjoyed some tea and biscuits by a fire before heading back to the hotel.

Thursday

By our last full day of study tour it is safe to say that I was exhausted. Thankfully, our teacher had planned for a relaxing afternoon at a spa. But before we could do that, we went to the Arktikum, an arctic museum that was right near our hotel. I had a lot of fun learning about the different animals and plants that lived in the arctic and a bit more of the history of Rovaniemi and Sami culture. After our guided tour of the museum and a quick lunch, we boarded the bus for our spa experience. We were given robes and slippers and access to hot tubs and a sauna. I'm not the biggest fan of saunas especially without a cold plunge so the hot tubs were a nice change of pace. Everyone felt so relaxed after our long week and it gave me just a little more energy for the rest of the evening. Our final adventure in Finland was visiting a reindeer farm! We met with a woman who worked on the farm and got to learn about reindeer herding in Finland. I was surprised by how intentional and interesting it was! But my favorite part of this experience was getting to see an entire herd of reindeer come running from deeper within the forest for their dinner! By the time we had to leave the reindeer farm, the little burst of energy I hadn't gotten from the spa had been drained. I was ready for a relaxing night. We boarded the bus back to the hotel and got our bags packed for our flight back to Copenhagen the next morning.

While I was a little sad we didn't get to see the northern lights, study tour was still so much fun and it was awesome to have the chance to explore another Nordic country! I have a feeling I will find myself back in Finland in the future. Hopefully in the winter with a better chance of spotting the northern lights!