Every year hundreds of Dutch exchange students arrive in Finland to study at the Finnish universities, polytechnics and high schools. They come from a small country of which one fourth is below sea level, where every inhabitant has a bike and where even warm food can be bought from  automated food dispensers. They arrive in a country of which three fourths is forest, where there are more cross-country ski tracks than there are biking lanes and where a popular food on a sauna evening is sausage cooked on the stove of the sauna.

Why do they come to Finland? Who do they meet? What do they think about the country and its people?

We invited them to share their stories in the Sauna Talk Blog.

Do you want to contribute to this blog? Please contact us at  hel@minbuza.nl. Please state 'Sauna Talk' in the subject of your email.   

Let's get pissed?

... It takes a while for Finns to loosen up, but some alcoholic beverages will definitely speed things up. Despite the high alcohol prices, Finns tend to drink a lot and quite often. A nice anecdote about alcohol in Finland comes from the Finns themselves. The most important Finnish newspaper, the Helsingin Sanomat, made a list of Finnish stereotypes and anecdotes: you know you have been in Finland too long, when... “You know that "religious holiday" means "let's get pissed."...

Tom van der Burg - Helsinki - April 2009

There is more than Helsinki!

... I must say, I was positively surprised. I spoke to some Finnish students before my trip to Turku. They told me Turku is a small, boring provincial town. When I arrived there, I realized the opposite is true. Turku is a real student city with two universities. The city has a lively centre with a lot of bars and restaurants. Turku is not a metropolis like Helsinki, but definitely worth visiting!...

Tom van der Burg - Helsinki - March 2009

Helsinki=Finland?

... In comparison to the chaos in some cities in Holland, Helsinki has been a revelation for me. The city is extremely clean; there is hardly any garbage on the streets. The only thing the Finns put on the streets is grid, this is to prevent slippery roads and sidewalks after a snowfall or a night’s frost ...

Tom van der Burg - Helsinki - February 2009

Chocolate and ice hockey in Helsinki

... Another positive thing about the Finnish people is that they are really honest. They always buy a ticket in the train (even while there is almost never a control), you can forget your jacket somewhere and after hours it is still there or when they find a mobile phone in a bar they will give it to the bar personnel without a doubt, they will never jump in the queue, they just wait for their turn even when they are in a hurry and they always wait for the green traffic light even when they are walking! If you see somebody who is not doing these things, it is probably a foreigner! ...

Claire Dommers - Helsinki - December 2008

Welcome to Rovaniemi!

... There are a few fundamental differences with the Dutch system, differences I have already experienced. We can have warm lunch here, go to the dentist (almost free), get vaccinations of and most importantly we get education. The education here has a different perspective then the in the Netherlands. Our own responsibility is what counts most, you can choose which courses you want to take and at what moment you want to take them. Do you have a nice party before a test? Take the test next time! ...

Martine Molendijk - Rovaniemi - November 2008