ERASMUS FINLAND
Finland is a magical country. Why? The green lights at night, the snow, the culture, the impressive gastronomy, the 190,000 lakes, the 98,000 islands, the forests to discover and archipelagos. Shall I continue? If you have chosen Finland for your erasmus you will need to be get ready for an unforgettable experience. Here you will find a guide with relevant information to get a properly insight on where you are going to land at your mobility. Do you want to visit Finland without losing a kidney in the attempt? (Expensive alarm) Find the easiest and most recommendable erasmus tips to move, eat and get money in Finland in the most economical way. Whoever you are, if you are interested in visiting Finland this is your place.
Best city for your erasmus in Finlandia 2021
For those who are thinking of deciding where to go, there is no better city than another for your Erasmus in Finland as they all have different characteristics. Click on the photo of each city to have more detailed information on how Erasmus is in that area. You will find restaurants, clubs and trips that are recommended to do. On the other hand, if you want more general information about Erasmus in Finland, keep reading.
Erasmus experience and tips in Finland
Here you will find generalities to make an adaptation in the country more bearable and prepare before leaving. I have sincerely put information that I trully think that is useful. If I had known this from the beginning it would have helped me highly, so now I decided to share it with the future erasmus. First though, you need to answer this question first.
▷ ¿Why going to Finland in my erasmus?
You have to go on Erasmus to Finland if you would like to make a radical change. (I mean if you are not already from the north. I am from Spain so for me changing my beaches and mojitos for snow is quite shocking.) The clima in Finland is totally different from Spain, the daylight hours and hours change with the time of year and the universities impart an education different from what we are used to. In Finland, efficiency is prioritized over working hours, a factor that will surprise you when you work in a group in a highly positive way. But I am not saying that spanish people we are lazy eh! We just only like taking naps.
▷ The clima in Finlandia
It’s cold in Finland. We are talking about a country that exceeds the Arctic Circle with 53 days without sunlight in the north in winter. This produces temperatures of -25ºC or even -40ºC in January.
To prepare for these temperatures, the coat from Spain is not worth it, you have to buy a special one just like the boots to avoid slipping on the ice. So if you are from a south country like me, you will need to go to a specialized store. Another option is to buy your clothes in Finland.
▷ Traveling in Finlandia
An essential trip that you have to do is to go to Lapland in winter, visit Rovaniemi, take a route with dogs by sled, see the Northern Lights and visit the house of Santa Claus. Get ready because you are going to make an unforgettable trip in life. Finland is ideal to visit it calmly, which makes it the best Erasmus in 2021 since trips are limited.
Finnish Lapland has six airports so it is easy to get there. You can also get there by bus, train or car. Come on I’m going to put pictures of my Erasmus to motivate you to see what awaits you.
▷ The idiom in Finlandia
In Finland they speak Finnish and Swedish, but fear not, with English you can survive perfectly. Of course, it is recommended to learn the local language to get to know the culture and the locals more deeply since your goal is to make this country your second home. When you try to speak the local language, people look at you with different eyes keep that in mind. I leave you A1 books for Finnish so that you can learn independently. With a grammar book and a language app you have it. I recommend it 100% even before starting the OLS course that they offer you.
▷ The food in Finland
In Finland it is very popular to eat pork, beef and chicken. However, it is typical to eat reindeer meat. There are even typical Finnish kebabs made from this meat. As for fish, it is essential to try salmon and perch. A specialty of the house is farra roe, which is served on toast just like crayfish and vodka. (If it weren’t for the vodka, the last sentence would have been a very formal job, sorry haha.)
How much does it cost to live in Finland?
We, as Erasmus students, have a limited budget. We mainly have 3 expenses: food and alcohol, travel and residence. The most expensive of all is alcohol since you are on Erasmus. In Finland alcohol is limited. They divide it into 3 classes. Third-class alcohol is worth buying, even if it’s more expensive. In pubs you are giving all your wallet plus the 2 kidneys thats you have so I don’t recommend it.
In pubs you have to go to “happy hours” so that the pint is around € 4, instead of the normal 5 or 6. Drinks like mojitos and more are difficult to drink in pubs because of their high price.
As for the expense of traveling, you have to take into account that traveling increases the budget. However, there are ways and means to travel. A trick to reduce spending is to avoid commissions in the currency exchange, for example if you travel to countries with local currency. If you are interested in learning the correct way to exchange money abroad to save money by changing currency at the exchange or at the airport, in the menu above in Erasmus BOSS there is a very good article. On the other hand, if you want to learn how to earn money on your Erasmus to survive your stay, I have to tell you that you are in luck. I leave you a very good guide that I recommend 100% to read. Click on the next image to go.
Finally, the cost of the residence I have described in each city since it also depends on the area, although they try to put everything the same so that there is no difference. If you are interested in knowing how much the residence costs, click on the images at the beginning of each city. Finally tell you that I have made this Blogg with the help of real erasmus who have had mobility in other countries, so:
If you are interested in information about other countries for Erasmus, click on the image of the country you are curious about. As here, you will find places to see yes or yes and quality cool information.
