🅕 / Ⓕ Exchange_Note 芬蘭交換期心得
2022.08.18 — 2023.01.10 Finland, Nordic, Europe
🅕 - Taiwanese in Suomi
Medium ver.
很幸運地抵達芬蘭不久後就遇到相當友善的室友，第一餐也是吃了人家煮的義大利麵XD 更幸運的是不久之後也認識了一群在芬蘭交換讀書的台灣人與香港人，八月底的一次聚餐讓我們成了偶爾聚會或是互相幫忙的好朋友們。或許是在異國的環境之下，對於來自同一個國家或是能夠講相同語言的人們，總是感到格外的熟悉，而且更有互相扶持的想法。
在芬蘭短短的五個月就認識超多「新」朋友！而且都超快就能變熟，或許是容易有很多話題可聊？（從哪來、來多久、來做啥…）原以為短時間內能夠交到朋友就不錯了。不過卻在陰錯陽差之下，還能結交不錯的好朋友，實在令人感到珍惜與快樂。也因此讓整段交換期間變得更加的豐富精彩。
在人際與社交的這塊，還得再提一個相當有趣的部分，那就是：煮飯聚餐XD 或許是因為外食昂貴，也或許是因為芬蘭的夜晚實在沒有什麼娛樂，所以形成了一場場的「煮飯社交」！通常由某人主揪到他家吃飯，大家一起買食材、一起料理、一起聚餐，最後再喝點酒、吃點甜點、聊個天。這樣如此日常與平凡的儀式就成了在芬蘭最常做的消遣。從外食到自己料理食材，再到一群人共同料理餐食，藉由這樣的過程讓我又聚焦到食物本身。同時間社交也變得單純化，這就是芬蘭給人的魔力吧！
在芬蘭交換的期間，意外參與到了國慶活動，其實也不能說是意外啦！而是透過志工的身份協助並參與這一年一度的慶祝儀式。我想除了準備期大大小小的波折之外，在儀式上真是見識到難得的外交活動，也進到高級五星飯店、吃著高級buffet🤩 最重要的是還認識了一群好朋友！神奇的緣分加上氣味相投的組合讓我相當珍惜，真是在芬蘭認識的一群可靠又有趣的朋友們了！也因為這個機緣下認識了駐芬代表處的秘書，也因此幫代表處處理了一些事情，算是在交換期間始料未及的經驗與回憶。
最後令人意外卻也開心的是，在這五個月的時間認識了好多中國朋友，在各種巧合、機緣之下認識的夥伴。格外珍惜這種得來不易的緣份，也常會分享彼此的故事與想法之類的。總之，雖然沒有認識到太多歐美的外國人，但能夠認識到這麼多背景與自己迥異的人，也是一大收穫了！
…
I was lucky to meet a friendly roommate soon after I arrived in Finland, and I had pasta cooked by him for my first meal XD I was also lucky to meet a group of Taiwanese and Hong Kong people who were studying in Finland soon after. Maybe it is because in a foreign environment, people from the same country or who speak the same language always feel familiar with each other and have the idea of supporting each other.
In just five months in Finland, I met so many “new” friends! And they all get to know each other very quickly. Maybe it’s because there are a lot of topics to talk about? (Where are you from, how long have you been here, or what are you doing here…)
I thought it would be good to make friends in a short time. However, by mistake, they were able to make good friends, which is really cherished and happy. It also made the whole exchange period even more exciting.
In the area of interaction and socialization, I have to mention one more interesting part, and that is: Cooking Dinner XD Maybe it’s because the food is expensive, or maybe it’s because there’s really no entertainment in Finland at night, so a “Cooking Dinner Social” is formed! Usually someone hosts a dinner at his house, we buy the ingredients together, cook together, have a meal together, and finally drink some wine, eat some dessert, and chat a little. Such a daily and ordinary ritual has become the most common recreation in Finland. From eating out, to cooking my own food, to preparing a meal together with a group of people, this process allows me to focus on the food itself again. At the same time, socializing becomes simple, that’s the magic of Finland!
During the exchange period in Finland, I accidentally participated in the National Day activities, but I can’t say it was an accident! I was able to help and participate in the annual celebration ceremony as a volunteer. I think apart from the ups and downs during the preparation period, I really got to see a rare diplomatic event at the ceremony, and I also got to go to a high class 5 star hotel and eat high class buffet 🤩 Most importantly, I also met a group of good friends ~ a magical combination of destiny and similar tastes that I really cherish. What a reliable and interesting group of friends I met in Finland! I also met secretary from the Representative Office in Finland by this chance, and later became friends (?!). It was a bit of a miracle that I was able to help the representative office with some things, which was an unexpected experience and memory during the exchange period.
The last surprising but happy thing is that I met many Chinese friends during these 5 months. There are also many, many more people I met by coincidence and chance. We cherish this kind of hard-won destiny and often share each other’s stories and ideas and so on. All in all, although I did not meet too many foreigners from Europe and the United States, but I was able to meet so many people with very different backgrounds from myself, it is also a great harvest!