My first time in Finland

November 2022 

If I would have to briefly describe what Finland represents to me, the first words that come to mind are contentment, cosiness, nature, the ability to breathe and run after your dreams, even if they are the craziest. When I first went to Finland, I didn't know much about it, and I never imagined how the calm, honest Finns would stick to my heart, and I would feel comfortable there.

This story is for anyone who is afraid to spread their wings like I was and still am.

My first acquaintance with Finland was through nature. The reason for my trip was a summer university internship within the Erasmus+ programme and shortly after my arrival I found myself among clear lakes hidden in the forests. Even though it was early July, the temperature had dropped to some ten degrees, and it was raining steadily. And I was not prepared for it. This was for two reasons. First, when I was packing, I looked up that the average temperature in Finland is 20 degrees in the summer. Second, when I was leaving, Prague was under a heat wave with daily highs of 35 degrees. And it wasn't much better at night, either, as the streets radiated the heat that the city had absorbed during the day.

Well, a few days later I was freezing in a denim jacket, over which I practically wore a raincoat all the time to keep warm. But I didn't mind at all. I was in the Evo Nature Area, located about 2,5 hours by car from Helsinki, where I was participating in waterbird monitoring. We were walking around the lakes, boating by their shores and watching the water surface with binoculars. I was absolutely captivated by Finnish nature. It has a rawness and wildness, but at the same time it feels gentle and tender. When the sky is cloudy, the lakes have a steely colour and look dramatic, often shrouded in a veil of mist. However, just a glance to the peaty shores, which are covered with tiny, cute sundews, cranberries, crowberries and cottongrasses, and everything is all of the sudden cheerful.

During my first days in Finland, when I visited not only Evo, but also Nuuksio, I saw whooper swan, red-throated diver, black-throated loon, teal, green sandpiper and I was frightened by a couple of common cranes. Why frightened? I got a task to survey waterfowl on a lake where a wolf had recently been captured by a wildlife camera. While I was at the lake looking for a notebook in my backpack, I heard something big rattling on the shore. The noise made my butt sit into a soaked moss pillow. Next moment, I watched in amazement as a pair of cranes flew out of the vegetation, those beautiful, majestic animals. I immediately started searching in my backpack again, this time for a book about birds to read about cranes.

Sundews

Red-throated diver 

The weather was playing with me even in Helsinki, where I spent most of my internship. I soon found out that even if it's raining in the morning or oppositely the sun is shining, things can change very quickly, so I have to be prepared for anything. I kept my raincoat handily always prepared, and when I wore dress or skirt, I automatically packed tights/socks as well so I could change them as needed. I also gave up trying to straighten my hair very quickly. Not entirely of my own free will, but because most mornings my hair would get curly on the way before I even got to the university. So, I opted for a second coffee in the morning instead of spending more time in the bathroom. It seems like a small thing, but it was quite unusual for me. I had been used to straightening my hair every day since I was a teenager and suddenly my hair was naturally wavy again. And then I started to like it and didn't use a hair straightener even later back in Prague.

I enjoyed working at the University of Helsinki and I got a lot of responsibility, even though they knew nothing about me. I finally felt like a scientist. Finland has one of the best education systems in the world and I understand why. Doctoral students are sensitively guided so that when they graduate, they can work not only under someone's supervision but also as an independent scientist.  I had space to work, no one was constantly checking up on me, and at the same time I was getting expert guidance, so I wasn't lost. The right balance between independence and enrichment from those with more experience and knowledge. I knew I could ask anything, and no one would laugh at me for not knowing, or not being able to figure out by myself. I learned incredibly from those collaborations. I started to see ecology, sort of more widely, more holistically. I found out that my Czech university gave me good education background in ecology, I didn´t feel behind, but somehow the way of thinking and connecting things improved in Finland. When I later went back to Finland for another internship and worked in a different group, the trust and sensitive guidance was repeated again. The work went smoothly, and two short internships resulted in two articles.

For an introvert like me, Finland is perfect. Probably because I'm normal here and I feel I get space to express myself. Finns are incredibly thoughtful in this. They don´t jump into others talking, they don´t raise their voices until the person who wanted to say something gives up. This never happened to me even once here in Finland. And as my Petri says, creating conditions in which the quieter individuals have enough space is also important in working life, because otherwise valuable thoughts and ideas could be lost.

I think it´s highly useful for students to visit foreign universities, see how things work there, gather new information, work in different groups, get new skills, learn English and so on. At my university it is obligated part of doctoral program to have foreign internship at least for two months and I think it´s very good. Especially, because we Czechs are not feeling comfortable to speak English and we are very comfortable at home. The interest of students to go abroad is very low that the organisation which arranges the internships has finances for students but not enough candidates. I know, because they told me and ask me if I can convince some more students for an international internship or study stay.

I must admit that I was afraid to go abroad for an internship too. Mainly for reasons, that I wouldn't be able to speak English well, I wouldn't know how to arrange things and I would get lost somewhere. That I wouldn't be able to manage the internship, the tasks would be too difficult, and I wouldn't be able to solve them. They'll be disappointed at the university that they wasted their time with me. I'm so glad I didn't let those fears to win over me. That I didn't listen to that voice that whispered to me that I was doing comfortable at home, I was happy in Prague, so why to stress unnecessarily. Because on the other side, I wanted to go so badly and was excited about it. Sometimes we should get out of our comfort zones, especially when we feel especially when we feel a desire fluttering inside us for something we want to do and could be nice. I think it is important to give it a chance to rise.

 I fell for Finland and moved there three years later.