Tips for post-exchange life

Hello everyone!

Now I'm back here and I am enjoying it quite much. For past week I've been jogging, picking berries and mushrooms, meeting my friends and spending quality time with my family. Tomorrow me, my sisters, dad and nephew will head to Oulu and spend few days relaxing there. So life is really going well here and I am getting better from the culture shock I got when I arrived back in Finland.

I am surprised how easy it was to get used to old routines and culture, but obviously there was some hard parts too. Thats why I am sharing few tips how to make comeback to your home country easier:

1. Accept
It sounds like admitting you have an addiction, but it is a fact that you should start progressing leaving already when you are still in the exchange country. For me one thing was making a list of all the things I miss in Finland. List included as example different foods, people, things to do, places etc.

2. Give yourself time
When you go back, your friends and family must be excited to see you and hear everything. It is great and speaking is one of the best things, but give yourself time to adjust to environment. Usually we people happen to change after we've been living so long abroad. So give yourself time, relax and do things you really want.

3. Meet your people
Already before I came back to Finland I decided to stay whole August in Joensuu at my childhood home town, where my mom and other sister are still living. Quite many of my friends are also still living here and rest of them, just like me, visit here during summer time. So coming here was a good idea. After I had relaxed few days with my family at the countryside I started seeing and meeting my friends. It was good to tell about my exchange and listen what has happened in their lives. Also remember, they are interested hearing how everything was during your exchange, but don't grieve in sadness and don't surprise if they don't wanna hear every single story of every week. For me this blog/vlog was one way to keep my friends updated and because of this they had followed my time abroad already somehow. People make coming back so much easier. I love people, people are the best!

4. Keep in contact with your exchange mates
Though your family and friends are helping a lot, there is nothing like a little peer support from your exchange friends. You own friends and family like to listen how good time you had, but your exchange friends want to know how are you doing back in your home country. For me checking Snapchats of my friends in their home countries has relieved the feeling of being back. Also they really know what you are going through, so help is there.

5. Goals
Make yourself some goals. No matter are those tiny or big, make some goals. Here I want to eat this food I didn't get in exchange, then I start uni, next week I'll meet my friends, this weekend I want to travel to other side of Finland. Goals make the start easier and you have something to look forward.

I hope these few things help you, at least I found those kinda helpful! Write down if you have any other advices to get used to normal life! So far everything is going great here and I wish all the best for everyone trying to survive from culture shock after you've gone back to home country! Cheers!

- Uppa

Thoughts of my exchange

Hello dear people!

I am in Finland! Weather is amazing and I love to be with my family, just came from swimming! Nature is blooming and lakes are so pure, it makes it much more easier to be back in Finland. Anyway, now few words about the time in the exchange.

Past half an year has been best ever. I have learned so much about myself, to relax and to live for myself. I met amazing people who I will never forget, from whom I learned a lot and who were the reason I will always keep exploring and meeting new people.

Learned about new cultures and differences. I learned how similar we are, even we would be from the different parts of the world. I learned what unity means and how important it is to fight for equality not only for yourself and your country, but for all those people all over the world. I learned to appreciate thing in my home country I never really appreciated and noticed few things for which I want to work to make them better in Finland.  This eyeopening six months made me a international citizen and I realized how much there are things I still want to be part of and how much I want to explore.

To all you amazing people who made me even more adventurous and more enthusiastic about world: I can't even tell how much I changed and how important this exchange was to me. Everyone of you who handled me when I went hyper, who participated in our parties, who told me something about your culture or language. Everyone who studied with me, walked in a pouring rain with me or danced with me. Everyone of you who were part of my big experience becoming more open me, I thank you with the deepest of my heart.

I made life-long friends, I met amazing people, I did things I would have not normally done. I experienced youth and exchange in the way you are supposed to. This video is a little compilation of my exchange. It is just a scratch of everything I did, but there you go, hope you enjoy it.

Thank you Leeuwarden, ESN Leeuwarden and of course - exchangers Spring 2016! Proost!

- Uppa

Weird and useless stuff / Holland edition

BANANINOS!

Holland is on fire. Literally. Feels like being in sauna. I wanna go outside because of the sun, but I set on flames every time I even open the curtains so outside is not the place for me today.

BUT LUCKILY I am suppose to move to Finland next week so I wouldn't even suppose to be outside but inside cleaning. And because of procrastination I decided to stay inside and make a new awesome vlog.

Everyone (meaning maybe two persons) might remember my first video: "Golden memories, weird things and useless stuff" where I showed all the weird things I found from my apartment before moving here. Well I collected all my brain cells and weird stuff I had here and made a video of those.

Hope you enjoy and tell em what weird things there are in your apartment!

- Uppa

What I miss in Finland, Funland?

Morjensta pöytään!

Last week was full of good byes BUT ALSO lots of hellos, because my friends Amanda and Nita came to Leeuwarden. YEII!! We've been hanging around and I've prepared myself mentally going back to Finland after TWO WEEKS. Holy cow!

Because of this I decided to make a video where I open my secrets and tell you few things I miss in Funland!
Hope you enjoy it, now I'm off to Jumbo buying porridge for Amanda! Cheers!



- Uppa

10 things I've learned during Erasmus.

Hello orange beer monkeys!

Leslie and Dara left back to the country of leprechauns yesterday and guys traveled to Rotterdam so I started looking back what all we have gone through during past months. We have had amazing time and I have changed a lot. I also realized I have learned a lot and wanted to share everything with you's.

Right now my studies are done (hopefully) for this semester and I have 23 days left in the Netherlands, so I am planning just to relax and enjoy my time here, just like I learned. I'd love, if you would comment below how living abroad has changed you or what you have learned!

- Uppa