"One day can change your life" – it is a phrase I hear everywhere, but I never thought it could happen to me. I was always interested in Chinese culture and Chinese ties, and that's why I could not imagine myself somewhere more northern than East Asia. I know, it sounds like a cliché but, seriously, one day I woke up and felt myself ready to seek new challenges by studying new things, cultures, areas, and by trying to study abroad.
I found some information about the north2north programme at the website of my university, and an exchange semester in Finland sounded like a great opportunity to experience a totally new culture and find out whether I would be able to try myself at something new. Three months later I got an answer from the university that I had been successfully accepted to study International Business at Lapland UAS. The university staff members quickly and easily explained emerging issues and helped to solve them, so I did not have any problems with that process.
Over the first month of living in Lapland I realized that Finland is a wonderful country. Have you ever seen giant moving northern lights and a meteor shower across the sky all together? Have you ever met a reindeer walking along the road when you're just coming back home after classes? Have you watched the cutest squirrels that live right next to your window? Have you looked into the eyes of the real Santa Claus? If you really want to feel, see and try all of this and more, do not even think, just go to Rovaniemi, the town of Christmas, the capital of Finnish Lapland!
During my exchange studies I got the wonderful experience of living abroad, I expanded my scientific horizons, I met a lot of people who had a huge influence on me, I met sincere and incredibly interesting friends. I could tell more about the whole trip, but I suggest everyone to go and try it themselvees. Such experience is really remarkable; it is this kind of trip that you will remember your whole life. It will remain forever.
Published in 2017.