And now, for the announcement I promised I'd be making soon. . . I'm going to Finland!
I'll be studying for my master's degree in Learning, Learning Environments, and Educational Systems at University of Turku in Turku, Finland this coming fall! I'll be studying with 19 other students from around the world in a 2 year program taught in English.
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| University of Turku (wikimedia) |
Founded in the 13th century, Turku is the oldest city in Finland. It has a population of around 180,500, 35,000 of whom are students. It's known as the Christmas capital of Finland and is also known for its
Medieval market each July. It's located in southwestern Finland, so it is (relatively speaking) the "warmest" part of Finland.
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| Turku Cathedral seen from the Aura River (Wikimedia) |
My second semester I'll head to Regensburg, Germany with 4 fellow students for a semester long exchange program allowing me a look at a third educational system (and culture/country/language). When we head back to Finland we'll be accompanied by some of the students in the German program so they can also spend a semester learning in Finland.
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| The city of Regensburg (Wikimedia) |
I'm super excited about this new learning opportunity and adventure. I couldn't have chosen somewhere much more different than Bogotá, Colombia. The entire population of the COUNTRY of Finland is smaller than the population of the CITY of Bogotá. It's one of the top ranked countries for safety. There are 4 distinct seasons (and yes, winter is long, cold and dark. It does however, have beautiful snow most of the time instead of just being grey like winters here). The culture is exceedingly different too- Finns are quiet and reserved, from what I've heard. They value punctuality. But I'm looking forward to becoming familiar with customs and a country I know little about- just what I've culled from reading wikipedia entries, articles on their education system and child rearing practices, conversations with a friend who has been there, and the "study in Finland" website. What I do know intrigues me though.
I'll be headed into NYC on Friday to apply for my student residency permit. Please pray that all my paperwork is in order and for a favorable decision in a short amount of time. I'm hoping to be able to leave in time for the optional summer session that begins on August 4th.
