Evaluative Report-goodbye Finland

Before going to Finland I had no idea what to expect as I had never been to any of the Nordic countries. I envisaged vast lakes, forests and cold weather. Reading books, researching online and talking to people about my trip had built up a image in my head, which almost seemed real. Having someone else from my course in London going with me, eased the feeling of the unknown. Before I had even arrived, the university had set up a Facebook group for all the exchange students and on a weekly basis they would post information about life in Finland and the university. Already they were welcoming and friendly.

I arrived late on a thursday night in late August and my initial thought was: "what have I done?" It was so different to London and home. "Where were all the people?" I still asked this question after four months of living in Hameenlinna. Once I was shown to the flat which I stayed in with five other British girls everything seemed to click into place. 

The mentality of living in a sparsely populated place was extremely relaxing. I didn't have to queue at the supermarket, or really at any shop. The Finnish people were patient and always had time for you, which in turn made me reassess how much we are all in a rush in the UK. One example of this patience was the Finnish code of conduct when at the traffic lights-only cross when there's a green man! 

Hameenlinna was a beautiful place to be living, there were three big lakes surrounding us and we overlooked one of them in our flat. It is the finnish way to, when feeling stressed, to escape in the nature around them. The path around the lakes were always filled with people nordic walking and cycling, even late in the evening as the path was floodlight. Being by the water had a calming effect on me and I found myself becoming more patient and relaxed. 

The Wetterhoff school was very different to Chelsea. It was a little bit like being back at school in that I took six different courses, we had our lessons and and then completed homework. There was a big emphasis on the theory side of textiles which is needed for working in industry. The fabric dyeing was just at it is done in industry and subjects are taught thoroughly. They even have exams for all the textile courses. However, because of the structure of the courses, it leaves little lee-way for creativity and this is something which made me appreciate Chelsea. Tutors don't give much guidance in the creative process, their focus is on the end result and how well this is made. During my time studying weaving I found myself, at times, feeling a bit lost because I didn't have the knowledge to create what I wanted in a weave. The tutors let you decide what to do and didn't give any criticism. From talking to the Finnish students, this frustrated them too as they felt they needed criticism to improve their work.

Experiencing a different culture was really inspiring. I learnt a lot from the Finnish people: their honesty, hard-working and patient nature. How textiles is taught in Finland made me reflect on the importance of creativity but with the precision of the Finnish approach. Their emphasis on simplicity in design was beautiful and I also felt sustainable in its design because of its ability to withstand trends.

I would recommend people to make a trip to Finland:)

KITTOS