Language-Culture Course: Week 1

As part of the Fulbright grant, I get to attend a language-culture course in Finland the summer before starting the master’s program. I came to Finland only knowing the basics of the language such as hi (moi), thank you (kiitos), and excuse me (anteeksi). My plan was to learn a little more before arriving, but I was worn out from finishing school and benefited more from relaxing with my family and friends for the month and a half that I was home.

The intensive course in Finnish language and culture (suomen kielen ja kulttuurin intensiivikurssi) is held at the Summer University of Jyväskylä (Jyväskylän kesäyliopisto). It consists of two parts- Finnish lessons during the day and cultural activities during the afternoons, evenings, and weekends.

In total there are 65 participants, 6 teachers, 3 free time instructors, 2 course planners, and 1 course coordinator. During the first week it was evident that these folks spent a lot of time planning as the lessons and activities have been simultaneously fun and culturally beneficial. Initially I was wondering why other people would be taking the course. So far I have heard reasons such as being part Finnish but never learning the language, working or studying in Finland, or simply being interested in the culture.

As expected, I am the only black person in the program. Despite that, there are people from a ton of different countries. These include the U.S., Germany, Japan, Russia, India, Hungary, Estonia, Brazil, China, Spain, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, and England. It has been really cool to share cultures. For example, someone will ask me what something is like in the U.S. and I’ll ask how they do this or that in their country. And this is truly the point of the Fulbright- to exchange cultures so that people in the world know more about each other and won’t be as likely to fight (created after WWII).

Since I have never studied Finnish, I started out in group 1 (of 5) with about 10 other students. Each day we have language lessons from 9am to 2pm, including a 15 minute break and an hour for lunch. Though difficult, our instructor Anni teaches really well and engages us in a variety of interactive activities. What seemed impossible at first is starting to make sense.

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Equally as important is the cultural part of the program. Each day we can participate in a variety of Finnish activities including city tours, sauna evenings, and weekend trips. I will briefly touch on each that I attended this week.

On the second night we cooked traditional Finnish foods. It was tough to read the Finnish recipes but of course we had help from the teachers.

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Next, we had a sauna evening, which is one of the most Finnish activities. We gathered at a cabin, ate typical Finnish snacks, and roasted sausages. At separate times for men and women, we sat in the 90-100°C sauna for 10-15 minutes at a time- some chatting and others silently meditating. Then we would swim or take a dip in the 17-18°C lake! I did this three times. The change in temperature was exhilarating and something I had never experienced.

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On Thursday we had a reception at city hall, which included Finnish appetizers, drinks, and history about Jyväskylä. Then we embarked on a 1.5 hour bus tour around the city.

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The next day we had a chill gathering where we ate more Finnish snacks and played games such as bingo and golf. The great part about the free time activities is that I’m able to practice Finnish and ask about how things work in a non-intimidating environment. Even the other international participants have given me useful advice about living abroad in Finland.

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Over the weekend we traveled by bus to Kokkola and Toholampi. One of the course planners is from the area so he was able to tell us various facts as we rode along. On the second day we visited the Finnish swamp, which I didn’t realize existed! Luckily it was only about 20°C because we had to wear long pants and sleeves to protect ourselves from the mosquitoes.

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Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my equally packed second week of the program!