Graduation and Beyond

On June 1st I submitted my thesis after working on it for approximately seven months. Prior to this year, I never thought that I could develop such a high-level work, so to say that I’m proud of myself is an understatement! If interested, you can check out my thesis here. About three weeks later I received my diploma in the mail. Most ceremonies this year were cancelled due to COVID, but I was able to attend a make-up in November. Though only graduates were allowed and there wasn’t as much fanfare as a typical graduation ceremony in the United States, I was still grateful for this recognition of my hard work. Now I am considered to be a diplomi-insinööri, or a Master of Science in Technology / Engineering.

During the weekend of my one-week break, my girlfriend and I took a day trip to Imatra, the next city over. A round-trip bus ticket for students costs just under 7 €. With Imatra being only 50 minutes away, this was the perfect small trip during COVID times. The main feature of Imatra is its rapids, next to which is the castle-like hotel where we stayed. As Imatra is a small city, there wasn’t a ton to do, but we had a nice time walking around, visiting the hotel’s pool / sauna, and eating at a restaurant in the city center.

The following Monday I traveled to Hyvinkää, a smaller town about 3.5 hours away from Lappeenranta but only 50 minutes outside of Helsinki. From June through the end of September, I worked as a Service Design summer trainee for Konecranes, a big company headquartered in Finland. Conveniently, I was able to work remotely, only traveling to Hyvinkää to pick up and drop off my gear on my first and last days, respectively. I helped to assess and initiate sustainability projects as well as create a business plan for a new service, all which I found quite invigorating. During this summer I realized my aptitude and interest for the intersection of technology and business – helpful since previously I had little idea about my career path. Unfortunately, my push for job extension was not successful since Konecranes would be merging with another company and creating new positions was not feasible. Nevertheless, I appreciate the experience as well as friends and contacts that I gained from the summer.

Speaking of summer, despite the continuation of corona times and not having time off, I still had an enjoyable time. Since I worked remotely, my time and location were flexible, which enabled me to spend weekends and weekdays alike at the cottage, lake, and in different cities within Finland. We cat sit for my girlfriend’s brother in Helsinki for a little over a week, and it felt like a holiday! I attended some Konecranes trainee events, which led to me making another group of friends, not a small feat during the pandemic and adulthood in general. This summer was Finland’s warmest in 100 years. The temperature in Lappeenranta reached 34°C / 93°F, which is a good 10 – 15°C warmer than what I experienced my past two summers. (This feels strange to write now since it is currently -18°C / 0°F.) While nice for swimming in the lake, this weather was alarming and nearly suffocating in Finnish apartments that are designed to trap heat.

Throughout the summer I participated in LUT’s remote conversational Finnish course that met every weekday in June and August for 90 minutes. The consistency helped me practice speaking and remember what I had learned. Below is a video, in Finnish, that I made in the class to describe what I did during July, when the course had a month-long break.

I was finally able to receive my COVID-19 vaccinations in June and August, which was a huge relief. The process, which took place in the city’s mall, was seamless and only took a few minutes. On the flip side of the Finnish healthcare system, my experience with going to the emergency room was not so ideal. I didn’t have an emergency, per se, but was advised, by an English-speaking employee, to schedule an appointment there because the regular health center didn’t have any appointments until the next week. There was a bit of a wait, but it was a nice summer day, enabling me to wait outside (avoiding corona). When it was my turn, I asked the nurse if she spoke English, and the answer was no. So, I continued for several minutes in my labored Finnish (surprising myself how much I was able to communicate), until eventually I could no longer express nor understand well enough to be confident in the medical exchange. Thankfully, I was able to call my girlfriend, and she helped me survive the rest of the appointment. This event really shook me and made me question the lack of English services in Lappeenranta as well as other cities in Finland. Not everyone has a Finnish person they can call upon for help in these situations, so offering vital services in languages other than Finnish is a necessity that I hope is becoming more common in the next few years.

After months of anticipation, in late August we picked up Orion, our new English Springer Spaniel puppy. My girlfriend’s dad had a litter with his dog, and upon first sight, we couldn’t resist taking one. It took about three weeks before we could properly sleep and our apartment was a mess for some time, but overall Orion adapted well and house trained pretty quickly. We are in the unique situation of having two of Orion’s litter mates within the family, so he gets to see and play with them on a regular basis. Walks, which used to be stressful and frustrating, have become easier and more pleasant. And now Orion listens more often, though he is still quite stubborn (and steals socks any chance he can get). Training is paying off! Check the pictures to see how much Orion has grown since we first brought him home.

As I was not rehired at the end of my summer job, I have been searching for a new job since the beginning of October. I can’t say it has been easy. The job market is competitive and not speaking the native language definitely puts me at a disadvantage, though a few English jobs do exist here. Luckily, at the beginning of this year I signed up for an unemployment fund and worked long enough to be eligible for the unemployment allowance, which I am receiving now. I also signed up with the unemployment office and have been working with a job coach. Maybe it’s not the most useful thing ever, but it does keep me accountable. However, the most significant service they are offering me is a five-month, five-day-a-week, seven-hour-a-day Finnish language learning program, which starts tomorrow. Though it is bound to be different and rather intense, I fondly recall my first Finnish language course in Jyväskylä (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3). While I don’t expect to become fluent in only half a year, I am eager to become more conversational in my everyday life, which should also help with the job search. Check back in the next few months to read about my experience!