Moikka![caption id="attachment_517" align="alignright" width="300"] Me in Moominworld[/caption]I'm Marianne and I'm studying Cultural Management in Turku at Humak University of Applied Sciences as part of my study abroad program. I'm studying abroad for a total of two semesters - it's a chance for me to get to know the country better, and I left for Turku on September 10. The first thing that greeted me at Turku airport was a giant Moomin. After I had left the security area, Annika, a friend and fellow student who had arrived two days earlier, was waiting to pick me up. First we went to our accommodation on campus, 20 km from the city center and 40 minutes by bus. The campus is beautifully situated on one of Finland's archipelago islands in a campus. The living situation is not the best, we share rooms and don't have a kitchen. I am happy to share my room, but for living in one of the richer countries, I didn't expect a living situation similar to the Slavic countries with a bit more m². For the three months I've been here, it's good living. Apart from that, it's very difficult to find a suitable apartment or shared flat in Turku and you can't live anywhere as cheaply as on campus.[caption id="attachment_516" align="alignleft" width="225"] Cathedral in Turku[/caption]On September 14, the introductory week began, during which the university introduced itself and we were supposed to familiarize ourselves with the university as such. This is also where we got to know the other exchange students we are not living with. We are a total of 13 exchange students from four countries: Belgium, France, Spain and Germany. We are accompanied by a group of tutors who are always on hand to answer any silly questions we have, and our semester consisted of the following courses: Finnish Language and Culture, Applied Use of Arts, Project Operations, Planning of Financing Operations, Basic of Innovations, Professional English and an Advance Course of Cultural Production. These are all courses offered at this location.[caption id="attachment_515" align="alignright" width="300"] The university building[/caption]Incidentally, the course is not called Cultural Management in Finnish, but Culture Producers. Due to the pedagogical profile of Humak University of Applied Sciences, each course consists of a project. Every student is expected to be an active student who knows where to get the knowledge they need. Apart from the somewhat lacking theory, the courses did not really meet our expectations as they mostly did not match the content of the brochure and we learned very little. The language course was very good, as was the Basic of Innovations course, in which the various Turku universities had joined forces. The International Week in Jyväskylä was a highlight. Here we got to know a different location, different teachers and new people. I didn't, but the others used this week to celebrate extensively.[caption id="attachment_514" align="alignnone" width="800"] Ice hockey TurkuJyväskylä[/caption]Turku is a great city with a broad cultural life and you can discover something in every corner. Or you can go to an ice hockey match, which in my opinion is an absolute must, along with a visit to the sauna. The only downside is that if you live on campus, you either have to know people in the city, take the last bus at just after ten or decide whether the event is worth taking a cab afterwards. You don't get much contact with the exchange students from the other universities unless you know someone who knows someone. You can experience nature in the area around Turku. The Moominworld or Naantali is a must, and well worth a visit. Due to the educational profile of Humak, entire weekends are usually available for trips, so you can travel to Stockholm (very cheaply) or Tallinn. You can also travel cheaply by bus to all kinds of cities within a radius of 200 km. This is what I have planned for the summer semester. I will spend the month between the two semesters in Lapland.moi! Sponsored by: