MY FINNISH EXPERIENCE
I decided to take part to Civil
Service Program after my Erasmus project in France.
The Civil Service Abroad projects was establish when Italy was chair country in
European Commission back on 2003/2004. Finland was my second choice but
Municipality of Ranua (Lapland) was faster comparing to Municipality of Murcia
(Spain). It was the 27th April 2004 when I landed for my very first
time in Finland.
Before coming here in Finland I knew only few facts about this country: Santa
Claus, sauna and coldness. I didn´t imagine how difficult is the language, I
didn´t know how social service, schools, hospitals and many other public things
work. I didn´t know the Finnish passion for berries and how well are used in
the food. I didn´t know anything about Finnish music and for sure I wasn´t
aware of Kaleva mythology. I have never tasted salmiakki, or ruisleipä,
kalakukko or swam in avanto. The
Northern countries are in general very unknown in Italy: when we study history
or literature we focuse our attention on Central Europe area and also with the
country with same family language. For me the geography position of Finland and
the costs for travelling and living here
it didn´t help to get to know the country a bit further. Also the prejudice about the weather and the
people stopped me to visit Norther countries until I decided to apply for Civil
Service Abroad.
My first project included 3 months of working in a sending organization that
has got similarities with the hosting one, 8 months in the hosting organization
abroad and one month return to the sending organization, bringing what the
volunteer learnt from the abroad experience[i]. The
match between sending and host organization is not always easy but in my case I
was lucky: I could work helping organizing events for local communities in Rome
and in Ranua. In Rome I was a member of R.E.P.L.A.Y (Resources for European
Projects and Learning Activities for Youth) organizing with them the trainings
for the volunteers coming to Italy as EVS.
Right after it I decided to apply in
the same municipality for the EVS – European Voluntary Service Program. This
project lasted 1 year from 1st of February 2005 until 31st
January 2006. The EVS is one large part of the current
YOUTH programme Action II – and it aims
to encourage individual/community development and intercultural understanding
through the placement of individual volunteers abroad.
My
projects goal was “teaching internationally”: it provided opportunities
for
the locals to experience internationality, cultural diversity and new experiences
in local level.
The
main motive for hosting a volunteer was (and still is) to get new perspectives
for the work done in the office. This is a good way to learn how similar kind
of activities are organized in other countries and to get new ideas. My Ranua
experience lasted 2 years and my Finnish experience is still going on.
I joined Ranua municipality's youth
and sports department office and became a part of the working team. I gave my ideas
and helped organizing new and old events and contributed with my knowledge to help and develop activities. At
the same time I became a part of the small community. I shared knowledge of my country, culture and
life, and helped to make international issues a part of the lives of the
locals.
Finland was my third abroad experience:
before coming (and decided to stay here) I lived 3 months in London (on my own,
without projects) and four months in France as an Erasmus student. Despite the
trips around Europe during my childhood and teenage, during my school carrier I
didn´t have so much opportunities to go abroad and experience the country with
locals. We didn´t either have a culture exchange with students of same age and
classroom. The experiences in London and in France were so short that I didn´t
have time to realize what was going on and what kind of challenging and changes
they brought with them.
Finland
´s experience was stronger, full of surprises and learning.
The Pre Departure Training with the
other volunteers helped me in many issues including to avoid the “culture
shock”, especially after realizing that I was going to Ranua and not to Rauma (I
discover it 3 weeks before the departure).
I
worked at the beginning mostly in the Youth House. To start to keep contact
with the youngsters I decided to organize an Italian evening where they could
taste some food, play some Italian games and also meet a native! The older ones
took contact immediately (at least those who felt confidence with their English
skills), the younger ones looked at me from far away and smile. Organizing
events on my own it wasn´t easy at the beginning. In Italy we have completely
different approach: most of the time we have to ask to the big boss for every
single changes. In Finland things were going much smoothier. For the first time
I felt I had freedom to do things without walking on other people toes!
Surely the different size of the 2
communities (Ranua and Rome) was an aspect that we should consider in this
issue. It was easier in Ranua to find materials needed comparing to Rome, but
in other hand in Rome there was much more choices if it was necessary to order
some services. In addition, it seemed
for me that the number of the human resources used in Italy were too few for
the amount of the work required. In Ranua also one good aspect was the
different tasks that people had in organizing the same activities: this made
the work smoothly and faster.
Meals timetable was also an other issue for me: how this people can actually have lunch at 11? I thought at the
beginning. In Italy we do have lunch around 13, possibly at home and then go
back to work at 15. In Finland I had to change this habit and start to eat at
11 if I wanted to have a proper meal during the day. At 13 it was coffee break
(20´).
The time and the concept of to be on time surely I learnt here:
there is not such a thing of fashionably
late when you attend to a meeting or if you go for a date. Finns will start
without you or – if on a date – when you will arrive nobody will be there for
you anymore!
I also noticed the different concept of distances:
in Finland (at least in Lapland) they would say that 80 km is NOT a long
distance. In Rome 80 km means 2 hours and half in the car (depends on
traffic!). I learnt here that distances are measure by km (like it should be)
and not by the time that you are
spending sitting in the car.
The concept of distance I sometimes
forget when I speak with my Italian family: if I say (for instance) that I will
go to cottage to Siikajoki (50 km from my home) the first reaction will
be: so
far away!!!
My approach to Finnish culture was
with an open minded attitude: during my Pre Departure Training we worked on
themes such as Inclusion, Communication, Racisms and Conflict Management. All
these themes and the reflections what we did together helped me to avoid the
culture shock. The relationship with my
co-workers and my boss - but most of it with the local community - was very
good. Communication was a key word.
I didn´t speak any Finnish when I arrived and my English skills weren´t that
good either.
The Finnish culture at the beginning was very strange for me: taking away shoes
when you go somewhere and not physical contact if you don´t know very well the
person. “In Finland we have an area in
front of us that we don´t cross with stranger people. So don´t hug or kiss like
you do in Italy” said me my boss during my first week in here. You should have seen my face when they
invited me to take sauna….naked! For South Europe mentality this was one of the
strangest issue about the culture and intimacy. Nowadays I laugh for my
relatives and Italian friends when they come here and they are ashamed to go
sauna naked with my husband… ;)
I worked also in schools during my project as helper in the English classroom
in Ranua´s elementary schools. I remember how delighted I was when I went to
Impiö´s school first time: red old building in the middle of nowhere surrounded
by the snow….like in a fair tales! the teaching method in the school it was
quite similar to the teaching method in my elementary school. The classroom was
settled in the traditional way: all the
desk towards teacher direction, a blackboard and a earth ball on the teacher
desk. I noticed though one different:
there was a piano in the classroom. The music is important and a part of
education system in here. We had in my elementary school a piano: it was on the
ground floor and only the music teacher could touch it. Instead in here every
body could actually sit and play.
Impiö, Asmunti and Ruona´s schools made me feel welcome in their
learning environment and during this time I had chance to see a school daily
routine from inside. I discovered also that in Finland special needs students
are in the same class with the others. I
met a very special down syndrome child in Impiö, a mentally retired child in
Asmunti and Ruona. The fact that these special needs students are in the same
class with the others (are having the own teacher) I find very good: in this
way whole class could learn the deep meaning of word INCLUSION. This approach
requires some basics and practical elements that nowdays I could see but I
couldn´t back then. It´s extremely important the existence of a strong community behind that support the
teacher work : municipality, health care, school and single family.
Finnish experience changed also my idea of family.
I grown up in an nuclear and extended family with my cousins and uncles and
aunts. Here mostly families are considered as a nuclear families and very
seldom there is a contact with uncles and aunts. I met also for my first time
big family (here we go again: what is
big? what is small?) 16 members!
The people in Ranua were very kind with me and they surely welcome me as their
very best. 9 years have past and I still have good memories. When I moved to
Oulu I had anyway the “culture shock”: people didn´t have really time for me
(who still didn´t speak finnish). I remembered
my first day as a cleaner here: early morning and 8 hours with my “talkative” colleague
who said me “Huomenta” and “Nähdään huomenna” in the whole day.
In Ranua I took part also in summer camps as a youth leader. I had opportunities
to work with older children and most of it youngsters. I discovered how
important is to understand a language if you want to be part of a community. People won´t always translate for you and
translate jokes is not always the best. Learning Finnish wasn´t easy at all: my
very first Finnish teacher didn´t speak a word of English so from that course I
learn…nothing. I decided to learn it by myself
so I went to the local library to ask if they have a book where I can
study Finnish. They didn´t. And here it comes an other aspect of Finnish
culture: they gave me the money to buy the book. Me, a perfect stranger!!!! How
often people find theirselves in such situation? I guess it is in the Finnish
culture to trust people: it is clear to me that this people they live in such a
contest where criminality is very low and honest is rewarded.
During my Pre- Departure Training we spoke about the “iceberg theory”: what I
experienced in Ranua was something that were in superficial level (exactly
those things that you can see easily). Nowadays I figured out so many other
things that contributed to confuse me on my identity and culture belonging:
nature of friendships, way how to raise children, perceptions, approaches to
problem solving, gender roles, religious beliefs are only few examples. I feel
sometimes that I don´t belong anymore to the Italian culture but in other hand
I don´t belong either on this one. I am in a sort of limbo.
The gender roles and hierarchies are in my culture fixed stuffs: I find
ridiculous for instance that we have a Ministry
of Equal Opportunities in Italy. Before coming here it was just normal
thing for me that in Parliament are some women that won´t be EVER prime
minister or president. It was normal that a woman is not working in the construction
business, it´s normal that is the man who owns the better job with better
salary.
The gender roles and hierarchies are in my actual job considered as equal
stuffs: I don´t have “to be on my knees” when I speak with my boss but still I
have to respect him or her.
I think that in both countries
(Finland and Italy) some people confuse the words respect and equality: if
there is respect not necessary there is equality (in gender roles, see Italy in
a common work community) and if there is equality not always there is respect.
The Finnish experience and the Italian background contribute to make my
awareness to my identity as a challenging.
As a teacher I could find in my opinion the strength from both culture
and use them.
In my job basically every student is a “foreigner ”especially when they come
for their very first time to my class. I learnt that everybody has his own
background even inside Finland there are regional differences.
The international experiences are
fundamental for the growing of a person:
from the teacher point of view I truly believe that the activities and programs
that involve students from other culture are giving them the flexibility in the
world of work. At least for me it was like that.
I think that every teacher has got awareness of global activities but to put
strategies in act with foreigner students give them deeper meaning of the word
“international”. During my experience in Ranua, for instance I figure out that
the people were curious of me as much I was with them. I noticed how Finns are
shy in an international contests and afraid to speak the language (English for
example) but after breaking the ice I can see from their eyes that is actually
fun. I remember for instance during the camps that youngsters tried to communicate
with me using their poor English skills. In my work contest back then and sometimes
even now, people were speaking English with me (Assuming that I can´t any
Finnish) and only later realizing that I can actually speak decent Finnish.
They don´t matter they just continue to use their English skills to exercise.
I also noticed that Finns are ready to go deep in the culture if they want for
instance open a business somewhere or even go for a vacation they are going to
start to learn the local language in order to communicate.
As a teacher I think I am doing quite much during my courses to give them
awareness on what Italy or be Italian means. Sometimes it´s enough my only
present in the classroom cause (for instance) I cannot speak without moving my
hands. The students find that really Italian. I provide usually many extra material (videos,
songs) and most of it I discuss with them every time there is an event happen
in Italy (elections or national holidays for example). I tried to give them the
part of the ice berg what I have got about Finland during 9 years in here. Teaching
a language is not enough to learn about a country: this is the biggest learning
what I have got from Finland. You need to know the history, the habits, the
regional differences, the regulations of taxes, schools, and so many other
issue that I m still processing.
I noticed when I came back home for a month break during my project (and also
when I come back here now) how difficult for me is at the beginning to get use
to Italy again. The personal area missing, the straight approach for things, the relationship that Finns have
with the nature itself. Of course when I come back in here it happens same: I
miss the people close and smiling or chatting without a special reason (and no
thinking if they are drunk), the weather, the warming from family and friends,
the monuments and history that you can actually breathe in any corner of my
country. It takes always couple days or a week but then, as usually, I settle
again in the country. After my project
in France (even though I didn´t like at all) I had this thoughts that “here in
Italy nothing changed. It´s me who is different. It´s me who change”. Abroad
experiences gave me possibility to get to know myself even better. I notice one
big different in education between the two countries: in Finland people
continue to study and to improve their competencies even though they are on
pension or have got a permanent job. In Finland is underlined the group spirit
inside a company/organization/school : every year organized activities are settle in order to help building a group (pikkujoulu, dinner at the restaurant, or
somewhere in cottage etc etc).
In Italy the idea of education is restricted to the word of school: very few
people continue to study and to improve their skills and competencies in a
specific field, especially when they have got a permanent job. There are not
organized by schools/companies/organizations any kind of activities that would
improve the group spirit.
I also noticed how much more competitive are women in Finland comparing to
Italy. I know many Finnish women that sacrifices quite a lot their time with
the family for the work. The interesting thing is that they are totally fine
with that. Like it suppose to be.
My husband is at home with the kids. In
my country, in small realities especially in south Italy the equality is
something that is not in vocabulary.
In Ranua I had opportunity to meet other people from different country that
were also participating to a project there.
I notice in general also nowadays that Finnish people are not always
ready to take a foreigner to work if they can choose between them and a local.
I guess this is the logic also in my country and it would take decades before
it changes. I noticed anyway that with Italians, Finns are quite open and they don´t have prejudices if I compare with other nationalities (such as
Russians or people from African countries).
In Italy is the same: unfortunately I
can say that we have a lot of prejudices with poorer countries and we see
richer countries as a myth. In this contest the press plays the role of
building those prejudices and myths.
I define my relationship with foreigner people quite good. I don´t think I have
prejudices or difficult to interact with them . I am actually really curious.
These studies in international contest were one of the best: beside different
strategies that people has to interact between each other there are culture
backgrounds that mix again the ingredients. The use of not native language
might cause difficulties and frustrations at times but I believe that if we want to communicate
and find agreements we don´t even need to have a common language. In this studies I met wonderful people and sometimes
I needed to know how to read them.
My project in Ranua taught me that: it´s a fact that is frustrating don´t speak
the native language. I did feel outside sometimes. Communication is something
that we learn before the language itself (think about babies! they use other
way to communicate with their mothers!) .
As a teacher I would like to promote as much as
possible the international activities: going
abroad give so many new prospective in many issue and
refers to the learning in daily activities, in work, family, leisure etc. It is
mainly learning by doing. Non formal and informal learning enables young people
to acquire essential competences and contributes to their personal development,
social inclusion and active citizenship, thereby improving their employment
prospects.
The European Voluntary Service and all
other Youth in Action Programs are complementary to the formal education and
training system.
My project
in Ranua was really educative: education took place in a diverse range
of environments and situations, giving me and to the organization the
flexibility necessary in field of work.
Meeting an international group have been one of my
duty during my projects in Ranua and during my experience as a trainer for
CIMO. I learnt a lot also during my pre departure training and middle term
evaluation. I think the difficult part at the beginning is to find the balance
and break the ice with the group. Listening for the expectations of the entire
course and also be ready to possibly changes.
International groups might a challenging but with the correct attitude
teacher will succeed. I think one important thing that I would keep in mind is
the group dynamic. The icebreaking activities are the most important for
building a group and create a learning environment that help the students to
build that trust necessary for learning.
In Ranua, in my actual job and also in my training I used quite much resources
from salto-youth.net, activities and games.
At the moment my groups are from Finland but I consider them as “international
groups” cause of my italianity.
Usually I give myself simple rules:
-
enjoying the lesson and the group: try to have a connection with
them. It doesn´t matter how long it will take.
-
Respect their culture and backgrounds.
Joke about only your own culture and about yourself.
-
Make the students work together possibly
same level. They won´t get bored or it won´t feel too difficult.
-
Exercises, activities and games they have
to concern the theme of the day
-
Give always constructive feedback.
One challenge that instructors face is how to
design a course so the material engages students' prior knowledge and their
skills, whether the intent is to build on that knowledge, to interrogate it, or
to situate new ways of thinking. When students bring diverse backgrounds,
course design is particularly challenging. On the other hand, attending
to student differences provides valuable clarity for both students and
instructors; and drawing on student differences multiplies the teaching and
learning exchange in a class.
Conclusion: it´s difficult to write in 10 pages
what I learnt from my Finnish experience. I tried my best. Maybe one day I will
find again my identity : at the moment I really feel between Finnish culture
and Italian culture. I don´t know if my students could see it and I don´t know
either if it an advantage or disadvantage for them.
I just hope that I can give them the will to explore my country, the passion for the language and the culture.
[i] So the
project is this way: 3 months(sending country) + 8 months (hosting country)+ 1 month (return to the
sending country). For more information about the program www.replay.cemea.it
