EXCHANGE STUDENTS, EXCHANGE CULTURES
Hi, we are Lia, Emma and Marianna, exchange students from Germany and Italy. We will write for the school paper about our experience here, hoping that you are curious to read it. Our exchange programs began in two different moments and we are staying here for a different period of time. Hi, I am Lia and I am from Germany. I have been here in Helsinki since September 4th and I will stay here for three months. I decided to come to Finland because I wanted to get out of Germany and see something new. I also wanted to get to know another culture and improve my English. Sometimes it is hard for me to talk in English: I have some blackouts and it is embarrassing, but now I am getting used to it. My experience in Finland, so far, made me realize some things about Finnish culture and people. People here are very shy, but when you get to know them, they are genuinely nice and funny. The school system is also quite different from the Germany, where the elementary school goes untilthe 6th grade and not the 9th.
O’times
Also the high school here is different because you have 3 years, but in Germany high school goes from 11th to 13th grade. In the beginning, I did not really understand it, but now I am getting into it.
It is also really cool that the students at school work with computers. Another fun fact that I find surprising is that in Finland the ferry is a normal public transport.
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