Tico did his internship in Oulu!
Tico, a student in the Biomedical Laboratory Science programme, went to Finland for his internship. Read about his experience below!
Tico: I love to travel and would like to live abroad one day. So when the school gave me the opportunity to spend six months in Finland, the choice was easy.
Getting ready for the trip
I was the first student from my programme to do an internship in Oulu. My mentors didnt know much about the place, so I had to figure out a lot by myself.
Arranging the internship took a long time, so I didnt have much time left to take care of the paperwork. The last month before leaving was stressful but in the end, everything worked out fine.
Arrival and first impressions
I flew from the Netherlands to Helsinki and then on to Oulu. When I arrived, there was thick snow everywhere, and it was already dark early in the day.
Minus 20 degrees Celsius also took some getting used to!
I had a few days to explore the city. Oulu has lots of shops and restaurants in the centre. Its really beautiful under a blanket of snow but also very cold!
The internship
My internship was at the University of Oulu. It was easy to get there by bus or bike.
My colleagues came from all over the world and everyone spoke English. Thats because Oulu is a university city, which attracts people from many countries.
There are lots of young people and many different cultures here really cool!
Trip to Lapland
During my time in Finland, I took a holiday to Lapland. We started in Rovaniemi, where we rented a car. I visited Santas Village and crossed the Arctic Circle.
There were lots of activities you could visit a husky shelter, ride a reindeer sled, or take a hike past frozen waterfalls. We had a guide who told us about the area and his life between Finland and Russia.
We also did a special aurora tour to see the Northern Lights.
My favourite part of the whole trip? The husky sled tour!
Afterwards, we got to meet and play with the dogs. So much fun!
Tip: Go to Lapland before April. When I went, the snow was already melting, which made it hard to book some activities. I ended up doing the very last husky tour of the season. Also, the longer daylight hours make it harder to see the Northern Lights.
Final weeks
In my last few weeks, I enjoyed Oulu in the summer relaxing at the beach, walking through the forest, and finishing my internship report.
Tico: An amazing experience Ill never forget!