I will begin this story, first by introducing myself shortly, to provide you with some background information. I am Veronique, 25 years old. I was born in Cameroon, but grew up in Tornio, Finland, where I lived with my parents until my twentieth birthday. I reside in Rovaniemi, but decided to be in Tornio for the duration of the Arctic Summer School 2017.
Even before I started my studies at Lapland University of Applied Sciences in the fall of 2016, I was determined to have a slice of the summer school cake. When applying for the Arctic Summer School 2017, I did not have any pronounced expectations yet. After I was accepted, then I started formulating and thinking about how the summer would be for me and about my future summer school classmates. Nevertheless, with not much of inside information, there was just no way for me to know what to expect of the summer studies accurately. I imagined that there would be lots of theories regarding intercultural issues and globalisation and that some communications skills would be discussed and taught as well.
The Arctic Summer School will provide summer fun, so I look forward to becoming a part of an international team, and getting to know the ground rules and approaches to study in a multicultural environment. My primary goal for education is not only to become a professional in one particular field, but also to develop my personality, study more new subjects that can broaden my mind and teach me how to speculate and analyse. Moreover, topics such as intercultural research and communication skills are interesting and important to me. Gathering knowledge and experience in interacting with and treating people from different cultures regarding this communication as customer service delivery.
Before going any further, when reflecting on my self-expectations versus real experiences received so far, the summer school is a truly multicultural studying environment. Having to communicate with so many students coming from all over the world just to take part in the Arctic Summer School is a wow-experience, but also has its challenges! The class is made up of various nationalities, students from Finland, Russia, USA, Czech Republic, Tanzania, China, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, and Cameroon (me). This has made both class work and leisure activities more interesting and enriching. Added to this, the lecturers also come from different countries which increases the remarkable intercultural mix, since everyone contributes new viewpoints and approaches. With respect to all the activities and excursions organised by the school and the friendly and very attentive staff, the tuition fee is really modest. Hence, I would heartily recommend the Arctic Summer School at Lapland University of Applied Sciences to my friends and colleagues!