THE CITY OF PRAGUE

I had the chance to go to Prague with friends during the holidays. I celebrated my 20 years there! We stayed two weeks in Prague and we were able to visit many places like Charles Bridge, the castles of Prague, the Golden Lane etc ..

COUNTRY'S PRESENTATION

Finland is a country of 338,000 square kilometres, making it the sixth country of the European Union in terms of area. The country is bordered on the west by Sweden, on the east by Russia and on the north by Norway. It is known as "the land of 10,000 lakes" and a third of the territory lies beyond the Arctic Circle. Today the population of Finland is 5.42 million, and the capital has been Helsinki since 1812. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish. 

THE HISTORY  

Finland under the domination of Sweden and Russia

Finland belonged to Sweden for 600 years, from the Middle-Ages until the early 19th century. Several wars between Sweden and Russia were held in Finland during this period in order to take control of the country. In 1809, all of Finland came under the reign of Russia when Russia was victorious over Sweden. Finland was still autonomous but the king, however, was the Russian Tsar.

The independence of Finland

Finland broke away from Russia when the Finnish parliament approved the Declaration of Independence on December 6^th, 1917. Finland became an independent country then.

A year later, in 1918, a civil war broke out in Finland between the Reds, who represented the workers and the whites, composed of the middle-class and the farmers. This war ended in May 1918 with the defeat of the Reds. 

Independent Finland became a republic whose president was elected for a term of six years and whose laws were passed by a parliament elected by the people.

Winter War and Continuation War

The Soviet Union attacked Finland in November 1939. During the Second World War, Finland was faced with two wars against the Soviet Union: the Winter War of 1939-1940 and the 1941 continuation of war in 1944. Following these wars, Finland lost the territories which were given to the Soviet Union. More than 400,000 Finns residing in these territories had to leave their homes and settle elsewhere in Finland as refugees. But Finland had to gain its independence.

 Finland after wars

Finland rapidly became a very prosperous country. However in the 1980s it had to face an economic crisis. Unemployment affected 20% of the workforce. But thanks to a revival of activity in the technology sector, the country came out of the crisis and achieved an unemployment rate below the average of the European Union. Finally, Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and is now part of the euro area.

The policy of Finland has resolutely turned towards neutrality. This has allowed the country to get through any difficult times with minimal hassle. The Finns are still reluctant to join NATO in order to respect their political neutrality. 

POLITICAL SYSTEM 

Finland is a parliamentary democracy. The President of the Republic, elected by direct universal suffrage, still has significant powers, but now plays a lesser role than he did twenty years ago. The government is headed by the Prime Minister who is chosen by the parliament. The government consists of the Prime Minister, different central government ministers and an ex officio member, the Chancellor of Justice. 

The President of the Republic & The Prime Minister 

THE CITY OF ROVANIEMI 

Rovaniemi is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland. It is situated about 10 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle  

My friends and I decided to visit Lapland. It is one of the main tourist destination in Finland. So we organized a weekend in Rovaniemi. I went there with six friends and we rented two cars and a pretty and typically Finnish cottage.

During our stay we had the opportunity to discover the activities offered around Rovaniemi. We went on a snowmobile safari which lasted three hours. I think this is one of my best memories in Finland because snowmobiling gives strong feelings that I could share with my friends. That same afternoon we also enjoyed a dog-sled ride and we spent some time with the dogs.

The next day we went to visit the village of Santa Claus. And we finished our trip by visiting the Ranua Wildlife Park where we could see many different kinds of animals such as polar bears, reindeer, etc.

LOTS OF WALK IN THE FOREST

 The campus of Kajaani is surrounded by the forest where we enjoy walking when the weather is fine! We love climbing up to the former Kajaani ski-jump because once we are up there we have a 360-degree view. 

Here is a video of our walks in forests!

ICE FISHING

KAMO, a school association that organizes events, suggested we could go fishing on the frozen lake behind the campus. It was a pleasant and unforgettable experience. Firstly we had to cut a hole in the ice to reach the water and then we just patiently waited for the fish to bite the hook. I must admit I did not catch many!

SAUNA AND ICE SWIMMING

KAMO also arranged our trip to Lake Joutenlampi. The afternoon began with ball games in the snow, we were then able to warm up by the fire and have a meal. By late afternoon we had a sauna and then we went swimming in the lake at 0°C. This was an unforgettable experience. Being immersed in such cold water causes incredible sensations.

SNOWSHOEING

That same afternoon we also went for a walk in the woods wearing snowshoes. It was not a discovery for me because I had already done it but it allowed us to admire the sunset in the middle of the Finnish forest.

NORTHERNLIGHTS

Since our arrival in Finland, we had expected to see the northern lights. Despite the fact that we were in northern Finland, they are not so easy to be seen. You have to be very patient and sometimes we waited without success.

Our patience was finally rewarded several times and these were magical moments! 

 THE CITY OF ST PETERSBURG

Thanks to the university, we joined a course which allowed us to travel to Russia. I left for one week with about twenty Erasmus students and two professors. It was a great trip, rich in discoveries. I really enjoyed discovering a new country and a new culture. We enjoyed the culinary specialities and the visits of monuments and major palaces of Saint Petersburg. 

We had the opportunity to attend a Folk show at the Opera. The place was beautiful and the discovery of this kind of show increased our knowledge of the culture of Russia. It was even more fun when the dancers asked one of our friends to come up on the stage.