Once we arrived, we spent some time talking about the Dutch (Nederlandse) and French (Franse) school systems. We noticed quite a few differences, but also some interesting similarities. For example, in the Netherlands, the first years of school are called basisschool, which corresponds to primary school, while in France children attend école primaire. Later on, Dutch students move on to middelbare school, similar to secondary school or Gymnasium, which is comparable to the French collège and lycée. One difference that stood out was the pauze, the break between lessons: in Dutch schools, it is often longer and usually spent playing outside, whereas in France breaks tend to be shorter and more structured. Discussing these small differences and similarities made the conversation both fun and surprising, as we could see how cultural habits and school routines shape the everyday life of students in each country.
Of course, the sauna itself was amazing. The combination of the intense heat and the shock of jumping into the icy water afterward was incredible. In Finland, sauna (sauna) is a central part of daily life, often enjoyed with family or friends, while in the Netherlands and France, sauna culture is much less common and mostly reserved for wellness centers or resorts. Experiencing it the Finnish way, especially with the cold plunge, gave us a real sense of Finnish traditions.
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