Ciao from Torino, Italia!
During my exchange I was studying business administration, the same field as here in Finland. As I expected, the courses were very different, and the learning style is quite far from the Finnish style. I would say that Italy is not as advanced in modern-day learning methods as Finland, and that was a little bit frustrating time to time. I’m used to more interactive and versatile learning, but in Italy it’s very basic: the teacher is talking for 3-4 hours and then the lecture is over. The exams are also basic, and after the final exam I felt like I had forgotten everything.
Despite the ordinary learning styles and all in all complicated bureaucracy, I loved Italy. Especially in Torino, you can really feel the authentic Italian lifestyle. There are hardly any tourists, and the locals are so chill and… Italian. Everyone is just living their best life, and as Italians would say, they are enjoying the dolce far niente. The sweetness of doing nothing. You can spot people everywhere just sitting on the park benches and enjoying the sunny day. One of my favorite parts of Italian culture is the famous aperitivo. Aperitivo happens before dinner, so usually at 6 or 7pm. That’s when friends and family go sit at a cafe or a restaurant and they enjoy some drinks with small snacks. During aperitivo people come together and share their daily activities with each other. I really love this habit, and usually the restaurants bring you snacks with your drink even if you never ordered any food.
I think both Finland and Italy have their benefits, but I think I’d prefer something between these two cultures. Finns could learn to let go and relax a little more and Italians could be more precise and punctual sometimes. Overall, I love how Italians don’t take things so seriously (except food and cooking). I feel like they have more optimistic and trusting attitude towards life and things in general. Of course this is just my experience.
If I could recommend for you to travel somewhere and experience something way different than Finland, I would warmly suggest Italy. It is such a versatile country with endless things to see and experience. We travelled to so many places during my exchange, but I still have much more to see there. Ti amo Italia, arrivederci!
Comments