Tampere, Finland
It will be cold, they said. It will be rainy, they said. So well, they were right.
My first days went miserable. It rained all the long without any beam of sunlight. I wanted to go home. Back to 30°C and blue sky. But here I was, awfully homesick in Tampere.
But as if the weather god heard me the weather changed and so did my attitude towards the city. Everything switched from grey and demure into bright and happy. I discovered all the impressive brick buildings and the breathtaking lakes. The fresh air that the woods give me when I walk through them and the magic the city got when the lights start shining at night.
The nature in and around Tampere is one of the purest I have ever seen in my whole life. Everything seems so minimalist but at the same time completed.
Whenever I am homesick there is one thing that I love to do. I put on my warm jacket and walk along the shore of the northern lake. That stunning view helps me to forget that I am here alone in a foreign city but more importantly it gives me the feeling of being home and happy.
Text and photos: Georgia Hauke, Business exchange student autumn 2019
