Mar­tina Brüchle in Fin­land

What was your main motivation to go abroad?

My motivation was actually to get out again, simply to have a change of scenery. The pandemic had just ended. The invitation to the Staff Week in Helsinki came at just the right time! Professionally, I was very interested in how other universities in Germany and Europe had coped with the pandemic. What changes have they made, what remains the same? How digitally do others work in teaching and collaboration now? What are their experiences, what has been tried but then abandoned? And, of course: how does a Finnish university of applied sciences live and work?

Did you have any concerns?

I had no concerns. I knew that practically everyone in Finland spoke English very well. I had a credit card, a full agenda, a few small gifts and that's all you need. The only question was perhaps how cold it would be in Finland at the end of March...

Would you recommend going abroad? Why?

Absolutely! The Scandinavian countries and also Finland are very well-organised and structured. With a little English and asking around, you can get along very well. At the same time, they tick differently, so it's simply fascinating to immerse yourself in a different institution and culture for a week. If you choose a staff week, like I did, almost everything is already organised. You just need to show up, listen, ask questions, be curious, then it's really great. By the way, there's always a bit of free time. 🙂 The colleagues from the International Offices (HNU and Laurea) and the colleagues from the HNU Finance Department were very helpful when I had questions. The flight and hotel were taken care of by the HNU in advance, which was also incredibly helpful.

What did you learn from your stay abroad?

I had the impression that the universities and universities of applied sciences in Finland are years ahead of us when it comes to digitalisation, teaching concepts and the like. It was incredibly fascinating. There, teaching is so much more interactive, everything is focused on exchange, group work, much more than here. We can only dream of laboratories and room facilities there. Several health labs with very expensive equipment, simulation rooms, super-modern workspaces... I was really amazed!

Were your expectations met?

Absolutely. I enjoyed every single day. There were almost 50 participants from all over Europe, so it was never boring. We had plenty of time to talk and to tell each other about our home universities. So I not only learned a lot about the higher education system in Finland but also about Belgium, France, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Czech Republic but also from other German federal states. And although many Germans participated, I had plenty of opportunity to speak English. That was important to me. 🙂

Is there anything you would like to highlight about your experience abroad?

Of course, it was exciting that, on the very first day of arrival, the trains went on strike – only buses were running, and that for almost the entire week. It's really great when you get off the plane tired and then have to figure out how to get around. Laurea UAS is located outside of Helsinki and can actually be reached in 20 minutes by a suburban train. However, if you wanted to get to the city center, it often took over an hour by bus. But I saw quite a lot of Helsinki and the residential areas.  Of course I had a smartphone, which was a big help, but I still had to ask for directions and change plans on the fly practically every day. It felt a bit like I was 20 years younger and on an Interrail. 🙂