The first impression I had was that Finland was a very cold and dark place, and that the people were very introverted and seemed like they were afraid of having fun in public. 

 During the week we met each other through school activities and tours to places like Santa Claus Village and Rokua Geopark. Those tours and activities allowed us to learn more about Finland and the Finnish culture, and to make new friends too. 

 I think that the reason that made me know more about the Finnish culture was the fact that I stayed at a Finnish student’ house, because that made possible for me to understand the Finnish lifestyle. In fact, my host was 17 and lived alone, which shows the level of independence and responsibility that Finnish people have.  

In general, I found Finnish people very nice and kind, since they always made their best to make us feel good. And they’re actually very funny and goofy too! They just don’t show it at first sight because they’re really shy. 

 Probably the thing that I loved the most in Finland was the nature, because the landscapes of forests covered by snow were truly breathtaking! 

The fact that we spent the week speaking English was very good for us, because it made us practise and improve our English. 

 I think we can really grow up with these experiences and learn to value the things we have. For example, I started to value a lot more the Portuguese weather, food and even the fact that I live in a big city, because I missed those things while I was in Finland. 

 In my opinion, this experience is unique and everyone should have it, because it’s an amazing way of knowing different people, countries and cultures, and also a way of making friends for life.