Letter Home - Alina Lukina

Before going abroad, I had chosen Spain as my destination. I didn’t care whether it would be a big city or not. Therefore, a year ago I landed in a wonderful place called Basque Country. Here, I would like to highlight the importance of the independence of it from Spain.

The view from my window. Center of Mondragon.

The university I was studying in was private. Moreover, it is an important part of Mondragon Cooperation (a group of local cooperatives). So here we go, the name of this educational institution is Mondragon University.   
At Centria I am studying Business Administration and Management. Therefore, indeed, I have completed a year studying the same program in Mondragon University.

Speaking about the studying process, I did not notice any significant differences. There they believe in the importance of practical knowledge alike Centria and other UAS in Finland. Furthermore, courses were almost the same as in Centria. Nevertheless, the courses were covering some too specific aspects. In comparison, at Centria we have just a broad look at the studying business field. 

During my exchange I was living and studying with other exchange students. Indeed, they were my team mates in all the classes we had. That was great because other students (locals) were not really easy-going. However, I have to say, most of them are truly hardworking and dedicated to studies.  

Besides classes my everyday life was totally awesome! I will never forget this Spanish/Basque custom to drink coffee with your friends, buying freshly baked bread and eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, sea food and meat every day. Everything is just so relaxing. However, I was not bored at all! Even though the town was small we could always find some activities to do: travelling, hiking, sunbathing, swimming, etc.

The only challenge I had was to combine the fun with my studies. The attendance is highly important there. I even needed to drop some courses due to overlaps.

To wrap it up, I should highlight the fact how important is it to make an investigation about a country before going there. The thing that I expected and what I got in the end was totally different. However, I was not disappointed at all! I am very happy with my exchange experience and I wish I could do it again:)