D-I-E Basque Country

1. DESCRIBE: The main challenge when you go abroad for a year is basically a communication issues. What do I mean? I mean that after a first semester you make a lot of good friends and then it is hard to get on well with others. You feel that there are no better people that those you met during the fall semester. I have noticed this issue even at Centria, watching our exchange students.

Using my Polaroid to capture one of the best evenings ever:)

2. INTERPRET: That issue might happen because the new incoming students at the moment of their arrival have a lot of things in common: they have just arrived, and they need to get used to the local environment. They start to explore the environment and facing the challenges together. That really unite them, as it had happened with me during the fall semester. At the same moment, me and other “oldies” had already completed this stage of acknowledgement.    

3. EVALUATE: Speaking about locals regarding this situation, they do not notice the split in the exchange group. They just enjoy getting to know other nationalities and cultures. As for me, I became really picky in terms of choosing people to talk to. I started to notice only negative aspects of people. Moreover, two students from Centria had arrived in Mondragon, so I started to feel more comfortable in my Centria squad. Now, I can give a good piece of advice: never stick to the past.   

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:)

D-I-E Spain

1. Describe:

To be honest, there weren't any situations that made me feel confused, since everybody speaks spanish in the Basque Country. I can say, that what had me quite interested was the basque "Txikiteo" or "Poteo".  I have not seen anything similar elsewhere.

Txikiteo is the act of hopping from bar to bar, and having a couple of Pintxos and a drink, and then move on the next bar. what did get me a little confused once, was that this is done at a great scale on every Thursday; "Pintxo-Pote". The first time, I was wondering why on thursday. Although I do not regret anything, what was whirring in my head was: "how do you do this every thursday and then go to school on friday?"


2. Interpret:

The way I interpreted the fact that "Pintxo-Pote" is done every thursday, is that the students who live in other cities leave every friday bo go back to their homes and their families, so the parties are made on thursday. Although this could be interpreted in many ways, including religious ones, I did not think of any other way to think of this.

But I do have to say that even though I had though a logical explanation, It still was wandering in my mind.

Regarding the bar-hopping, I had no idea. The only thing I thought was that this was merely a cultural thing, and that this is what people are accustomed to.


3. Evaluate:

Once I asked some colleagues why Pintxo-Pote was always on thursday, I confirmed my theory. So, once that happened, I thought that I was quite similar with the student parties here in Finland (although, here they're on Wednesdays). On the next Pintxo-Pote, this was no longer wandering my mind, and everything became normal to me.

Also the bar-hopping is great! You get to know different bars around, and you get to meet great people, as this is one of the biggest things in Basque Country.

I really cannot think of anything negative of these situations, except for the facet that Pintxo-Pote Thursdays can become a little uncomfortable and inconvenient, either because you have something really important to do on the next day, or some other reason.

If I'd have to evaluate this from the Mexican perspective, I'd say both things are a little strange, as usually we never have parties on weekdays, unless it is a national holiday, something really important, or just vacations. And the bar hopping, it isn't weird, as we do something similar, sometimes.

Anyhow, I don't regret anything from my trip. Everything is very interesting, for as weird as it can be.

Letter Home - Arthur Maya

1. In what country and University are you studying?

- The polytechnic university of Mondragon in Spain, or as the basques call it: "Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa".

2. In what Study program are you studying at Centria?

- I'm currently an IT Engineering student at Centria.

3. What are the courses like at the host University?

- I'd say that the courses are quite standard in terms of the way they are planned to be and the way the teachers execute their learning. They are presential, and do not require the need of books as an obligatory back-up, although it i recommended to attend the library or use some sources from the internet to complement.

4. Describe the study culture?

- The study culture is a little bit more strict than in Finland. Students are expected to be not more than 5 minutes past the class starting time, and assist every day to class although they are quite flexible when something has popped up and you can't go to class.

Specifically at the Engineering department in Mondragon, mostly computers are used, with some slight use of notebooks and sheets of paper for note taking and paper excercises.

Exams are on Paper, usually, but sometimes, depending on the course that you're taking, use of computers is required.

Student life is very visible in the Basque country, as it is the young people, students, who are out in the streets living the student's life mostly.

5. What is your study group like?

- My study group, and all of them in this case, is a very closed one. Even though it was the Engineering campus, the "engineering is for men" stereotype was not visible at all. It was quite mixed in terms of the students.

They are pretty quiet and calm, although there are some moments when the energy in the atmosphere spikes. They are quite educated as well.

I can say that in general terms, students here are good (including my own study group).

6. Please describe what the everyday life is like in your host country? What do you like in particular?

Everyday life here in the Basque Country, is quite different to that of the rest of Spain. Although most of Spain is different in these terms, the Basque Country is special.

Although everyday life is similar the that of the rest of Spain, there are many things and details that are unique.

The scenery is very beautiful. Rolling green hills, miles and miles of pristine coastline, snow-capped mountains, lush valleys, lakes, rivers, forests… It really is beautiful!

Here they have what they call "Txikiteo" which is bar hopping for Pintxos and sips of wine. Pintxos consist of small slices of bread on which an ingredient or mixture of ingredients is placed and fastened with a toothpick, which gives the food its name "pincho", in Spanish, meaning "spike.".

La Kontxa Beach - Donostia / San Sebastian

7. What has been challenging? Why?

- I'd say that the most challenging part of my exchange, was the language. Even though Spanish is one of my mother tongues, The accent in Spain, is very different. Sentences are phrased in different structures, different conjugations are used, and more. But not only that! In the Basque Country, and in Mondragon specifically, people most usually speak Basque, which is the official language, and yes, It is very hard to adapt around it.

The second most challenging thing was the classroom itself. The teachers and the students usually speak in Basque between themselves. The classes were in Spanish, but when someone asked the teacher a question , they'd usually do it in Basque. This made it hard to socialize with everyone. People there also are pretty closed between themselves and can get quite exclusive.

8. What has been the highlight of your exchange so far?

I'd say that, I am not able to highlight any moments of my exchange. Every part of it was a highlight. But if i would have to highlight something, I believe I'd say that the friends I made.

I got to meet people from all parts of the world. This helped me open my mind and grab a different perspective of the world. I killed stereotypes, and confirmed others.

D-I-E, Spain [Assignment2]

Universidad Pontifica Comillas, Madrid

1.     Think of one episode that has left you confused or that you think was strange/different. Describe the object or situation in concrete, observable terms. What happened in the interaction? What was said? What did you see? What did you feel at the moment?

ð     My stay in Madrid for 4 months had been great, but their visa process got me confused. Here’s the story: Anybody staying in Spain for more than 90 days should acquire visa or make the registration in immigration office. It was easier for the EU students, as they could just send documents and get registered. Me, as non-EU citizen it was so difficult. Before going to Spain, I contacted with Spanish Embassy in Finland, and they said that I won’t need any visa as I had valid Finnish Resident Permit, and I could simply register as an EU-students after the arrival in Spain. When I went for the registration, people in immigration office said I should have had visa from Finland or my home country, Nepal. Even I showed them the email conversation with Embassy, they simply denied and even showed me the "rule-book". It was a shock, at that moment I felt like: “what am I gonna do now?”. Neither I had Visa, nor they agreed to register my documents. After numerous attempts in different places, a personnel in another department took  the documents and said he’d send it to right place for registration, 3 months went by but never got the decision.

2.     INTERPRET: Think of possible explanations (interpretations) for what you observed or experienced. From your cultural perspective, try to explain why you think this situation or experience occurred? Try to find at least 3 different interpretations of the interaction or occurrence. What cultural information have you used to produce these interpretations?  

ð    One thing is for sure, either people in Embassy had no idea at all or the people in immigration were wrong. There had to be some provision for such students coming from outside of the Europe as Madrid is one of the highest student-accepting cities. Moreover, almost no one speaks English in the offices, everytime I had to go to registration office, I had to ask someone from my university or friend to go with me. Also the language-barrier made it very difficult. Whenever I had to say something, it had to go through someone else’s interpretation and vice-versa.

3.      EVALUATE: Evaluate what you observed or experienced. What positive or negative feelings do you have regarding the situation? Consider how you might feel if you were a member of the host culture and held the dominant cultural values and beliefs?

ð    I felt so bad that I had to live in Spain for more than 1 month without any visa or documentation. I don't know if I should call it legal or Illegal stay. Even people at international office in University, tried to help at the fullest but were unable.

               They felt so bad about the situation and worried that might occur in future again.

My introduction - Alina Lukina

Hi everyone!

My name is Alina Lukina, a girl from Russia. Currentrly I am coursing my second year of BBA program in Kokkola.

This Fall I am going to Mondragon University in Spain. I've been dreaming about going for exchange for a long time. Therefore, I am really excited about all the opportunities I will have there. I expect, that I will meet a lot of new interesting people there, who will influence my life. Moreover, it goes without a doubt, I believe that wide variety of courses and quiet environment there will provide me with required knowledge. In addition, I expect to develop my Spanish skills there.

To sum up, participating in exchange program it is a key step in the student life, to my mind. It is essential for the future, because I belive that it is a strong competitive advantage in the CV when you applying for a job.