Study Abroad in a Helsinki Summer School

The First Time is the Charm

Article and photos by Audrey Faye Henderson

Valdet Tairi (Macedonia), Audrey Henderson (United States), Carolina Villar (Brazil) — at the farewell party for  Helsinki Summer School participants at The Club in downtown Helsinki.

I knew as soon as I stepped onto the marshy patch of ground that I was in trouble. I can’t fall down. I just can’t fall down. I commanded myself silently. PLOP! Fortunately, the saturated grass provided a soft landing, so the only injury I suffered was to my pride. 

“Let me help you,” said Mihai, one of my classmates, chivalrously extending his hand.

“I’m fine,” was my terse response. I was determined not to let my advanced age betray me as incapable of navigating the course with everyone else. I righted myself and had A-L-M-O-S-T regained my bearings when PLOP! I found myself on the ground again.

“Audrey, let me help you,” Mihai insisted. “You fell down a sinkhole.”

I looked down to find that it was indeed true. So, I wasn’t just an infirm old lady who couldn’t manage an ordinary outdoor field hike.  I also had not been the only one to have fallen victim to the same fault in the ground. 

So I was helped to my feet, continued to navigate the soggy grass, and fortunately, did not fall again. The day was highlighted by a fresh-air picnic for lunch and, after the fastest shower of my life, a bus and tram trip downtown with a classmate assigned to the flat down the hall and a homemade, authentic Italian dinner (prepared by two Italian classmates!) at my instructor’s cozy flat.

This was but one of several field trips my class undertook, entitled Planning a Growing Urban Region, one of a dozen held during August as part of the Helsinki Summer School program. The program is an international summer study intensive, conducted in English and targeted toward graduate-level students, with a few advanced undergraduates and professionals sprinkled in for variety. Our class was conducted by the Network for Urban Studies, a cooperative of the University of  Helsinki and the Helsinki University of Technology.

The Helsinki Summer School Program

The Helsinki Summer School program began in 2000 as the contribution of the University of Helsinki to the European City of Culture project. While I attended, more than 300 students from 50+ countries worldwide were enrolled in a dozen courses included in the program, with course credits issued in ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) generally varying from 4 to 8 units per course. Most were in their 20s, with a few in their 30s. Then there was me, the grand old lady of the program. However, I learned later that another participant was older than me, although we had never met.

Although the course in which I had enrolled was directly related to my work in community development and research in housing-related issues and was only a short-term intensive program, the cost represented a severe strain on my finances, as I received no assistance whatsoever. The program did offer scholarship funds, but an application would have required a recommendation from my advisor, which I knew would hardly be forthcoming as I had not been in residence for several years.

Seizing the Opportunity

I also felt painfully self-conscious about my age. At several points, before I actually boarded the plane, I questioned the wisdom of my decision to take on a study abroad program in my 40s. At 47, I knew I would be older than most other participants, and I steeled myself for that. I was not prepared, however, to discover on the first day of class that I was even older than the main course instructor! Had I known this before arriving in Helsinki, I might have decided not to make the trip.

The opportunity to study abroad had not been available when I was younger. In high school, as an undergraduate, and even in my earlier years as a graduate student, there was simply no money in the budget for such “frivolities” as studying abroad. In the past, I had told myself that I would undertake study abroad “later,” and when “later” finally arrived, I decided that I was too old.

However, a profound loss earlier in the year sealed my decision to finally pursue what had been nearly a lifelong desire to experience life outside my own culture, at least for a short period. One of my very best friends, someone I had known since I was a teenager, had been suddenly struck down and died from Lymphoma, aged only 48 years. The shock removed the cliché from the realization that life could be taken from us literally at any time.

Although my friend was taken much too soon, he had at least had the opportunity to realize most of his life’s desires and ambitions. I, on the other hand, had not. So I was determined to follow through with this, no matter what, and that was that. 

I wasn’t particular about where I went. I did, however, have several constraints which limited my options, finances being the overriding consideration. I could neither afford nor justify a long-term program. Language was another limitation. Although I spoke and wrote reasonably well in French then, I had not studied the language for two years. As a result, I did not feel confident in my ability to take on coursework in French.  I also hoped to find a program that provided accommodations for its participants. Finally, I was hesitant to undergo a series of immunizations or a visa application — again, because I was taking on this endeavor alone and did not want to make a critical misstep that would come back to haunt me.

I had learned about the Helsinki Summer School program some years earlier from an acquaintance who had emigrated to Finland from Germany. He had not attended the program but was aware of it. He mentioned it as an option when I commented offhand about my desire to study abroad. 

The loss of my friend had triggered the recollection, and I decided to investigate. I began by examining the Helsinki Summer School website, website, which proved to be a rich resource for the program and Helsinki. I learned more through email inquiries to the staff. The program proved to be made to order for my needs and preferences. I submitted my application and was accepted. I also received an assignment in an efficiency flat in a section of  Helsinki called Pihlajamäki, which was private and less expensive than the shared-room hostel accommodations downtown. This choice proved significant — as I became a resident, rather than a visitor, for my stay in  Helsinki.

Academically, I was well prepared. The reading and the course requirements were challenging, and the schedule was rigorous, running the equivalent of a full work day, five days per week, with a break for lunch. Still, there was nothing involved that I could not handle, having executed all the stages of a rigorous graduate program up to and including completing a draft of a doctoral thesis.  

I was also gratified to see that I was not the only participant in the program with dark skin. In retrospect, I should have realized that the particular fear was groundless. Although there are not many black people in Finland, Somali émigrés and refugees actually comprise one of the larger groups of immigrants to Finland. In and around  Helsinki especially, I was still one of a diverse mixture of residents and visitors, and I never encountered an incident of racism. 

As a woman, I also felt secure traveling alone and after dark. However, it becomes incredibly dark in early August only after 10 or 11 p.m. local time. Of course, as in any urban area, keeping one’s wits about oneself is wise. Still,  Helsinki is a very safe city, including public transit, which is clean, fast, and punctual.

Socially, however, I was utterly at sea. Although I am told I look younger than my years, I have visible gray hair. I felt inhibited in making overtures to my much younger counterparts, especially the men. I did not want to be perceived as forcing anyone to humor the weird old lady when my company wasn’t desired. I especially didn’t want to give the impression of making unwanted romantic overtures. One of my few regrets was that I allowed these self-limiting attitudes to damper my ability to extract the full measure of the rewards from the experience. 

For instance, I sat out many social activities simply because I convinced myself I would be conspicuously out of place. Many of the programs were geared toward the typical study abroad participant of conventional college or graduate student age. However, many others were not. 

My instructor, classmates, the program staff, and other course participants were welcoming. I was always made to feel in the right place. That notion was generated strictly within myself. Fortunately, I managed to participate in a number of the social diversions offered, and I enjoyed each of them tremendously.

I have never been much for organized tours, especially those that incorporate the local population as a colorful backdrop to the tourist experience. I also never understood the mentality of Americans who insisted on eating at Mickey D’s or associating only with other Americans abroad. Why not just stay home? 

Living in Helsinki

While in Helsinki, I was fully immersed in daily life, which meant learning to navigate the city independently. As I had no sense of direction, I was lost nearly daily during my visit. However, someone would invariably see the confused-looking black woman puzzling over a map and politely ask, “Could I help you find something?” My guides ranged from a very distinguished-looking lady in her 60s to a teen with spiked bright red and purple hair to a heavily tattooed man In his late 30s, all of whom spoke well to excellent English, and each of whom smiled broadly in response to my declaration of “Kiitos!” (Thank you.)

Grocery shopping was also an adventure, as I soon learned to choose foods I recognized, either fresh fruits and vegetables or clearly labeled meats and familiar brands, a surprising number of which had made the transatlantic journey to  Helsinki, even if the labels were translated into words I didn’t understand. I soon surmised that this must be what illiteracy is like.

The summer school staff was also friendly and helpful, and the university facilities were excellent. Each summer school participant received a library account, discounted meals at various university cafeterias, computer privileges, and a 200-page photocopy allowance. The summer school staff also provided a great deal of practical advice, such as recommending the purchase of transit cards for unlimited rides for the duration of our program. 

The transit cards proved especially useful for those staying in Pihlajamäki, as the per-ride fares would have been much more expensive throughout the program. The transit cards provided the bonus of being valid to cover the fare for the ferry to the world-famous fortress on Suomenlinna Island. The students in the program were encouraged to explore  Helsinki on their own and even to take excursions to Tallinn and Stockholm, each of which was only a ferry ride away. Unfortunately, my budget did not allow for these excursions.

Helsinki Summer School Activities

The entire  Helsinki Summer School program was a rich and varied buffet. Rather than being chained to a desk in an endless maze of windowless cubicles or trapped in regimented rows with stacks of papers and books and forced to endure endless droning lectures, our days were filled with interactive presentations and discussions and punctuated by field trips in and around Helsinki, guided by subject matter experts and knowledgeable locals. 

The mishap described at the beginning of this story occurred during an all-day class excursion to a development in progress on the outskirts of  Helsinki. The purpose was to observe the guiding principles of urban development in Finland in action. This venture, along with other out-of-class trips, was a vital element of our learning. Seeing the developments and neighborhoods provided experiences that would have been impossible to duplicate strictly within the classroom.

The day had begun, as all class days did, with the daily bus ride from my flat in Pihlajamäki to the Central Railway Station smack in downtown  Helsinki. Fortunately, I had met up with Stefanie, one of my classmates who was also staying at Pihlajamäki, on the trip into town because I had no clue how to navigate from the railway station to the bus station where we were to meet our fellow classmates for the more extended trip out to Espoo. With her guidance, I made it to the rendezvous point in good time. 

After the bus ride, we descended from the highway across undeveloped fields. After hours of walking, we went to a mixed-income development, where social (subsidized) housing was seamlessly integrated with much more affluent developments. We enjoyed our open-air picnic there, then more walking, another break for coffee and cake, and a resident's presentation on a particular social housing project. More walking, then a ride on the subway back into downtown, with an invitation to meet again in two hours at our instructor’s flat, close to the tram line 15 minutes from the railway station.

Nearly everyone wanted a shower after an enjoyable but long and physically strenuous day. However, while most of our classmates were staying in the downtown hostel, those of us assigned to Pihlajamäki were a half-hour bus ride away. Still, I needed a shower, so, along with Valdet, a neighbor from a flat down the hall, I made the trip back to Pihlajamäki.

“I’ll come by to pick you up in 15 minutes,” Valdet declared as we left the elevator in the hallway leading to our respective flats.

“FIFTEEN MINUTES?! “ I protested. “No way!”

“Yes,” he insisted. “We have to. It will take us close to an hour to get to Kaisa’s place, and I don’t want to be late.” He was right, especially given that neither of us had been to Kaisa’s place, and we were unsure how to find it. But I had never showered and changed in fifteen minutes, especially not after such an arduous day. I wanted a nice, long soak in a hot bath. It was not to be. Twenty minutes later (and I was grateful for the five-minute slack), there was a knock on my door, and Valdet and I were off.

Social Life

At Kaisa’s place, we were entertained by her adorable blond toddler and welcomed by her gracious husband, who seemed to take having more than twenty visitors in their comfortable (but not especially large) flat absolutely in stride. Two of our Italian classmates, Johanna and Graziana, treated our palates by preparing a variety of delicious authentic plates of pasta and sauces, with assistance from other classmates recruited into the enterprise and accompanied by good wine and beer.

We were again invited to Kaisa’s place on the last day of class. We surprised her with a T-shirt imprinted with a class photo featuring the flags of all the class participants. In turn, Kaisa treated us to the flutes of Cristal.

Kaisa Schmidt-Thome, the course instructor, wore the T-shirt we gave her on the last day of class.

That night, all the summer school participants were invited to a farewell party at The Club, a downtown  Helsinki nightspot. Again, my first instinct was to pass, especially since I could use the time to pack and sleep before the long return trip. But I was persuaded to begin packing early and sleep on the plane. 

I made my appearance at The Club at about 10:30 p.m. local time. The party was getting underway. The venue was packed, and the music was loud.  Still, I heard my name even before I stepped inside. Mihai was standing just outside the door. 

“You found it!” he said with a teasing smile. My misadventures in finding my way around  Helsinki were infamous by this time.

“I did,” I replied with a grin. 

Inside the packed room, an open seat miraculously appeared. I was invited to sit with my classmates and Kaisa, our class instructor.

“I’m so glad you decided to come!” Kaisa declared. I was glad, too.

Hearing the assorted charming accents, each clamoring to be heard over the pounding bass was like music for me. Although nearly everyone spoke English (it was the only language we all had in common), I was one of the few persons present for whom it was a native language. 

This was what I had come for.

Audrey Faye Henderson holds ABD (all but dissertation) status in the  Northwestern University Joint J.D./Ph.D. (Sociology) Program. She has the J.D. Audrey arranged the study abroad program independently.