Written by: Belle Echeverria | Spring 2024
ISEP Exchange in Jyväskylä, Finland
“You will never be completely at home again because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place” — Miriam Adeney.
When I first made the decision to study abroad, it was because I desperately needed to escape. I needed to escape everything that I knew and go somewhere where no one knew me. Little did I know, I would find myself in a small city in the middle of Finland in -26° weather, with nearly 24/7 darkness, and completely surrounded by snow. All while being the happiest I had ever been in my entire life.
Admittedly, I initially wasn’t excited to find out I was placed in Finland. I really had my heart set on either Italy or Austria, so I found myself regretting my decision to study abroad very quickly. But thankfully, my mom reminded me that this is where the world put me. This is where I was supposed to be, and I was lucky enough be able to go and find out why.
As I sit here writing this, only three days away from moving back home, I find myself enthralled with gratitude. Luckily, it only took me a week (if even) to realize why the heck the world decided to place me in Finland of all places. It was for the incredible people that I’d meet.
Not to sound cliché, but everyone says they meet the most incredible people on their study abroad programs, but to be completely honest, I think I won by a landslide. Now, because I’m feeling extra generous while writing this, let me introduce you to the people that have changed my life and loved me when I felt unlovable. Those that celebrated me on my birthday, while only knowing me for a few weeks and those that have put up with me and my weirdness for the past five months.
My Roommates: Maider and Marie
When I first arrived in Finland, Maider was the very first person I met. Maider met me on the night I arrived in Finland after two days straight of travel and multiple anxiety attacks. I was in my room unpacking and sobbing because my towels smelled like home, and I knew that I wasn’t going to smell that smell again for five months. Then, I heard our front door open, and I immediately jumped up to see who it was. My sweet Maider and her tutor Ellie were standing in our entryway, and I must have looked like a maniac as I was mid-sob with my hair in a towel. Maider is from Spain and loves eggs, working out, and her family. She was the first person I had to brave the cold with on our first day of orientation because we were both too scared to try and figure out the public transportation, so we decided that walking 30 minutes in -26-degree weather would be better. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
When I first met Marie, I knew we had an instant connection. To be completely transparent, it is really hard for me to make friends and with Marie and Maider it was effortless. On the first night of knowing Marie and Maider, we all sat at the entry ways of our doors just talking to each other for hours about the differences between the United States, Spain, and France. Spoiler alert: Marie is from France!
Marie is the kind of person you call when you need anything because you know that no matter what, she will be there. She loves hosting events and cooking for large groups of people. She loves running and recently completed her first half-marathon in Helsinki. She loves a good beer, a good time, and she is an only child, but you could never tell. More importantly, she will listen to you rant about the same stinky boy over and over again, but never get sick of hearing you talk, as long as she knows that you feel heard.
My Favorite Latin Americans: Gonza, Benja, and Lucas
I met Gonza on my second day in Finland. Even in the midst of freezing weather and darkness at all hours, he was a ray of sunshine. Gonza is from Uruguay and was the first person I had ever met from South America. Gonza is one of those kinds of people that is really difficult to sufficiently put into words, English or Spanish. He’s the kind of person that ensures you get home safe after you decided to go a little too hard on your 21st birthday. He’s the kind of person that makes sure everyone at the function is having a good time and feels included. He’s the kind of person that is always down for a fun night, even if that means it’ll end with McDonald’s at 4 a.m. I believe with every single fiber of my being that everyone deserves a Gonza in their life.
Benja and I met in a bar during the first month of the exchange. A lot of the exchange students were there making new friends, and this is where I met Benja and Lucas for the first time. Benja immediately gave me a kiss on the cheek and a huge hug and has never failed to do so ever single time he saw me after our first meeting. Benja has eleven siblings and a pet duck! He is completely out of the ordinary, which is one of the main reasons why I love him. He has big dreams to become an influential businessman and I don’t have s single doubt in my mind that he won’t accomplish that. He’s incredibly charismatic and has no shame asking anybody in the vicinity to bachata with him. I am incredibly lucky to have met him this semester.
As previously mentioned, I met Lucas in the same bar that I met Benja in. It was just a group of the exchange students getting together, drinking, and trying to make new friends. I sat across from Lucas and was immediately intimidated by him. The combination of his outfit with his eyebrow slit and nose piercing immediately scared me. I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but admittedly I did with him. Little did I know he is one of the sweetest and kindest people you will ever meet. Don’t let his appearance fool you! Throughout this semester, Lucas and I went on many side quests together such as hockey games, exploring different bars, traveling to the arctic circle together, and so much more.
My American Girls: Karissa, Mari, and Jenny
I first met Mari through my on-campus tutor. At the University of Jyvaskyla, each international student is assigned a Finnish student to help them get acclimated to the University, the city, and Finnish life. Mari is from Montana, and we instantly bonded at the local bus card office. It was -26 degrees Fahrenheit during our first week in Finland. Unfortunately, during this first week was also orientation week so we were all forced to battle the cold. After the second day of orientation, Mari and I decided to walk to the city center (it is about a 10-minute walk from the University main 
campus) because we needed to get bus cards to be able to use the public transportation easier. We ended up waiting for over an hour at the office, but over this hour I learned so much about her. Her boyfriend is in the military in South America, she also loves Noah Kahan, and (thankfully) we both had a very similar kind of humor. From there, everything else is history.
Karissa and I met at a tutor house party. Her tutor, my tutor, and another tutor were throwing a Finnish style house party with Finnish foods for all of us to try. Here, I very quickly learned that Karissa is my kind of gal. She is always down for a good laugh, a drink, and spontaneous decisions. We bonded a lot this night and we were both able to get to know each other more and more. As I write this, Karissa is currently on her train back to Helsinki to fly home to Colorado. After five months, Karissa and I have made so many memories that will last us a lifetime and I cannot wait to go and visit her one day in Colorado.
Last, but certainly not least, Jenny. Oh, my sweet, sweet Jenny. On the first day of orientation, Jenny and I (and a few others) shared our first Finnish lunch together. During this lunch, I learned that Jenny was from Alaska, and I was super intrigued by that. I had never met someone from Alaska before. Her quirky smile, taste in music, and zest for life instantly made me fall in love with her.
In April, Mari, Jenny, Karissa, and I planned a girls trip to France and Italy for three weeks. During our time in France and Italy, I was at my absolute happiest. I feel so lucky and so beyond blessed to have been able to experience so many firsts with my girls. While that time in our lives might be over, the stories of us exploring France and Italy together will live forever in my heart.
The French: Quentin and Romain
As I sit here writing this, I’m realizing I don’t really remember how Romain and I met. With a lot of the people that I met while abroad, it seems like there was barely an official meeting. We met and it felt like we had known each other our whole lives. This especially applies to my friendship with Romain. Romain is from the south of France and has an exquisite taste in wine, clothing, and food. We bonded over our hatred for walking long distances and people that lack common sense. I know I am going to miss him so much when I move back to the states, and it hurts my heart to even think about.
Finally, I decided to save the best first meet story for last, Quentin. I met Quentin on March 6th, 2024, at Jyvaskyla’s most popular bar, Revolution. Every single Wednesday, Revolution had super cheap drinks for all students. That is one thing I know I will miss most about Finland; They love their students and give student discounts pretty much everywhere. Anyways, as usual, my girlfriends and I went to Revolution, and I was out with a vengeance. Little did I know that night I would be meeting my future boyfriend and the kindest person I had ever met. My roommate Marie and I were talking about how easy it is to flirt with guys (lol) and made a challenge to pick out guys for each other and whoever got their phone numbers and got the guy to buy them a drink, wins. Marie picked out who I now know to be, Quentin.
I quickly accepted the mission and moved in. I bought two shots and proceeded to hunt down Quentin to give him the second shot. We took the shots and began to talk. What I remember most about this night is how loud it was and how both of us were unable to understand each other so we had to communicate through the notes app on the middle of the dance floor. After an unknown amount of time, we moved to a different section of the bar that was quieter in order to be able to actually talk to each other. Unfortunately for us, this side of the bar was closing, so we left and decided to leave the bar. We talked outside the bar for a little while and as I was getting ready to say goodbye and catch a taxi home, Quentin insisted that he walk me home so I could save money. I hesitated, but agreed because I thought this was a sweet gesture. On this 45-minute walk home, we talked and talked and talked about everything and nothing at all.
Once we got back to my apartment, it was around 3 a.m. and Marie was already home. Her and Quentin of course began talking to each other in French for about 10 minutes as I stood there clueless with a smile on my face. Once they were finished talking, Quentin and I sat at the kitchen table and talked a little more, he taught me some French, and we basically laughed for an hour straight until it was time for him to leave. Funny enough, he asked if he could stay over since it was around 4 in the morning at this point, but I immediately said no and offered to pay for a taxi back to his apartment, but he declined. At this point I had no idea where he lived or how far it was, but figured it wasn’t that big of a deal. I now know that his apartment is an hour and a half walk from mine and that same night he walked home he ended up tripping and ripping his pants. Twice.
All in all, I now know the reason why I was placed in Finland. It was to meet these people and create these memories. It was to see the world and experience different cultures. It was to open my eyes to the different ways of life. It was show me that humans aren’t all that bad. It was to show me that I’m not so hard to love after all. Thank you Jyvaskyla.
How lucky am I to have something so special that makes saying goodbye so hard. I guess that’s just what happens when the stars align.