The Life of an Exchange Student: An Unforgettable Experience
- Why Not
- Nov 6, 2025
- 3 min read
After two months at KSYK, we interviewed this year's exchange students on their experiences in our school and Finland. They have joined us from three continents to facilitate personal growth and international connections as well as broadening their cultural understanding. The Huhuu team conducted an interview to discover the reality of being an exchange student at our school.
Laia from Spain wanted to learn about another country’s way of living and was interested in the renowned education system of Finland. She also sought to become a better and more open-minded person by jumping into the deep end of another way of life. Melua looked forward to the change in scenery from Denmark and has been satisfied by the boundless nature that persists even in cities. She remarked that in Finland one can drive for 6 hours and still be surrounded by trees.
When asked about the most shocking parts of their year up to this point, they were in agreement: Finnish people are quiet. Maddy from the United States explained that in an international school such as KSYK, exchange students can be difficult to spot, so Finnish students have rarely approached her. Although she was warned about Finns’ shyness beforehand, their directness and reservation still surprised her. She reflected that being in an international school, while having its drawbacks, has allowed her to develop a personality outside of being an exchange student.
Overall, they have had a relatively easy time assimilating into Finnish culture. After adjusting to the quietness of Finnish people, they have comfortably adapted to the straightforward and individualistic nature of Finns. Many of them felt overwhelmed by the public transportation system here. They shared a range of stories from missing the bus on the first day to being lost on the side of the highway. Maddy misses the ease of picking up a friend in her car or driving to the supermarket with her family. The others also agreed that Finnish families spend little time together as a family, mostly focusing on individual activities.
Each of them had complaints about the travesties of Finnish cuisine and felt homesick for their native dishes. Melua thinks that school food here is good, but she dearly misses tarteletter chicken tarts from home. Margherita from Italy and Yuiko from Japan also miss Mediterranean food and rice, respectively.
Laia and Maddy also recalled the school spirit in their schools back home and the culture of school sports. Laia enjoyed socializing while cheering on friends at sports events, which she has missed in her time at KSYK. They both passionately reminisced about their first week in Finland. At their orientation camp in Karkku, they met other exchange students from 18 countries and spent the week swimming, taking walks, grilling makkara, trading cultures, and connecting with their peers.
Our exchange students formed a bond upon arriving at our school, and have created a tight-knit group. Maddy stated that it can be intimidating to talk to Finnish students who are caught up in their own hobbies, friends and studies. Coming from a small town to a capital city, she was not used to the fast pace of everyday life and the purposefulness by which Finns live. In contrast, exchange students have ample free time to make use of and hope to take advantage of their time together and have the most fulfilling experience possible.
This reflected strongly in their message to future exchange students. They encouraged others to take the leap and fully live out their time on exchange. Maddy encouraged students not to compare one's own experiences with others’ highlight reels. She reminds future exchange students that living in Finland is completely different to Spain or Italy, for example, and cannot be compared. Laia emphasized that having a positive attitude towards one’s exchange is important. In less than a year her time with us will be over, so she is concentrating on the best parts of her life here.
They also reminded future exchange students to live in the moment and build a rich life in their host country. It is important to enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity and take it in fully by developing connections and learning life lessons. Hopefully during their remaining time with us, they are able to create connections, developing their knowledge and broadening their cultural understanding.
Written by Huhuu Team
Photo by Yuxin Zhong