When Fabian Mancera arrived in Finland in the autumn of 2012 to do his master’s degree in Economics at the University of Helsinki, he had only one expectation: it was going to be cold. Now two years later with a degree under his belt and as far away from his home in Mexico as ever, Fabian had come to love the student-friendly capital that offered some of the best public transportation in the world, and according to him, was brimming with opportunities to “meet new people from all over the world and have a great time any single day.”
As the saying goes, ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do’ and Fabian had been hoping to become more acquainted with local Finnish students – generally known for being rather shy in nature – in order to gain a better understanding of the Finnish culture. “You always meet Finns in parties or in classes,” Fabian observed, “but getting to know them enough to call them friends is the difficult part.” That’s when he stumbled upon The Buddy Project, a conscious effort by the University of Helsinki’s ESN (Exchange Student Network) organisation to bring together both foreign and local students with similar interests.
Whether it is trying out international cuisines, hiking at national parks or venturing out on pub crawls, The Buddy Project is all about appreciating and exploring different cultures, and indeed, exploring Helsinki together. As a long-time participant, Fabian thought back and spoke fondly of one of his more cherished memories from the Project – the first time he was invited along with several others to bake pulla (traditional Finnish pastries) at a local student’s home:
“I have been to Finnish apartments before but never in a family house so that was amazing. It was the first time I could relate to being back home at my parents’ place and just experiencing how to bake pullas from scratch was great. Mixing the ingredients, creating the dough and then making the rolls and cutting them… Also making different shapes of breads and eating them just fresh from the oven was perfect. It was an experience I doubt I could have gotten if not for The Buddy Project.”
Fabian’s enthusiasm and active participation were soon noted by the Project’s organisers and he soon joined their ranks. Organising different activities and keeping members involved and in touch with each other in addition to school and work is no easy feat, but Fabian feels motivated each time a student comes up to him to say hello. “Well the foreign students do, Finns are too shy for that,” he added with a grin.
For more information about The Buddy Project, check out ESN University of Helsinki’s facebook group and their website.