c. First impression

January 5, 2016 was the beginning of my semester at a partner university. I flew to Geneva with Chloe and Edelyne. We were very eager to explore this new country and live this new experience. However, I admit that I was apprehensive about my arrival because the unknown is always a little scary.

We arrived in Helsinki around 3:00 p.m. We had little time to catch our next flight. The plane to Kajaani was a small propeller plane. I was scared but everything went well. My first feeling after getting off the plane was, "It's really cold." Indeed, on our arrival, the temperatures were about -35 ° C. Our hair, our clothes and our eyelashes were frozen. It was a real thermal shock.

A taxi picked us up to take us to our apartments which are situated on campus. Current students explained to us the functioning of life on campus, and they quickly showed us the apartments. I immediately liked the place and I felt comfortable.

The next day, the head of Erasmus students showed us around the campus. Kajaani campus is not very big, so it is easy to find the classrooms and other conveniences.

In the week that followed, we visited the city with a student we met. She showed us the main locations in the city such as shops, banks, etc ...

At first, the lack of light was really unusual for me, the days were very short and it was disturbing. Fortunately, every day, we gain a few more minutes of "sun".

Let the adventure begin!

Few things about Kajaani:

• 38 000 inhabitants
• Capital of the region of Kainuu
• Founded in 1651
• During the Greater Wrath in the 18th century, Kajaani Castle was forced to surrender to Russian forces
• Today the local economy is driven mainly by the sawmill, lumber and paper industries
• Helsinki distance: 557 km

Photo gallery:

Kajaani Church was built in 1896 in the Neo-Gothic style by architect Jac Ahrenberg. The first church was built was in 1656. It was destroyed in 1716 by Russian (along with the castle).

The municipality of Kajaani is the oldest building in the city. It was built in 1831. It was renovated between 1985 and 1990 but has kept its original color.

This is the way to go to school. Friendly landscape, right?