Alexa Dominici - Zefiro, accompanying staff

My experience in Finland has been absolutely enriching. First of all I accompanied the youngsters and as a tutor I helped them in various aspects of this trip: not only I offered assistance with the language barrier and took every opportunity to teach them more English and encourage them to interact with people, but I also was there for them for the more day-to-day challenges, to help them navigate the “live on your own” experience, from grocery shopping to getting around town, cleaning and cooking etc. I was also offering emotional support, if they were feeling down o a little bit homesick, and offer them the opportunity to think out loud about the experience, what it was doing for them both from a practical point of view and an emotional point of view.

But the trip also offered me the opportunity to shadow the staff of After Eight, and it was all around an incredibly fulfilling experience. After Eight and Zefiro have a long lasting relationship of collaboration and I was able to be there and learn from them to acquire skills to bring back at my job at Zefiro not only as a tutor, but as a teacher and as a worker involved in many cultural projects. I spent time with all of them and I got the chance to watch and help them in the numerous activities they conduct, from observing and participating in their different programs and labs to watching the café operating. I was also able to interview most of them to get the insights of their work and how it operates “behind the scenes”.

To prepare for this exchange I had to tackle both the practical and theoretical aspects of the trip, basically covering all tracks. So it went from buying all the clothes I would need for the unforgivable cold of Finland (which I was absolutely not used to) to reading tutoring material and becoming familiar with a few techniques that could come in handy. I also tried to do some research on both places and the culture, even if at the end of the day that’s something you can really only learn once you are there. Nonetheless it was helpful to look at the town we were staying in advance, to closely follow the weather there, to look at places and activities and to learn a bit in advance about their costumes.

As I said, it was a very enriching experience, both from a professional standpoint and also from a personal one. I got to learn a lot about how they run their projects there, how it works in Finland, what their main needs are and how they address them. They had a particular focus on the mental well being of their participants and all the techniques they use to create a safe space at After Eight are tools I think will be also incredibly useful in my work field. I could learn about how they organise their events and activities and their work philosophy, which was inspiring. But obviously it wasn’t all about the practical tools I could acquire, and I did acquire.

The human experiences and connections I got out of this trip are probably the most precious results. Being in another country and connecting with another culture is an irreplaceable learning experience, from just observing their daily life to exchanging anecdotes and comparing different ways of life. I got very close to the people I met there, we learned about each other and appreciated each other from our differences, which became a point of connection and not something that would make us feel distant. As I actually said to them, because of an existing bias derived from the way Finland is portrayed abroad, it was unexpected for me to learn about the difficulties they encounter with the mental wealth of young people and how, even facing conditions that to us sounds perfect, there are problems that can arise from the things we would see as “solutions” of “benefits”.

To a student interested in an experience abroad I would suggest, first of all, to practice English and/or the native language as much as they can. Obviously they’re going to learn exponentially more during their trip than they ever will at home, but it’s a good starting point to not feel completely lost and out of place. Also I would suggest them to reflect on cultural differences and how those can unite us more than divide us, and research on the culture they’re going to experience, especially if it’s very far from their own, to avoid strong cultural shocks. With the help of the internet it can also be comforting to explore virtually the place you’re going to and find some places or activities to look forward to.