We recently moved to Lappeenranta, Finland, near the border with Saint Petersburg since I’m doing the second year of my masters degree at LUT. I’m chasing a double degree option to attain a title of Msc in software engineering and digital transformation.

The process of getting physically to Lappeenranta was a bit challenging, given the covid impact on travel and borders. Obtaining the documents such as the residence card was relatively easy since the finish migration service is mostly digital and very well documented. But planning the flights and sticking to a flight schedule not so much. A couple of our flights got cancelled so we had to adapt fast and not always with the full support of the airlines. Crossing borders has been hectic and with lots of uncertainty and bureaucracy. Luckily my wife and I are resilient and have learned to pay close attention to legal documentation and bureaucratic details.

Another challenge has been accommodating with limited local support, there are good infrastructure and services in Finland for students but nevertheless doing things like finding a bed for our empty apartment on the same day of arrival took a good deal of foresight and effort on our side. On the bright side many people speak at least with a decent level of english but language remains a moderate barrier we hope to overcome by learning and attaining an intermediate level within a year, that’s definitively a goal.

Overall we are very glad to be here, we like the city and the nature, we’re thrilled to be in a place that recycles, has clean air and drinkable tap water, feels safe and has hiking trails to explore, to some people that might sound as something you could find anywhere on earth but as someone who has been to 4 continents I have to say: It’s surprising to see how little humans around the world care for nature or rather, how people take such essential things for granted and lose sight over them only to notice when they are already gone.

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